The 78th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1943, to January 3, 1945, during the last two years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.

Both chambers had a Democratic majority - albeit greatly reduced from the 77th Congress, with the Democrats losing their supermajority in the House and Senate. Along with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Democrats maintained an overall federal government trifecta.

Major events

  • World War II continued (1941–1945)
  • June 6, 1944: Battle of Normandy
  • November 7, 1944: General elections:
  • President Roosevelt was re-elected to a fourth term.
  • Senate Democrats kept their majority despite 1-seat net loss.
  • House Democrats increased their majority with a 20-seat net gain.

Major legislation

  • December 17, 1943: Magnuson Act (Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943), Sess. 1, ch. 344,
  • February 3, 1944: Mustering-out Payment Act, Sess. 2, ,
  • June 6, 1944: Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill), Sess. 2, ch. 268, ,
  • June 27, 1944: Veterans' Preference Act, Sess. 2, ch. 287, ,
  • July 1, 1944: Public Health Service Act, Sess. 2, ch. 373,
  • Contract Settlement Act of 1944, , Sess. 2, an act to provide for the settlement of claims arising from terminated war contracts
  • December 22, 1944: Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act, Sess. 2, ch. 665, ,

Party summary

Senate

House of Representatives

Leaders

Senate

  • President: Henry A. Wallace (D)
  • President pro tempore: Carter Glass (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

  • Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley
  • Majority Whip: J. Lister Hill
  • Democratic Caucus Secretary: Francis T. Maloney

Minority (Republican) leadership

  • Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary, until February 25, 1944
  • Wallace H. White Jr., after February 25, 1944
  • Minority whip: No Republican whips were appointed from 1935 to 1944 since only 17 Republicans were in the Senate following the landslide reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Accordingly, the minutes of the Republican Conference for the period state: "On motion of Senator Hastings, duly seconded and carried, it was agreed that no Assistant Leader or Whip be elected but that the chairman be authorized to appoint Senators from time to time to assist him in taking charge of the interests of the minority." A note attached to the conference minutes added: "The chairman of the conference, Senator McNary, apparently appointed Senator Austin of Vermont as assistant leader in 1943 and 1944, until the conference adopted Rules of Organization."
  • Republican Conference Secretary: Wallace H. White Jr., until February 25, 1944
  • Harold Hitz Burton (from February 25, 1944)
  • National Senatorial Committee Chair: John G. Townsend Jr.

House of Representatives

  • Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

  • Majority Leader: John W. McCormack
  • Majority whip: Robert Ramspeck
  • Democratic Caucus Chairman: Harry R. Sheppard
  • Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Patrick H. Drewry

Minority (Republican) leadership

  • Minority Leader: Joseph W. Martin Jr.
  • Minority whip: Harry Lane Englebright, until May 13, 1943
  • Leslie C. Arends, from May 13, 1943
  • Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff
  • Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Charles A. Halleck

Members

Senate

Senators are popularly elected statewide 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 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1944; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1946; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1948.

Alabama

: 2. John H. Bankhead II (D)

: 3. J. Lister Hill (D)

Arizona

: 1. Ernest McFarland (D)

: 3. Carl Hayden (D)

Arkansas

: 2. John L. McClellan (D)

: 3. Hattie Caraway (D)

California

: 1. Hiram W. Johnson (R)

: 3. Sheridan Downey (D)

Colorado

: 2. Edwin C. Johnson (D)

: 3. Eugene Millikin (R)

Connecticut

: 1. Francis T. Maloney (D)

: 3. John A. Danaher (R)

Delaware

: 1. James M. Tunnell (D)

: 2. C. Douglass Buck (R)

Florida

: 1. Charles O. Andrews (D)

: 3. Claude Pepper (D)

Georgia

: 2. Richard Russell Jr. (D)

: 3. Walter F. George (D)

Idaho

: 2. John Thomas (R)

: 3. D. Worth Clark (D)

Illinois

: 2. Charles W. Brooks (R)

: 3. Scott W. Lucas (D)

Indiana

: 1. Raymond E. Willis (R)

: 3. Frederick Van Nuys (D), until January 25, 1944

:: Samuel D. Jackson (D), January 28, 1944 – November 13, 1944

:: William E. Jenner (R), from November 14, 1944

Iowa

: 2. George A. Wilson (R)

: 3. Guy M. Gillette (D)

Kansas

: 2. Arthur Capper (R)

: 3. Clyde M. Reed (R)

Kentucky

: 2. Happy Chandler (D)

: 3. Alben Barkley (D)

Louisiana

: 2. Allen J. Ellender (D)

: 3. John H. Overton (D)

Maine

: 1. Ralph Owen Brewster (R)

: 2. Wallace H. White Jr. (R)

Maryland

: 1. George L. P. Radcliffe (D)

: 3. Millard Tydings (D)

Massachusetts

: 1. David I. Walsh (D)

: 2. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R), until February 3, 1944

:: Sinclair Weeks (R), February 8, 1944 – December 19, 1944

:: Vacant from December 19, 1944

Michigan

: 1. Arthur H. Vandenberg (R)

: 2. Homer S. Ferguson (R)

Minnesota

: 1. Henrik Shipstead (R)

: 2. Joseph H. Ball (R)

Mississippi

: 1. Theodore G. Bilbo (D)

: 2. James Eastland (D)

Missouri

: 1. Harry S. Truman (D)

: 3. Bennett Champ Clark (D)

Montana

: 1. Burton K. Wheeler (D)

: 2. James E. Murray (D)

