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.
| 91st United States Congress | |
|---|---|
90th ← → 92nd | |
 | |
January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Members | 100 senators 435 representatives |
| Senate majority | Democratic |
| Senate President | Hubert Humphrey (D)[a] (until January 20, 1969) Spiro Agnew (R) (from January 20, 1969) |
| House majority | Democratic |
| House Speaker | John W. McCormack (D) |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: January 3, 1969 – December 23, 1969 2nd: January 19, 1970 – January 2, 1971 | |
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1960 United States census.
Both chambers had a Democratic majority - albeit with losing their 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.
Major legislation
- December 30, 1969: Tax Reform Act of 1969, Pub. L. 91–172
- December 30, 1969: Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, Pub. L. 91–173
- January 1, 1970: National Environmental Policy Act, Pub. L. 91–190
- April 1, 1970: Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, Pub. L. 91–222
- April 3, 1970: Environmental Quality Improvement Act, Pub. L. 91–224
- May 21, 1970: Airport and Airway Development Act, Pub. L. 91–258, title I
- August 12, 1970: Postal Reorganization Act (United States Postal Service), Pub. L. 91–375
- August 15, 1970: Economic Stabilization Act, Title II of Pub. L. 91–379, 84 Stat. 799
- September 22, 1970: District of Columbia Delegate Act, Pub. L. 91–405
- October 15, 1970: Organized Crime Control Act, Pub. L. 91–452 (including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO")
- October 15, 1970: Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91–453
- October 26, 1970: Bank Secrecy Act, Pub. L. 91–508
- October 26, 1970: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970
- October 27, 1970: Controlled Substances Act, Pub. L. 91–513
- October 30, 1970: Rail Passenger Service Act (Amtrak), Pub. L. 91–518
- December 24, 1970: Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91–572
- December 24, 1970: Plant Variety Protection Act, Pub. L. 91–577
- December 29, 1970: Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), Pub. L. 91–596
- December 31, 1970: Clean Air Act Extension, Pub. L. 91–604
- December 31, 1970: Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970, Pub. L. 91–609, including title VII, National Urban Policy and New Community Development Act of 1970
- January 12, 1971: Foreign Military Sales Act of 1971, Pub. L. 91–672
- January 13, 1971: Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act, Pub. L. 91–695
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
57 Democratic Senators
43 Republican Senators
| Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) | Republican (R) | Other (O) | |||
| End of previous congress | 62 | 38 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| Begin | 57 | 43 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| End | 59 | 41 | |||
| Final voting share | 59.0% | 41.0% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 54 | 44 | 2[b] | 100 | 0 |
House of Representatives
| Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) | Republican (R) | |||
| End of previous congress | 247 | 186 | 433 | 2 |
| Begin | 243 | 192 | 435 | 0 |
| End | 242 | 189 | 431 | 4 |
| Final voting share | 56.1% | 43.9% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 254 | 180 | 434 | 1 |
Leadership
Senate President
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Senate President
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Senate
- President: Hubert Humphrey (D), until January 20, 1969
- Spiro Agnew (R), from January 20, 1969
- President pro tempore: Richard Russell Jr. (D)
- Permanent Acting President pro tempore: Lee Metcalf (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership
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 (D)
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
Caucuses
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and Members of the House 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 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.
