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History of the Committee

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was established in 1816 as one of the original ten standing committees of the Senate. Throughout its history, the committee has been instrumental in developing and influencing United States foreign policy, at different times supporting and opposing the policies of presidents and secretaries of state.

The committee has considered, debated, and reported important treaties and legislation ranging from the purchase of Alaska in 1867 to the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. It also holds jurisdiction over all diplomatic nominations. Through these powers, the committee has helped shape foreign policy of broad significance, in matters of war and peace and international relations. Members of the committee have assisted in the negotiation of treaties and at times have helped to defeat treaties they felt were not in the national interest.

The Foreign Relations Committee was instrumenttal in the rejection of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and 1920 and in the passage of the Truman Doctrine in 1947 and the Marshall Plan in 1948. A bipartisan spirit prevailed as the committee confronted the perils of the Cold War. However, the state of almost constant crisis that the Cold War spawned eventually resulted in the vast expansion of presidential authority over foreign policy. Since the 1960's the committee has sought to redress this imbalance of power.

[image: Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir outside the Foreign Relations Committee Room]
[image: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with Senator Charles Sumner presiding at the far end of the table. Every Saturday, Feburary 11, 1871.]

Chairmen of the Committee

Membership on the senate Foreign Relations Committee has reflected the diverse regions, interests, and politics of the nation. Chairmen of the committee have included lawyers, scholars, journalists, secretaries of state, presidential candidates, and even a gold miner. Among the more notable chairmen in the nineteenth century were Henry Clay, James Buchanan, Charles Sumner, and John Sherman. Some of those who shaped foreign policy in the twentieth century include:

[image: photo of Henry Lodge]

Henry Cabot Lodge
(R-MA)
Chairman
1919-1924

Henry Cabot Lodge assumed the chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee late in his Senate career, although he had been a member of the committee since 1895. As chairman, Lodge was immediately thrust into the spotlight during the debate on adoption of the Treaty of Versailles, which included the League of Nations covenant. Lodge led the opposition against the treaty, convinced that the nation's sovereignty was at stake and that compulsory arbitration would bind the United States to international commitments that the country would not or could not keep. Through delaying tactics, and by introducing a series of amendments, Lodge worked to defeat the treaty in the Senate.

Tom Connally
(D-TX)
Chairman
1941-1947 and 1949-1953

During his decade as chairman, Senator Connally became a strong voice for bipartisanship in foreign policy. A long-time Wilsonian internationalist, he supported such international ventures as the Reciprocal Trade Act, Lend-Lease, and the Selective Service Act. As chairman he was a loyal supporter of the Roosevelt and Truman administrations' foreign policies. Connally sponsored the United Nations charter for ratification in the Senate, supported the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, and gained Senate endorsement for United States participation in NATO. Despite his allegiance to the administration, Connally was long regarded as a "watchdog" of State Department activities.

[image: photo of Arthur Vandenberg]

Arthur H. Vandenberg
(R-MI)
Chairman
1947-1949

Upon entering the Senate, Arthur H. Vandenberg initially adopted an isolationist position, defending neutrality legislation and opposing United States entry into World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, however, he dramatically reversed his stance. As chairman, Vandenberg espoused bipartisanship, building Republican support for the Democratic administration's foreign policies, which helped to commit the United States to an active role in restoring the postwar world and in attempting to contain Soviet expansionism. While Vandenberg's tenure as chairman was limited to two years, his influence was evident in the continued bipartisanship of his successors.

[image: photo of William Fuibright]

J. William Fulbright
(D-AR)
Chairman
1959-1974

William Fuibright had already established an eminent reputation in foreign affairs when he assumed chairmanship of the committee. His open criticism of the Eisenhower administration's foreign policy marked a dramatic break from the bipartisan tradition of his predecessors. Fulbright also did not hesitate to challenge presidents of his own party. Privately, he counseled President John F. Kennedy against the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Blockade, and publicly he broke with President Lyndon B. Johnson over Vietnam. He sponsored a series of televised committee hearings on the Vietnam War, and continued his opposition to militant trends in United Stares foreign policy in his speeches and books. Fulbright opposed further widening of the war in Vietnam, and endorsed the Nixon administration's overtures toward detente with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

[image: photo of Jesse Helms]

Jesse Helms
(R-NC)
Chairman 1995-Present

The current chairman is Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina. First elected to the Senate in 1972, he later served as chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. In 1995 he became chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, where he regularly presides over weekly business meetings, hearings, and hosts foreign duties.

History of the Committee Rooms

During the nineteenth century, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met in a variety of rooms in the United States Capitol. Following World War I, these quarters proved too small and inaccessible to accomodate the committee's expanding responsibilities. In 1933 the committee moved into its current suite in the Capitol. While the Foreign Relations Committee maintains several officed spread over four buildings, the two rooms in the Capitol have become symbolic of the committee and its work.

These rooms, S-116 and S-117, were first occupied around 1859 with the completion of the new Senate wing of the Capitol. Until their assignment to the Foreign Relations Committee, the rooms housed a variety of tenants. Former occupants, whose names are reflective of the concerns of a growing nation, included the committees on Retrenchment, Patents, Agriculture, Immigration, Teritories, Female Suffrage, and Naval Affairs. At the turn of the century, S-116 even served as the Senate's post office.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee uses these rooms to receive visiting dignitaries and to conduct national security briefings and hearings in executive session. The rooms have hosted American presidents, heads of foreign nations, secretaries of state and defense, ambassadors, and others who have informed and advised the committee in its fulfillment of the Senate's constitutional role in foreign policy.

S-116 Room History

S-117 Room History

[image: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, September 1999]

Chairmen of the Committee

Political Party Abbreviations
Adams-Adams, AJ-Anti-Jackson, DR-Democratic Republican, F-Federalist,
CRR-Crawford Republican, D-Democrat, J-Jacksonian, R-Republican W-Whig



Prepared under the direction of the U.S. Senate Commission on Art by the Office of Senate Curator
S. Pub. 106-20