91st United States Congress
The 91st 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, 1969, to January 3, 1971, during the final weeks of the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and the first two years of the first presidency of Richard Nixon.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1960 United States census.
Both chambers had a Democratic majority, though the party had lost its supermajority status in the Senate. With Richard Nixon being sworn in as president on January 20, 1969, this ended the Democrats' overall federal government trifecta that they had held since the 87th Congress.
Major events
- January 20, 1969: Richard M. Nixon became 37th President of the United States.
- July 20, 1969: Space Race: Apollo 11 lands on the Moon's surface, the first human landing on Moon.
- November 15, 1969: Vietnam War: In Washington, D.C., 250,000–500,000 protesters stage a peaceful demonstration against the war, including a symbolic "March Against Death".
- December 1, 1969: Vietnam War: The first draft lottery in the United States is held since World War II.
- November 30, 1970: The 1969–1970 recession ends.
Major legislation
- June 17, 1969: Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act,
- December 30, 1969: Tax Reform Act of 1969,
- December 30, 1969: Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969,
- January 1, 1970: National Environmental Policy Act,
- April 3, 1970: Environmental Quality Improvement Act,
- May 21, 1970: Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970,, title I
- August 12, 1970: Postal Reorganization Act,
- August 15, 1970: Economic Stabilization Act of 1970, Title II of
- September 22, 1970: District of Columbia Delegate Act,
- October 15, 1970: Organized Crime Control Act of 1970,
- October 15, 1970: Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1970,
- October 26, 1970: Bank Secrecy Act,
- October 26, 1970: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970
- October 27, 1970: Controlled Substances Act,
- October 30, 1970: Rail Passenger Service Act,
- December 24, 1970: Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970,
- December 24, 1970: Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970,
- December 29, 1970: Occupational Safety and Health Act,
- December 31, 1970: Clean Air Act Extension,
- December 31, 1970: Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970,, including title VII, National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970
- January 12, 1971: Foreign Military Sales Act of 1971,
- January 13, 1971: Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act,
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: Hubert Humphrey, until January 20, 1969
- * Spiro Agnew, from January 20, 1969
- President pro tempore: Richard Russell Jr.
- Permanent Acting President pro tempore: Lee Metcalf
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: Mike Mansfield
- Majority Whip: Ted Kennedy
- Caucus Secretary: Robert Byrd
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Everett Dirksen, until September 7, 1969
- *Hugh Scott, from September 24, 1969
- Minority Whip: Hugh Scott, until September 24, 1969
- *Robert P. Griffin, from September 24, 1969
- Republican Conference Chairman: Margaret Chase Smith
- Republican Conference Secretary: Milton Young
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: John Tower
- Policy Committee Chairman: Gordon Allott
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John W. McCormack
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: Carl Albert
- Majority Whip: Hale Boggs
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Dan Rostenkowski
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Leonor Sullivan
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Michael A. Feighan
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Gerald Ford
- Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends
- Republican Conference Chairman: John B. Anderson
- Republican Conference Secretary: Richard H. Poff
- Policy Committee Chairman: John Jacob Rhodes
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Bob Wilson
Caucuses
- House Democratic Caucus
- Senate Democratic Caucus
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. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1970; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1972; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1974.Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
House of Representatives
Some representatives were elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, and others were elected from districts, as listed here as the districts existed at this time.Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Both members were elected statewide on a general ticket.Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Delegates
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this CongressSenate
- Replacements: 3
- * Democratic: 2 seat net gain
- * Republican: 2 seat net loss
- Deaths: 1
- Resignations: 2
- '''Total seats with changes: 3 '''
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 14
- * Democratic: 2 seat net gain
- * Republican: 2 seat net loss
- Deaths: 10
- Resignations: 8
- '''Total seats with changes: 18 '''
Committees
Senate
- Aeronautical and Space Sciences
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Armed Services
- Banking and Currency
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Equal Educational Opportunity
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Government Operations
- Interior and Insular Affairs
- Judiciary
- Labor and Public Welfare
- Nutrition and Human Needs
- Post Office and Civil Service
- Public Works
- Rules and Administration
- Small Business
- Standards and Conduct
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Armed Services
- Banking and Currency
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Foreign Affairs
- Government Operations
- House Administration
- House Beauty Shop
- House Restaurant
- Interior and Insular Affairs
- Internal Security
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Judiciary
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Parking
- Post Office and Civil Service
- Public Works
- Rules
- Science and Astronautics
- Small Business
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Veterans' Affairs
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Atomic Energy
- Congressional Operations
- Defense Productions
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- Economic
- Immigration and Nationality Policy
- Legislative Budget
- The Library
- Navajo-Hopi Indian Administration
- Printing
- Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures
- Taxation
Employees