# 70th United States Congress

The 70th 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, 1927, to March 4, 1929, during the last two years of Calvin Coolidge's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1910 United States census.
Both chambers had a Republican majority - albeit reduced from the previous Congress - and along with President Coolidge, the Republicans maintained an overall federal government trifecta.

## Major events

* November 6, 1928: U.S. Senate elections and U.S. House elections
* This was the last Congress to be exclusively white and the last to not have a single black member of Congress in either chamber.

## Major legislation

* March 10, 1928: Settlement of War Claims Act
* May 15, 1928: Flood Control Act of 1928 (Jones–Reid Act)
* May 22, 1928: Merchant Marine Act of 1928 (Jones–White Act)
* May 22, 1928: Forest Research Act (McSweeney–McNary Act)
* May 22, 1928: Capper–Ketcham Act
* May 28, 1928: Welsh Act
* May 29, 1928: Revenue Act of 1928, ch. 852, 45 Stat. 791
* May 29, 1928: Reed–Jenkins Act
* December 21, 1928: Boulder Canyon Project Act (Hoover Dam)
* December 22, 1928: Color of Title Act
* January 19, 1929: Hawes–Cooper Act
* February 18, 1929: Migratory Bird Conservation Act (Norbeck–Anderson Act), ch. 257, 45 Stat. 1222
* February 25, 1929: Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act (Norbeck-Williamson Act of 1929)
* March 2, 1929: Increased Penalties Act (Jones–Stalker Act)

## 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

At the end of the first month of the first session of Congress, Republicans gained control of the Senate through a VP-tie-breaking majority.
| 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 | 42 | 1 | 52 | 95 | 1 |
| Begin | 47 | 1 | 46 | 94 | 2 |
| December 20, 1927 | 46 | 1 | 46 | 93 | 3 |
| December 29, 1927 | 46 | 1 | 47 | 94 | 2 |
| March 23, 1928 | 45 | 1 | 47 | 93 | 3 |
| March 30, 1928 | 45 | 1 | 46 | 92 | 4 |
| March 31, 1928 | 45 | 1 | 47 | 93 | 3 |
| April 4, 1928 | 46 | 1 | 47 | 94 | 2 |
| June 24, 1928 | 46 | 1 | 46 | 93 | 3 |
| June 30, 1928 | 46 | 1 | 47 | 94 | 2 |
| December 3, 1928 | 46 | 1 | 48 | 95 | 1 |
| December 9, 1928 | 46 | 1 | 47 | 94 | 2 |
| December 10, 1928 | 46 | 1 | 48 | 95 | 1 |
| December 15, 1928 | 45 | 1 | 49 | 95 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 47.4% | 1.1% | 51.6% | | |
| Beginning of the next Congress | 39 | 1 | 54 | 94 | 2 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Farmer– Labor (FL) | Republican (R) | Socialist (S) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 182 | 3 | 246 | 2 | 433 | 2 |
| Begin | 194 | 2 | 237 | 1 | 434 | 1 |
| End | 193 | 2 | 232 | 1 | 428 | 7 |
| Final voting share | 45.1% | 0.5% | 54.2% | 0.2% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 164 | 1 | 268 | 0 | 433 | 2 |

## Leadership
### Senate

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

#### Majority (Republican) leadership

* Majority Leader: Charles Curtis
* Majority Whip: Wesley L. Jones
* Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale
* National Senatorial Committee Chair: Jesse H. Metcalf

#### Minority (Democratic) leadership

* Minority leader: Joseph T. Robinson
* Minority whip: Peter G. Gerry
* Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: Nicholas Longworth (R)

#### Majority (Republican) leadership

* Majority Leader: John Q. Tilson
* Majority Whip: Albert Vestal
* Republican Conference Chairman: Willis C. Hawley
* Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: William R. Wood

#### Minority (Democratic) leadership

* Minority Leader: Finis J. Garrett
* Minority Whip: William Allan Oldfield
* Democratic Caucus Chairman: Arthur H. Greenwood
* Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.

## Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state.

### Senate

Senators are listed by class. They 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 ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1928; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1930; and Class 3 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1932.

### House of Representatives

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming
* Non-voting members
Members of the House of Representatives are listed by district.

## Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 15
** Democratic: 1 seat net gain
** Republican: 1 seat net loss
* Deaths: 16
* Resignations: 7
* Total seats with changes: 23
| District | Vacated by | Reason for vacancy | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
| Ohio 2nd | Vacant | Rep. Ambrose E. B. Stephens died during previous congress | Charles Tatgenhorst Jr. (R) | November 8, 1927 |
| Louisiana 7th | Ladislas Lazaro (D) | Died March 30, 1927 | René L. De Rouen (D) | August 23, 1927 |
| New York 35th | Walter W. Magee (R) | Died May 25, 1927 | Clarence E. Hancock (R) | November 8, 1927 |
| Colorado 1st | William N. Vaile (R) | Died July 2, 1927 | S. Harrison White (D) | November 15, 1927 |
| Oregon 3rd | Maurice E. Crumpacker (R) | Died July 24, 1927 | Franklin F. Korell (R) | October 18, 1927 |
| Pennsylvania 1st | James M. Hazlett (R) | Resigned October 20, 1927 | James M. Beck (R) | November 8, 1927 |
| Iowa 9th | William R. Green (R) | Resigned March 31, 1928, after being appointed to the United States Court of Claims | Earl W. Vincent (R) | June 4, 1928 |
| Massachusetts 12th | James A. Gallivan (D) | Died April 3, 1928 | John W. McCormack (D) | November 6, 1928 |
| Illinois 1st | Martin B. Madden (R) | Died April 27, 1928 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| New York 32nd | Thaddeus C. Sweet (R) | Died May 1, 1928 | Francis D. Culkin (R) | November 6, 1928 |
| Pennsylvania 8th | Thomas S. Butler (R) | Died May 26, 1928 | James Wolfenden (R) | November 6, 1928 |
| Oregon 2nd | Nicholas J. Sinnott (R) | Resigned May 31, 1928, after being appointed to the United States Court of Claims | Robert R. Butler (R) | November 6, 1928 |
| Illinois at-large | Henry R. Rathbone (R) | Died July 15, 1928 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Philippines at-large | Isauro Gabaldon | Resigned July 16, 1928, after being nominated for election to the Philippine House of Representatives | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Alabama 5th | William B. Bowling (D) | Resigned August 16, 1928, after being appointed judge of the 5th Judicial Circuit of Alabama | LaFayette L. Patterson (D) | November 6, 1928 |
| Massachusetts 14th | Louis A. Frothingham (R) | Died August 23, 1928 | Richard B. Wigglesworth (R) | November 6, 1928 |
| Missouri 16th | Thomas L. Rubey (D) | Died November 2, 1928 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Arkansas 2nd | William Allan Oldfield (D) | Died November 19, 1928 | Pearl Peden Oldfield (D) | January 9, 1929 |
| Ohio 22nd | Theodore E. Burton (R) | Resigned December 15, 1928, after winning special election to the U.S. Senate | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| New York 41st | Clarence MacGregor (R) | Resigned December 28, 1928, after being appointed to the New York Supreme Court | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Missouri 4th | Charles L. Faust (R) | Died December 17, 1928 | David W. Hopkins (R) | February 5, 1929 |
| Illinois 15th | Edward J. King (R) | Died February 17, 1929 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| New York 21st | Royal H. Weller (D) | Died March 1, 1929 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |

## 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
* Harriman Geographic Code System
* Investigation of Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grants
* Determine what Employment may be Furnished Federal Prisoners (Chairman: Rep. George S. Graham)
* Investigate Northern Pacific Lands (Chairman: Rep. Nicholas J. Sinnott)
* The Library (Chairman: Sen. Simeon D. Fess)
* Printing (Chairman: Sen. George H. Moses)
* Taxation (Chairman: Rep. William R. Green)
* To Investigate the Salaries of Officers and Employees of the Senate and the House

## Caucuses

* Democratic (House)
* Democratic (Senate)

## Officers
### Legislative branch agency directors

* Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
* Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver, from 1928
* 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: John J. Muir, (Baptist), until December 5, 1927
** ZeBarney T. Phillips (Episcopal), from December 5, 1927
* Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer
* Librarian: Edward C. Goodwin
* Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: James S. Montgomery (Methodist)
* Clerk: William T. Page
* Doorkeeper: Bert W. Kennedy
* Reading Clerks: Patrick Joseph Haltigan (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
* Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers
* Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler, from 1928
* Postmaster: Frank W. Collier