Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This paper examines the history and modern operation of the Democratic Steering Committee in the United States Senate as of 1964. Historically, the Senate was slow to adopt standing committees, originally relying on numerous select committees before establishing a formal system in 1816. While the power to appoint these committees shifted between the presiding officer and the Senate ballot during the 19th century, it eventually settled into a system controlled by party organizations and the Democratic Caucus. A significant revolution occurred in 1913 when progressive Democrats successfully bypassed the seniority system to enact Woodrow Wilson’s legislative agenda, though this shift toward democratization was not permanently maintained. 

The contemporary analysis focuses on the perceived imbalance within the Steering Committee, which is responsible for making committee assignments and determining party ratios. Although the committee is theoretically subordinate to the Democratic Conference, it is heavily influenced by the Majority Leader. During the early 1960s, critics like Senator Joseph Clark argued that the committee was dominated by a Southern conservative coalition that did not represent the geographical or ideological diversity of the Democratic Party. Data from the 88th Congress shows that while Southerners made up only thirty-four percent of Senate Democrats, they held forty-seven percent of the seats on the Steering Committee. 

The research highlights instances where the seniority rule was inconsistently applied to favor conservatives and disadvantage liberals, particularly those supporting civil rights and rules changes. While conservatives defend the system as a meritocracy based on long-term service and stability, liberals contend that the establishment uses its power to bottle up progressive legislation. The paper concludes that the Steering Committee remains a bastion of conservative power that frequently ignores seniority when doing so serves to maintain the status quo.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The Democratic Steering Committee in the U.S. Senate is criticized for being geographically and ideologically unrepresentative of the Democratic Conference, specifically regarding the dominance of a Southern conservative coalition over a liberal majority. 

  • The Method: This 1964 Washington Semester paper evaluates the organization and operation of the committee through interviews with Senators and staff personnel, a historical review of Senate committee appointment methods from 1815 to 1963, and a statistical analysis of 1963 committee assignments. 

  • Quantitative Finding: In 1963, Southern Democrats held 7 out of 15 Steering Committee seats (47%) despite representing only 34% of Senate Democrats; 9 out of 15 members were classified as conservative; 10 out of 14 major committee chairmen were from Southern states; and seniority was reportedly ignored in 9 committee assignment cases to favor conservative interests. 

  • Qualitative Finding: The "Senate Establishment" maintains control through the seniority system, the "grandfather clause" in Senate Resolution 90 allowing preferred Senators to hold three major committee seats, and informal pressures on freshman Senators regarding their committee preferences; the minutes of the Steering Committee remain confidential under lock and key to prevent political damage to members.

Publication Date

1-1964

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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