History of the Committee on Education and Labor
The current Committee on Education and Labor was established on January 4, 2007. The Committee's basic jurisdiction is over education and labor matters, generally.
The first Committee of jurisdiction, the Committee on Education and Labor was established on March 21, 1867 in the aftermath of the Civil War and the growth of American industry. On December 19, 1883, the Committee on Education and Labor was divided into two standing committees: Committee on Education and Committee on Labor. On January 2, 1947, the Legislative Reorganization Act again combined the Committees, renamed the Committee on Education and Labor. On January 4, 1995, the Committee was renamed the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. On January 7, 1997, the Committee was renamed the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Finally, on January 4, 2007, the Committee adopted its original name: the Committee on Education and Labor.
The Committee is composed of 49 Members of the House of Representatives, 30 Members are from the Democratic party and 19 Members are from the Republican party. The Members are chosen to serve on the Committee by their respective party caucus.
Committee Membership
Congress | Year | Democrats | Republicans | Membership |
---|---|---|---|---|
111th | 2009-10 | 30 | 19 | 49 |
110th | 2007-08 | 27 | 22 | 49 |
109th | 2005-06 | 21 | 26 | 47 |
108th | 2003-04 | 22 | 27 | 49 |
107th | 2001-02 | 22 | 27 | 49 |
106th | 1999-2000 | 22 | 27 | 49 |
105th | 1997-98 | 20 | 25 | 45 |
104th | 1995-96 | 19 | 24 | 43 |
103rd | 1993-94 | 28 | 15 | 43 |
102nd | 1991-92 | 25 | 15 | 40 |
101st | 1989-90 | 23 | 13 | 36 |
100th | 1987-88 | 21 | 13 | 34 |
99th | 1985-86 | 20 | 14 | 34 |
98th | 1983-84 | 25 | 13 | 38 |
97th | 1981-82 | 21 | 14 | 35 |
96th | 1979-80 | 24 | 13 | 37 |
95th | 1977-78 | 25 | 12 | 37 |
Source: Committee Calendars
Past Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members
The Committee on Education and Labor was created on March 21, 1867.
Committee on Education and Labor (1867-1883)
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
John Baker (IL) | Union Republican | 40th | 1867-1869 | |
Samuel M. Arnell (TN) | Republican Independent | 41st | 1869-1871 | |
Legand W. Perce (MS) | Republican | 42nd | 1871-1873 | |
James Monroe (OH) | Republican | 43rd | 1873-1875 | |
Gilbert C. Walker (VA) | Conservative | 44th | 1875-1877 | |
John Goode, Jr. (VA) | Democrat | 45th-46th | 1877-1881 | |
J.T. Updegraff (OH) | Republican | 47th | 1881-1882 | |
John C. Sherwin (IL) | Republican | 47th | 1882-1883 |
The separate committees on Education and Labor were established in December 1883.
Committee on Education (1883-1947)
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
D. Wyatt Alken (SC) | Democrat | 48th-49th | 1883-1887 | |
Allen D. Candler (GA) | Democrat | 50th | 1887-1889 | |
James O'Donnell (MI) | Republican | 51st | 1889-1891 | |
Walter I. Hayes (IA) | Democrat | 52nd | 1891-1892 | |
David B. Brunner (PA) | Democrat | 52nd | 1892 | |
Benjamin A. Ealoc (TN) | Democrat | 52nd-53rd | 1892-1895 | |
Galusha A. Grow (PA) | Republican | 54th-57th | 1897-1903 | |
David A. De Armond (MO) | Democrat | 56th-57th | 1899-1903 | |
George N. Southwick (NY) | Republican | 58th-60th | 1903-1909 | |
Willard D. Vandiver (MO) | Democrat | 58th | 1903-1905 | |
Edwin Y. Webb (NC) | Democrat | 59th | 1905-1907 | |
James F. Burke (PA) | Republican | 61st | 1909-1911 | |
Asbury F. Lever (SC) | Democrat | 60th-61st | 1907-1911 | |
Asbury F. Lever (SC) | Democrat | 62nd | 1911-1913 | |
James F. Burke (PA) | Republican | 62nd-63rd | 1911-1915 | |
Dudley M. Hughes (GA) | Democrat | 63rd-64th | 1913-1917 | |
Caleb Powers (KY) | Republican | 64th-65th | 1915-1919 | |
William J. Sears (FL) | Democrat | 65th | 1917-1919 | |
Simeon D. Fees (OH) | Republican | 66th-67th | 1919-1923 | |
William J. Sears (FL) | Democrat | 66th | 1919-1921 | |
William B. Bankhead (AL) | Democrat | 67th | 1921-1923 | |
Frederick W. Dallinger (MA) | Republican | 68th | 1923-1925 | |
Bill Green Lowrey (MS) | Democrat | 68th-70th | 1923-1929 | |
Daniel A. Reed (NY) | Republican | 69th-71st | 1925-1931 | |
Loring M. Black Jr. (NY) | Democrat | 71st | 1929-1931 | |
John J. Douglas (MA) | Democrat | 72nd-73rd | 1931-1935 | |
Daniel A. Reed (NY) | Republican | 72nd | 1931-1933 | |
James L. Whitley (NY) | Republican | 73rd | 1933-1935 | |
Vincent L. Palmisano (MD) | Democrat | 74th-75th | 1935-1937 | |
Albert E. Carter (CA) | Republican | 74th | 1935-1937 | |
William H. Larrabee (IN) | Democrat | 75th-77th | 1937-1943 | |
