92nd United States Congress
The 92nd 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, 1971, to January 3, 1973, during the third and fourth years of Richard Nixon's presidency.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1960 census. Both chambers maintained a Democratic majority.
Major events
Passing legislation on revenue-sharing was a key event of the congress. President Richard Nixon had it listed on his list of top policies to cover for the year. Nixon signed the bill into law at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The law gained support from many state and local officials including: San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto whose city received $27 million in revenue-sharing money in the first year. Alioto said that many projects that would not have been possible could now be done, "That will effectively enable us to meet those programs which up to now because of very tough budgeting we've had to trench."Major legislation
- December 18, 1971: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act,,
- December 23, 1971: National Cancer Act,,
- February 7, 1972: Federal Election Campaign Act,,
- March 24, 1972: Equal Employment Opportunity Act,,
- June 23, 1972: Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act,,
- October 6, 1972: Federal Advisory Committee Act,,
- October 18, 1972: Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972,,
- October 21, 1972: Marine Mammal Protection Act,,
- October 27, 1972: Consumer Product Safety Act,,
- October 27, 1972: Noise Control Act,,
- October 27, 1972: Coastal Zone Management Act,,
Constitutional amendments
- March 23, 1971: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution prohibiting the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States who are at least eighteen years old, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
- * July 1, 1971: The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the requisite number of states to become part of the Constitution
- March 22, 1972: Approved an amendment to the Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights for women, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
- * This amendment, commonly known as the Equal Rights Amendment, was later rendered inoperative, as it was not ratified within the seven–year time frame set by Congress
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the Changes in membership section.Leadership
Senate
- [Vice President of the United States|President of the United States|President]: Spiro Agnew
- President pro tempore:
- * Richard Russell Jr., until January 21, 1971
- * Allen J. Ellender, January 22, 1971 – July 27, 1972
- * James Eastland, from July 28, 1972
- Permanent Acting President pro tempore: Lee Metcalf
Majority (Democratic) leadership
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Hugh Scott
- Minority Whip: Robert P. Griffin
- Republican Conference Chairman: Margaret Chase Smith
- Republican Conference Secretary: Norris Cotton
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: Peter H. Dominick
- Policy Committee Chairman: Gordon Allott
House of Representatives
Majority (Democratic) leadership
- Majority Leader: Hale Boggs
- Majority Whip: Tip O'Neill
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Olin E. Teague
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Leonor Sullivan
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Tip O'Neill
Minority (Republican) leadership
- Minority Leader: Gerald Ford
- Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends
- Republican Conference Chairman: John B. Anderson
- Republican Conference Vice-Chairman: Robert Stafford then Samuel L. Devine
- Republican Conference Secretary: Richard H. Poff then Jack Edwards
- Policy Committee Chairman: John Jacob Rhodes
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Bob Wilson
Caucuses
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of class, and representatives are listed by district.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 began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1976; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1972; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1974.Delaware">List of United States senators from Delaware">Delaware
Kansas">List of United States senators from Kansas">Kansas
Mississippi">List of United States senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
New York">List of United States senators from New York">New York
South Carolina">List of United States senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
West Virginia">List of United States senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
House of Representatives
The 92nd Congress was the first whose members were all required to be elected from single-member districts, by congressional statute. The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.Delaware">List of United States representatives from Delaware">Delaware
Kansas">List of United States representatives from Kansas">Kansas
Mississippi">List of United States representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
New York">List of United States representatives from New York">New York
South Carolina">List of United States representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
West Virginia">List of United States representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- Replacements: 5
- * Democratic: no net change
- * Republican: no net change
- Deaths: 3
- Resignations: 0
- '''Total seats with changes: 3'''
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 10
- * Democratic: no net loss
- * Republican: no net gain
- Deaths: 8
- Resignations: 6
- '''Total seats with changes: 16'''
Committees
Senate
- Aeronautical and Space Sciences
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Armed Services
- Banking, Housing 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 Services
- Public Works
- Rules and Administration
- Secret and Confidential Government Documents
- Small Business
- Standards and Conduct
- Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Armed Services
- Banking and Currency
- Crime (Select)
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Foreign Affairs
- Government Operations
- House Administration
- House Beauty Shop (Select)
- House Restaurant (Select)
- Interior and Insular Affairs
- Internal Security
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Judiciary
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Post Office and Civil Service
- Public Works
- Regulate Parking
- Rules
- Science and Astronautics
- Small Business
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Veterans' Affairs
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Atomic Energy
- Congressional Operations
- Defense Production
- Economic
- The Library
- Navajo-Hopi Indian Administration
- Printing
- Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures
- Taxation
Employees
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: George Malcolm White, appointed January 27, 1971
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: Rufus Pearson
- Comptroller General of the United States: Elmer B. Staats
- Librarian of Congress: Lawrence Quincy Mumford
- Public Printer of the United States: Adolphus N. Spence, until 1972
Senate
- Chaplain: Edward L.R. Elson
- Curator: James R. Ketchum
- Parliamentarian: Floyd Riddick
- Secretary: Francis R. Valeo
- Librarian: Richard D. Hupman
- Democratic Party Secretary: J. Stanley Kimmitt
- Republican Party Secretary: J. Mark Trice
- Sergeant at Arms: Robert G. Dunphy, until June 30, 1972
- * William H. Wannall, from July 1, 1972
House of Representatives
- Clerk: W. Pat Jennings
- Sergeant at Arms: Zeake W. Johnson Jr., January 21, 1971 – September 30, 1972
- * Kenneth R. Harding, from October 1, 1972
- Doorkeeper: William M. Miller
- Postmaster: H. H. Morris, January 21, 1971 – June 30, 1972
- * Robert V. Rota, from July 1, 1972
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Reading Clerks:
- * Joe Bartlett,
- * Charles W. Hackney Jr.
- Chaplain: Edward G. Latch