*Party division totals are based on election day results.
Democrats retained control of Congress with the 1966 elections, but their majorities eroded in both houses. The Vietnam War, which drained the country’s resources and fostered massive unrest, constrained the 90th Congress (1967–1969). Congress pushed forward with President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” program, and instituted public broadcasting, made air quality a federal responsibility, prohibited housing discrimination, and increased taxes. Urban riots led to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968 that imposed restrictions on gun ownership.
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