*Party division totals are based on election day results.
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.
Learn more about the People of the People's House
To view complete lists of individuals who have served in these leadership and official positions since the 1st Congress, visit the People section
1Resigned from office December 31, 1945.