Sam Rayburn Democratic Sam Rayburn Democratic The 1942 United States House of Representatives elections were elections for the United States House of Representatives to elect members to serve in the 78th United States Congress.

This was the first election after the congressional reapportionment based on the 1940 census, and was held in the middle of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third term.

With involvement in World War II, it was the first wartime election in the United States since 1918.

The election was the second of four times in the 20th century in which either party won the House majority without winning the popular vote, with the previous three instances occurring in 1914, 1952, and 1996; Democrats won the House majority without winning the popular vote in the former election, while Republicans did so in the latter two.

Voter turnout was historically low for the time, which was attributed to the absence of military men and the apathy of workers at war production plants, many of whom had failed to re-register to vote in their new communities or become accustomed to local candidates.

[8] Massachusetts was reapportioned from 15 districts down to 14, with the most affected incumbent being Thomas H. Eliot of the former 9th, whose western Boston suburbs were moved into the 10th and 4th while his Cambridge residence was pulled into the more urban 11th,[8] where he was defeated in the primary by James Michael Curley.