George A. Dondero (MI) | Republican | 75th-79th | 1937-1947 | |
Graham A. Barden (NC) | Democrat | 78th-79th | 1943-1947 |
Committee on Labor (1883-1947)
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
James H. Hopkins (PA) | Democrat | 48th | 1883-1885 | |
John J. O'Neill (MO) | Democrat | 49th-50th | 1885-1889 | |
William H. Wade (MO) | Republican | 51st | 1889-1891 | |
John C. Tarsney (MO) | Democrat | 52nd | 1891-1893 | |
Lawrence M. McGann (IL) | Democrat | 53rd | 1893-1895 | |
Thomas W. Phillips (PA) | Republican | 54th | 1895-1897 | |
Willaim Jasper Talbert (SC) | Democrat | 56th-57th | 1899-1903 | |
John J. Gardner (NJ) | Republican | 55th-61st | 1897-1911 | |
Ben F. Caldwell (IL) | Democrat | 58th | 1903-1905 | |
William Randolph Hearst (NY) | Democrat | 59th | 1905-1907 | |
Henry R. Ralney (IL) | Democrat | 60th-61st | 1907-1911 | |
William B. Wilson (PA) | Democrat | 62nd | 1911-1913 | |
John J. Gardner (NJ) | Republican | 62nd | 1911-1913 | |
David J. Lewis (MD) | Democrat | 63rd-64th | 1913-1917 | |
John M.C. Smith (MI) | Republican | 63rd-65th | 1913-1919 | |
James P. Maher (NY) | Democrat | 65th | 1917-1919 | |
J.M.C. Smith (MI) | Republican | 66th | 1919-1921 | |
James P. Maher (NY) | Democrat | 66th | 1919-1921 | |
John I. Nolan (CA) | Republican | 67th | 1921-1922 | |
Eugene Black (TX) | Democrat | 67th | 1921-1923 | |
Frederick N. Zihlman (MD) | Republican | 67th-68th | 1922-1925 | |
William D. Upshaw (GA) | Democrat | 68th-69th | 1923-1927 | |
William F. Kopp (IA) | Republican | 69th-71st | 1925-1930 | |
William P. Connery Jr. (MA) | Democrat | 70th-71st | 1927-1931 | |
William P. Connery, Jr. (MA) | Democrat | 72nd-75th | 1931-1937 | |
Richard Welch (CA) | Republican | 72nd-79th | 1931-1947 | |
Mary T. Norton (NJ) | Democrat | 75th-79th | 1937-1947 |
The two separate committees were terminated on January 7, 1947,
and the Committee on Education and Labor was re-created as of that date.
Committee on Education and Labor (1947-1995)
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fred A. Hartley, Jr. (NJ) | Republican | 80th | 1947-1949 | |
John Lesinski (MI) | Democrat | 80th | 1947-1949 | |
John Lesinski (MI) | Democrat | 81st | 1949-1950 | |
Samuel K. McConnell, Jr. (PA) | Republican | 81st-82nd | 1949-1953 | |
Graham A. Barden (NC) | Democrat | 81st-82nd | 1950-1953 | |
Samuel K. McConnell, Jr. (PA) | Republican | 83rd | 1953-1955 | |
Graham A. Barden (NC) | Democrat | 83rd | 1953-1955 | |
Graham A. Barden (NC) | Democrat | 84th-86th | 1955-1961 | |
Samuel K. McConnell, Jr. (PA) | Republican | 84th-85th | 1955-1957 | |
Ralph W. Gwins (NY) | Republican | 85th | 1957-1959 | |
Carroll D. Kearns (PA) | Republican | 86th-87th | 1959-1963 | |
Adam C. Powell (NY) | Democrat | 87th-89th | 1961-1966 | |
Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen (NJ) | Republican | 88th | 1963-1965 | |
William H. Ayres (OH) | Republican | 89th-91st | 1965-1971 | |
Carl D. Perkins (KY) | Democrat | 90th-98th | 1967-1984 | |
Albert H. Quie (MN) | Republican | 92nd-95th | 1971-1978 | |
John M. Ashbrook (OH) | Republican | 96th-97th | 1979-1982 | |
John N. Erlenborn (IL) | Republican | 97th-98th | 1982-1984 | |
Augustus F. Hawkins (CA) | Democrat | 98th-101st | 1984-1991 | |
James M. Jeffords (VT) | Republican | 99th-100th | 1985-1988 | |
William F. Goodling (PA) | Republican | 101st-103rd | 1989-1995 | |
William D. Ford (MI) | Democrat | 102nd-103rd | 1991-1995 |
On January 4, 1995, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities.
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities (1995-1997)
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
William F. Goodling (PA) | Republican | 104th | 1995-1997 | |
William L. Clay (MO) | Democrat | 104th | 1995-1997 |
On January 7, 1997, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Committee on Education and the Workforce (1997-2006 )
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
William F. Goodling (PA) | Republican | 105th-106th | 1997-2000 | |
William L. Clay (MO) | Democrat | 105th-106th | 1997-2000 | |
John A. Boehner (OH) | Republican | 107th-109th | 2001-2006 | |
George Miller (CA) | Democrat | 107th- | 2001- | |
Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (CA) | Republican | 109th- | 2006- |
On January 4, 2007, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Education and Labor.
Committee on Education and Labor (2007- )
Chair | Ranking Minority Member | Party | Congress | Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
George Miller (CA) | Democrat | 110th- | 2007- |
|
Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (CA) | Republican | 110th- | 2007- |