Earliest serving United States senator
This page contains a list of the earliest serving United States senators among those currently living (sitting or former) and a list of those who, at the time of their deaths, had served at the earliest date in the United States Senate among those current or former senators then living. Of those living, the earliest-serving senator is Fred R. Harris. He was sworn in as a senator on November 4, 1964.
Earliest serving senators (historic)[edit]
This is a list of the senators who were, while in office or after, the earliest-serving living before they died.
Begin Date | End Date | Senator | State | First Entered Senate |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 4, 1789 | March 12, 1790 | William Grayson[1] | Virginia | March 4, 1789 |
June 19, 1794 | Richard Henry Lee[1] | Virginia | ||
September 21, 1798 | George Read[1] | Delaware | ||
December 16, 1798 | John Henry[1] | Maryland | ||
July 30, 1801 | James Gunn[1] | Georgia | ||
April 16, 1804 | William Maclay[1] | Pennsylvania | ||
May 30, 1804 | Ralph Izard[1] | South Carolina | ||
November 18, 1804 | Philip Schuyler[1] | New York | ||
May 8, 1806 | Robert Morris[1] | Pennsylvania | ||
September 9, 1806 | William Paterson[1] | New Jersey | ||
November 26, 1807 | Oliver Ellsworth[1] | Connecticut | ||
August 15, 1815 | Richard Bassett[1] | Delaware | ||
May 30, 1817 | Tristram Dalton[1] | Massachusetts | ||
September 3, 1817 | Jonathan Elmer[1] | New Jersey | ||
September 18, 1819 | John Langdon[1] | New Hampshire | ||
November 7, 1819 | Caleb Strong[1] | Massachusetts | ||
November 14, 1819 | William Samuel Johnson[1] | Connecticut | ||
February 15, 1822 | Pierce Butler[1] | South Carolina | ||
July 16, 1828 | William Few[1] | Georgia | ||
November 14, 1832 | Charles Carroll of Carrollton[1] | Maryland | ||
March 7, 1838 | Paine Wingate[1] | New Hampshire | ||
March 7, 1838 | February 23, 1840 | John Rutherfurd | New Jersey | March 4, 1791 |
February 23, 1840 | August 12, 1849 | Albert Gallatin | Pennsylvania | December 2, 1793 |
August 12, 1849 | December 22, 1850 | William Plumer | New Hampshire | June 17, 1802 |
December 22, 1850 | June 29, 1852 | Henry Clay | Kentucky | November 19, 1806 |
June 29, 1852 | October 14, 1853 | Elisha Mathewson | Rhode Island | October 26, 1807 |
October 14, 1853 | November 5, 1857 | Alexander Campbell | Ohio | December 11, 1809 |
November 5, 1857 | April 14, 1859 | George M. Bibb | Kentucky | March 4, 1811 |
April 14, 1859 | July 26, 1863 | John J. Crittenden | Kentucky | March 4, 1817 |
July 26, 1863 | September 4, 1864 | Henry Johnson | Louisiana | January 12, 1818 |
September 4, 1864 | December 14, 1868 | Walter Lowrie | Pennsylvania | March 4, 1819 |
December 14, 1868 | October 13, 1880 | Peleg Sprague | Maine | March 4, 1829 |
October 13, 1880 | March 19, 1888 | John Pendleton King | Georgia | November 21, 1833 |
March 19, 1888 | May 11, 1889 | Henry A. Foster | New York | November 30, 1844 |
May 11, 1889 | June 26, 1889 | Simon Cameron | Pennsylvania | March 13, 1845 |
June 26, 1889 | June 13, 1896 | Alpheus Felch | Michigan | March 4, 1847 |
January 6, 1901 | James W. Bradbury | Maine | ||
January 6, 1901 | April 12, 1913 | John B. Henderson | Missouri | January 17, 1862 |
April 12, 1913 | September 11, 1915 | William Sprague IV | Rhode Island | March 4, 1863 |
September 11, 1915 | February 27, 1919 | George F. Edmunds | Vermont | April 3, 1866 |
February 27, 1919 | November 3, 1924 | Cornelius Cole | California | March 4, 1867 |
November 3, 1924 | April 12, 1933 | Adelbert Ames | Mississippi | February 23, 1870 |
April 12, 1933 | November 16, 1933 | Henry C. Hansbrough | North Dakota | March 4, 1891 |
November 16, 1933 | November 18, 1934 | Lee Mantle | Montana | January 16, 1895 |
November 18, 1934 | June 3, 1938 | Marion Butler | North Carolina | March 4, 1895 |
June 3, 1938 | October 21, 1938 | Henry Heitfeld | Idaho | March 4, 1897 |
October 21, 1938 | April 30, 1940 | F. M. Simmons | North Carolina | March 4, 1901 |
April 30, 1940 | February 9, 1941 | Reed Smoot | Utah | March 4, 1903 |
February 9, 1941 | March 13, 1945 | Charles W. F. Dick | Ohio | March 23, 1904 |
March 13, 1945 | January 5, 1960 | Norris Brown | Nebraska | March 4, 1907 |
January 5, 1960 | May 31, 1962 | Henry F. Ashurst | Arizona | March 27, 1912 |
May 31, 1962 | December 28, 1972 | John N. Heiskell | Arkansas | January 6, 1913 |
December 28, 1972 | January 6, 1975 | Burton K. Wheeler | Montana | March 4, 1923 |
January 14, 1978 | Clarence Dill | Washington | ||
January 14, 1978 | August 16, 1979 | F. Ryan Duffy | Wisconsin | March 4, 1933 |
August 16, 1979 | March 13, 1985 | Elmer A. Benson | Minnesota | December 27, 1935 |
March 13, 1985 | May 30, 1989 | Claude Pepper | Florida | November 4, 1936 |
May 30, 1989 | September 22, 1990 | John A. Danaher | Connecticut | January 3, 1939 |
September 22, 1990 | June 15, 1991 | Happy Chandler | Kentucky | October 10, 1939 |
June 15, 1991 | December 18, 1993 | Joseph H. Ball | Minnesota | October 14, 1940 |
December 18, 1993 | January 21, 1999 | Berkeley L. Bunker | Nevada | November 27, 1940 |
January 21, 1999 | May 9, 2003 | Russell B. Long | Louisiana | December 31, 1948 |
May 9, 2003 | January 20, 2007 | George Smathers | Florida | January 3, 1951 |
January 20, 2007 | June 28, 2010 | Robert Byrd[1] | West Virginia | January 3, 1959 |
June 28, 2010 | October 21, 2012 | George McGovern | South Dakota | January 3, 1963 |
December 17, 2012 | Daniel Inouye[1] | Hawaii | ||
March 14, 2019 | Birch Bayh | Indiana | ||
March 14, 2019 | present | Fred R. Harris | Oklahoma | November 4, 1964 |
Earliest serving senators currently living[edit]
This is a list of the 30 earliest-serving senators,[2] current or former, currently living, who first assumed office at least 20-40 years ago.