House of Representatives
Some members of the House of 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.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress
Senate
- Replacements: 3
- Democratic: 2 seat net gain
- Republican: 2 seat net loss
- Deaths: 1
- Resignations: 2
- Total seats with changes: 3
| State (class) | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[c] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois (3) | Everett Dirksen (R) | Died September 7, 1969 | Ralph Tyler Smith (R) | September 17, 1969 |
| Illinois (3) | Ralph Tyler Smith (R) | Successor elected November 3, 1970 | Adlai Stevenson III (D) | November 17, 1970 |
| Delaware (1) | John J. Williams (R) | Resigned December 30, 1970 | William Roth (R) | January 1, 1971 |
| California (1) | George Murphy (R) | Resigned January 2, 1971 | John V. Tunney (D) | January 2, 1971 |
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 14
- Democratic: 2 seat net gain
- Republican: 2 seat net loss
- Deaths: 10
- Resignations: 8
- Total seats with changes: 18
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[c] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California 27th | Edwin Reinecke (R) | Resigned January 21, 1969, after becoming Lieutenant Governor of California | Barry Goldwater Jr. (R) | April 29, 1969 |
| Wisconsin 7th | Melvin Laird (R) | Resigned January 21, 1969, after being appointed United States Secretary of Defense | Dave Obey (D) | April 1, 1969 |
| Tennessee 8th | Fats Everett (D) | Died January 26, 1969 | Ed Jones (D) | March 25, 1969 |
| Montana 2nd | James F. Battin (R) | Resigned February 27, 1969, after being appointed judge for the US District Court for the District of Montana | John Melcher (D) | June 24, 1969 |
| Illinois 13th | Donald Rumsfeld (R) | Resigned May 25, 1969, after being appointed Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity | Phil Crane (R) | November 25, 1969 |
| Massachusetts 6th | William H. Bates (R) | Died June 22, 1969 | Michael J. Harrington (D) | September 30, 1969 |
| Illinois 6th | Daniel J. Ronan (D) | Died August 13, 1969 | George W. Collins (D) | November 3, 1970 |
| New Jersey 8th | Charles Samuel Joelson (D) | Resigned September 4, 1969, after becoming judge of Superior Court of New Jersey | Robert A. Roe (D) | November 4, 1969 |
| New Jersey 6th | William T. Cahill (R) | Resigned January 19, 1970, after becoming Governor of New Jersey | Edwin B. Forsythe (R) | November 3, 1970 |
| California 24th | Glenard P. Lipscomb (R) | Died February 1, 1970 | John H. Rousselot (R) | June 30, 1970 |
| California 35th | James B. Utt (R) | Died March 1, 1970 | John G. Schmitz (R) | June 30, 1970 |
| Connecticut 2nd | William St. Onge (D) | Died May 1, 1970 | Robert H. Steele (R) | November 3, 1970 |
| Ohio 19th | Michael J. Kirwan (D) | Died July 27, 1970 | Charles J. Carney (D) | November 3, 1970 |
| Pennsylvania 9th | George Watkins (R) | Died August 7, 1970 | John H. Ware III (R) | November 3, 1970 |
| Illinois 1st | William L. Dawson (D) | Died November 9, 1970 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| South Carolina 1st | L. Mendel Rivers (D) | Died December 28, 1970 | ||
| Delaware at-large | William Roth (R) | Resigned December 31, 1970, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate | ||
| California 38th | John V. Tunney (D) | Resigned January 2, 1971, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.
Senate
- Aeronautical and Space Sciences (Chair: Clinton P. Anderson; Ranking Member: Margaret Chase Smith)
- Agriculture and Forestry (Chair: Allen J. Ellender; Ranking Member: George D. Aiken)
- Appropriations (Chair: Richard B. Russell; Ranking Member: Milton R. Young)
- Armed Services (Chair: John C. Stennis; Ranking Member: Margaret Chase Smith)
- Banking and Currency (Chair: John J. Sparkman; Ranking Member: Wallace F. Bennett)
- Commerce (Chair: Warren G. Magnuson; Ranking Member: Norris Cotton)
- District of Columbia (Chair: Joseph D. Tydings; Ranking Member: Winston L. Prouty)
- Equal Educational Opportunity (Select) (Chair: [data missing]; Ranking Member: [data missing])
- Finance (Chair: Russell B. Long; Ranking Member: John J. Williams)
- Foreign Relations (Chair: J. William Fulbright; Ranking Member: George D. Aiken)
- Government Operations (Chair: John Little McClellan; Ranking Member: Karl E. Mundt)