Nebraska

: 1. Hugh A. Butler (R)

: 2. Kenneth S. Wherry (R)

Nevada

: 1. James G. Scrugham (D)

: 3. Patrick A. McCarran (D)

New Hampshire

: 2. Styles Bridges (R)

: 3. Charles W. Tobey (R)

New Jersey

: 1. William Warren Barbour (R), until November 22, 1943

:: Arthur Walsh (D), November 26, 1943 – December 7, 1944

:: Howard Alexander Smith (R), from December 7, 1944

: 2. Albert W. Hawkes (R)

New Mexico

: 1. Dennis Chávez (D)

: 2. Carl Hatch (D)

New York

: 1. James M. Mead (D)

: 3. Robert F. Wagner (D)

North Carolina

: 2. Josiah William Bailey (D)

: 3. Robert R. Reynolds (D)

North Dakota

: 1. William Langer (R-NPL)

: 3. Gerald Nye (R)

Ohio

: 1. Harold Hitz Burton (R)

: 3. Robert A. Taft (R)

Oklahoma

: 2. Edward H. Moore (R)

: 3. Elmer Thomas (D)

Oregon

: 2. Charles L. McNary (R), until February 25, 1944

:: Guy Cordon (R), from March 4, 1944

: 3. Rufus C. Holman (R)

Pennsylvania

: 1. Joseph F. Guffey (D)

: 3. James J. Davis (R)

Rhode Island

: 1. Peter G. Gerry (D)

: 2. Theodore F. Green (D)

South Carolina

: 2. Burnet R. Maybank (D)

: 3. Ellison D. Smith (D), until November 17, 1944

:: Wilton E. Hall (D), from November 20, 1944

South Dakota

: 2. Harlan J. Bushfield (R)

: 3. John Chandler Gurney (R)

Tennessee

: 1. Kenneth McKellar (D)

: 2. Tom Stewart (D)

Texas

: 1. Tom T. Connally (D)

: 2. W. Lee O'Daniel (D)

Utah

: 1. Abe Murdock (D)

: 3. Elbert D. Thomas (D)

Vermont

: 1. Warren Austin (R)

: 3. George Aiken (R)

Virginia

: 1. Harry F. Byrd (D)

: 2. Carter Glass (D)

Washington

: 1. Monrad Wallgren (D)

: 3. Homer Bone (D), until November 13, 1944

:: Warren G. Magnuson (D), from December 14, 1944

West Virginia

: 1. Harley M. Kilgore (D)

: 2. Chapman Revercomb (R)

Wisconsin

: 1. Robert M. La Follette Jr. (P)

: 3. Alexander Wiley (R)

Wyoming

: 1. Joseph C. O'Mahoney (D)

: 2. Edward V. Robertson (R)

thumb|375px|Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 78th Congress in January 1943. The green stripes denote Senator [[Robert M. La Follette Jr. of the Progressive Party.

]]

House of Representatives

The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama

: . Frank W. Boykin (D)

: . George M. Grant (D)

: . Henry B. Steagall (D), until November 22, 1943

:: George W. Andrews (D), from March 14, 1944

: . Sam Hobbs (D)

: . Joe Starnes (D)

: . Pete Jarman (D)

: . Carter Manasco (D)

: . John J. Sparkman (D)

: . John P. Newsome (D)

Arizona

: . John R. Murdock (D)

: . Richard F. Harless (D)

Arkansas

: . Ezekiel C. Gathings (D)

: . Wilbur Mills (D)

: . J. William Fulbright (D)

: . William Fadjo Cravens (D)

: . Brooks Hays (D)

: . William F. Norrell (D)

: . Oren Harris (D)

California

: . Clarence F. Lea (D)

: . Harry L. Englebright (R), until May 13, 1943

:: Clair Engle (D), from August 31, 1943

: . J. Leroy Johnson (R)

: . Thomas Rolph (R)

: . Richard J. Welch (R)

: . Albert E. Carter (R)

: . John H. Tolan (D)

: . Jack Z. Anderson (R)

: . Bertrand W. Gearhart (R)

: . Alfred J. Elliott (D)

: . George E. Outland (D)

: . Jerry Voorhis (D)

: . Norris Poulson (R)

: . Thomas F. Ford (D)

: . John M. Costello (D)

: . Will Rogers Jr. (D), until May 23, 1944

: . Cecil R. King (D)

: . William Ward Johnson (R)

: . Chester E. Holifield (D)

: . John Carl Hinshaw (R)

: . Harry R. Sheppard (D)

: . John R. Phillips (R)

: . Edouard V. M. Izac (D)

Colorado

: . Lawrence Lewis (D), until December 9, 1943

:: Dean M. Gillespie (R), from March 7, 1944

: . William S. Hill (R)

: . John Chenoweth (R)

: . Robert F. Rockwell (R)

Connecticut

: . William J. Miller (R)

: . John D. McWilliams (R)

: . Ranulf Compton (R)

: . Clare Boothe Luce (R)

: . Joseph E. Talbot (R)

: . B. J. Monkiewicz (R)

Delaware

: . Earle D. Willey (R)

Florida

: . J. Hardin Peterson (D)

: . Emory H. Price (D)

: . Robert L. F. Sikes (D), until October 19, 1944

: . Pat Cannon (D)

: . Joe Hendricks (D)

: . Robert A. Green (D), until November 25, 1944

Georgia

: . Hugh Peterson (D)

: . Edward E. Cox (D)

: . Stephen Pace (D)

