Committee on Education and Labor - U.S. House of Representatives

History of the Committee

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, 27 Members are from the Democratic party and 22 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
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

Below is a list of the past Chairmen, the Committee, and their years of service as Chairman.


The Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members of House Committees on Education, on Labor, on Education and Labor, on Economic and Educational Opportunities and on Education and the Workforce

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-