77th United States Congress
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Through United States Senate and President of the United States
Both chambers maintained a Democratic majority - with the Senate being a supermajority. With the reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a then record third term, the Democrats maintained an overall federal government trifecta.
This was the first Congress to have more than one Senate president (John Garner and Henry Wallace) due to the passage of the 20th Amendment in 1933.
Major events
- January 20, 1941: President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his third term.
- December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor
- December 8, 1941: Joint Session of Congress met to hear President Roosevelt deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech
- December 26, 1941: Joint session of the United States Congress met in the Senate chamber for an address by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
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Major legislation and resolutions
- March 11, 1941: Lend Lease Act, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–11, Sess. 1, ch. 11, 55 Stat. 31
- August 18, 1941: Flood Control Act of 1941, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–228, Sess. 1, ch. 377, 55 Stat. 638
- December 8, 1941: Resolution— War between United States and Japan, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–328, Sess. 1, ch. 561, 55 Stat. 795
- December 11, 1941: Resolution— War between United States and Germany, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–331, Sess. 1, ch. 564, 55 Stat. 796
- December 11, 1941: Resolution— War between United States and Italy, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–332, Sess. 1, ch. 565, 55 Stat. 797
- January 27, 1942: Air Raid Attack Act of 1942, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–415, Sess. 2, ch. 20, 56 Stat. 19
- January 30, 1942: Emergency Price Control Act of 1942, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–421, Sess. 2, ch. 26, 56 Stat. 23
- June 5, 1942: Resolution— War between United States and Bulgaria, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–563, Sess. 2, ch. 323, 56 Stat. 307
- June 5, 1942: Resolution— War between United States and Hungary, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–564, Sess. 2, ch. 324, 56 Stat. 307
- June 5, 1942: Resolution— War between United States and Romania, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–565, Sess. 2, ch. 325, 56 Stat. 307
- June 22, 1942: Resolution— United States Flag Code, including recognition of the Pledge of Allegiance, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–623, Sess. 2, ch. 435, 56 Stat. 377
- October 2, 1942: Stabilization Act of 1942, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 77–729, Sess. 2, ch. 578, 56 Stat. 765
Select committees
- Truman Committee (officially the United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program)
Leadership
Senate
- President: John Nance Garner (D), until January 20, 1941
- Henry A. Wallace (D), from January 20, 1941
- President pro tempore: Pat Harrison (D), until June 22, 1941
- Carter Glass (D), from July 10, 1941
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority leader: Alben W. Barkley
- Majority Whip: Lister Hill
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Joshua B. Lee
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority leader: Charles L. McNary
- Republican Conference Secretary: Wallace H. White Jr.
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: John G. Townsend Jr.
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority leader: John William McCormack
- Democratic Whip: Patrick J. Boland, until May 18, 1942
- Robert Ramspeck
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Richard M. Duncan
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Patrick H. Drewry
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority leader: Joseph William Martin Jr.
- Republican Whip: Harry Lane Englebright
- Republican Conference Chairman: Roy O. Woodruff
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: J. William Ditter
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Members
Senate
Senators are 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, In this Congress, Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1942; Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1944; and Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1946.
Currently, this is the last Congressional session in which the Democratic Party commanded all Senate seats from the South.
Currently, this is the second and last Congressional session in which Wyoming sent 3 democrats to Congress (senators Joesph C. O'Mahoney and Harry Schwartz, as well as representative at-large John J. McIntyre).
House of Representatives
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.
Senate
House of Representatives
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.
Joint committees
- United States Congress Joint Committee to Arrange the Inauguration for President-elect|Arrange the Inauguration for President-elect (Chairman: Sen. Matthew M. Neely)
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- United States Congress Joint Committee on the Disposition of Executive Papers|Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
- United States Congress Joint Committee on the Eradication of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly|Eradication of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly
- Forestry (Chairman: Sen. John H. Bankhead II; Vice Chairman: Rep. Hampton P. Fulmer)
- United States Congress Joint Committee on Government Organization (Chairman: Sen. James F. Byrnes)
- The Library (Chairman: Sen. Alben W. Barkley)
- Printing (Chairman: Sen. Carl Hayden; Vice Chairman: Rep. Pete Jarman)
- United States Congress Joint Committee on Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures|Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures
- Taxation (Chairman: Sen. Pat Harrison then Rep. Robert L. Doughton; Vice Chairman: Sen. Walter F. George)
- United States Congress Joint Committee on to Investigate Phosphate Resource of the United States|To Investigate Phosphate Resource of the United States (Chairman: J. Hardin Peterson)
Caucuses
- Democratic (House)
- Democratic (Senate)
Employees
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
- Public Printer of the United States: Augustus E. Giegengack
Senate
- Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
- Librarian: Ruskin McArdle
- Secretary for the Majority: Leslie Biffle
- Secretary for the Minority: Carl A. Loeffler
- Sergeant at Arms: Chesley W. Jurney
- Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
- Chaplain: ZeBarney Thorne Phillips (Episcopal), until May 1942
- Frederick Brown Harris (Methodist), after October 10, 1942
House of Representatives
- Clerk: South Trimble
- Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Reading Clerks: Roger M. Calloway (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
- Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott
- Postmaster: Finis E. Scott
- Chaplain: James Shera Montgomery (Methodist)