# 72nd United States Congress

The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931, to March 4, 1933, during the last two years of Herbert Hoover's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1910 United States census. The Senate had a Republican majority. The House started with a very slim Republican majority, but by the time it first met in December 1931, the Democrats had gained a majority through special elections.

## Major events

* Ongoing: Great Depression
* January 12, 1932: Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas became the first woman elected to the United States Senate. (Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia had been appointed to fill a vacancy in 1922; the 87-year-old Felton served one day as a senator.) Caraway had won a special election to fill the remaining months of the term of her late husband, Senator Thaddeus Caraway. She won re-election to a full term in 1932 and again in 1938 and served in the Senate until January 1945.
* July 28, 1932: Bonus Army was dispersed.
* November 8, 1932: 1932 United States elections:
** 1932 United States presidential election: Incumbent Republicans Herbert Hoover and Charles Curtis lost to Democrats Franklin Roosevelt as President, and John Nance Garner as Vice President.
** 1932 United States Senate elections: Democrats gained 12 seats for a 59–36 majority.
** 1932 United States House of Representatives elections: Democrats gained 97 seats for a 313–117 majority.

## Major legislation

* January 22, 1932: Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, Sess. 1, ch. 8, 47 Stat. 5
* February 27, 1932: Glass-Steagall Act of 1932, Sess. 1, ch. 58, 47 Stat. 56
* March 23, 1932: Norris-LaGuardia Act, Sess. 1, ch. 90, 47 Stat. 70
* June 6, 1932: Revenue Act of 1932, Sess. 1, ch. 209, 47 Stat. 169
* June 22, 1932: Federal Kidnapping Act, Sess. 1, ch. 271, 47 Stat. 326
* June 30, 1932: Economy Act of 1932, Sess. 1, ch. 314, 47 Stat. 399
* July 21, 1932: Emergency Relief and Construction Act, Sess. 1, ch. 520, 47 Stat. 709
* July 22, 1932: Federal Home Loan Bank Act, Sess. 1, ch. 522, 47 Stat. 725
* January 17, 1933: Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, Sess. 2, ch. 11, 47 Stat. 761
* March 3, 1933: Buy American Act, Sess. 2, ch. 212, title III, 47 Stat. 1520

## Constitutional amendments

* March 2, 1932: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution moving the beginning and ending of the terms of the president and vice president from March 4 to January 20, and of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3, and also establishing what is to be done when there is no president-elect, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
** January 23, 1933: The Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the requisite number of states (then 36) to become part of the Constitution.
* February 20, 1933: Approved an amendment to the U.S. Constitution repealing the Eighteenth Amendment, and submitted it to state ratifying conventions for ratification
** Amendment was later ratified on December 5, 1933, becoming the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution

## Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

### Senate

Republicans controlled the Senate through a VP-tie-breaking majority.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Farmer– Labor (FL) | Republican (R) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 42 | 1 | 53 | 96 | 0 |
| Begin | 47 | 1 | 48 | 96 | 0 |
| End | 46 | 1 | 48 | 95 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 48.4% | 1.1% | 50.5% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 58 | 1 | 36 | 95 | 1 |

