The 92nd 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, 1971, to January 3, 1973, during the third and fourth years of Richard Nixon's presidency.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1960 census. Both chambers maintained a Democratic majority.
Major events
Passing legislation on revenue-sharing was a key event of the congress. President Richard Nixon had it listed on his list of top policies to cover for the year. Nixon signed the bill into law at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The law gained support from many state and local officials including: San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto whose city received $27 million in revenue-sharing money in the first year. Alioto said that many projects that would not have been possible could now be done, "That will effectively enable us to meet those programs which up to now because of very tough budgeting we've had to trench.""1972 congress"
Major legislation
December 18, 1971: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, , December 23, 1971: National Cancer Act, , February 7, 1972: Federal Election Campaign Act, , March 24, 1972: Equal Employment Opportunity Act, , June 23, 1972: Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act, , October 6, 1972: Federal Advisory Committee Act, , October 18, 1972: Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972, , October 21, 1972: Marine Mammal Protection Act, , October 27, 1972: Consumer Product Safety Act, , October 27, 1972: Noise Control Act, , October 27, 1972: Coastal Zone Management Act, ,
Constitutional amendments
March 23, 1971: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution prohibiting the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States who are at least eighteen years old, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification July 1, 1971: The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the requisite number of states (38) to become part of the Constitution March 22, 1972: Approved an amendment to the Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights for women, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification This amendment, commonly known as the Equal Rights Amendment, was later rendered inoperative, as it was not ratified within the seven–year time frame set by Congress (nor the later time extension granted)
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
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate President: Spiro Agnew (R) President pro tempore: Richard Russell Jr. (D), until January 21, 1971 Allen J. Ellender (D), January 22, 1971 – July 27, 1972 James Eastland (D), from July 28, 1972 Permanent Acting President pro tempore: Lee Metcalf (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership Majority Leader: Mike Mansfield Majority Whip: Robert Byrd Caucus Secretary: Frank Moss
Minority (Republican) leadership Minority Leader: Hugh Scott Minority Whip: Robert P. Griffin Republican Conference Chairman: Margaret Chase Smith Republican Conference Secretary: Norris Cotton National Senatorial Committee Chair: Peter H. Dominick Policy Committee Chairman: Gordon Allott
House of Representatives Speaker: Carl Albert (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership Majority Leader: Hale Boggs Majority Whip: Tip O'Neill Democratic Caucus Chairman: Olin E. Teague Democratic Caucus Secretary: Leonor Sullivan Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Tip O'Neill
Minority (Republican) leadership Minority Leader: Gerald Ford Minority Whip: Leslie C. Arends Republican Conference Chairman: John B. Anderson Republican Conference Vice-Chairman: Robert Stafford then Samuel L. Devine Republican Conference Secretary: Richard H. Poff then Jack Edwards Policy Committee Chairman: John Jacob Rhodes Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Bob Wilson
Caucuses Congressional Black Caucus House Democratic Caucus Senate Democratic Caucus
Members This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of class, and representatives are listed by district.
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 with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1976; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1972; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1974.
