Vinson, Carl

Vinson, Carl (1883–1981), Chair, House Naval Affairs Committee and Armed Services Committee.
A rural Georgia lawyer and Democrat, Vinson was elected to the House of Representatives in 1914. He was appointed to the House Naval Affairs Committee in his first term, and throughout his fifty‐year career in the House, he would remain an advocate of strong military defense. In 1931, Vinson became chair of the committee and worked, with the support of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for naval expansion. The Vinson‐Trammel Act (1934) authorized construction of 102 warships. The Naval Act (1938) provided for a ten‐year, $1.1 billion building program, including all categories of ships, and a doubling of the U.S. Navy's airplanes. In July 1940, Vinson won an emergency “Two Ocean Navy” act, doubling the size of the combat fleet and including the new fast carriers and [The entire page is 279 words long]

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