Senate Majority and Minority Leaders and Party Whips

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Earth Day Round Up from Across the Administration

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It’s been a busy Earth Day here at the White House and around the Administration. Yesterday Vice President Biden kicked off the Administration’s Earth Day Celebration by announcing $452 million in Recovery Act funding to support a “Retrofit Ramp-Up.” This program will create thousands of jobs and allow these communities to retrofit hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses while testing out innovative strategies that can be adopted all over the country. President Obama also issued a Presidential Proclamation on Earth Day calling on Americans to join in the spirit of the first Earth Day forty years ago to take action in their communities to make our planet cleaner and healthier.

This afternoon, Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, hosted a live chat on WhiteHouse.gov to answer your questions about how the Administration is working to improve the environment and build a clean energy economy that supports the jobs of the future. This evening, the President hosted an Earth Day reception in the Rose Garden at the White House where he discussed some of the challenges that lie ahead in achieving a clean energy economy:

I think we all understand that the task ahead is daunting; that the work ahead will not be easy and it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take your leadership. It’s going to take all of your ideas. And it will take all of us coming together in the spirit of Earth Day -- not only on Earth Day but every day -- to make the dream of a clean energy economy and a clean world a reality.

Over on the Social Innovation and Civic Participation blog, guest blogger and former Peace Corps volunteer Kelly McCormack shares here story about a community solution to an environmental problem in Gautemala.

Finally, President Obama’s cabinet and other senior government officials fanned out across the country as part of the Administration’s 5-day celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. From live chats, to announcing major investments in renewable energy, to appearing on the David Letterman show - all-in-all a busy day!

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Senate Majority and Minority Leaders and Party Whips

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Majority and Minority Leaders

Chapter 3: Majority and Minority Whips (Assistant Floor Leaders)

Chapter 4: Complete List of Majority and Minority Leaders

Chapter 5: Longest-Serving Party Leaders

Introduction

The positions of party floor leader are not included in the Constitution but developed gradually in the 20th century. The first floor leaders were formally designated in 1920 (Democrats) and 1925 (Republicans).

The Senate Republican and Democratic floor leaders are elected by the members of their party in the Senate at the beginning of each Congress. Depending on which party is in power, one serves as majority leader and the other as minority leader. The leaders serve as spokespersons for their parties' positions on issues. The majority leader schedules the daily legislative program and fashions the unanimous consent agreements that govern the time for debate.

The majority leader has the right to be called upon first if several senators are seeking recognition by the presiding officer, which enables him to offer motions or amendments before any other senator.

Majority and Minority Leaders

Elected at the beginning of each Congress by members of their respective party conferences to represent them on the Senate floor, the majority and minority leaders serve as spokesmen for their parties' positions on the issues. The majority leader has also come to speak for the Senate as an institution. Working with the committee chairs and ranking members, the majority leader schedules business on the floor by calling bills from the calendar and keeps members of his party advised about the daily legislative program.

In consultation with the minority leader, the majority leader fashions unanimous consent agreements by which the Senate limits the amount of time for debate and divides that time between the parties. When time limits cannot be agreed on, the majority leader might file for cloture to shut off debate. Occupying the front desks on the center aisle, the two leaders coordinate party strategy and try to keep their parties united on roll-call votes.

The leaders spend much of their time on or near the Senate floor, to open the day's proceedings, keep legislation moving, and protect the rights and interests of party members. When several senators are seeking recognition at the same time, the presiding officer in the Senate will call on the majority leader first, then on the minority leader, and then on the managers of the bill being debated, in that order. This right of first recognition enables the majority leader to offer amendments, substitutes, and motions to reconsider before any other senator. Former Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd called first recognition "the most potent weapon in the Majority Leader's arsenal."

The posts of majority and minority leader are not included in the Constitution, as are the president of the Senate (the vice president of the United States) and the president pro tempore. Instead, party floor leadership evolved out of necessity. During the nineteenth century, floor leadership was exercised by the chair of the party conference and the chairs of the most powerful standing committees.

In 1913, to help enact President Woodrow Wilson's ambitious legislative program, Democratic Conference chairman John Worth Kern of Indiana began functioning along the lines of the modern majority leader. In 1919, when Republicans returned to the majority, Republican Conference Chairman Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr. also acted as floor leader. Not until 1925 did Republicans officially designate Senator Charles Curtis of Kansas as majority leader, separate from the Conference chair. (Five years earlier, the Democrats had specifically named Oscar Underwood of Alabama as minority leader.)

Although party floor leadership posts carry great responsibility, they provide few specific powers. Instead, floor leaders have largely had to depend on their individual skill, intelligence, and personality. Majority leaders seek to balance the needs of senators of both parties to express their views fully on a bill with the pressures to move the bill as quickly as possible toward enactment. These conflicting demands have required majority leaders to develop skills in compromise, accommodation, and diplomacy. Lyndon Johnson, who held the post in the 1950s, once said that the greatest power of the majority leader was "the power of persuasion."

The majority leader usually works closely with the minority leader so that, as Senator Bob Dole explained, "we never surprise each other on the floor." The party leaders meet frequently with the president and with the leaders of the House of Representatives. The majority leader also greets foreign dignitaries visiting the Capitol.

Majority and Minority Whips (Assistant Floor Leaders)

Both parties in the Senate elect whips. The term "whip" comes from a fox-hunting expression -- "whipper-in" -- referring to the member of the hunting team responsible for keeping the dogs from straying from the team during a chase.

Established early in the 20th century, the development of party whips coincided with the evolution of party leaders in the Senate. Democrat James Hamilton Lewis of Illinois became the first party whip in 1913, and the Republicans established their own whip position two years later. These assistant leaders are mainly responsible for counting heads and rounding up party members for votes and quorum calls, and they occasionally stand in for the majority or minority leaders in their absence. List of Party Whips

Complete List of Majority and Minority Leaders

66th Congress (1919-1921)

Majority Leader: None.

Minority Leader: Oscar W. Underwood (D-AL)

Note: Oscar W. Underwood became the first elected party leader on April 27, 1920. There was no elected Republican floor leader prior to 1925. During the 66th Congress, Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA) was the party conference chairman and served as an unofficial party leader.

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67th Congress (1921-1923)

Majority Leader: None.

Minority Leader: Oscar W. Underwood (D-AL)

Note: Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA) continued to serve as unofficial Republican leader.

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68th Congress (1923-1925)

Majority Leader: Charles Curtis (R-KS)

Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

Note: Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA) died on November 9, 1924. Charles Curtis was elected Republican floor leader on March 5, 1925. The Democratic party elected Joseph T. Robinson as floor leader on December 3, 1923.

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69th Congress (1925-1927)

Majority Leader: Charles Curtis (R-KS)

Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

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70th Congress (1927-1929)

Majority Leader: Charles Curtis (R-KS)

Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

Note: Charles Curtis resigned his Senate seat on March 3, 1929, having been elected Vice President of the United States.

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71st Congress (1929-1931)

Majority Leader: James E. Watson (R-IN)

Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

Note: James E. Watson was elected Republican leader on March 5, 1929.

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72nd Congress (1931-1933)

Majority Leader: James E. Watson (R-IN)

Minority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

Note: James Watson lost his reelection bid in 1932 and left office on March 3, 1933.

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73rd Congress (1933-1935)

Majority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary (R-OR)

Note: Charles L. McNary was elected Republican leader on March 7, 1933.

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74th Congress (1935-1937)

Majority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary (R-OR)

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75th Congress (1937-1939)

Majority Leader: Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR); Alben Barkley (D-KY)

Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary (R-OR)

Note: Joseph T. Robinson died on July 14, 1937. Alben Barkley was elected Democratic leader on July 22, 1937.

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76th Congress (1939-1941)

Majority Leader: Alben Barkley (D-KY)

Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary (R-OR)

Note: In 1940, at the request of Senator McNary, Senator Warren R. Austin (R-VT) served as acting leader.

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77th Congress (1941-1943)

Majority Leader: Alben Barkley (D-KY)

Minority Leader: Charles L. McNary (R-OR)

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78th Congress (1943-1945)

Majority Leader: Alben Barkley (D-KY)

Minority Leader: Wallace H. White, Jr. (R-ME)

Note: Although Charles McNary continued to be officially listed as minority leader until his death on February 25, 1944, Wallace H. White, Jr. served as acting leader during McNary's illness and was elected Republican leader on January 4, 1945. He retired from the Senate on January 3, 1949.

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79th Congress (1945-1947)

Majority Leader: Alben Barkley (D-KY)

Minority Leader: Wallace H. White, Jr. (R-ME)

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80th Congress (1947-1949)

Majority Leader: Wallace H. White, Jr. (R-ME)

Minority Leader: Alben Barkley (D-KY)

Note: Alben Barkley resigned his Senate seat on January 19, 1949, having been elected Vice President of the United States.

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81st Congress (1949-1951)

Majority Leader: Scott W. Lucas (D-IL)

Minority Leader: Kenneth S. Wherry (R-NE)

Note: Scott W. Lucas was elected Democratic leader on December 31, 1948, to be in effect on January 20, 1949. Lucas lost his bid for reelection in 1950 and left office on January 3, 1951. Kenneth W. Wherry was elected Republican leader on January 3, 1949.

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82nd Congress (1951-1953)

Majority Leader: Ernest W. McFarland (D-AZ)

Minority Leader: Kenneth S. Wherry (R-NE); Styles Bridges (R-NH)

Note: Ernest W. McFarland was elected Democratic leader on January 2, 1951. Kenneth Wherry died on November 29, 1951. Styles Bridges was elected Republican leader on January 8, 1952. He chose not to continue as party leader in the 83rd Congress, instead becoming president pro tempore and chair of the Committee on Appropriations.

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83rd Congress (1953-1955)

Majority Leader: Robert A. Taft (R-OH); William F. Knowland (R-CA)

Minority Leader: Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX)

Note: Robert Taft was elected Republican leader on January 2, 1953. He died the following July 31. William Knowland was elected Republican leader on August 4, 1953. Lyndon Johnson was elected Democratic leader on January 2, 1953. William Knowland was the youngest majority leader in Senate history, being elected to the position at the age of 45. When Lyndon Johnson became majority leader two years later, he was 46 years old, ranking him second behind Knowland. Johnson was the youngest Democratic floor leader.

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84th Congress (1955-1957)

Majority Leader: Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX)

Minority Leader: William F. Knowland (R-CA)

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85th Congress (1957-1959)

Majority Leader: Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX)

Minority Leader: William F. Knowland (R-CA)

Note: William Knowland retired from the Senate at the end of the 85th Congress.

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86th Congress (1959-1961)

Majority Leader: Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX)

Minority Leader: Everett M. Dirksen (R-IL)

Note: Lyndon Johnson resigned his Senate seat on January 3, 1961, having been elected Vice President of the United States. Everett Dirksen was elected Republican leader on January 7, 1959.

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87th Congress (1961-1963)