Alabama 2. John J. Sparkman (D) 3. James Allen (D)
Alaska 2. Ted Stevens (R) 3. Mike Gravel (D)
Arizona 1. Paul Fannin (R) 3. Barry Goldwater (R)
Arkansas 2. John L. McClellan (D) 3. J. William Fulbright (D)
California 1. John V. Tunney (D) 3. Alan Cranston (D)
Colorado 2. Gordon Allott (R) 3. Peter H. Dominick (R)
Connecticut 1. Lowell Weicker (R) 3. Abraham Ribicoff (D)
Delaware 1. William Roth (R) 2. J. Caleb Boggs (R)
Florida 1. Lawton Chiles (D) 3. Edward Gurney (R)
Georgia 2. Richard Russell Jr. (D), until January 21, 1971 David H. Gambrell (D), February 1, 1971 – November 7, 1972 Sam Nunn (D), from November 7, 1972 3. Herman Talmadge (D)
Hawaii 1. Hiram Fong (R) 3. Daniel Inouye (D)
Idaho 2. Len Jordan (R) 3. Frank Church (D)
Illinois 2. Charles H. Percy (R) 3. Adlai Stevenson III (D)
Indiana 1. Vance Hartke (D) 3. Birch Bayh (D)
Iowa 2. Jack Miller (R) 3. Harold Hughes (D)
Kansas 2. James B. Pearson (R) 3. Bob Dole (R)
Kentucky 2. John Sherman Cooper (R) 3. Marlow Cook (R)
Louisiana 2. Allen J. Ellender (D), until July 27, 1972 Elaine Edwards (D), August 1, 1972 – November 13, 1972 J. Bennett Johnston (D), from November 14, 1972 3. Russell B. Long (D)
Maine 1. Edmund Muskie (D) 2. Margaret Chase Smith (R)
Maryland 1. J. Glenn Beall Jr. (R) 3. Charles Mathias (R)
Massachusetts 1. Ted Kennedy (D) 2. Edward Brooke (R)
Michigan 1. Philip Hart (D) 2. Robert P. Griffin (R)
Minnesota 1. Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 2. Walter Mondale (DFL)
Mississippi 1. John C. Stennis (D) 2. James Eastland (D)
Missouri 1. Stuart Symington (D) 3. Thomas Eagleton (D)
Montana 1. Mike Mansfield (D) 2. Lee Metcalf (D)
Nebraska 1. Roman Hruska (R) 2. Carl Curtis (R)
Nevada 1. Howard Cannon (D) 3. Alan Bible (D)
New Hampshire 2. Thomas J. McIntyre (D) 3. Norris Cotton (R)
New Jersey 1. Harrison A. Williams (D) 2. Clifford P. Case (R)
New Mexico 1. Joseph Montoya (D) 2. Clinton P. Anderson (D)
New York 1. James L. Buckley (C) 3. Jacob Javits (R)
North Carolina 2. B. Everett Jordan (D) 3. Sam Ervin (D)
North Dakota 1. Quentin Burdick (D-NPL) 3. Milton Young (R)
Ohio 1. Robert Taft Jr. (R) 3. William B. Saxbe (R)
Oklahoma 2. Fred R. Harris (D) 3. Henry Bellmon (R)
Oregon 2. Mark Hatfield (R) 3. Bob Packwood (R)
Pennsylvania 1. Hugh Scott (R) 3. Richard Schweiker (R)
Rhode Island 1. John Pastore (D) 2. Claiborne Pell (D)
South Carolina 2. Strom Thurmond (R) 3. Fritz Hollings (D)
South Dakota 2. Karl E. Mundt (R) 3. George McGovern (D)
Tennessee 1. Bill Brock (R) 2. Howard Baker (R)
Texas 1. Lloyd Bentsen (D) 2. John Tower (R)
Utah 1. Frank Moss (D) 3. Wallace F. Bennett (R)
Vermont 1. Winston L. Prouty (R), until September 10, 1971 Robert Stafford (R), from September 16, 1971 3. George Aiken (R)
Virginia 1. Harry F. Byrd Jr. (ID) 2. William B. Spong Jr. (D)
Washington 1. Henry M. Jackson (D) 3. Warren G. Magnuson (D)
West Virginia 1. Robert Byrd (D) 2. Jennings Randolph (D)
Wisconsin 1. William Proxmire (D) 3. Gaylord Nelson (D)
Wyoming 1. Gale W. McGee (D) 2. Clifford Hansen (R)
House of Representatives