: . Albert Sidney Camp (D)

: . Robert Ramspeck (D)

: . Carl Vinson (D)

: . Malcolm C. Tarver (D)

: . John S. Gibson (D)

: . B. Frank Whelchel (D)

: . Paul Brown (D)

Idaho

: . Compton I. White (D)

: . Henry Dworshak (R)

Illinois

: . William L. Dawson (D)

: . William A. Rowan (D)

: . Fred E. Busbey (R)

: . Martin Gorski (D)

: . Adolph J. Sabath (D)

: . Thomas J. O'Brien (D)

: . Leonard W. Schuetz (D), until February 13, 1944

: . Thomas S. Gordon (D)

: . Charles S. Dewey (R)

: . Ralph E. Church (R)

: . Chauncey W. Reed (R)

: . Noah M. Mason (R)

: . Leo E. Allen (R)

: . Anton J. Johnson (R)

: . Robert B. Chiperfield (R)

: . Everett M. Dirksen (R)

: . Leslie C. Arends (R)

: . Jessie Sumner (R)

: . William H. Wheat (R), until January 16, 1944

:: Rolla C. McMillen (R), from June 13, 1944

: . Sid Simpson (R)

: . George Evan Howell (R)

: . Calvin D. Johnson (R)

: . Charles W. Vursell (R)

: . James V. Heidinger (R)

: . C. W. Bishop (R)

: . Stephen A. Day (R)

Indiana

: . Ray Madden (D)

: . Charles A. Halleck (R)

: . Robert A. Grant (R)

: . George W. Gillie (R)

: . Forest Harness (R)

: . Noble J. Johnson (R)

: . Gerald W. Landis (R)

: . Charles M. La Follette (R)

: . Earl Wilson (R)

: . Raymond S. Springer (R)

: . Louis Ludlow (D)

Iowa

: . Thomas E. Martin (R)

: . Henry O. Talle (R)

: . John W. Gwynne (R)

: . Karl M. LeCompte (R)

: . Paul H. Cunningham (R)

: . Fred C. Gilchrist (R)

: . Ben F. Jensen (R)

: . Charles B. Hoeven (R)

Kansas

: . William P. Lambertson (R)

: . Ulysses S. Guyer (R), until June 5, 1943

:: Errett P. Scrivner (R), from September 14, 1943

: . Thomas Daniel Winter (R)

: . Edward Herbert Rees (R)

: . Clifford R. Hope (R)

: . Frank Carlson (R)

Kentucky

: . Noble J. Gregory (D)

: . Beverly M. Vincent (D)

: . Emmet O'Neal (D)

: . Edward W. Creal (D), until October 13, 1943

:: Chester O. Carrier (R), from November 30, 1943

: . Brent Spence (D)

: . Virgil Chapman (D)

: . Andrew J. May (D)

: . Joe B. Bates (D)

: . John M. Robsion (R)

Louisiana

: . F. Edward Hébert (D)

: . Paul H. Maloney (D)

: . James R. Domengeaux (D), until April 15, 1944

:: . James R. Domengeaux (D), from November 7, 1944

: . Overton Brooks (D)

: . Charles E. McKenzie (D)

: . James H. Morrison (D)

: . Henry D. Larcade Jr. (D)

: . A. Leonard Allen (D)

Maine

: . Robert Hale (R)

: . Margaret Chase Smith (R)

: . Frank Fellows (R)

Maryland

: . David Jenkins Ward (D)

: . Harry Streett Baldwin (D)

: . Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. (D)

: . Daniel Ellison (R)

: . Lansdale G. Sasscer (D)

: . James Glenn Beall (R)

Massachusetts

: . Allen T. Treadway (R)

: . Charles Clason (R)

: . Philip J. Philbin (D)

: . Pehr G. Holmes (R)

: . Edith Nourse Rogers (R)

: . George J. Bates (R)

: . Thomas J. Lane (D)

: . Angier Goodwin (R)

: . Charles L. Gifford (R)

: . Christian Herter (R)

: . James Michael Curley (D)

: . John W. McCormack (D)

: . Richard B. Wigglesworth (R)

: . Joseph W. Martin Jr. (R)

Michigan

: . George G. Sadowski (D)

: . Earl C. Michener (R)

: . Paul W. Shafer (R)

: . Clare E. Hoffman (R)

: . Bartel J. Jonkman (R)

: . William W. Blackney (R)

: . Jesse P. Wolcott (R)

: . Fred L. Crawford (R)

: . Albert J. Engel (R)

: . Roy O. Woodruff (R)

: . Fred Bradley (R)

: . John B. Bennett (R)

: . George D. O'Brien (D)

: . Louis C. Rabaut (D)

: . John D. Dingell Sr. (D)

: . John Lesinski Sr. (D)

: . George A. Dondero (R)

Minnesota

: . August H. Andresen (R)

: . Joseph P. O'Hara (R)

: . Richard Pillsbury Gale (R)

: . Melvin Maas (R)

: . Walter Judd (R)

: . Harold Knutson (R)

: . Herman Carl Andersen (R)

: . William Pittenger (R)

: . Harold Hagen (FL), changed to (R) on April 15, 1944

Mississippi

: . John E. Rankin (D)

: . Jamie L. Whitten (D)

: . William M. Whittington (D)

: . Thomas Abernethy (D)

: . W. Arthur Winstead (D)

: . William M. Colmer (D)

: . Dan R. McGehee (D)

Missouri

: . Samuel W. Arnold (R)

: . Max Schwabe (R)

