| 72nd United States Congress | |||
 United States Capitol (1906) |
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| Duration: March 4, 1931 – March 4, 1933 | |||
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| President of the Senate: | Charles Curtis | ||
| President pro tempore: | George H. Moses | ||
| Speaker of the House: | John Garner | ||
| Members: | 96 Senators 435 Representatives 5 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Republican | ||
| House Majority: | Democratic | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| 1st: December 7, 1931 – July 16, 1932 2nd: December 2, 1932 – March 3, 1933 |
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The Seventy-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 to March 4, 1933, during the last two years of Herbert C. Hoover's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Fourteenth Census of the United States in 1920. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
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Major events
- January 12, 1932 — Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas became the first woman elected to the United States Senate. (Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia had been appointed to fill a vacancy in 1922; the 87-year-old Felton served one day as a Senator.) Caraway had won a special election to fill the remaining months of the term of her late husband, Senator Thaddeus Caraway. She won re-election to a full term in 1932 and served in the Senate until January 1945.[1]
- July 28, 1932 — Bonus Army was dispursed
Major legislation
- January 22, 1932 — Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, Sess. 1, ch. 8, 47 Stat. 5
- March 23, 1932 — Norris-LaGuardia Act, Sess. 1, ch. 90, 47 Stat. 70
- June 6, 1932 — Revenue Act of 1932, Sess. 1, ch. 209, 47 Stat. 169
- July 22, 1932 — Federal Home Loan Bank Act, Sess. 1, ch. 522, 47 Stat. 725
- March 3, 1933 — Buy American Act, Sess. 2, ch. 212, title III, 47 Stat. 1520
Not enacted
- Patman Bonus Bill
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Senate
- Republican (R): 48 (majority)
- Democratic (D): 47
- Farmer-Labor (FL): 1
TOTAL members: 96
House of Representatives
- Democratic (D): 217 (majority)[2]
- Republican (R): 217
- Farmer-Labor (FL): 1
TOTAL members: 435
Leadership
Senate
- President: Charles Curtis, Republican of Kansas
- President pro tempore: George H. Moses, Republican of New Hampshire, elected December 7, 1931
- Majority Leader: James E. Watson, Republican of Indiana
- Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson, Democratic of Arkansas
- Majority Whip: Simeon D. Fess, Republican of Ohio
- Minority Whip: Morris Sheppard, Democratic of Texas
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John N. Garner, Democratic of Texas, elected December 7, 1931
- Majority Leader: Henry T. Rainey, Democratic of Illinois
- Minority Leader: Bertrand H. Snell, Republican of NewYork
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
Senate
Senators were elected every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1934; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1936; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1932.
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Non-voting members
- Alaska Territory: James Wickersham (R)
- Hawaii Territory: Victor S. K. Houston (R)
- Philippines: Pedro Guevara
- Philippines: Camilo Osías
- Puerto Rico: Félix Córdova Dávila
Changes in membership
Senate
- replacements: 8
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 6
- resignations: 3
- interim appointments: 4
- Total seats with changes: 11
House of Representatives
- replacements: 23
- Democratic: 4 seat net gain
- Republican: 4 seat net loss
- deaths: 26
- resignations: 7
- contested election: 1
- Total seats with changes: 34
Employees
Senate
- Secretary: Edwin P. Thayer of Illinois, served from December 7, 1925
- Sergeant at Arms: David S. Barry of Rhode Island
- Chaplain: ZeBarney T. Phillips, Episcopalian
- Democratic Party Secretary: Edwin A. Halsey
- Republican Party Secretary: Carl A. Loeffler
House of Representatives
- Clerk: South Trimble of Kentucky, elected December 7, 1931
- Sergeant at Arms: Kenneth Romney of Montana, elected December 7, 1931
- Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott of Virginia, elected December 7, 1931
- Postmaster: Finis E. Scott of Tennessee, elected December 7, 1931
- Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
- Chaplain: James S. Montgomery, Methodist
References
- ^ Senate.gov
- ^ Before the first day of Congress, 19 representatives-elect died. In 14 cases, party control of the seat changed with the special election, and the Democrats ended up with a majority of House seats.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
External links
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
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