84th United States Congress

The 84th 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, 1955, to January 3, 1957, during the third and fourth years of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1950 United States census.

84th United States Congress
83rd ←
→ 85th
United States Capitol (1956)

January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1957
Members96 senators
435 representatives
3 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic
(initially with caucus)
Senate PresidentRichard Nixon (R)
House majorityDemocratic
House SpeakerSam Rayburn (D)
Sessions
1st: January 5, 1955 – August 2, 1955
2nd: January 3, 1956 – July 27, 1956

The Democratic Party won back majorities in both the House and Senate, thus giving them full control of Congress, although Republican Party briefly won the Senate after the last congressional session. The Democratic Party would continue to hold onto its house majority until the 104th Congress.

Major events

  • January 28, 1955: Congress authorized the president to use force to protect Taiwan from the People's Republic of China
  • February 10, 1955: The United States Navy helped the Republic of China evacuate Chinese Nationalist army and residents from the Tachen Islands to Taiwan.
  • February 12, 1955: President Eisenhower sent the first U.S. advisers to South Vietnam.
  • July 2, 1955: Senator Lyndon Johnson, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, suffered a major heart attack.
  • September 24, 1955: President Eisenhower suffered a coronary thrombosis.
  • November 5, 1955: Racial segregation was forbidden on trains and buses in U.S. interstate commerce.
  • December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white person.
  • December 5, 1955: The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to become the AFL–CIO.
  • March 12, 1956: 96 Congressmen signed the Southern Manifesto, a protest against the 1954 Supreme Court ruling (Brown v. Board of Education) desegregating public education.
  • November 6, 1956: United States elections, 1956:
    • 1956 United States presidential election: Republican incumbent Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democratic challenger Adlai E. Stevenson in a rematch of their contest four years earlier.
    • United States Senate elections, 1956: The party balance of the chamber remained unchanged as Republican and Democratic gains cancelled each other.
    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1956: Republicans lost a net of two seats to the majority Democrats.

Major legislation

  • January 29, 1955: Formosa Resolution
  • March 31, 1955: Career Incentive Act
  • June 28, 1955: Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act, Pub. L. 84–99, 69 Stat. 194
  • July 11, 1955: To provide that all United States currency shall bear the inscription "In God We Trust", Pub. L. 84–140, 69 Stat. 290, 31 U.S.C. § 5114(b)
  • July 14, 1955: Air Pollution Control Act, Pub. L. 84–159, ch. 360, 69 Stat. 322
  • July 23, 1955: Multiple Surface Use Mining Act, Pub. L. 94–167, ch. 730, 68 Stat. 708
  • August 9, 1955: Reserve Forces Act, Pub. L. 84–305, 69 Stat. 598
  • August 11, 1955: National Housing Act ("Capehart Act"), Pub. L. 84–345, 69 Stat. 646
  • August 12, 1955: Poliomyelitis Vaccination Assistance Act, Pub. L. 84–377, ch. 863, 69 Stat. 704
  • April 11, 1956: Colorado River Storage Project Act, Pub. L. 84–485
  • June 29, 1956: Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, (National Interstate and Defense Highways Act), Pub. L. 84–627
  • July 30, 1956: Health Research Facilities Act, Pub. L. 84–835, ch. 779, 70 Stat. 717
  • August 8, 1956: Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, ch. 1036, 70 Stat. 1119, 16 U.S.C. § 742a

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.

The independent Wayne Morse, who caucused with Republicans in the second session of the previous Congress, began caucusing with the Democrats at the start of this Congress before ultimately becoming a Democrat himself.

Democrats would briefly lose control of the Senate after the last congressional session.

Senate

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Independent Republican Vacant
End of previous Congress 47 1 48 96 0
Begin 48 1 47 96 0
February 17, 1955 49 0 47 96 0
February 28, 1956 48 95 1
March 13, 1956 49 96 0
April 4, 1956 48 95 1
April 5, 1956 49 96 0
April 30, 1956 48 95 1
June 21, 1956 49 96 0
November 6, 1956 46 47 93 3
November 7, 1956 47 49 96 0
Final voting share 49% 0% 50%
Beginning of the next Congress 49 0 46 95 1

House of Representatives

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Independent
(I)
Republican
(R)
End of previous congress 212 1 213 426 9
Begin 231 0 203 434 1
End 228 200 4287
Final voting share 53.3% 0.0% 46.7%
Beginning of next congress 233 0 200 433 2

Leadership

Senate

Majority (Democratic) leadership

  • Majority Leader and Democratic Conference chairman: Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Majority Whip: Earle Clements
  • Democratic Caucus Secretary: Thomas C. Hennings Jr.

