78th United States Congress

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, 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

House of Representatives

Democratic (D): 222 (majority)

Republican (R): 209

Progressive (P): 2

Labor (AL): 1

Farmer-Labor (F-L): 1

TOTAL members: 435

Leaders

[ Section contents: Senate: Majority (D), Minority (R) • House: Majority (D), Minority (R) ]

Senate

President: Henry A. Wallace (D)

President pro tempore: Carter Glass (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Majority Leader: Alben W. Barkley

Majority Whip: Lister Hill

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 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)

House of Representatives

Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Majority Leader: John William McCormack

Majority whip: Robert Ramspeck

Democratic Caucus Chairman: Harry R. Sheppard

Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Patrick H. Drewry

Minority (Republican) leadership

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

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.

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

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)

House of Representatives

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

Joint committees

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

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

Sergeant at Arms: Wall Doxey

House of Representatives

Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)

Clerk: South Trimble

Doorkeeper: Ralph R. Roberts

Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler

Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney