85th United States Congress

85th United States Congress
United States Federal Government · Public domain · source
Number	85
Start	January 3, 1957
End	January 3, 1959
Vice president	Richard Nixon
President pro tempore	Carl Hayden
Speaker	Sam Rayburn
Senate majority	Democratic
House majority	Democratic

85th United States Congress convened from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1959, spanning the second and third years of Dwight D. Eisenhower's second presidential term and overlapping with events such as the Space Race, the Suez Crisis aftermath, and the evolving Cold War. This Congress enacted notable measures affecting civil rights, defense, and science, while key figures from the Democratic Party (United States) and Republican Party (United States) played roles in debates tied to Brown v. Board of Education, Sputnik 1, and the Little Rock Crisis aftermath.

Major events and legislative session

The 85th convened amid international developments including the Soviet Union's continued rivalry with the United States and crises involving Lebanon and Taiwan Strait Crisis. Domestic flashpoints such as responses to Brown v. Board of Education decisions and mounting civil rights activism involving figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People influenced floor debates. Congressional calendars included a first session in 1957 and a second session in 1958, with legislative activity responding to technological competition after Sputnik 1 and to defense concerns tied to North Atlantic Treaty Organization commitments. High-profile hearings and floor speeches engaged leaders including Sam Rayburn, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and Strom Thurmond.

Party composition and leadership

The Senate majority was held by the Democratic Party (United States), while the Democratic Party (United States) also controlled the House of Representatives. Senate leadership included Carl Hayden as president pro tempore and Democratic leaders such as Lyndon B. Johnson as Majority Leader, with Republican counterparts including Minority Leader William F. Knowland. In the House, Sam Rayburn served as Speaker, with Majority Leader John W. McCormack and Republican leader Joseph W. Martin Jr. shaping legislative strategy. Other influential party figures included Hubert Humphrey, Everett Dirksen, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Charles A. Halleck, and Wilbur Mills.

Membership by state and notable members

Senators representing large states included Robert M. La Follette Jr.'s era predecessors' cohorts and sitting members such as Barry Goldwater from Arizona, Strom Thurmond from South Carolina, Richard Russell Jr. from Georgia, and Wayne Morse from Oregon. Notable House members included John F. Kennedy's contemporary colleagues, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from New York, Sam Rayburn from Texas, Tip O'Neill from Massachusetts, Daniel Inouye emerging later from Hawaii's delegation, and freshmen like Bob Dole beginning congressional careers. State delegations featured long-serving representatives such as John Dingell from Michigan, Carl Vinson from Georgia, Hamilton Fish III successors in New York, and influential legislators from California including Richard Nixon's former colleagues. Members engaged in regional concerns, from textile interests in North Carolina to agricultural issues in Iowa represented by figures like Harold Hagen's era contemporaries.

Committees and key chairpersons

Standing committees steered legislation: Senate committees chaired by leaders such as John Stennis (Appropriations era figures), Joseph C. O'Mahoney predecessors influencing Judiciary matters, and Clinton P. Anderson in domains tied to Interior and Insular Affairs; House committees were under chairs including Ways and Means Committee leadership figures like Wilbur Mills, Education and Labor Committee chairs of the era, and Armed Services Committee chairs addressing defense procurement. Investigative committees included chairs who worked with staff counsel and witnesses like J. Edgar Hoover during oversight exchanges. Select committees addressed areas touching NASA, Atomic Energy Commission, and foreign aid administered via the Marshall Plan legacy agencies and the Foreign Operations Administration's successors.

Major legislation and resolutions

Key enactments included civil rights legislation inspired by activists and judicial rulings tied to Brown v. Board of Education; landmark laws passed involved statutes addressing public accommodations, voting rights precursors, and the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which engaged senators such as Hubert Humphrey and opponents such as Strom Thurmond, and drew involvement from Thurgood Marshall's legal advocacy communities. Defense and science measures responded to Sputnik 1 by bolstering research funding, aiding institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Caltech, and federal agencies such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. Economic and agricultural legislation touched commodity supports affecting constituencies in Iowa, Kansas, and Georgia. Appropriations acts funded Defense Department programs and mutual defense pacts linked to North Atlantic Treaty Organization obligations.

Congressional investigations and oversight

Oversight activity scrutinized executive branch actions involving the Department of State, Department of Defense, and intelligence entities including Central Intelligence Agency operations amid Cold War contests with the KGB. Hearings probed civil rights enforcement, school desegregation implementation tied to Brown v. Board of Education, and allegations of mismanagement in federal programs. Committees held witnesses from scientific communities such as Wernher von Braun and representatives of Bell Telephone Laboratories, investigated procurement issues related to aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Lockheed Corporation, and examined foreign policy decisions involving regions such as Suez Canal, Lebanon, and Formosa (Taiwan). Congressional oversight also involved exchanges with judicial figures and bar leaders, and featured testimony from civil rights leaders including Rosa Parks and A. Philip Randolph.

85th