: . William Clay Cole (R)

: . C. Jasper Bell (D)

: . Roger C. Slaughter (D)

: . Marion T. Bennett (R), from January 12, 1943

: . Dewey Short (R)

: . William P. Elmer (R)

: . Clarence Cannon (D)

: . Orville Zimmerman (D)

: . Louis E. Miller (R)

: . Walter C. Ploeser (R)

: . John J. Cochran (D)

Montana

: . Mike Mansfield (D)

: . James F. O'Connor (D)

Nebraska

: . Carl Curtis (R)

: . Howard Buffett (R)

: . Karl Stefan (R)

: . Arthur L. Miller (R)

Nevada

: . Maurice J. Sullivan (D)

New Hampshire

: . Chester Earl Merrow (R)

: . Foster Waterman Stearns (R)

New Jersey

: . Charles A. Wolverton (R)

: . Elmer H. Wene (D)

: . James C. Auchincloss (R)

: . D. Lane Powers (R)

: . Charles A. Eaton (R)

: . Donald H. McLean (R)

: . J. Parnell Thomas (R)

: . Gordon Canfield (R)

: . Harry L. Towe (R)

: . Fred A. Hartley Jr. (R)

: . Frank Sundstrom (R)

: . Robert Kean (R)

: . Mary T. Norton (D)

: . Edward J. Hart (D)

New Mexico

: . Clinton P. Anderson (D)

: . Antonio M. Fernández (D)

New York

: . Leonard W. Hall (R)

: . William B. Barry (D)

: . Joseph L. Pfeifer (D)

: . Thomas H. Cullen (D), until March 1, 1944

:: John J. Rooney (D), from June 6, 1944

: . James J. Heffernan (D)

: . Andrew L. Somers (D)

: . John J. Delaney (D)

: . Donald L. O'Toole (D)

: . Eugene J. Keogh (D)

: . Emanuel Celler (D)

: . James A. O'Leary (D), until March 16, 1944

:: Ellsworth B. Buck (R), from June 6, 1944

: . Samuel Dickstein (D)

: . Louis Capozzoli (D)

: . Arthur George Klein (D)

: . Thomas F. Burchill (D)

: . James H. Fay (D)

: . Joseph C. Baldwin (R)

: . Martin J. Kennedy (D)

: . Sol Bloom (D)

: . Vito Marcantonio (AL)

: . Joseph A. Gavagan (D), until December 30, 1943

:: James H. Torrens (D), from February 29, 1944

: . Walter A. Lynch (D)

: . Charles A. Buckley (D)

: . James M. Fitzpatrick (D)

: . Ralph A. Gamble (R)

: . Hamilton Fish III (R)

: . Jay Le Fevre (R)

: . William T. Byrne (D)

: . Dean P. Taylor (R)

: . Bernard W. Kearney (R)

: . Clarence E. Kilburn (R)

: . Francis D. Culkin (R), until August 4, 1943

:: Hadwen C. Fuller (R), from November 2, 1943

: . Fred J. Douglas (R)

: . Edwin Arthur Hall (R)

: . Clarence E. Hancock (R)

: . John Taber (R)

: . W. Sterling Cole (R)

: . Joseph J. O'Brien (R)

: . James W. Wadsworth Jr. (R)

: . Walter G. Andrews (R)

: . Joseph Mruk (R)

: . John Cornelius Butler (R)

: . Daniel A. Reed (R)

: . Matthew J. Merritt (D)

: . Winifred C. Stanley (R)

North Carolina

: . Herbert Covington Bonner (D)

: . John H. Kerr (D)

: . Graham A. Barden (D)

: . Harold D. Cooley (D)

: . John Hamlin Folger (D)

: . Carl T. Durham (D)

: . J. Bayard Clark (D)

: . William O. Burgin (D)

: . Robert L. Doughton (D)

: . Cameron A. Morrison (D)

: . Alfred L. Bulwinkle (D)

: . Zebulon Weaver (D)

North Dakota

: . William Lemke (R-NPL)

: . Usher L. Burdick (R-NPL)

Ohio

: . Charles H. Elston (R)

: . William E. Hess (R)

: . Harry P. Jeffrey (R)

: . Robert Franklin Jones (R)

: . Cliff Clevenger (R)

: . Edward O. McCowen (R)

: . Clarence J. Brown (R)

: . Frederick Cleveland Smith (R)

: . Homer A. Ramey (R)

: . Thomas A. Jenkins (R)

: . Walter E. Brehm (R)

: . John M. Vorys (R)

: . Alvin F. Weichel (R)

: . Edmund Rowe (R)

: . Percy W. Griffiths (R)

: . Henderson H. Carson (R)

: . J. Harry McGregor (R)

: . Earl R. Lewis (R)

: . Michael J. Kirwan (D)

: . Michael A. Feighan (D)

: . Robert Crosser (D)

: . Frances P. Bolton (R)

: . George H. Bender (R)

Oklahoma

: . Wesley E. Disney (D)

: . John Conover Nichols (D), until July 3, 1943

:: William G. Stigler (D), from March 28, 1944

: . Paul Stewart (D)

: . Lyle Boren (D)

: . A. S. Mike Monroney (D)

: . Jed J. Johnson (D)

: . Victor Wickersham (D)

: . Ross Rizley (R)

Oregon

: . James W. Mott (R)

: . Lowell Stockman (R)

: . Homer D. Angell (R)

: . Harris Ellsworth (R)

Pennsylvania

: . James A. Gallagher (R)

: . James P. McGranery (D), until November 17, 1943

:: Joseph Marmaduke Pratt (R), from January 18, 1944

: . Michael J. Bradley (D)

: . John E. Sheridan (D)

: . C. Frederick Pracht (R)

: . Francis J. Myers (D)

: . Hugh Scott (R)

: . James Wolfenden (R)

: . Charles L. Gerlach (R)

: . J. Roland Kinzer (R)

: . John W. Murphy (D)

: . Thomas B. Miller (R)

: . Ivor D. Fenton (R)

: . Daniel K. Hoch (D)

: . Wilson D. Gillette (R)

: . Thomas E. Scanlon (D)

: . J. William Ditter (R), until November 21, 1943

:: Samuel K. McConnell Jr. (R), from January 18, 1944

: . Richard M. Simpson (R)

: . John C. Kunkel (R)

: . Leon H. Gavin (R)

: . Francis E. Walter (D)

: . Chester H. Gross (R)

: . James E. Van Zandt (R), until September 24, 1943

:: D. Emmert Brumbaugh (R), from November 2, 1943

: . J. Buell Snyder (D)

: . Grant Furlong (D)

: . Louis E. Graham (R)

: . Harve Tibbott (R)

: . Augustine B. Kelley (D)

: . Robert L. Rodgers (R)

: . Samuel A. Weiss (D)

: . Herman P. Eberharter (D)

: . James A. Wright (D)

: . William I. Troutman (R), until January 2, 1945

Rhode Island

: . Aime Forand (D)

: . John E. Fogarty (D), until December 7, 1944

South Carolina

: . L. Mendel Rivers (D)

: . Hampton P. Fulmer (D), until October 19, 1944

:: Willa L. Fulmer (D), from November 7, 1944

: . Butler B. Hare (D)

: . Joseph R. Bryson (D)

: . James P. Richards (D)

: . John L. McMillan (D)

South Dakota

: . Karl E. Mundt (R)

: . Francis Case (R)

Tennessee

: . B. Carroll Reece (R)

: . John Jennings Jr. (R)

: . Estes Kefauver (D)

: . Albert Gore Sr. (D), until December 4, 1944

: . Jim Nance McCord (D)

: . Percy Priest (D)

: . W. Wirt Courtney (D)

: . Tom J. Murray (D)

: . Jere Cooper (D)

: . Clifford Davis (D)

Texas

: . Wright Patman (D)

: . Martin Dies Jr. (D)

: . Lindley Beckworth (D)

: . Sam Rayburn (D)

: . Hatton W. Sumners (D)

: . Luther Alexander Johnson (D)

: . Nat Patton (D)

: . Albert Thomas (D)

: . Joseph J. Mansfield (D)

: . Lyndon B. Johnson (D)

: . William R. Poage (D)

: . Fritz G. Lanham (D)

: . Ed Gossett (D)

: . Richard M. Kleberg (D)

: . Milton H. West (D)

: . R. Ewing Thomason (D)

: . Sam M. Russell (D)

: . Eugene Worley (D)

: . George H. Mahon (D)

: . Paul J. Kilday (D)

: . O. C. Fisher (D)

Utah

: . Walter K. Granger (D)

: . J. W. Robinson (D)

Vermont

: . Charles A. Plumley (R)

Virginia

: . S. Otis Bland (D)

: . Winder R. Harris (D), until September 15, 1944

:: Ralph Hunter Daughton (D), from November 7, 1944

: . Dave E. Satterfield Jr. (D)

: . Patrick H. Drewry (D)

: . Thomas G. Burch (D)

: . Clifton A. Woodrum (D)

: . A. Willis Robertson (D)

: . Howard W. Smith (D)

: . John W. Flannagan Jr. (D)

Washington

: . Warren G. Magnuson (D), until December 14, 1944

: . Henry M. Jackson (D)

: . Fred B. Norman (R)

: . Hal Holmes (R)

: . Walt Horan (R)

: . John M. Coffee (D)

West Virginia

: . A. C. Schiffler (R)

: . Jennings Randolph (D)

: . Edward G. Rohrbough (R)

: . Hubert S. Ellis (R)

: . John Kee (D)

: . Joe L. Smith (D)

Wisconsin

: . Lawrence H. Smith (R)

: . Harry Sauthoff (P)

: . William H. Stevenson (R)

: . Thad F. Wasielewski (D)

: . Howard J. McMurray (D)

: . Frank Bateman Keefe (R)

: . Reid F. Murray (R)

: . LaVern Dilweg (D)

: . Merlin Hull (P)

: . Alvin O'Konski (R)

Wyoming

: . Frank A. Barrett (R)

Non-voting members

: . Anthony Dimond (D)

: . Joseph Rider Farrington (R)

: . Joaquín Miguel Elizalde (I), until August 9, 1944

:: Carlos P. Romulo (Lib.), from August 10, 1944

: . Bolívar Pagán (Socialist)

[[File:78 us house membership.png|thumb|400px|

{|

! colspan=2 align=center | House seats by party holding plurality in state

|-

|

|

|-

|

|

|-

|

|

|}]]

Changes in membership

Senate

<!--

SORT by the date the seat became vacant

-->

|-

| New Jersey (1)

| nowrap | William Warren Barbour (R)

| Died November 22, 1943.<br/>Successor was appointed until an election.

| nowrap | Arthur Walsh (D)

| November 26, 1943

|-

| Indiana (3)

| nowrap | Frederick Van Nuys (D)

| Died January 25, 1944.<br/>Successor was appointed until an election.

