Joseph Allen Frear Jr. was an American businessman and politician. A Democrat, he served as a United States Senator from Delaware from 1949 to 1961. He was defeated for a third term by Republican politician J. Caleb Boggs in 1960.

The 83rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1953, until January 3, 1955, during the last two weeks of the Truman administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of Dwight Eisenhower's presidency. It was composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The apportionment of seats in the House was based on the 1950 U.S. census.