The Seventy-first 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, 1929 to March 4, 1931, during the first two years of Herbert Hoover'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. This congress saw the most special elections of any congress with 27 in all.
March 4, 1929: Herbert C. Hoover became President of the United States
October 24, 1929 – October 29, 1929: Wall Street Crash of 1929: Three multi-digit percentage drops wipe out more than $30 billion from the New York Stock Exchange (10 times greater than the annual budget of the federal government).
October 25, 1929: Former U.S. Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall is convicted of bribery for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal, becoming the first Presidential cabinet member to go to prison for actions in office.
June 15, 1929: Agriculture Marketing Act, ch. 24, 46 Stat. 11
June 18, 1929: Reapportionment Act of 1929, ch. 28, 46 Stat. 21
June 17, 1930: Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act, ch. 497, 46 Stat. 590, (including: Title III, Plant Patent Act, 46 Stat. 703)
March 3, 1931: Davis–Bacon Act, ch. 411, 46 Stat. 1494
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.
President: Charles Curtis (R)
President pro tempore: George H. Moses (R)
Majority leader: James E. Watson (R)
Minority leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D)
Majority whip: Simeon D. Fess (R)
Minority whip: Morris Sheppard (D)
Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale (R)
Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black (D)
Speaker: Nicholas Longworth (R)
Majority leader: John Q. Tilson (R)
Minority leader: John N. Garner (D)
Minority Whip: Albert Henry Vestal (R)
Minority Whip: John McDuffie (D)
Republican Conference Chair: Willis C. Hawley
Democratic Caucus Chairman: David Hayes Kincheloe
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
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 this Congress, requiring reelection in 1934; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1930; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1932.
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their districts.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
replacements: 9
Democratic: 1 seat net gain
Republican: 1 seat net loss
deaths: 5
resignations: 3
interim appointments: 6
Total seats with changes: 9
replacements: 27
Democratic: 4 seat net gain
Republican: 3 seat net loss
deaths: 25
resignations: 6
contested election: 1
Total seats with changes: 32
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Agriculture and Forestry
Alaska Railroad (Special Select)
Appropriations
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
Banking and Currency
Civil Service
Claims
Coins (Select)
Commerce
District of Columbia
Education and Labor
Enrolled Bills
Expenditures in Executive Departments
Finance
Foreign Relations
Immigration
Indian Affairs
Interoceanic Canals
Interstate Commerce
Judiciary
Library
Manufactures
Military Affairs
Mines and Mining
Naval Affairs
Patents
Pensions
Post Office Leases (Select)
Post Office and Post Roads
Printing
Privileges and Elections
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Lands and Surveys
Rules
Senatorial Campaign of 1930 (Select)
Senator Heflin's Letter on Intermarriages in New York (Select)
Territories and Insular Possessions
Unemployment Insurance
Whole
Wildlife Resources (Special)
Accounts
Agriculture
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
Memorials
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
Investigate Control of Aircraft for Seacoast Defense
Taxation
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
Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer
Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry
Chaplain: ZeBarney T. Phillips (Episcopalian)
Democratic Party Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
Republican Party Secretary: Carl A. Loeffler
Clerk: William T. Page
Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers
Doorkeeper: Bert W. Kennedy
Postmaster: Frank W. Collier
Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
Chaplain: James S. Montgomery (Methodist)