Rank | Senator | Date of birth | Entered Senate | Left Senate | State served | Party | Time since entry |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fred R. Harris | November 13, 1930 | November 4, 1964 | January 3, 1973 | Oklahoma | Democratic | 60 years, 18 days |
2 | Bob Packwood | September 11, 1932 | January 3, 1969 | October 1, 1995 | Oregon | Republican | 55 years, 324 days |
3 | Sam Nunn | September 8, 1938 | November 8, 1972 | January 3, 1997 | Georgia | Democratic | 52 years, 14 days |
4 | J. Bennett Johnston | June 10, 1932 | November 13, 1972 | Louisiana | Democratic | 52 years, 9 days | |
5 | Joe Biden | November 20, 1942 | January 3, 1973 | January 15, 2009 | Delaware | Democratic | 51 years, 324 days |
6 | Jake Garn | October 12, 1932 | December 21, 1974 | January 3, 1993 | Utah | Republican | 49 years, 337 days |
7 | Gary Hart | November 28, 1936 | January 3, 1975 | January 3, 1987 | Colorado | Democratic | 49 years, 324 days |
Patrick Leahy | March 31, 1940 | January 3, 2023 | Vermont | Democratic | |||
9 | John Danforth | September 5, 1936 | December 27, 1976 | January 3, 1995 | Missouri | Republican | 47 years, 331 days |
10 | Donald Riegle | February 4, 1938 | December 30, 1976 | Michigan | Democratic | 47 years, 328 days | |
11 | Dennis DeConcini | May 8, 1937 | January 3, 1977 | Arizona | Democratic | 47 years, 324 days | |
Harrison Schmitt | July 3, 1935 | January 3, 1983 | New Mexico | Republican | |||
13 | Donald Stewart | February 8, 1940 | November 8, 1978 | January 2, 1981 | Alabama | Democratic | 46 years, 14 days |
14 | Max Baucus | December 11, 1941 | December 15, 1978 | February 6, 2014 | Montana | Democratic | 45 years, 343 days |
15 | Nancy Kassebaum | July 29, 1932 | December 23, 1978 | January 3, 1997 | Kansas | Republican | 45 years, 335 days |
16 | Rudy Boschwitz | November 7, 1930 | December 30, 1978 | January 3, 1991 | Minnesota | Republican | 45 years, 328 days |
17 | Alan Simpson | September 2, 1931 | January 1, 1979 | January 3, 1997 | Wyoming | Republican | 45 years, 326 days |
18 | David Boren | April 21, 1941 | January 3, 1979 | November 15, 1994 | Oklahoma | Democratic | 45 years, 324 days |
Bill Bradley | July 28, 1943 | January 3, 1997 | New Jersey | Democratic | |||
William Cohen | August 28, 1940 | Maine | Republican | ||||
Gordon J. Humphrey | October 9, 1940 | December 4, 1990 | New Hampshire | Republican | |||
Larry Pressler | March 29, 1942 | January 3, 1997 | South Dakota | Republican | |||
23 | George J. Mitchell | August 20, 1933 | May 19, 1980 | January 3, 1995 | Maine | Republican | 44 years, 187 days |
24 | Al D'Amato | August 1, 1937 | January 3, 1981 | January 3, 1999 | New York | Republican | 43 years, 324 days |
Chris Dodd | May 27, 1944 | January 3, 2011 | Connecticut | Democratic | |||
Chuck Grassley | September 17, 1933 | in office | Iowa | Republican | |||
Bob Kasten | June 19, 1942 | January 3, 1993 | Wisconsin | Republican | |||
Mack Mattingly | January 7, 1931 | January 3, 1987 | Georgia | Republican | |||
Frank Murkowski | March 28, 1933 | December 2, 2002 | Alaska | Republican | |||
Don Nickles | December 6, 1948 | January 3, 2005 | Oklahoma | Republican |
See also[edit]
- Earliest serving United States Representative
- Oldest living United States president
- List of the oldest living members of the United States House of Representatives
- Dean of the United States House of Representatives
- Dean of the United States Senate
- List of longest-living United States senators
- List of oldest living United States governors
- List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service
- Father of the House
Notes[edit]
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