Minority (Republican) leadership

House of Representatives

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Minority (Republican) leadership

Caucuses

  • House Democratic Caucus
  • Senate Democratic Caucus

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state.

Senate

Senators are popularly elected statewide 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, facing re-election in 1958; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, facing re-election in 1960; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1956.

House of Representatives

The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.

Senate

  • Replacements: 3
    • Democratic: 1 net loss
    • Independent Democratic: 1 net loss
    • Republican: 2 net gain
  • Deaths: 2
  • Resignations: 1
  • Interim appointments: 3
  • Total seats with changes: 3
Senate changes
State
(class)
Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation
Oregon
(3)
Wayne Morse (I) Changed Political Parties February 17, 1955 Wayne Morse (D) February 17, 1955
West Virginia
(1)
Harley M. Kilgore (D) Died February 28, 1956 William Laird III (D) March 13, 1956
South Carolina
(2)
Strom Thurmond (ID) Resigned April 4, 1956, to trigger a contested primary as promised to voters Thomas A. Wofford (D) April 5, 1956
Kentucky
(2)
Alben W. Barkley (D) Died April 30, 1956 Robert Humphreys (D) June 21, 1956
Kentucky
(2)
Robert Humphreys (D) Successor elected November 6, 1956 John Sherman Cooper (R) November 7, 1956
South Carolina
(2)
Thomas A. Wofford (D) Successor elected November 6, 1956 Strom Thurmond (D) November 7, 1956
West Virginia
(1)
William Laird III (D) Successor elected November 6, 1956 Chapman Revercomb (R) November 7, 1956

House of Representatives

  • Replacements: 5
    • Democratic: no net change
    • Republican: no net change
  • Deaths: 9
  • Resignations: 3
  • Total seats with changes: 12
House changes
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation
Florida 6th Vacant Rep. Dwight L. Rogers died during the previous congress after having been re-elected.
Successor elected January 11, 1955.
Paul Rogers (D) January 11, 1955
Michigan 15th John Dingell Sr. (D) Died September 19, 1955.
Successor elected December 13, 1955.
John Dingell (D) December 13, 1955
Pennsylvania 30th Vera Buchanan (D) Died November 26, 1955.
Successor elected January 24, 1956.
Elmer J. Holland (D) January 24, 1956
New York 22nd Sidney A. Fine (D) Resigned January 2, 1956.
Successor elected February 7, 1956.
James C. Healey (D) February 7, 1956
Illinois 14th Chauncey W. Reed (R) Died February 9, 1956
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant
Pennsylvania 2nd William T. Granahan (D) Died May 25, 1956.
Successor elected November 6, 1956.
Kathryn E. Granahan (D) November 6, 1956
California 20th John Carl Hinshaw (R) Died August 5, 1956.
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant
Tennessee 5th Percy Priest (D) Died October 12, 1956.
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant
New Mexico at-large Antonio M. Fernández (D) Died November 7, 1956.
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant
New Jersey 2nd T. Millet Hand (R) Died December 26, 1956.
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant
New York 19th Arthur George Klein (D) Resigned December 31, 1956 after being elected to the New York Supreme Court.
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant
New York 20th Irwin D. Davidson (DL) Resigned December 31, 1956.
Seat remained unfilled until next term.
Vacant

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.

Senate

  • Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Allen J. Ellender; Ranking Member: George D. Aiken)
  • Appropriations (Chairman: Carl Hayden; Ranking Member: Styles Bridges)
  • Armed Services (Chairman: Richard B. Russell; Ranking Member: Styles Bridges)
  • Banking and Currency (Chairman: J. William Fulbright; Ranking Member: Homer Capehart)
  • Contribution Investigation (Select)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Matthew M. Neely; Ranking Member: J. Glenn Beall)
  • Finance (Chairman: Harry F. Byrd; Ranking Member: Eugene D. Millikin)
  • Foreign Relations (Chairman: Walter F. George; Ranking Member: Alexander Wiley)
  • Foreign Aid Program (Special)
  • Government Operations (Chairman: John Little McClellan; Ranking Member: Joseph McCarthy)
  • Interior and Insular Affairs (Chairman: James E. Murray; Ranking Member: Eugene D. Millikin)
  • Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: Warren G. Magnuson; Ranking Member: John W. Bricker)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: Harley M. Kilgore; Ranking Member: Alexander Wiley)
  • Labor and Public Welfare (Chairman: J. Lister Hill; Ranking Member: H. Alexander Smith)
  • Political Activities, Lobbying and Campaign Contributions (Special)
  • Post Office and Civil Service (Chairman: Olin D. Johnston; Ranking Member: Frank Carlson)
  • Public Works (Chairman: Dennis Chavez; Ranking Member: Edward Martin)
  • Rules and Administration (Chairman: Theodore F. Green; Ranking Member: William E. Jenner)
  • Senate Reception Room (Special) (Chairman: [data missing]; Ranking Member: [data missing])
  • Small Business (Select) (Chairman: John J. Sparkman)
  • Whole

