The National Prohibition Act, known as the Volstead Act, was enacted October 28, 1919, to enforce the 18th Amendment prohibiting alcoholic beverages. Anti-Saloon League attorney Wayne Wheeler drafted the legislation, named after Representative Andrew Volstead, House Judiciary Committee chairman who managed the bill. President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the measure, but Congress overrode his veto the same day. The Act took effect January 16, 1920, defining intoxicating beverages as those containing 0.5 percent or greater alcohol by volume, encompassing beer and light wines along with distilled spirits. Congress reorganized the Treasury Department in 1927, creating the Bureau of Prohibition with 1,520 federal agents tasked with enforcement. The bureau faced overwhelming challenges enforcing prohibition across the nation, with widespread bootlegging, speakeasies, and organized crime undermining compliance. Enforcement proved selective and often corrupt, with agents accepting bribes and politicians protecting illegal operations. On December 5, 1933, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment, repealing the 18th Amendment and voiding the Volstead Act. This restored alcohol regulation authority to states, ending the 13-year federal prohibition experiment.