The Sixty-fifth 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, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth years of Woodrow Wilson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Thirteenth Census of the United States in 1910. The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had a Republican plurality but the Democrats remained in control with the support of the Progressives and Socialist Representative Meyer London.
March 4, 1917: Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman member of the United States House of Representatives.
March 8, 1917: The United States Senate adopted the cloture rule to limit filibusters.
March 31, 1917: The United States took possession of the Danish West Indies, which become the US Virgin Islands, after paying $25 million to Denmark.
April 2, 1917: World War I: President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
April 10, 1917: An ammunition factory explosion in Chester, Pennsylvania kills 133.
May 21, 1917: Over 300 acres (73 blocks) are destroyed in the Great Atlanta fire of 1917.
May 26, 1917: A tornado strikes Mattoon, Illinois, causing devastation and killing 101 people.
July 1, 1917: A labor dispute ignited a race riot in East St. Louis, Illinois, which left 250 dead.
July 12, 1917: The Phelps Dodge Corporation deported over 1,000 suspected Industrial Workers of the World members from Bisbee, Arizona.
July 28, 1917: The Silent Protest was organized by the NAACP in New York to protest the East St. Louis Riot of July 2, as well as lynchings in Texas and Tennessee.
August, 1917: The Green Corn Rebellion, an uprising by several hundred farmers against the World War I draft, took place in central Oklahoma.
November 24, 1917: In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 9 members of the Milwaukee Police Department were killed by a bomb, the most fatal single event in U.S. police history until the September 11, 2001 attacks.
December 26, 1917: President Woodrow Wilson used the Federal Possession and Control Act to place most U.S. railroads under the United States Railroad Administration, hoping to more efficiently transport troops and materials for the war effort.
January 8, 1918: Woodrow Wilson delivered his Fourteen Points speech.
March 4, 1918: A soldier at Camp Fuston, Kansas fell sick with the first confirmed case of the Spanish flu.
May 15, 1918: The United States Post Office Department (later renamed the United States Postal Service) began the first regular airmail service in the world (between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC).
October 8, 1918: World War I: In the Argonne Forest in France, U.S. Corporal Alvin C. York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captures 132.
December 4, 1918: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sailed for the Paris Peace Conference, becoming the first U.S. president to travel to Europe while in office.
January 6, 1919: Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, died.
January 15, 1919: The Boston Molasses Disaster: A wave of molasses released from an exploding storage tank sweeps through Boston, killing 21 and injuring 150.
January 16, 1919: The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, authorizing Prohibition, went into effect in the United States.
February 25, 1919: Oregon placed a 1 cent per U.S. gallon (.26¢/L) tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
April 6, 1917: Declaration of war against Germany, Sess. 1 ch. 1, 40 Stat. 1
April 24, 1917: First Liberty Bond Act, Sess. 1, ch. 4, 40 Stat. 35
May 12, 1917: Enemy Vessel Confiscation Joint Resolution, Pub.L. 65–2, 40 Stat. 75
May 12, 1917: First Army Appropriations Act of 1917, 40 Stat. 69
May 18, 1917: Selective Service Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 15, 40 Stat. 76
May 29, 1917: Esch Car Service Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 23, 40 Stat. 101
June 15, 1917: Emergency Shipping Fund Act of 1917, c. 29, 40 Stat. 182
June 15, 1917: Second Army Appropriations Act of 1917, 40 Stat. 188
June 15, 1917: Espionage Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 30, 40 Stat. 217 (incl. title XI: Search Warrant Act of 1917)
August 8, 1917: River and Harbor Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 49, 40 Stat. 250
