74th United States Congress
United States Capitol (1956)
Session:	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937
President of the Senate:	John Nance Garner
President pro tempore of the Senate:	Key Pittman
Speaker of the House:	Joseph W. Byrns (1935-1936) William B. Bankhead (1936-1937)
Members:	435 Representatives 96 Senators 4 Territorial Delegates
House Majority:	Democratic
Senate Majority:	Democratic

The Seventy-fourth 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, DC from January 3, 1935 to January 3, 1937, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Fifteenth Census of the United States in 1930. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Dates of sessions

January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937

• First session: January 3, 1935 – August 26, 1935
• Second session: January 3, 1936 – June 20, 1936

Previous: 73rd Congress • Next: 75th Congress

Major events

Main articles: 1935#Events and 1936#Events

• July 1, 1935 — Charles Watkins was appointed as the first officially recognised Parliamentarian.^[1]
• 1935-06-12 - 1935-06-13 — Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long gave the second longest filibuster speech in Senate history up to that time, 15 hours and 30 minutes to retain a provision, opposed by President Franklin Roosevelt, requiring Senate confirmation for the National Recovery Administration's senior employees. Called by nature, Long's filibuster was finally defeated after he "headed" for the head. Two days later he was back and ready to fight for a liberalization of what would become known as the Social Security Act.^[2] (The longest filibuster in Senate history was given by US senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina who spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes to keep the US Senate from voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957 in August. In 1964, a group of southern senators opposing the passage of another civil rights bill — the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — took turns talking for 75 days.^[3])

President Roosevelt signs Social Security Act, at approximately 3:30 pm EST on 14 August 1935^[4]. Standing with Roosevelt are Rep. Robert Doughton (D-NC); unknown person in shadow; Sen. Robert Wagner (D-NY); Rep. John Dingell (D-MI); unknown man in bowtie; the Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins; Sen. Pat Harrison (D-MS); and Rep. David Lewis (D-MD).

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation#74th United States Congress

• 1935-04-27 — Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, Sess. 1, ch. 85, 49 Stat. 163
• 1935-07-05 — National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act), Sess. 1, ch. 372, 49 Stat. 449
• 1935-08-09 — Motor Carrier Act, Sess. 1, ch. 498, 49 Stat. 546 (renamed part II of the Interstate Commerce Act)
• 1935-08-14 — Social Security Act, including Aid to Dependent Children, Old Age Pension Act, Pub.L. 74-271, Sess. 1, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620
• 1935-08-26 — Public Utility Act (including: Title I: Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, Title II: Federal Power Act), Sess. 1, ch. 687, 49 Stat. 803
• 1935-08-30 — Revenue Act of 1935, Sess. 1, ch. 829, 49 Stat. 1014
• 1935-08-31 — Neutrality Act of 1935, Sess. 1, ch. 837, 49 Stat. 1081
• 1936-02-29 — Neutrality Act of 1936, Sess. 2, ch. 106, 49 Stat. 1153
• 1936-05-20 — Rural Electrification Act, Sess. 2, ch. 432, 49 Stat. 1363
• 1936-06-15 — Commodities Exchange Act, Sess. 2, ch. 545, 49 Stat. 1491
• 1936-06-19 — Robinson Patman Act, Sess. 2, ch. 592, 49 Stat. 1526
• 1936-06-22 — Flood Control Act of 1936, Pub.L. 74-738, Sess. 2, ch. 688
• 1936-06-29 — Merchant Marine Act, Sess. 2, ch. 250, 49 Stat. 1985
• 1936-06-30 — Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, Sess. 2, ch. 881, 49 Stat. 2036`

Party summary

Senate

House

Also 2 Delegates, 3 Resident Commissioners

Officers

Senate

President of the Senate - John N. Garner

House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House:
  • Joseph W. Byrns (D), died June 4, 1936
  • William B. Bankhead (D) elected June 4, 1936

Majority (Democratic) Leadership

• House Majority Leader:
  • William B. Bankhead, elected Speaker June 4, 1936
  • John J. O'Connor
• House Democratic Whip: Patrick J. Boland
• House Democratic Caucus Chairman: Edward T. Taylor

Minority (Republican) Leadership

• House Minority Leader: Bertrand H. Snell
• House Republican Whip: Harry L. Englebright
• House Republican Conference Chairman: Frederick R. Lehlbach

Members

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.

See also: Category:United States Senators

See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide at-large, are preceded by "A/L", and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

See also: Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives

See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state