Congress Overrides Wilson Veto of Volstead Act

Context

For more than a century, temperance advocates had pressed for restrictions on alcohol through organizations such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League. These groups built a formidable coalition that secured dry laws in numerous states and eventually turned its attention to a national constitutional amendment. In 1917 Congress approved the Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors, and sent it to the states with a seven-year ratification deadline; the amendment was ratified within thirteen months.

What Happened

The Eighteenth Amendment left the precise definition of “intoxicating liquors” and the details of enforcement to Congress. Representative Andrew Volstead of Minnesota, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sponsored the National Prohibition Act—commonly known as the Volstead Act—which defined an intoxicating beverage as any drink containing more than one-half of one percent alcohol and outlined penalties, exceptions for industrial and medicinal uses, and federal enforcement authority. After the measure cleared the House in July 1919 and the Senate in September, President Wilson vetoed it on October 27, citing concerns over wartime restrictions and economic impacts. The House quickly overrode the veto that same day, and on October 28 the Senate followed suit by a vote of 65 to 20, enacting the law over the president’s objections.

Aftermath

The Volstead Act took effect on January 16, 1920, coinciding with the Eighteenth Amendment’s effective date and creating a nationwide system of federal prohibition enforcement. Agents gained broad powers to seize property and prosecute violations, though the law also permitted limited non-beverage uses of alcohol under strict regulation.

Legacy

Prohibition under the Volstead Act lasted until its repeal by the Twenty-First Amendment in 1933. Historians view the era as a period of expanded federal authority that nonetheless proved difficult to enforce, contributing to the growth of organized crime, speakeasies, and widespread public disregard for the law. The experiment continues to inform debates over the limits of constitutional amendments and federal regulatory power.