- Interior and Insular Affairs (Chair: Henry M. Jackson; Ranking Member: Gordon Allott)
- Judiciary (Chair: James O. Eastland; Ranking Member: Everett M. Dirksen, then Roman Hruska)
- Labor and Public Welfare (Chair: Ralph W. Yarborough; Ranking Member: Jacob K. Javits)
- Nutrition and Human Needs (Select) (Chair: George S. McGovern)
- Post Office and Civil Service (Chair: Gale W. McGee; Ranking Member: Hiram Fong)
- Public Works (Chair: Jennings Randolph; Ranking Member: John Sherman Cooper)
- Rules and Administration (Chair: B. Everett Jordan; Ranking Member: Carl T. Curtis)
- Small Business (Select) (Chair: Alan Bible)
- Standards and Conduct (Select) (Chair: John C. Stennis; Vice Chairman: Wallace F. Bennett)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Agriculture (Chair: William R. Poage; Ranking Member: Page Belcher)
- Appropriations (Chair: George H. Mahon; Ranking Member: Frank T. Bow)
- Armed Services (Chair: L. Mendel Rivers; Ranking Member: William H. Bates)
- Banking and Currency (Chair: Wright Patman; Ranking Member: William B. Widnall)
- District of Columbia (Chair: John L. McMillan; Ranking Member: Ancher Nelsen)
- Education and Labor (Chair: Carl D. Perkins; Ranking Member: William H. Ayres)
- Foreign Affairs (Chair: Thomas E. Morgan; Ranking Member: E. Ross Adair)
- Government Operations (Chair: William L. Dawson; Ranking Member: Florence P. Dwyer)
- House Administration (Chair: Samuel N. Friedel; Ranking Member: Glenard P. Lipscomb)
- House Beauty Shop (Select) (Chair: Martha W. Griffiths)
- House Restaurant (Select) (Chairman: N/A; Ranking Member: N/A)
- Interior and Insular Affairs (Chair: Wayne N. Aspinall; Ranking Member: John P. Saylor)
- Internal Security (Chair: Richard H. Ichord; Ranking Member: John M. Ashbrook)
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chair: Harley O. Staggers; Ranking Member: William L. Springer)
- Judiciary (Chair: Emanuel Celler; Ranking Member: William M. McCulloch)
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chair: Edward A. Garmatz; Ranking Member: William S. Mailliard)
- Parking (Select) (Chair: Bernice F. Sisk)
- Post Office and Civil Service (Chair: Thaddeus J. Dulski; Ranking Member: Robert J. Corbett)
- Public Works (Chair: George Hyde Fallon; Ranking Member: William C. Cramer)
- Rules (Chair: William M. Colmer; Ranking Member: H. Allen Smith)
- Science and Astronautics (Chair: George P. Miller; Ranking Member: James G. Fulton)
- Small Business (Select) (Chair: Joe L. Evins)
- Standards of Official Conduct (Chair: Charles Melvin Price; Ranking Member: Leslie C. Arends)
- Veterans' Affairs (Chair: Olin E. Teague; Ranking Member: Charles M. Teague)
- Ways and Means (Chair: Wilbur D. Mills; Ranking Member: John W. Byrnes)
- Whole
Joint committees
- Atomic Energy (Chair: Rep. Chet Holifield; Vice Chair: Sen. John O. Pastore)
- Congressional Operations
- Defense Productions (Chair: Sen. John J. Sparkman; Vice Chair: Rep. Wright Patman)
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- Economic (Chair: Rep. Wright Patman; Vice Chair: Sen. William Proxmire)
- Immigration and Nationality Policy
- Legislative Budget (Chair: Rep. Wilbur D. Mills)
- The Library (Chair: Rep. Samuel N. Friedel; Vice Chair: Sen. B. Everett Jordan)
- Navajo-Hopi Indian Administration
- Printing (Chair: Sen. B. Everett Jordan; Vice Chair: Rep. Samuel N. Friedel)
- Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures (Chair: Rep. George H. Mahon)
- Taxation (Chair: Rep. Wilbur D. Mills; Vice Chair: Sen. Russell B. Long)
Employees
See also
- List of new members of the 91st United States Congress
- 1968 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1970 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
Notes
References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
External links
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: Congressional History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
- House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 91st Congress (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- Congressional Pictorial Directory for the 91st Congress.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 91st Congress, 1st Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 91st Congress, 2nd Session.
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