85th United States Congress
The 85th 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, D.C. from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1959, during the fifth and sixth years of Dwight Eisenhower's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1950 United States census.
Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- January 5, 1957: President Eisenhower announced the Eisenhower Doctrine in a special message to Congress
- January 20, 1957: Inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower for a second term
- August 21, 1957: President Eisenhower announced a 2-year suspension of nuclear testing
- August 28, 1957: Senator Strom Thurmond set a record for the longest filibuster with his 24-hour, 18-minute speech against the Civil Rights Act of 1957
- September 24, 1957: Little Rock Crisis: President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Arkansas to provide safe passage into Central High School for the Little Rock Nine.
- October 4, 1957: The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth
- October 21, 1957: The U.S. military sustained its first combat fatality in Vietnam
- November 7, 1957: Gaither Report called for more American missiles and fallout shelters
- November 25, 1957: President Eisenhower suffers from a stroke
- January 31, 1958: U.S. launched its first satellite, Explorer 1
- July 15, 1958: U.S intervenes in the Lebanon Crisis, the first major application of the Eisenhower Doctrine.
- October 1, 1958: NASA started operations
Major legislation
- August 14, 1957: Airways Modernization Act,,
- September 2, 1957: Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act,,
- September 9, 1957: Civil Rights Act of 1957,,
- July 29, 1958: National Aeronautics and Space Act,,
- 1958: Transportation Act of 1958,
- August 23, 1958: Federal Aviation Act of 1958,,
- August 28, 1958: EURATOM Cooperation Act of 1958,,
- August 28, 1958: Military Construction Appropriation Act,,
- September 2, 1958: National Defense Education Act,,
- 1958: Department of Defense Reorganization Act,
- 1958: Pasatore-Walter Immigration Act
States admitted
- January 3, 1959: Alaska was admitted as the 49th state.
Leadership
Senate
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader and Conference Chairman: Lyndon B. Johnson
- Majority Whip: Mike Mansfield
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Thomas C. Hennings Jr.
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: William Knowland
- Minority Whip: Everett Dirksen
- Republican Conference Chairman: Leverett Saltonstall
- Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: Everett Dirksen
- Policy Committee Chairman: Styles Bridges
House of Representatives
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: John W. McCormack
- Majority Whip: Carl Albert
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Melvin Price
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael J. Kirwan
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Joseph W. Martin Jr.
- Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends
- Republican Conference Chairman: Charles B. Hoeven
- Policy Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Martin Jr.
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Richard M. Simpson
Caucuses
Members
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. Senators in each state are listed by class. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1958; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1960; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1962.Florida">List of United States senators from Florida">Florida
Louisiana">List of United States senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
Montana">List of United States senators from Montana">Montana
North Dakota">List of United States senators from North Dakota">North Dakota
Tennessee">List of United States senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
House of Representatives
Florida">List of United States representatives from Florida">Florida
Louisiana">List of United States representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
Montana">List of United States representatives from Montana">Montana
North Dakota">List of United States representatives from North Dakota">North Dakota
Tennessee">List of United States representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
Wyoming">List of United States representatives from Wyoming">Wyoming
Committees
Senate
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Armed Services
- Banking and Currency
- District of Columbia
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Foreign Aid Program
- Government Operations
- Interior and Insular Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Judiciary
- Labor and Public Welfare
- Labor-Management Relations
- Political Activities, Lobbying and Campaign Contributions
- Post Office and Civil Service
- Preserve Historical Records of the Senate
- Public Works
- Rules and Administration
- Senate Reception Room
- Small Business
- Space and Aeronautics
- Subcommittee on Internal Security
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Armed Services
- Banking and Currency
- Benefits for Dependents of Armed Services Veterans
- Defense Production
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Foreign Affairs
- Government Operations
- House Administration
- Interior and Insular Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Judiciary
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Post Office and Civil Service
- Public Works
- Rules
- Small Business
- Un-American Activities
- Veterans' Affairs
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Atomic Energy
- Conditions of Indian Tribes
- Construction of a Building for a Museum of History and Technology for the Smithsonian
- Defense Production
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- Economic
- Immigration and Nationality Policy
- Legislative Budget
- The Library
- Navajo-Hopi Indian Administration
- Printing
- Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures
- Taxation
- Washington (DC) Metropolitan Problems
Employees
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: J. George Stewart
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver
- Comptroller General of the United States: Joseph Campbell
- Librarian of Congress: Lawrence Quincy Mumford
- Public Printer of the United States: Raymond Blattenberger
Senate
- Chaplain: Frederick Brown Harris, Methodist
- Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
- Secretary: Felton McLellan Johnston
- Librarian: Richard D. Hupman
- Secretary for the Majority: Robert G. Baker
- Secretary for the Minority: J. Mark Trice
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph C. Duke
House of Representatives
- Clerk: Ralph R. Roberts
- Doorkeeper: William Mosley "Fishbait" Miller
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Postmaster: H. H. Morris
- Reading Clerks: George J. Maurer and Alney E. Chaffee then Joe Bartlett
- Sergeant at Arms: Zeake W. Johnson Jr.
- Chaplain: Bernard Braskamp