The Federal Power Commission (FPC) was an independent commission of the

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

, originally organized on June 23, 1930, with five members nominated by the president and confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The FPC was originally created in 1920 by the Federal Water Power Act, which provided for the licensing by the FPC of

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

projects on the land or navigable water owned by the federal government. The FPC has since been replaced by the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...

. The FPC also regulated interstate electric utilities and the

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

industry. In June 1939, President Roosevelt appointed Leland Olds to the FPC, who served as chairman from January 1940 until 1949. Under Olds’ leadership, the FPC successfully pressured electric utilities to extend power into neglected rural areas and to lower electricity rates to increase use. However his reappointment in 1949 failed in the Senate due to concerns about his suspected previous sympathy to

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

. James G. Watt was another prominent FPC commissioner, who conducted prayer meetings prior to the FPC sessions.

Office of Chairman

From its founding in 1920 until its first reform in 1930, the FPC did not have its own commissioners; rather, it was chaired

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

by the Secretaries of War, Interior, and

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. The first "Chairman" in that sense was Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of War, Newton D. Baker. Before 1930, five Secretaries of War, five Secretaries of the Interior, and five Secretaries of Agriculture held title at the FPC. Following the 1930 reforms, FPC had its own commissioners, with the following commissioners holding the title of Chairman of the Federal Power Commission:

Chairmen

Source: * George Otis Smith December 22, 1930 - July 18, 1933 * Frank R. McNinch July 19, 1933 - September 30, 1937 * Clyde L. Seavey September 30, 1937 - December 31, 1939 * Leland Olds January 1, 1940 - June 22, 1944 * Basil Manly September 21, 1944 - September 14, 1945 * Leland Olds December 14, 1945 - January 1, 1947 * Nelson Lee Smith January 1, 1947 - May 24, 1950 * Mon C. Wallgren May 24, 1950 - October 1, 1951 * Thomas C. Buchanan January 5, 1952 - May 15, 1953 * Jerome K. Kuykendall May 15, 1953 - August 31, 1961 * Joseph C. Swidler September 1, 1961 - December 30, 1965 * Lee C. White March 2, 1966 - July 31, 1969 * John N. Nassikas August 1, 1969 - June 22, 1975 * Richard L. Dunham October 20, 1975 - August 9, 1977 * Charles B. Curtis August 10, 1977 - September 30, 1977 (through renaming to FERC)

Commissioners

Source: * James G. Watt November 11, 1975 - August 30, 1977 * Richard L. Dunham October 20, 1975 - August 9, 1977 * John H. Holloman September 3, 1975 - August 4, 1977 * Don S. Smith December 13, 1973 - June 30, 1979 * William L. Springer June 14, 1973 - December 1, 1975 * Rush Moody Jr. November 19, 1971 - March 15, 1975 * Pinkney Walker May 26, 1971 - December 31, 1972 * John N. Nassikas August 1, 1969 - October 20, 1975 * Albert Buch Brooke Jr. October 16, 1968 - March 31, 1975 * John A. Carver Jr. September 13, 1966 - June 15, 1972 * Lee C. White March 2, 1966 - July 31, 1969 * Carl E. Bagge May 27, 1965 - December 31, 1970 * David S. Black August 30, 1963 - September 13, 1966 * Harold C. Woodward March 30, 1962 - August 4, 1964 * Charles R. Ross September 29, 1961 - September 25, 1968 * Lawrence J. O’Connor Jr. August 14, 1961 - August 30, 1971 * Joseph C. Swidler June 28, 1961 - December 30, 1965 * Howard Morgan June 28, 1961 - June 22, 1963 * Paul A. Sweeney July 15, 1960 - April 15, 1961 * John B. Hussey June 23, 1958 - March 17, 1960 * Arthur Kline June 23, 1956 - August 13, 1961 * Wiliam R. Connole June 23, 1955 - June 22, 1958 * Fredrick Stueck July 9, 1954 - July 15, 1961 * Seaborn L. Digby August 17, 1953 - June 22, 1958 * Jerome K. Kuykendall May 15, 1953 - August 31, 1961 * Dale E. Doty May 22, 1952 - June 22, 1954 * Mon C. Wallgren November 2, 1949 - October 1, 1951 * Thomas C. Buchanan June 14, 1948 - May 15, 1953 * Richard Sachse November 1, 1945 - June 22, 1947 * Harrington Wimberly October 5, 1945 - June 22, 1958 * Nelson Lee Smith October 26, 1943 - June 22, 1956 * Leland Olds July 7, 1939 - June 22, 1944 * John W. Scott June 24, 1937 - June 15, 1945 * Clyde L. Seavey August 13, 1934 - August 5, 1943 * Basil Manly June 24, 1933 - October 1, 1945 * Herbert J. Drane June 16, 1933 - June 22, 1937 * Ralph B. Williamson December 31, 1930 - December 10, 1932 * Frank R. McNinch December 27, 1930 - June 22, 1934 * George Otis Smith December 22, 1930 - October 31, 1933 * Claude L. Draper December 22, 1930 - June 22, 1956 * Marcell Garsaud December 22, 1930 - June 22, 1932

Relevant laws

*46 Stat. 797 *41 Stat. 1063 *16

United States Code The United States Code (formally The Code of Laws of the United States of America) is the official Codification (law), codification of the general and permanent Law of the United States#Federal law, federal statutes of the United States. It ...

791-823, the Federal Water Power Act

Dissolution

On October 1, 1977, the FPC was replaced by the

.42 U.S.C. § 7172.

References