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81st United States Congress

The 81st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1951, during the fifth and sixth years of Harry S. Truman's presidency.

81st United States Congress

96 senators
435 representatives
3 non-voting delegates

Vacant
(until January 20, 1949)
Alben W. Barkley (D)
(from January 20, 1949)

Democratic

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1940 United States census.


The Democrats won back the majority in both chambers, and with the election of President Harry S. Truman to his own full term in office, this gave the Democrats an overall federal government trifecta.

January 20, 1949: President began his second (only full) term.

Harry S. Truman

August 16, 1949: Office of created

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

January 21, 1950: Accused communist spy was convicted of perjury

Alger Hiss

January 31, 1950: President Truman ordered the development of the hydrogen bomb, in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb in 1949

June 27, 1950: : President Truman ordered American military forces to aid in the defense of South Korea

Korean War

June 20, 1949: , ch. 227, 63 Stat. 208, 50 U.S.C. § 403a

Central Intelligence Agency Act

October 25, 1949: , ch. 722, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 81–380, 63 Stat. 898

Hospital Survey and Construction Amendments of 1949

October 26, 1949: , ch. 736, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 81–393, 63 Stat. 910, 29 U.S.C. ch. 8

Fair Labor Standards Amendment

October 31, 1949: , ch. 792, 63 Stat. 1051

Agricultural Act of 1949

May 5, 1950: , ch. 169, 64 Stat. 109

Uniform Code of Military Justice

May 10, 1950: , ch. 171, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 81–507, 64 Stat. 149, 42 U.S.C. ch. 16

National Science Foundation Act

August 15, 1950: , Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 81–692, 64 Stat. 443 (including Public Health Services Act Amendments, which established the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness)

Omnibus Medical Research Act

September 8, 1950: , Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 81–774, 64 Stat. 798

Defense Production Act of 1950

September 12, 1950: , ch. 946, 64 Stat. 832

Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950

September 23, 1950: (including Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950), ch. 1024, 64 Stat. 987, 50 U.S.C. § 781

McCarran Internal Security Act

September 30, 1950: , ch. 1123, 64 Stat. 1098

Performance Rating Act

December 29, 1950: (Anti-Merger Act), ch. 1184, 64 Stat. 1125

Celler–Kefauver Act

January 12, 1951: , ch. 1228, 64 Stat. 1245 (codified in 50 U.S.C. App., here [1])

Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950

July 21, 1949: ratified, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

North Atlantic Treaty

May 11, 1950: hearings into U.S. organized crime began

Kefauver Committee

President

Alben W. Barkley

: Kenneth McKellar (D)

President pro tempore

House Democratic Caucus

Senate Democratic Caucus

Members[edit]

Senate[edit]

Senators are popularly elected statewide every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Senators are ordered first by state, and then by seniority. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1950; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1952; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1954.

(Chairman: Elmer Thomas; Ranking Member: George D. Aiken)

Agriculture and Forestry

(Chairman: Kenneth McKellar; Ranking Member: Styles Bridges)

Appropriations

(Chairman: Millard E. Tydings; Ranking Member: Styles Bridges)

Armed Services

(Chairman: Burnet R. Maybank; Ranking Member: Charles W. Tobey)

Banking and Currency

(Chairman: Matthew M. Neely; Ranking Member: John J. Williams)

District of Columbia

(Chairman: John L. McClellan; Ranking Member: Joseph R. McCarthy)

Expenditures in Executive Departments

(Chairman: Walter F. George; Ranking Member: Eugene D. Millikin)

Finance

(Chairman: Tom Connally; Ranking Member: Arthur H. Vandenberg)

Foreign Relations

(Chairman: Joseph C. O'Mahoney; Ranking Member: Hugh Butler)

Interior and Insular Affairs

Subcommittee on Internal Security

(Chairman: Edwin C. Johnson; Ranking Member: Charles W. Tobey)

Interstate and Foreign Commerce

(Chairman: Pat McCarran; Ranking Member: Alexander Wiley)

Judiciary

(Chairman: Elbert D. Thomas; Ranking Member: Robert A. Taft)

Labor and Public Welfare

(Select)

Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce

(Chairman: Frank Carlson; Ranking Member: Olin D. Johnston)

Post Office and Civil Service

(Chairman: Dennis Chavez; Ranking Member: William Langer)

Public Works

(Special)

Remodeling the Senate Chamber

(Chairman: Carl Hayden; Ranking Member: Kenneth S. Wherry)

Rules and Administration

(Select)

Small Business

(Special)

Small Business Enterprises

Whole

: David Lynn

Architect of the Capitol

: George Calver

Attending Physician of the United States Congress

: Lindsay C. Warren

Comptroller General of the United States

: Luther H. Evans

Librarian of Congress

: John J. Deviny

Public Printer of the United States

1948 United States elections

1948 United States presidential election

1950 United States elections

1950 United States Senate elections

. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1951.

House of Representatives Session Calendar for the 81st Congress

. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1949.

Official Congressional Directory for the 81st Congress, 1st Session

. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1950.

Official Congressional Directory for the 81st Congress, 2nd Session