August 10, 1917: Priority of Shipments Act of 1917 (Obstruction of Interstate Commerce Act of 1917), Sess. 1, ch. 51, 40 Stat. 272
August 10, 1917: Food and Fuel Control Act (Lever Act), Sess. 1, ch. 53, 40 Stat. 27
October 1, 1917: Second Liberty Bond Act, Sess. 1, ch. 56, 40 Stat. 288
October 1, 1917: Aircraft Board Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 61, 40 Stat. 296
October 3, 1917: War Revenue Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 63, 40 Stat. 300
October 5, 1917: Repatriation Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 68, 40 Stat. 340
October 6, 1917: Explosives Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 83, 40 Stat. 385
October 6, 1917: War Risk Insurance Act of 1917, Sess. 1, ch. 105, 40 Stat. 398
October 6, 1917: International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Trading with the Enemy Act), Sess. 1, ch. 106, 40 Stat. 411
December 7, 1917: Declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, Sess. 2, ch. 1, 40 Stat. 429
February 24, 1918: Revenue Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 18, 40 Stat. 1057
March 8, 1918: Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act, Sess. 2, ch. 20, 40 Stat. 440
March 19, 1918: Standard Time Act of 1918 (Calder Act), Sess. 2, ch. 24, 40 Stat. 450
March 21, 1918: Federal Control Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 25, 40 Stat. 451
April 4, 1918: Third Liberty Bond Act, Sess. 2, ch. 44, 40 Stat. 502
April 5, 1918: War Finance Corporation Act, Sess. 2, ch. 45, 40 Stat. 506
April 10, 1918: Webb-Pomerene Act, Sess. 2, ch. 50, 40 Stat. 516
April 18, 1918: American Forces Abroad Indemnity Act, Sess. 2, ch. 57, 40 Stat. 532
April 20, 1918: Destruction of War Materials Act, Sess. 2, ch. 59, 40 Stat. 533
April 23, 1918: Pittman Act, Sess. 2, ch. 63, 40 Stat. 535
May 9, 1918: Alien Naturalization Act, Sess. 2, ch. 69, 40 Stat. 542
May 16, 1918: Housing Act, Sess. 2, ch. 74, 40 Stat. 550
May 16, 1918: Sedition Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 75, 40 Stat. 553
May 20, 1918: Departmental Reorganization Act (Overman Act), Sess. 2, ch. 78, 40 Stat. 556
May 22, 1918: Passport Control Act (Entry and Departure Controls Act), Sess. 2, ch. 81, 40 Stat. 559
May 31, 1918: Saulsbury Resolution, Sess. 2, ch. 90, 40 Stat. 593
June 27, 1918: Veterans Rehabilitation Act (Smith-Sears Act), Sess. 2, ch. 107, 40 Stat. 617
July 3, 1918: Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 128, 40 Stat. 755
July 9, 1918: Fourth Liberty Bond Act, Sess. 2, ch. 142, 40 Stat. 844
July 9, 1918: Army Appropriations Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 143, 40 Stat. 845 (incl. ch. 15: Public Health and Research Act of 1918 (Chamberlain-Kahn Act))
July 18, 1918: River and Harbor Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 155, 40 Stat. 904
July 18, 1918: Charter Rate and Requisition Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 157, 40 Stat. 913
October 16, 1918: Immigration Act of 1918 (Dillingham-Hardwick Act), Sess. 2, ch. 186, 40 Stat. 1012
October 16, 1918: Corrupt Practices Act of 1918 (Gerry Act), Sess. 2, ch. 187, 40 Stat. 1013
November 7, 1918: National Bank Consolidation Act of 1918, Sess. 2, ch. 209, 40 Stat. 1043
November 21, 1918: Food Production Stimulation Act (War-Time Prohibition Act), Sess. 2, ch. 212, 40 Stat. 1045
February 24, 1919: Child Labor Act of 1919, Sess. 3, ch. 18, 40 Stat. 1138
February 26, 1919: Grand Canyon Park Act of 1919, Sess. 3, ch. 44, 40 Stat. 1178
February 26, 1919: Acadia National Park Act of 1919, Sess. 3, ch. 45, 40 Stat. 1178
March 2, 1919: War Risk Insurance Act of 1919 (War Minerals Relief Act of 1919, Dent Act), Sess. 3, ch. 94, 40 Stat. 1272
March 2, 1919: River and Harbors Act of 1919, Sess. 3, ch. 95, 40 Stat. 1275
March 3, 1919: Hospitalization Act of 1919, Sess. 3, ch. 98, 40 Stat. 1302
March 3, 1919: Fifth Liberty Bond Act, Sess. 3, ch. 100, 40 Stat. 1309
March 4, 1919: Wheat Price Guarantee Act, Sess. 3, ch. 125, 40 Stat. 1348
President: Thomas R. Marshall (D)
President pro tempore: Willard Saulsbury, Jr. (D)
Majority Whip: J. Hamilton Lewis (D)
Minority Whip: Charles Curtis (R)
Republican Conference Chairman: Jacob Harold Gallinger (until August 17, 1918)
Henry Cabot Lodge (from 1918)
Democratic Caucus Chair : Thomas S. Martin
Republican Conference Secretary: James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr.