### House of Representatives

| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| Affiliation | Democratic | Farmer–Labor | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Congress | 166 | 1 | 265 | 432 | 3 |
| Begin | 216 | 1 | 217 | 434 | 1 |
| March 16, 1931 | 215 | 1 | 217 | 433 | 2 |
| April 9, 1931 | 215 | 1 | 216 | 432 | 3 |
| May 12, 1931 | 216 | 1 | 216 | 433 | 2 |
| May 26, 1931 | 215 | 1 | 216 | 432 | 3 |
| May 29, 1931 | 214 | 1 | 216 | 431 | 4 |
| July 4, 1931 | 214 | 1 | 215 | 430 | 5 |
| July 13, 1931 | 213 | 1 | 215 | 429 | 6 |
| July 18, 1931 | 213 | 1 | 214 | 428 | 7 |
| July 28, 1931 | 212 | 1 | 214 | 427 | 8 |
| September 9, 1931 | 213 | 1 | 214 | 428 | 7 |
| September 29, 1931 | 214 | 1 | 214 | 429 | 6 |
| October 13, 1931 | 214 | 1 | 215 | 430 | 5 |
| October 18, 1931 | 214 | 1 | 214 | 429 | 6 |
| October 22, 1931 | 214 | 1 | 213 | 428 | 7 |
| November 3, 1931 | 217 | 1 | 215 | 433 | 2 |
| November 6, 1931 | 217 | 1 | 214 | 432 | 3 |
| November 24, 1931 | 218 | 1 | 214 | 433 | 2 |
| December 1, 1931 Beginning of first session | 219 | 1 | 214 | 434 | 1 |
| January 5, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 214 | 435 | 0 |
| January 29, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 213 | 434 | 1 |
| February 4, 1932 | 218 | 1 | 213 | 432 | 3 |
| March 2, 1932 | 219 | 1 | 213 | 433 | 2 |
| March 15, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 213 | 434 | 1 |
| April 1, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 212 | 433 | 2 |
| April 5, 1932 | 221 | 1 | 211 | 433 | 2 |
| April 21, 1932 | 221 | 1 | 210 | 432 | 3 |
| April 26, 1932 | 221 | 1 | 211 | 433 | 2 |
| May 31, 1932 | 221 | 1 | 210 | 432 | 3 |
| June 14, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 210 | 431 | 4 |
| July 23, 1932 | 219 | 1 | 210 | 430 | 5 |
| August 14, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 210 | 431 | 4 |
| October 5, 1932 | 219 | 1 | 210 | 430 | 5 |
| October 7, 1932 | 218 | 1 | 210 | 429 | 6 |
| November 6, 1932 | 217 | 1 | 210 | 428 | 7 |
| November 8, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 212 | 433 | 2 |
| November 29, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 211 | 432 | 3 |
| December 3, 1932 | 220 | 1 | 210 | 431 | 4 |
| December 13, 1932 | 219 | 1 | 210 | 430 | 5 |
| January 7, 1933 | 219 | 1 | 209 | 429 | 6 |
| January 8, 1933 | 219 | 1 | 208 | 428 | 7 |
| January 28, 1933 | 220 | 1 | 208 | 429 | 6 |
| February 16, 1933 | 220 | 1 | 206 | 427 | 8 |
| Final voting share | 51.4% | 0.2% | 48.4% | | |
| Non-voting members | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Beginning of next Congress | 311 | 5 | 117 | 433 | 2 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President: Charles Curtis (R)
* President pro tempore: George H. Moses (R)

#### Majority (Republican)

* Majority Leader: James E. Watson
* Majority Whip: Simeon D. Fess
* Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale
* National Senatorial Committee Chair: Daniel O. Hastings

#### Minority (Democratic)

* Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson
* Minority Whip: Morris Sheppard
* Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: John N. Garner (D)
Note: Republican Nicholas Longworth, the Speaker of the House in the previous Congress, was Speaker-presumptive with his party's mere three-seat majority. However, Longworth died on April 9, 1931, and by the time the 72nd Congress convened in December 1931, Democrats had gained four seats from Republicans through special elections following deaths, thus becoming the majority party in the House. Democrat John Garner was subsequently elected as Speaker.

#### Majority (Democratic)

* Majority Leader: Henry T. Rainey
* Majority Whip: John McDuffie
* Democratic Caucus Chairman: William W. Arnold
* Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.

#### Minority (Republican)

* Minority Leader: Bertrand H. Snell
* Minority Whip: Carl G. Bachmann
* Republican Conference Chairman: Willis C. Hawley
* Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: William R. Wood

## Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

### Senate

Senators were elected every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1934; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1936; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1932.

### House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "At-large," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

## Changes in membership
### Senate

* Replacements: 11
** Democratic: 1-seat net loss
** Republican: no net change
* Deaths: 6
* Resignations: 1
* Interim appointments: 5
* Total seats with changes: 8

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 23
** Democratic: 6 seat net gain
** Republican: 6 seat net loss
* Deaths: 24
* Resignations: 7
* Contested election: 1
* Total seats with changes: 32

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.

### Joint committees

* Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
* Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
* The Library (Chairman: Sen. Simeon D. Fess)
* Printing (Chairman: Sen. George H. Moses then Duncan U. Fletcher; Vice Chairman: Rep. Edgar R. Kiess)
* Taxation (Chairman: Rep. Willis C. Hawley)
* Veterans' Affairs

## Caucuses

* Democratic (House)
* Democratic (Senate)

## Employees
### Legislative branch agency directors

* Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
* Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver
* Comptroller General of the United States: John R. McCarl
* Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
* Public Printer of the United States: George H. Carter

### Senate

* Chaplain: ZeBarney T. Phillips (Episcopalian)
* Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer
* Librarian: James D. Preston
* Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry
* Democratic Party Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
* Republican Party Secretary: Carl A. Loeffler

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: James S. Montgomery (Methodist)
* Clerk: South Trimble
* Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott
* Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
* Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
* Reading Clerks: Patrick Joseph Haltigan (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
* Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers, until December 7, 1931
** Kenneth Romney, from December 7, 1931