78th United States Congress

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 the third administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixteenth Census of the United States in 1940. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Dates of sessions

January 3 1943 - January 3 1945
*First session: January 6 1943 – December 21 1943
*Second session: January 10 1944 - December 19 1944Previous: 77th Congress • Next: 79th Congress

Major events

* World War II continues (1941–1945)
* 1943-09-08 – Surrender of Italy
* 1943-11-28 - Tehran Conference
* 1944-06-06 - Battle of Normandy
* 1944-11-07 - General elections: President Roosevelt re-elected to a 4th term. Senate Democrats kept majority despite 1-seat net loss. House Democrats increased their majority with 20-seat net gain.

Major legislation

* 1943-12-17 — Magnuson Act (Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943), Sess. 1, ch. 344, USStat|57|600
* 1944-02-03 — Mustering-out Payment Act, Sess. 2, USPL|78|225, USStat|58|8
* 1944-06-22 — Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill), Sess. 2, ch. 268, USPL|78|345, USStat|58|284
* 1944-06-27 — Veterans' Preference Act, Sess. 2, ch. 287, USPL|78|359, USStat|58|387
* 1944-07-01 — Public Health Service Act, Sess. 2, ch. 373, USStat|58|682
* 1944-12-22 — Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act, Sess. 2, ch. 665, USPL|78|534, USStat|58|887

Party summary

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*Democratic "(D)": 58 "(majority)"
*Republican "(R)": 37
*Progressive "(P)": 1TOTAL members: 96

House of Representatives

*Democratic "(D)": 222 "(majority)"
*Republican "(R)": 209
*Progressive "(P)": 2
*Labor "(AL)": 1
*Farmer-Labor "(F-L)": 1TOTAL members: 435

Officers

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* President: Henry A. Wallace (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

* Majority Leader: du

Minority (Republican) leadership

* Minority Leader: du

House of Representatives

* Speaker: Sam Rayburn (D)

Majority (Democratic) leadership

* Majority Leader: du

Minority (Republican) leadership

* Minority Leader: Joseph William Martin, Jr.

Members

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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 elected statewide "at-large," are preceded by an "At-Large," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

Employees

enate

House of Representatives