Democratic Caucus Secretary: William H. King
Speaker: Champ Clark (D)
Majority Leader: Claude Kitchin
Majority Whip: vacant
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Edward W. Saunders
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Scott Ferris
Minority Leader: James R. Mann
Minority Whip: Charles M. Hamilton
Republican Conference Chair: William S. Greene
Skip to House of Representatives, below
Because of the 17th Amendment, starting in 1914 U.S. Senators were directly elected instead of by the state legislatures. However, this did not affect the terms of U.S. Senators whose terms had started before that Amendment took effect.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
replacements: 17
Democratic: 3 seat net loss
Republican: 3 seat net gain
deaths: 10
resignations: 1
vacancy: 1
Total seats with changes: 17
replacements: 23
Democratic: no net change
Republican: no net change
deaths: 15
resignations: 12
contested elections: 3
Total seats with changes: 31
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress (Select)
Agriculture and Forestry
Appropriations
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
Banking and Currency
Canadian Relations
Census
Civil Service and Retrenchment
Claims
Coast and Insular Survey
Coast Defenses
Commerce
Conservation of National Resources
Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia
Cuban Relations
Disposition of Useless Papers in the Executive Departments
District of Columbia
Education and Labor
Engrossed Bills
Enrolled Bills
Establish a University in the United States (Select)
Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service
Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture
Expenditures in the Department of Commerce
Expenditures in the Interior Department
Expenditures in the Department of Justice
Expenditures in the Department of Labor
Expenditures in the Navy Department
Expenditures in the Post Office Department
Expenditures in the Treasury Department
Expenditures in the War Department
Finance
Fisheries
Five Civilized Tribes of Indians
Foreign Relations
Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game
Geological Survey
Immigration
Immigration and Naturalization
Indian Affairs
Industrial Expositions
Interoceanic Canals
Interstate Commerce
Irrigation and Reclamation
Judiciary
Library
Manufactures
Military Affairs
Mines and Mining
Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select)
National Banks
Naval Affairs
Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico
Pacific Railroads
Patents
Pensions
Philippines
Post Office and Post Roads
Printing
Private Land Claims
Privileges and Elections
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Health and National Quarantine
Public Lands
Railroads
Revision of the Laws
Revolutionary Claims
Rules
Standards, Weights and Measures
Tariff Regulation (Select)
Territories
Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select)
Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
Trespassers upon Indian Lands (Select)
Washington Railway and Electrical Company (Select)
Whole
Woman Suffrage
Accounts
Agriculture
Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
Appropriations
Banking and Currency
Census
Claims
Coinage, Weights and Measures
Disposition of Executive Papers
District of Columbia
Education
Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress
Elections
Enrolled Bills
Expenditures in the Agriculture Department
Expenditures in the Commerce Department
Expenditures in the Interior Department
Expenditures in the Justice Department
Expenditures in the Labor Department
Expenditures in the Navy Department
Expenditures in the Post Office Department
Expenditures in the State Department
Expenditures in the Treasury Department
Expenditures in the War Department
Expenditures on Public Buildings
Flood Control
Foreign Affairs
Immigration and Naturalization
Indian Affairs
Industrial Arts and Expositions
Insular Affairs
Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Invalid Pensions
Irrigation of Arid Lands
Labor
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Mileage
Military Affairs
Mines and Mining
Naval Affairs
Patents
Pensions
Post Office and Post Roads
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Lands
Railways and Canals
Reform in the Civil Service
Revision of Laws
Rivers and Harbors
Roads
Rules
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories
War Claims
Water Power (Special)
Ways and Means
Woman Suffrage
Whole
Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
Interstate Commerce
Postal Salaries
Reclassification of Salaries
Architect of the Capitol: Elliott Woods
Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
Public Printer of the United States: Cornelius Ford
Chaplain: F.J. Prettyman (Methodist)
Secretary: James M. Baker of South Carolina
Sergeant at Arms: Charles P. Higgins of Indiana
Chaplain: Henry N. Couden (Universalist)
Clerk: South Trimble
Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott
Postmaster: William M. Dunbar
Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Bennett C. Clark
Clarence A. Cannon
Sergeant at Arms: Robert B. Gordon
