House of Representatives1940s and 1950s in the United States
U.S. House of Representatives: History of the U.S. House of Representatives: World War II to the 1950s
Introduction to House of Representatives1940s and 1950s
After the United States entered World War II in 1941, the House ceded much of its traditional authority over spending bills, granting Roosevelt wide leeway in financing the war. In 1943 House debates raged over whether to focus the American war effort in Europe or in the Pacific, but there were never floor votes in Congress on the issue. American success in the war helped the House break its narrow focus on domestic political issues that had prevailed in the first few decades of the century. This new global orientation led the House to support the formation of the United Nations after the war.
The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 cut the standing House committees from 48 to 19. The consolidation was short-lived, however, as subcommittees replaced many of the standing committees that had been eliminated. The reorganization increased congressional staff and gave more resources to the Legislative Reference Service, a branch of the Library of Congress that provides research assistance to Congress. The improved research support, combined with a sharp increase in the number of House staff members, helped put Congress on par with the White House in policy debates.
Sam Rayburn, a Democrat from Texas, presided as Speaker of the House for much of the 1940s and 1950s. Despite the reduced power of the office, Rayburn rivaled predecessors Thomas Reed and Joseph Cannon in his influence on the chamber. He guided Roosevelt’s World War II initiatives through the House, and united Republican and Democratic representatives behind America’s foreign policy in the 1950s. Rayburn, in contrast to aggressive Speakers such as Reed and Cannon, won over his rivals through persuasion and compromise.
The anti-Communist fervor of the Cold War dominated the House for much of the first decade after World War II. Fear of subversive activities by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) sparked wide-ranging investigations to identify and jail Communists. The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) held spectacular hearings to root out Communists, including highly publicized questioning of prominent Hollywood actors and directors in 1947. HUAC’s probes climaxed with the 1948 investigation of Alger Hiss, a former State Department official. A court later convicted Hiss of perjury for denying his part in a Soviet spy ring (see Hiss Case). Very few of the committee’s targets were ever charged with crimes, and historians now regard most of HUAC’s charges of Communist subversion as mistaken. Despite the thin evidence, the hearings helped spark a nationwide anti-Communist fervor throughout the 1950s, destroying the careers and reputations of hundreds of actors, ministers, teachers, writers, and trade union leaders. The hearings also vaulted Republican Richard Nixon into public prominence, and put him on the path to become president of the United States.” (1)
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Guide to House of Representatives1940s and 1950s
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