| nowrap | Samuel D. Jackson (D)

| January 28, 1944

|-

| Massachusetts (2)

| nowrap | Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R)

| Resigned February 3, 1944, to go on active duty in the US Army.<br/>Successor was appointed until a special election.

| nowrap | Sinclair Weeks (R)

| February 8, 1944

|-

| Oregon (2)

| nowrap | Charles L. McNary (R)

| Died February 25, 1944.<br/>Successor was appointed and subsequently won special election

| nowrap | Guy Cordon (R)

| March 4, 1944

|-

| Washington (3)

| nowrap | Homer Bone (D)

| Resigned November 13, 1944, to become Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.<br/>Successor was appointed to finish the term, having just been elected to the next term.

| nowrap | Warren Magnuson (D)

| December 14, 1944

|-

| Indiana (3)

| nowrap | Samuel D. Jackson (D)

| Appointee was not a candidate to finish the term.<br/>Successor was elected.

| nowrap | William E. Jenner (R)

| November 7, 1944

|-

| South Carolina (3)

| nowrap | Ellison D. Smith (D)

| Died November 17, 1944.

| nowrap | Wilton E. Hall (D)

| November 20, 1944

|-

| New Jersey (1)

| nowrap | Arthur Walsh (D)

| Appointee was not a candidate to finish the term.<br/>Successor was elected.

| nowrap | Howard Alexander Smith (R)

| December 7, 1944

|-

| Massachusetts (2)

| nowrap | Sinclair Weeks (R)

| Appointee was not a candidate to finish the term.<br/>Successor was elected.<br/>Successor chose not to take the seat until the next Congress, but was nevertheless duly elected and qualified.

| nowrap | Leverett Saltonstall (R)

| January 4, 1945

|}

House of Representatives

<!--

Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

-->

|-

|

| Vacant

| style="font-size:80%" | Rep. Philip A. Bennett died in previous Congress

| | Marion T. Bennett (R)

| January 12, 1943

|-

|

| | Harry L. Englebright (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died May 13, 1943

| | Clair Engle (D)

| August 31, 1943

|-

|

| | Ulysses S. Guyer (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died June 5, 1943

| | Errett P. Scrivner (R)

| September 14, 1943

|-

|

| | John C. Nichols (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned July 3, 1943, to become vice-president of Transcontinental and Western Air.

| | William G. Stigler (D)

| March 28, 1944

|-

|

| | Francis D. Culkin (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died August 4, 1943

| | Hadwen C. Fuller (R)

| November 2, 1943

|-

|

| | James E. Van Zandt (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned September 24, 1943, after being called to active duty in the US Armed Forces.

| | D. Emmert Brumbaugh (R)

| November 2, 1943

|-

|

| | Edward W. Creal (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died October 13, 1943

| | Chester O. Carrier (R)

| November 30, 1943

|-

|

| | James P. McGranery (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 17, 1943, after being appointed an Assistant Attorney General

| | Joseph Marmaduke Pratt (R)

| rowspan=2 | January 18, 1944

|-

|

| | J. William Ditter (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died November 21, 1943

| | Samuel K. McConnell Jr. (R)

|-

|

| | Henry B. Steagall (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died November 22, 1943

| | George W. Andrews (D)

| March 14, 1944

|-

|

| | Lawrence Lewis (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died December 9, 1943

| | Dean M. Gillespie (R)

| March 7, 1944

|-

|

| | Joseph A. Gavagan (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 30, 1943, after being elected a justice of the New York Supreme Court

| | James H. Torrens (D)

| February 29, 1944

|-

|

| | William H. Wheat (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died January 16, 1944

| | Rolla C. McMillen (R)

| June 13, 1944

|-

|

| | Leonard W. Schuetz (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died February 13, 1944

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| | Thomas H. Cullen (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died March 1, 1944

| | John J. Rooney (D)

| June 6, 1944

|-

|

| | James A. O'Leary (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died March 16, 1944

| | Ellsworth B. Buck (R)

| June 6, 1944

|-

|

| | James Domengeaux (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned April 15, 1944, to join US Armed Forces

| | James Domengeaux (D)

| Re-elected to fill his own vacancy November 7, 1944

|-

|

| | Harold Hagen (FL)

| style="font-size:80%" | Changed parties April 15, 1944, after Minnesota Farmer–Labor and Democratic parties merged to become the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL)

| | Harold Hagen (R)

| April 15, 1944

|-

|

| | Will Rogers Jr. (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned May 23, 1944, to enter the US Army

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| Joaquín Miguel Elizalde

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned August 9, 1944, to become a member of the war cabinet of President Manuel L. Quezon

| Carlos P. Romulo

| August 10, 1944

|-

|

| | Winder R. Harris (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned September 15, 1944

| | Ralph Hunter Daughton (D)

| November 7, 1944

|-

|

| | Robert L. F. Sikes (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned October 19, 1944, to enter the U.S. Army

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| | Hampton P. Fulmer (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Died October 19, 1944

| | Willa L. Fulmer (D)

| November 7, 1944

|-

|

| | Robert A. Green (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned November 25, 1944, to enter the United States Navy

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| | Albert Gore Sr. (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 4, 1944, to enter the United States Army

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| | John E. Fogarty (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 7, 1944, to enter the United States Navy

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| | Warren Magnuson (D)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned December 14, 1944, when appointed U.S. Senator

