The Seventy-eighth 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 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 Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
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.
December 17, 1943: Magnuson Act (Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943), Sess. 1, ch. 344, 57 Stat. 600
February 3, 1944: Mustering-out Payment Act, Sess. 2, Pub.L. 78–225, 58 Stat. 8
June 6, 1944: Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill), Sess. 2, ch. 268, Pub.L. 78–345, 58 Stat. 284
June 27, 1944: Veterans' Preference Act, Sess. 2, ch. 287, Pub.L. 78–359, 58 Stat. 387
July 1, 1944: Public Health Service Act, Sess. 2, ch. 373, 58 Stat. 682
December 22, 1944: Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act, Sess. 2, ch. 665, Pub.L. 78–534, 58 Stat. 887
Democratic (D): 222 (majority)
Republican (R): 209
Progressive (P): 2
Labor (AL): 1
Farmer-Labor (F-L): 1
TOTAL members: 435
[ Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R) • House: Majority (D), Minority (R) ]
President: Henry A. Wallace (D)
President pro tempore: Carter Glass (D)
Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley
Majority Whip: Lister Hill
Caucus Secretary: Francis T. Maloney
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 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)
Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
Majority Leader: John William McCormack
Majority whip: Robert Ramspeck
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Harry R. Sheppard
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Patrick H. Drewry
Minority Leader: Joseph William Martin, Jr.
Minority whip: Harry Lane Englebright, until May 13, 1943
Leslie C. Arends, from May 13, 1943
Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff
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.
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Agriculture and Forestry
Appropriations
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
Banking and Currency
Campaign Expenditures Investigation, 1944 (Special)
Centralization of Heavy Industry in the United States (Select)
Civil Service
Civil Service Laws (Special)
Claims
Commerce
District of Columbia
Education and Labor
Wartime Health and Education
Enrolled Bills
Expenditures in Executive Departments
Finance
Foreign Relations
Fuel Situation in the Middle West (Special)
Gasoline and Fuel Oil Shortages (Special)
Immigration
Immigration and Naturalization
Indian Affairs
Interoceanic Canals
Interstate Commerce
Investigate the National Defense Program (Special)
Judiciary
Library
Manufactures
Military Affairs
Mines and Mining
Naval Affairs
Patents
Pensions
Petroleum Resources (Special)
Post Office and Post Roads
Post-War Economic Policy and Planning (Special)
Printing
Privileges and Elections
Public Buildings and Grounds
Public Lands and Surveys
Rules
Senatorial Campaign Expenditures (Special)
Small Business Enterprises (Special)
Territories and Insular Affairs
Whole
Wildlife Resources (Special)
Wool Production (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
Small Business (Select)
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories
War Claims
Ways and Means
Whole
Commemorate the Cenntennial of the Telegraph
Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
The Library
Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures
Organization of Congress
Selective Service Deferments
Taxation
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
Chaplain: Frederick Brown Harris (Methodist)
Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
Sergeant at Arms: Wall Doxey
Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)
Clerk: South Trimble
Doorkeeper: Ralph R. Roberts
Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney
