70th United States Congress
The 70th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States [House of Representatives]. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1927, to March 4, 1929, during the last two years of Calvin Coolidge's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1910 [United States census].
Both chambers had a Republican majority - albeit reduced from the previous Congress - and along with President Coolidge, the Republicans maintained an overall federal government trifecta.
Major events
- November 6, 1928: U.S. Senate elections and U.S. House elections
- This was the last Congress to be exclusively white and the last to not have a single black member of Congress in either chamber.
Major legislation
- March 10, 1928: Settlement of War Claims Act
- May 15, 1928: Flood Control Act of 1928
- May 22, 1928: Merchant Marine Act of 1928
- May 22, 1928: Forest Research Act
- May 22, 1928: Capper–Ketcham Act
- May 28, 1928: Welsh Act
- May 29, 1928: Revenue Act of 1928, ch. 852,
- May 29, 1928: Reed–Jenkins Act
- December 21, 1928: Boulder Canyon Project Act
- December 22, 1928: Color of Title Act
- January 19, 1929: Hawes–Cooper Act
- February 18, 1929: Migratory Bird Conservation Act, ch. 257,
- February 25, 1929: Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act
- March 2, 1929: Increased Penalties Act
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.Senate
At the end of the first month of the first session of Congress, Republicans gained control of the Senate through a VP-tie-breaking majority.Leadership
Senate
- President of [the United States Senate|President]: Charles G. Dawes
- President pro tempore: George H. Moses
Majority (Republican) leadership
- Majority Leader: Charles Curtis
- Majority Whip: Wesley L. Jones
- Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale
- National Senatorial Committee Chair: Jesse H. Metcalf
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority leader: Joseph T. Robinson
- Minority whip: Peter G. Gerry
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black
House of Representatives
Majority (Republican) leadership
- Majority Leader: John Q. Tilson
- Majority Whip: Albert Vestal
- Republican Conference Chairman: Willis C. Hawley
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: William R. Wood
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Minority Leader: Finis J. Garrett
- Minority Whip: William Allan Oldfield
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Arthur H. Greenwood
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state.Senate
Senators are listed by class. They were elected 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 1928; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1930; and Class 3 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1932.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
Representatives are listed by district.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
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.House of Representatives
- Replacements: 15
- * Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- * Republican: 1 seat net loss
- Deaths: 16
- Resignations: 7
- '''Total seats with changes: 23'''
Committees
Senate
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Banking and Currency
- Civil Service
- Claims
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in Executive Departments
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Illegal Appointments in Civil Service
- Immigration
- Indian Affairs
- Interoceanic Canals
- Interstate Commerce
- Irrigation and Reclamation
- Judiciary
- Library
- Manufactures
- Mexican Propaganda
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Presidential Campaign Expenditures
- Printing
- Privileges and Elections
- Propaganda or Money Alleged Used by Foreign Governments
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands and Surveys
- Rules
- Senatorial Elections
- Tariff Commission
- Territories and Insular Possessions
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Census
- Civil Service
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- District of Columbia
- Education
- Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress
- Elections No.#1
- Elections No.#2
- Elections No.#3
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in the Executive Departments
- Flood Control
- Foreign Affairs
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Indian Affairs
- Insular Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Invalid Pensions
- Irrigation and Reclamation
- Judiciary
- Labor
- Library
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Printing
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Revision of Laws
- Rivers and Harbors
- Roads
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- World War Veterans' Legislation
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes
- Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
- Harriman Geographic Code System
- Investigation of Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grants
- Determine what Employment may be Furnished Federal Prisoners
- Investigate Northern Pacific Lands
- The Library
- Printing
- Taxation
- To Investigate the Salaries of Officers and Employees of the Senate and the House
Caucuses
Officers
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States#United States Congress">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver, from 1928
- Comptroller General of the United States: John R. McCarl
- Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
- Public Printer of the United States: George H. Carter
Senate
- Chaplain: John J. Muir,, until December 5, 1927
- * ZeBarney T. Phillips, from December 5, 1927
- Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer
- Librarian: Edward C. Goodwin
- Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: James S. Montgomery
- Clerk: William T. Page
- Doorkeeper: Bert W. Kennedy
- Reading Clerks: Patrick Joseph Haltigan and Alney E. Chaffee
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler, from 1928
- Postmaster: Frank W. Collier