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|-

|

| | William I. Troutman (R)

| style="font-size:80%" | Resigned January 2, 1945

| colspan=2 | Vacant until the next Congress

|}

Committees

Senate

  • Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Ellison D. Smith; Ranking Member: Charles L. McNary then Arthur Capper)
  • Appropriations (Chairman: Carter Glass; Ranking Member: Gerald P. Nye)
  • Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Scott W. Lucas; Ranking Member: Charles W. Tobey)
  • Banking and Currency (Chairman: Robert F. Wagner; Ranking Member: Charles W. Tobey)
  • Campaign Expenditures Investigation, 1944 (Special) (Chairman: Theodore F. Green)
  • Centralization of Heavy Industry in the United States (Select)
  • Civil Service (Chairman: Sheridan Downey; Ranking Member: William Langer)
  • Civil Service Laws (Special)
  • Claims (Chairman: Allen J. Ellender; Ranking Member: Arthur Capper)
  • Commerce (Chairman: Josiah W. Bailey; Ranking Member: Charles L. McNary)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Pat McCarran; Ranking Member: Arthur Capper)
  • Education and Labor (Chairman: Elbert D. Thomas; Ranking Member: Robert M. La Follette Jr.)
  • Wartime Health and Education
  • Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Hattie W. Caraway; Ranking Member: Clyde M. Reed)
  • Expenditures in Executive Departments (Chairman: J. Lister Hill; Ranking Member: James J. Davis)
  • Finance (Chairman: Walter F. George; Ranking Member: Robert M. La Follette Jr.)
  • Foreign Relations (Chairman: Tom Connally; Ranking Member: Hiram W. Johnson)
  • Fuel Situation in the Middle West (Special)
  • Gasoline and Fuel Oil Shortages (Special)
  • Immigration (Chairman: Richard B. Russell; Ranking Member: Hiram W. Johnson)
  • Indian Affairs (Chairman: Elmer Thomas; Ranking Member: Robert M. La Follette Jr.)
  • Interoceanic Canals (Chairman: Bennett Champ Clark; Ranking Member: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.)
  • Interstate Commerce (Chairman: Burton K. Wheeler; Ranking Member: Wallace H. White Jr.)
  • Irrigation and Reclamation (Chairman: John H. Bankhead II; Ranking Member: Charles L. McNary then Hiram W. Johnson)
  • Investigate the National Defense Program (Special)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: Pat McCarran; Ranking Member: Warren R. Austin)
  • Library (Chairman: Alben W. Barkley; Ranking Member: Charles L. McNary then Owen Brewster)
  • Manufactures (Chairman: John H. Overton; Ranking Member: Robert M. La Follette Jr.)
  • Military Affairs (Chairman: Robert R. Reynolds; Ranking Member: Warren R. Austin)
  • Mines and Mining (Chairman: Joseph F. Guffey; Ranking Member: James J. Davis)
  • Naval Affairs (Chairman: David I. Walsh; Ranking Member: James J. Davis)
  • Patents (Chairman: Homer T. Bone; Ranking Member: Wallace H. White)
  • Pensions (Chairman: James M. Tunnell; Ranking Member: Henrik Shipstead)
  • Petroleum Resources (Special)
  • Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Kenneth McKellar; Ranking Member: James J. Davis)
  • Post-War Economic Policy and Planning (Special) (Chairman: Walter F. George)
  • Printing (Chairman: Carl Hayden; Ranking Member: William Langer)
  • Privileges and Elections (Chairman: Theodore F. Green; Ranking Member: Warren R. Austin)
  • Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Francis Maloney; Ranking Member: W. Warren Barbour)
  • Public Lands and Surveys (Chairman: Carl A. Hatch; Ranking Member: Gerald P. Nye)
  • Rules (Chairman: Harry F. Byrd; Ranking Member: Arthur H. Vandenberg)
  • Senatorial Campaign Expenditures (Special) (Chairman: Ernest W. McFarland)
  • Small Business Enterprises (Special) (Chairman: James E. Murray)
  • Territories and Insular Affairs (Chairman: Millard E. Tydings; Ranking Member: Gerald P. Nye)
  • Whole
  • Wildlife Resources (Special) (Chairman: Bennett Champ Clark)
  • Wool Production (Special) (Chairman: Joseph C. O'Mahoney)