House of Representatives

  • Agriculture (Chairman: Harold D. Cooley; Ranking Member: Clifford R. Hope)
  • Appropriations (Chairman: Clarence Cannon; Ranking Member: John Taber)
  • Armed Services (Chairman: Carl Vinson; Ranking Member: Dewey J. Short)
  • Banking and Currency (Chairman: Brent Spence; Ranking Member: Jesse P. Wolcott)
  • Benefits for Dependents of Armed Services Veterans (Select) (Chairman: Porter Hardy Jr.)
  • Defense Production (Chairman: [data missing]; Ranking Member: [data missing])
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: John L. McMillan; Ranking Member: Sid Simpson)
  • Education and Labor (Chairman: Graham A. Barden; Ranking Member: Samuel K. McConnell Jr.)
  • Foreign Affairs (Chairman: James P. Richards; Ranking Member: Robert B. Chiperfield)
  • Government Operations (Chairman: William L. Dawson; Ranking Member: Clare E. Hoffman)
  • House Administration (Chairman: Omar Burleson; Ranking Member: Karl M. LeCompte)
  • Investigate the Incorporation of the Baltic States into the U.S.S.R. (Select) (Chairman: [data missing]; Ranking Member: [data missing])
  • Interior and Insular Affairs (Chairman: Clair Engle; Ranking Member: A.L. Miller)
  • Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: J. Percy Priest; Ranking Member: Charles A. Wolverton)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: Emanuel Celler; Ranking Member: Chauncey W. Reed then Kenneth B. Keating)
  • Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chairman: Herbert C. Bonner; Ranking Member: Thor C. Tollefson)
  • Post Office and Civil Service (Chairman: Tom J. Murray; Ranking Member: Edward H. Rees)
  • Public Works (Chairman: Charles A. Buckley; Ranking Member: George A. Dondero)
  • Rules (Chairman: Howard W. Smith; Ranking Member: Leo E. Allen)
  • Small Business (Select) (Chairman: Wright Patman)
  • Standards of Official Conduct
  • Un-American Activities (Chairman: Francis E. Walter; Ranking Member: Harold H. Velde)
  • Veterans' Affairs (Chairman: Olin E. Teague; Ranking Member: Edith Nourse Rogers)
  • Ways and Means (Chairman: Jere Cooper; Ranking Member: Daniel A. Reed)
  • Whole

Joint committees

  • Atomic Energy (Chairman: Sen. Clinton P. Anderson; Vice Chairman: Rep. Carl T. Durham)
  • Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
  • Construction of a Building for a Museum of History and Technology for the Smithsonian
  • Defense Production
  • Disposition of Executive Papers
  • Economic
  • Immigration and Nationality Policy (Chairman: Sen. Arthur V. Watkins)
  • Legislative Budget
  • The Library (Chairman: Omar Burleson; Vice Chairman: Theodore F. Green)
  • Navajo-Hopi Indian Administration
  • Printing (Chairman: Sen. Carl Hayden; Vice Chairman: Rep. Omar Burleson)
  • Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures (Chairman: Sen. Harry F. Byrd; Vice Chairman: Rep. Daniel A. Reed)
  • Taxation (Chairman: Rep. Jere Cooper; Vice Chairman: Sen. Paul H. Douglas)

Employees

Legislative branch agency directors

Senate

  • Chaplain: Frederick Brown Harris, Methodist
  • Parliamentarian: Charles Watkins
  • Secretary: Felton McLellan Johnston
  • Librarian: Richard D. Hupman
  • Secretary for the Majority: Robert G. Baker
  • Secretary for the Minority: J. Mark Trice
  • Sergeant at Arms: Joseph C. Duke

House of Representatives

  • Clerk: Ralph R. Roberts
  • Sergeant at Arms: Zeake W. Johnson Jr.
  • Doorkeeper: William Mosley "Fishbait" Miller
  • Postmaster: H. H. Morris
  • Parliamentarian: Lewis Deschler
  • Reading Clerks: George J. Maurer (D) and Alney E. Chaffee (R)
  • Chaplain: Bernard Braskamp (Presbyterian)

See also

  • 1954 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
    • 1954 United States Senate elections
    • 1954 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1956 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)

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