89th United States Congress
The 89th 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, 1965, to January 3, 1967, during the second and third years of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1960 United States census.
Both chambers had a Democratic supermajority, and with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson to his own term in office, maintaining an overall federal government trifecta. This is the last time Democrats or any party had a 2/3rd supermajority in the Senate.
The 89th Congress is regarded as "arguably the most productive in American history". Some of its landmark legislation includes Social Security Amendments of 1965, the Voting Rights Act, the Higher Education Act, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Freedom of Information Act.
Major events
- January 4, 1965: President Johnson proclaimed his "Great Society" during his State of the Union Address.
- January 20, 1965: Inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson for a full term.
- November 8, 1966: United States elections, 1966, including:
- * United States Senate elections, 1966
- * United States House of Representatives elections, 1966
Major legislation
- April 11, 1965: Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
- July 27, 1965: Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act,
- July 30, 1965: Social Security Act of 1965,
- August 6, 1965: Voting Rights Act,
- August 10, 1965: Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965,
- August 26, 1965: Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965,
- September 9, 1965 Department of Housing and Urban Development Act,,
- September 29, 1965: National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act,
- October 3, 1965: Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965,
- October 6, 1965: Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke Amendments,
- October 20, 1965: Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act,
- October 22, 1965: Highway Beautification Act,
- November 8, 1965: Higher Education Act,
- November 8, 1965: Vocational Rehabilitation Act Amendments
- August 26, 1966: Laboratory Animal Welfare Act Now called the Animal Welfare Act
- April 13, 1966: Uniform Time Act,
- July 13, 1966: Cotton Research and Promotion Act,
- September 6, 1966:, which enacted what is now called the Freedom of Information Act
- September 9, 1966: National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act,
- September 9, 1966: Highway Safety Act,
- October 15, 1966: National Historic Preservation Act,
- October 15, 1966: National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966,
- October 15, 1966: Department of Transportation Act,
- November 2, 1966: Cuban Adjustment Act,
- November 3, 1966: Comprehensive Health, Planning and Service Act,
Constitutional amendments
- July 6, 1965: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution addressing succession to the presidency and establishing procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the vice president, and for responding to presidential disabilities, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
- * Amendment was later ratified on February 10, 1967, becoming the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: Hubert Humphrey, starting January 20, 1965
- President pro tempore: Carl Hayden
- Permanent Acting President pro tempore: Lee Metcalf
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader and Democratic Conference Chairman: Mike Mansfield
- Majority Whip: Russell B. Long
- Caucus Secretary: George Smathers
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Everett Dirksen
- Minority Whip: Thomas Kuchel
- Republican Conference Chairman: Leverett Saltonstall
- Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: Thruston Ballard Morton
- Policy Committee Chairman: Bourke B. Hickenlooper
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John W. McCormack
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: Carl Albert
- Majority Whip: Hale Boggs
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Eugene James Keogh
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Leonor Sullivan
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael J. Kirwan
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Gerald Ford
- Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends
- Republican Conference Chairman: Melvin Laird
- Policy Committee Chairman: John Jacob Rhodes
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Bob Wilson
Caucuses
- House Democratic Caucus
- Senate Democratic Caucus
Members