United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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101st Congress (1989–1991)

Congressional Profile

Total Membership:

  • 435 Representatives
  • 4 Delegates
  • 1 Resident Commissioner

Party Divisions:*

  • 260 Democrats
  • 175 Republicans

*Party division totals are based on election day results.

  • Election Statistics, 1988 [PDF]
Thomas Stephen Foley/tiles/non-collection/s/speaker_foley_2005_016_049.xml Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object Representative Thomas Foley of Washington served 15 terms in the House before losing re-election as Speaker of the House.

Congress Overview

Despite continued divided-party government, the 101st Congress (1989–1991) increased taxes to stem a growing deficit, created the Resolution Trust Corporation to address the failed Savings and Loan bank industry, and passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In late 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall—a symbol of American’s Cold War with the Soviet Union—heralded the collapse of Eastern Europe’s communist regimes. Within a year, Congress weighed whether to take military action against Iraq after it invaded Kuwait.

Member Information

  • Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, (1774–2005), Official Annotated Membership Roster by State with Vacancy and Special Election Information for the 101st Congress [PDF]
  • Official Alphabetical List of Members for the 101st Congress [PDF]
  • Official List of Members by State for the 101st Congress [PDF]
  • Learn more about the House of Representatives with an interactive map

Learn more about the People of the People's House

Committee Information

Leadership & Officers

Speaker of the House:
James C. Wright, Jr. (D–Texas) 1
Thomas S. Foley (D–Washington)
Majority Leader:
Richard A. Gephardt (D–Missouri) 2
Thomas S. Foley (D–Washington) 3
Minority Leader:
Robert H. Michel (R–Illinois)
Democratic Whip:
Tony Coelho (D–California) 4
William (Bill) H. Gray, III (D–Pennsylvania) 5
Republican Whip:
Dick Cheney (R–Wyoming) 6
Newt Gingrich (R–Georgia) 7
Democratic Caucus Chairman:
Steny H. Hoyer (D–Maryland) 8
William Gray (D–Pennsylvania) 9
Republican Conference Chairman:
Jerry Lewis (R–California)
Clerk of the House:
Donnald K. Anderson
Sergeant at Arms:
Jack Russ
Chaplain of the House:
James D. Ford – Lutheran
Doorkeeper:
James T. Molloy
Postmaster:
Robert V. Rota
Parliamentarian:
William Holmes Brown

To view complete lists of individuals who have served in these leadership and official positions since the 1st Congress, visit the People section

Legislative Activities

House Calendar
House Calendar [PDF]
House and Senate Days-In-Session Calendars (Congress.gov):
Days-in-Session Calendars for the 101st Congress
Congressional Record (govinfo.gov)
Congressional Record for 101st Congress, 1st Session
Congressional Record for 101st Congress, 2nd Session
Legislation of the 101st Congress (Congress.gov):
Bill Summary & Status for the 101st Congress
Public Laws (Congress.gov):
Public Laws 101st Congress
Résumés of Congressional Activity:
Résumés of Congressional Activity for the 101st Congress [PDF]
Roll Call Votes:
101st Congress, 2nd Session (1990)

Session Dates

Saturday/Sunday Sessions

Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations

Related Historical Highlights

The Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act
July 26, 1990
President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (S. 933) into law.
President George H.W. Bush’s Joint Session on the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait
President George H.W. Bush’s Joint Session on the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait
September 11, 1990
President George H. W. Bush addressed a Joint Session of Congress to explain the U.S. response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait six weeks earlier.

Footnotes

1Resigned from the House of Representatives, June 6, 1989.

2Elected Majority Leader on June 14, 1989, to fill the vacancy left when Majority Leader Thomas Foley was elected Speaker on June 6, 1989.

3Elected Speaker on June 6, 1989, following Speaker James Wright’s resignation on the same date.

4Resigned from the House, June 15, 1989.

5Elected Whip on June 14, 1989.

6Resigned from the House on March 17, 1989 to become Secretary of Defense.

7Elected Whip on March 22, 1989.

8Representative Hoyer was elected Caucus Chairman on June 21, 1989, following the June 14, 1989, election of Representative Richard Gephardt as Majority Leader

9Representative Gray was elected Democratic Whip on June 14, 1989.

Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov