*Party division totals are based on election day results.
Democrats maintained control of Congress and also the White House after President Franklin Roosevelt’s unprecedented election to a third term in 1940. The European war consumed Congress’s attention. The Lend–Lease Act allowed the U.S. to provide supplies to Great Britain, while the peacetime draft was extended by one vote in the House. But after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the 77th Congress (1941–1943) declared war on the Axis Powers. Legislation quickly followed to mobilize the country, generate greater revenues, and impose price controls.
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To view complete lists of individuals who have served in these leadership and official positions since the 1st Congress, visit the People section
1Died in office, May 18, 1942.
2Died in office, May 13, 1943.