The Seventieth 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 Thirteenth Decennial Census of the United States in 1910. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
November 6, 1928: U.S. Senate elections and U.S. House elections
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
March 2, 1929: Increased Penalties Act (Jones–Stalker Act)
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.
Present: Charles G. Dawes (R)
President pro tempore: George H. Moses (R)
Majority Leader: Charles Curtis
Majority Whip: Wesley L. Jones
Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale
Minority leader: Joseph T. Robinson
Minority whip: Peter G. Gerry
Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black
Speaker: Nicholas Longworth (R)
Majority Leader: John Q. Tilson
Majority Whip: Albert Vestal
Republican Conference Chair: Willis C. Hawley
Minority Leader: Finis J. Garrett
Minority Whip: William Allan Oldfield
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Arthur H. Greenwood
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state.
Senators are listed in order of seniority at the beginning of this Congress.
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 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.
Members of the House of Representatives are listed by district.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Replacements: 15
Democratic: 1 seat net gain
Republican: 1 seat net loss
Deaths: 16
Resignations: 7
Total seats with changes: 23
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Agriculture and Forestry
Appropriations
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
Banking and Currency
Civil Service
Claims
Commerce
District of Columbia
Education and Labor
Enrolled Bills
Expenditures in Executive Departments
Finance
Foreign Relations
Illegal Appointments in Civil Service (Select)
Immigration
Immigration and Naturalization
Indian Affairs
Interoceanic Canals
Interstate Commerce
Judiciary
Library
Manufactures
Mexican Propaganda (Select)
Military Affairs
Mines and Mining
Naval Affairs
Patents
Pensions
Post Office and Post Roads
Presidential Campaign Expenditures (Special)
Printing
Privileges and Elections
Propaganda or Money Alleged Used by Foreign Governments (Special)
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Lands and Surveys
Revision of the Laws
Rules
Senatorial Elections (Select)
Tariff Commission (Select)
Territories and Insular Possessions
Whole
Accounts
Agriculture
Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
Appropriations
Banking and Currency
Census
Civil Service
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 Executive Departments
Flood Control
Foreign Affairs
Immigration and Naturalization
Indian Affairs
Insular Affairs
Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Invalid Pensions
Irrigation and Reclamation
Labor
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Military Affairs
Mines and Mining
Naval Affairs
Patents
Pensions
Post Office and Post Roads
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Lands
Revision of Laws
Rivers and Harbors
Roads
Rules
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories
War Claims
Ways and Means
Whole
Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
Harriman Geographic Code System
Investigation of Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grants
Taxation
To Investigate the Salaries of Officers and Employees of the Senate and the House
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
Chaplain: John J. Muir, (Baptist)
ZeBarney T. Phillips (Episcopal), from December 5, 1927
Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer
Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry
Chaplain: James S. Montgomery (Methodist)
Clerk: William T. Page
Doorkeeper: Bert W. Kennedy
Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers
Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
Postmaster: Frank W. Collier