House of Representatives

  • Accounts (Chairman: John J. Cochran; Ranking Member: James Wolfenden)
  • Agriculture (Chairman: Hampton P. Fulmer; Ranking Member: Clifford R. Hope)
  • Appropriations (Chairman: Clarence Cannon; Ranking Member: John Taber)
  • Banking and Currency (Chairman: Brent Spence; Ranking Member: Jesse P. Wolcott)
  • Census (Chairman: A. Leonard Allen; Ranking Member: J. Roland Kinzer)
  • Civil Service (Chairman: Robert Ramspeck; Ranking Member: Edith Nourse Rogers)
  • Claims (Chairman: Dan R. McGehee; Ranking Member: J. Parnell Thomas)
  • Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: Andrew Somers; Ranking Member: Chauncey W. Reed)
  • Conservation of Wildlife Resources (Select) (Chairman: A. Willis Robertson)
  • Disposition of Executive Papers (Chairman: Alfred J. Elliott; Ranking Member: Bertrand W. Gearhart)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Jennings Randolph; Ranking Member: Everett M. Dirksen)
  • Education (Chairman: Graham A. Barden; Ranking Member: George A. Dondero)
  • Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress (Chairman: Eugene Worley; Ranking Member: Ralph A. Gamble)
  • Elections No.#1 (Chairman: C. Jasper Bell; Ranking Member: Clarence E. Hancock)
  • Elections No.#2 (Chairman: Ed Gossett; Ranking Member: Francis D. Culkin then Stephen A. Day)
  • Elections No.#3 (Chairman: Hugh Peterson; Ranking Member: Charles A. Plumley)
  • Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Arthur G. Klein; Ranking Member: Charles Aubrey Eaton)
  • Expenditures in the Executive Departments (Chairman: Carter Manasco; Ranking Member: Charles L. Gifford)
  • Flood Control (Chairman: William M. Whittington; Ranking Member: Harry Lane Englebright then Charles R. Clason)
  • Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Sol Bloom; Ranking Member: Charles Aubrey Eaton)
  • Immigration and Naturalization (Chairman: Samuel Dickstein; Ranking Member: Noah M. Mason)
  • Indian Affairs (Chairman: James F. O'Connor; Ranking Member: Fred C. Gilchrist)
  • Insular Affairs (Chairman: C. Jasper Bell; Ranking Member: Richard J. Welch)
  • Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: Clarence F. Lea; Ranking Member: Charles A. Wolverton)
  • Labor (Chairman: Mary Teresa Norton; Ranking Member: Richard J. Welch)
  • Memorials (Chairman: John R. Murdock; Ranking Member: Allen T. Treadway)
  • Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chairman: S. Otis Bland; Ranking Member: Richard J. Welch)
  • Military Affairs (Chairman: Andrew J. May; Ranking Member: Walter G. Andrews)
  • Invalid Pensions (Chairman: John Lesinski; Ranking Member: Robert A. Grant)
  • Investigate Acts of Executive Agencies Beyond their Scope of Authority (Select) (Chairman: N/A)
  • Investigate the Federal Communications Commission (Select) (Chairman: Edward E. Cox)
  • Irrigation and Reclamation (Chairman: Compton I. White; Ranking Member: Dewey Jackson Short)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: Hatton W. Sumners; Ranking Member: Ulysses S. Guyer then Clarence E. Hancock)
  • Mines and Mining (Chairman: Joe L. Smith; Ranking Member: Harry Lane Englebright then John M. Robsion)
  • Investigate the Seizure of Montgomery Ward and Company (Select) (Chairman: N/A)
  • Naval Affairs (Chairman: Carl Vinson; Ranking Member: Melvin J. Maas)
  • Patents (Chairman: Frank W. Boykin; Ranking Member: Fred A. Hartley Jr.)
  • Pensions (Chairman: Charles A. Buckley; Ranking Member: Fred J. Douglas)
  • Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Thomas G. Burch; Ranking Member: Fred A. Hartley Jr.)
  • Post-War Military Policy (Select) (Chairman: Clifton A. Woodrum)
  • Post-War Economic Policy and Planning (Special) (Chairman: N/A; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Printing (Chairman: Pete Jarman; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Fritz G. Lanham; Ranking Member: Pehr G. Holmes)
  • Public Lands (Chairman: J. Hardin Peterson; Ranking Member: Harry Lane Englebright)
  • Revision of Laws (Chairman: Eugene J. Keogh; Ranking Member: Earl C. Michener)
  • Rivers and Harbors (Chairman: Joseph J. Mansfield; Ranking Member: Albert E. Carter)
  • Roads (Chairman: J.W. Robinson; Ranking Member: Jesse P. Wolcott)
  • Rules (Chairman: Adolph J. Sabath; Ranking Member: Hamilton Fish III)
  • Small Business (Select) (Chairman: Wright Patman; Ranking Member: Usher L. Burdick)
  • Standards of Official Conduct
  • Territories (Chairman: Robert A. Green; Ranking Member: Usher L. Burdick)
  • War Claims (Chairman: Edward J. Hart; Ranking Member: Clare E. Hoffman)
  • Ways and Means (Chairman: Robert L. Doughton; Ranking Member: Allen T. Treadway)
  • World War Veterans' Legislation (Chairman: John E. Rankin; Ranking Member: Edith Nourse Rogers)
  • Whole

Joint committees

  • Commemorate the Centennial of the Telegraph
  • Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
  • Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
  • The Library (Chairman: Sen. Alben W. Barkley)
  • Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures (Chairman: Sen. Harry F. Byrd; Vice Chairman: Rep. Robert L. Doughton)
  • Organization of Congress
  • Printing (Chairman: Sen. Carl Hayden; Vice Chairman: Rep. Pete Jarman)
  • Selective Service Deferments
  • Taxation (Chairman: Sen. Walter F. George; Vice Chairman: Rep. Robert L. Doughton)

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: Lindsay C. Warren
  • Librarian of Congress: Archibald MacLeish, until 1944
  • Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack

Senate

  • Chaplain: Frederick Brown Harris (Methodist)
  • Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
  • Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
  • Librarian: Ruskin McArdle
  • Secretary for the Majority: Leslie Biffle
  • Secretary for the Minority: Carl A. Loeffler
  • Sergeant at Arms: Chesley W. Jurney, until January 31, 1943
  • Wall Doxey, from February 1, 1943

House of Representatives

  • Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)
  • Clerk: South Trimble
  • Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott, until January 27, 1943
  • Ralph R. Roberts, from February 5, 1943
  • Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
  • Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
  • Reading Clerks: George J. Maurer (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
  • Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney

See also

  • 1942 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
  • 1942 United States Senate elections
  • 1942 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1944 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1944 United States presidential election
  • 1944 United States Senate elections
  • 1944 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

References