65th Congress (1917 - 1919)

House of Representatives

House Majority: Democrat

House Majority Seats: 217 out of 435

House Speaker: Rep. James Beauchamp 'Champ' Clark (D-MO)

Senate

Senate Majority: Democrat

Senate Majority Seats: 54 out of 96

Senate Majority Leader: Sen. Thomas S. Martin (D-VA)

Executive

President: Woodrow Wilson (D-NJ)

Vice President: Thomas R. Marshall (D-IN)

portrait

Member Spotlight

Featured: Rep. Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) was the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress and a pioneering advocate for women’s rights and pacifism. Born in 1880, she was elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, four years before women gained the right to vote nationwide. Rankin played a key role in the women’s suffrage movement and remained steadfast in her commitment to nonviolence, famously voting against American entry into both World War I and World War II. Her career embodied courage and principle, marking her as one of the most independent and trailblazing figures of her time.

Enactments