United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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79th Congress (1945–1947)

Congressional Profile

Total Membership:

  • 435 Representatives
  • 2 Delegates
  • 2 Resident Commissioners

Party Divisions:*

  • 244 Democrats
  • 189 Republicans
  • 1 American-Labor
  • 1 Progressive

*Party division totals are based on election day results.

  • Election Statistics, 1944 [PDF]
U.S. Capitol Postcard/tiles/non-collection/C/CapitolPostcard_2006_044_000.xml Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object The postcard depicts the Capitol prior to its 1950s renovation.

Congress Overview

The wartime 1944 elections bolstered Democratic majorities in Congress. Franklin Roosevelt won a fourth term as President but died just months after his inauguration; Vice President Harry S. Truman succeeded him. As World War II ended, the 79th Congress (1945–1947) reinforced the country’s international role with membership in the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. It also instituted the Fulbright scholars program. Congress increased the federal government’s involvement in the economy with full employment legislation, new airports and hospitals, and atomic energy development. Congress also streamlined bureaucratic procedures as government modernized.

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 79th 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:
Sam Rayburn (D–Texas)
Majority Leader:
John W. McCormack (D–Massachusetts)
Minority Leader:
Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (R–Massachusetts )
Democratic Whip:
John J. Sparkman (D–Alabama)
Robert Ramspeck (D–Georgia) 1
Republican Whip:
Leslie C. Arends (R–Illinois)
Democratic Caucus Chairman:
Jere Cooper (D–Tennessee)
Republican Conference Chairman:
Roy O. Woodruff (R–Michigan)
Clerk of the House:
South Trimble
Sergeant at Arms:
Kenneth Romney
Chaplain of the House:
James Shera Montgomery – Methodist
Doorkeeper:
Ralph R. Roberts
Postmaster:
Finis E. Scott
Parliamentarian:
Lewis Deschler

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

Session Dates

Saturday/Sunday Sessions

Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations

Related House Records

Defeat Un-Equal Rights Amendment
Defeat Un-Equal Rights Amendment
May 21, 1945
These letters were written in opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. Margaret Austin Stone, Secretary of the National Committee to Defeat the Un-Equal Rights Amendment and to Promote Equal Opportunities, …

Related Historical Highlights

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Final Address to a Joint Session
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Final Address to a Joint Session
March 01, 1945
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made his last appearance before a Joint Session of Congress to report on the Yalta Conference.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946
August 02, 1946
President Harry S. Truman signed the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 into law on this day.
The 1946 House Elections
The 1946 House Elections
November 05, 1946
Riding widespread discontent with the postwar economic policies of the Harry Truman administration, Republicans recaptured majority control of the House from Democrats for the first time in 15 years.

Footnotes

1Resigned from office December 31, 1945.

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