71st United States Congress
The 71st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislature 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, 1929, to March 4, 1931, during the first two years of Herbert Hoover's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1910 United States census.
Both the House and Senate remained under Republican control, with increased majorities in each chamber. And with Herbert Hoover being sworn in as president on March 4, 1929, the Republicans maintained an overall federal government trifecta.
The 71st Congress also featured the most special elections of any Congress with 27 in all.
Major events
- March 4, 1929: Herbert C. Hoover became President of the United States
- October 24, 1929 – October 29, 1929: Wall Street Crash of 1929: Three multi-digit percentage drops wipe out more than $30 billion from the New York Stock Exchange.
- October 25, 1929: Former U.S. Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall is convicted of bribery for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal, becoming the first Presidential cabinet member to go to prison for actions in office.
Major legislation
- June 15, 1929: Agriculture Marketing Act, ch. 24,
- June 18, 1929: Reapportionment Act of 1929, ch. 28,
- May 14, 1930: Federal Bureau of Prisons Act, ch. 274,
- June 17, 1930: Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act, ch. 497,,
- July 3, 1930: Veterans Administration Act, ch. 863,
- March 3, 1931: Davis–Bacon Act, ch. 411,
- March 3, 1931: An Act To make The Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem of the United States of America, ch. 436,
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
- President: Charles Curtis
- President pro tempore: George H. Moses
- Majority leader: James E. Watson
- Minority leader: Joseph T. Robinson
- Majority whip: Simeon D. Fess
- Minority whip: Morris Sheppard
- Republican Conference Secretary: Frederick Hale
- Democratic Caucus Secretary: Hugo Black
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Nicholas Longworth
- Majority leader: John Q. Tilson
- Minority leader: John N. Garner
- Majority Whip: Albert Henry Vestal
- Minority Whip: John McDuffie
- Republican Conference Chair: Willis C. Hawley
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: David Hayes Kincheloe
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Byrns Sr.
- Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: William R. Wood
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and representatives are listed by district.Senate
Senators 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 began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1934; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1930; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection 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
The names of representatives are preceded by their districts.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.Senate
- Replacements: 15
- * Democratic: 3-seat net gain
- * Republican: 1-seat net loss
- Deaths: 5
- Resignations: 3
- Interim appointments: 6
- '''Total seats with changes: 9'''
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 27
- * Democratic: 4 seat net gain
- * Republican: 3 seat net loss
- Deaths: 25
- Resignations: 6
- Contested election: 1
- '''Total seats with changes: 32'''
Committees
Senate
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Air Mail and Ocean Mail Contracts
- Alaska Railroad
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Banking and Currency
- Civil Service
- Claims
- Commerce
- Depreciation of Foreign Currencies
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in Executive Departments
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Immigration
- Indian Affairs
- Interoceanic Canals
- Interstate Commerce
- Irrigation and Reclamation
- Judiciary
- Library
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi Flood Control Project
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office Leases
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Printing
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands and Surveys
- Reconstruction Finance Corporation
- Rules
- Territories and Insular Affairs
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Census
- Civil Service
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- District of Columbia
- Education
- [United States House Committee on the Election of the President of the United States Senate|President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress|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
- Memorials
- 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
- The Library
- Printing
- Taxation
- Veterans' Affairs
Caucuses
Officers
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: David Lynn
- Attending Physician of the United States Congress: George Calver
- Comptroller General of the United States: John R. McCarl
- Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
- Public Printer of the United States: George H. Carter
Senate
- Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer
- Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry
- Librarian: Edward C. Goodwin
- Chaplain: ZeBarney T. Phillips
- Democratic Party Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey, from 1929
- Republican Party Secretary: Carl A. Loeffler, from 1929
House of Representatives
- Clerk: William T. Page
- Sergeant at Arms: Joseph G. Rodgers
- Doorkeeper: Bert W. Kennedy
- Postmaster: Frank W. Collier
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Reading Clerks: Patrick Joseph Haltigan and Alney E. Chaffee
- Chaplain: James S. Montgomery