McCormack's opportunity to run for Congress again came after Gallivan died in 1928. That November McCormack won both the special election to complete Gallivan's term in the U.S. House as well as the general election for a full term. He was reelected 20 times, initially from the 12th District, and from the re-numbered 9th after 1963. McCormack usually won reelection without difficulty, and he served in the House from November 6, 1928, to January 3, 1971 (the
70th to
91st Congresses). He did not run for reelection in 1970.
Early years in Congress At the beginning of his House career, McCormack served on the
Committee on Territories, In his second term, Speaker
John Nance Garner appointed McCormack to the powerful
Ways and Means Committee, and he served there until 1941. McCormack maintained a consistently liberal voting record throughout his Congressional career, including support for the
New Deal. In 1934, he served as chairman of the
Special Committee on Un-American Activities, known as the
McCormack-Dickstein Committee, which investigated
Communist and
Nazi propaganda and recruitment efforts in the United States prior to
World War II.
Ascension to House leadership When
Sam Rayburn became Speaker in 1940, he backed McCormack for majority leader, a key factor in McCormack's victory over
Clifton A. Woodrum. For the next 21 years, McCormack was the second-ranking Democrat in the House; he served as majority leader with Rayburn as Speaker when Democrats had the majority (1939–1947, 1951–1953, 1955–1961), and as minority whip with Rayburn as minority leader when the Republicans controlled the House (1947–1949, 1953–1955). Always staunch in his opposition to both Communism and Fascism, he played a key role in extending the
military draft, just before the
attack on Pearl Harbor, when
isolationist sentiment and opposition to U.S. involvement in
World War II were still strong. In March 1946, McCormack spoke at a rally of 20,000 participants in
Madison Square Garden, protesting against Britain's recent reversal of its pro-Zionist policies in
Mandatory Palestine. McCormack accused Britain of using its
Empire"against those stoned survivors, whom Hitler did not quite succeed in exterminating." He was chairman of the
Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration in the
85th Congress (1957 to 1959). In that role, he introduced and secured passage of the bill that created the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). McCormack voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Act of 1957, and voted in favor of the initial House resolution for the
Civil Rights Act of 1960 on March 24, 1960, but did not vote on the Senate amendment to the bill on April 21, 1960.
Speaker of the House John F. Collins (1960–1968) during a
St. Patrick's Day parade in
South Boston. After Rayburn's death in November 1961, McCormack acted as Speaker until winning election to the post in early 1962; he served from January 1962 until retiring from the House in 1971. McCormack's nine years as Speaker were dominated by House passage of
Great Society legislation during the administration of
Lyndon B. Johnson, including laws to expand
civil rights, access to public
education, and
health care for the elderly. McCormack was the first Catholic to be elected Speaker, and some critics complained that his religion sometimes showed in his leadership qualities. As an example, during the 1961 debate on federal aid to schools, McCormack insisted that church schools should be included, and the bill died because of disagreement over this issue. In 1963, McCormack changed his position, and oversaw passage of an aid bill devoted primarily to public schools.
John F. Kennedy in 1962 The latter part of McCormack's tenure increasingly focused on the debate over the
Vietnam War, which he supported. McCormack's demeanor changed during these years and he reminded some observers of a kindly elder relative attempting to provide wisdom and guidance to unruly younger family members. According to House members, McCormack's strength was his personal consideration of members, which inspired them to return his affection and sparked a desire to work with him. His weakness was that the seniority system created entrenched committee chairmen who wielded great power in the House, but could not be controlled by the Speaker. As Speaker, McCormack pursued a national agenda; he was proud of fighting for passage of farm bills, though he said he did not have "more than five flower pots in my whole district." Between the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and the swearing-in of
Hubert Humphrey as
Vice President on January 20, 1965, McCormack was first in the
line of succession. He thus received
Secret Service protection, though, according to historian
William Manchester, McCormack refused that protection and went without it for the entire 14-month interim before Humphrey's inauguaration. In January 1969,
Arizona representative
Morris Udall attempted to unseat McCormack as Speaker. In 1970, the political attacks increased and several representatives urged McCormack to step down because of his age.
Jerome R. Waldie of
California asked a party caucus to declare a lack of confidence in his leadership, which it refused to do. McCormack decided not to run for reelection to the House in early 1970, but kept his decision secret until he announced it publicly in May. McCormack was succeeded as Representative in 1971 by
Louise Day Hicks, and as Speaker by
Carl Albert. ==Retirement and death==