The 92nd Congress was the first whose members were all required to be elected from single-member districts, by congressional statute. The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Alabama (5–3 Democratic) . Jack Edwards (R) . William Louis Dickinson (R) . George W. Andrews (D), until December 25, 1971 Elizabeth B. Andrews (D), from April 4, 1972 . Bill Nichols (D) . Walter Flowers (D) . John Hall Buchanan Jr. (R) . Tom Bevill (D) . Robert E. Jones Jr. (D)
Alaska (1 Democrat) . Nick Begich (D), until December 29, 1972
Arizona (2–1 Republican) . John Jacob Rhodes (R) . Mo Udall (D) . Sam Steiger (R)
Arkansas (3–1 Democratic) . William Vollie Alexander Jr. (D) . Wilbur Mills (D) . John Paul Hammerschmidt (R) . David Pryor (D)
California (20–18 Democratic) . Donald H. Clausen (R) . Harold T. Johnson (D) . John E. Moss (D) . Robert L. Leggett (D) . Phillip Burton (D) . William S. Mailliard (R) . Ron Dellums (D) . George P. Miller (D) . Don Edwards (D) . Charles Gubser (R) . Pete McCloskey (R) . Burt Talcott (R) . Charles M. Teague (R) . Jerome Waldie (D) . John J. McFall (D) . B. F. Sisk (D) . Glenn M. Anderson (D) . Bob Mathias (R) . Chester E. Holifield (D) . H. Allen Smith (R) . Augustus Hawkins (D) . James C. Corman (D) . Del M. Clawson (R) . John H. Rousselot (R) . Charles E. Wiggins (R) . Thomas M. Rees (D) . Barry Goldwater Jr. (R) . Alphonzo E. Bell Jr. (R) . George E. Danielson (D) . Edward R. Roybal (D) . Charles H. Wilson (D) . Craig Hosmer (R) . Jerry Pettis (R) . Richard T. Hanna (D) . John G. Schmitz (R) . Bob Wilson (R) . Lionel Van Deerlin (D) . Victor Veysey (R)
Colorado (2–2 split) . Mike McKevitt (R) . Donald G. Brotzman (R) . Frank Evans (D) . Wayne N. Aspinall (D)
Connecticut (4–2 Democratic) . William R. Cotter (D) . Robert H. Steele (R) . Robert Giaimo (D) . Stewart McKinney (R) . John S. Monagan (D) . Ella Grasso (D)
Delaware (1 Republican) . Pete du Pont (R)
Florida (9–3 Democratic) . Robert L. F. Sikes (D) . Don Fuqua (D) . Charles E. Bennett (D) . Bill Chappell (D) . Louis Frey Jr. (R) . Sam Gibbons (D) . James A. Haley (D) . Bill Young (R) . Paul Rogers (D) . J. Herbert Burke (R) . Claude Pepper (D) . Dante Fascell (D)
Georgia (8–2 Democratic) . George Elliott Hagan (D) . Dawson Mathis (D) . Jack Brinkley (D) . Benjamin B. Blackburn (R) . Fletcher Thompson (R) . John Flynt (D) . John William Davis (D) . W. S. Stuckey Jr. (D) . Phillip M. Landrum (D) . Robert Grier Stephens Jr. (D)
Hawaii (2 Democrats) . Spark Matsunaga (D) . Patsy Mink (D)
Idaho (2 Republicans) . James A. McClure (R) . Orval H. Hansen (R)
Illinois (12–12 split) . Ralph Metcalfe (D) . Abner J. Mikva (D) . Morgan F. Murphy (D) . Ed Derwinski (R) . John C. Kluczynski (D) . George W. Collins (D), until December 8, 1972 . Frank Annunzio (D) . Dan Rostenkowski (D) . Sidney R. Yates (D) . Harold R. Collier (R) . Roman Pucinski (D) . Robert McClory (R) . Phil Crane (R) . John N. Erlenborn (R) . Charlotte Thompson Reid (R), until October 7, 1971 Cliffard D. Carlson (R), from April 4, 1972 . John B. Anderson (R) . Leslie C. Arends (R) . Robert H. Michel (R) . Tom Railsback (R) . Paul Findley (R) . Kenneth J. Gray (D) . William L. Springer (R) . George E. Shipley (D) . Melvin Price (D)
Indiana (6–5 Republican) . Ray Madden (D) . Earl Landgrebe (R) . John Brademas (D) . J. Edward Roush (D) . Elwood Hillis (R) . William G. Bray (R) . John T. Myers (R) . Roger H. Zion (R) . Lee H. Hamilton (D)