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)

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	1st Entered Senate
March 4, 1789	March 12, 1790	William Grayson	Virginia	March 4, 1789
	June 19, 1794	Richard Henry Lee	Virginia
	September 21, 1798	George Read	Delaware
	December 16, 1798	John Henry	Maryland
	July 30, 1801	James Gunn	Georgia
	April 16, 1804	William Maclay	Pennsylvania
	May 30, 1804	Ralph Izard	South Carolina
	November 18, 1804	Philip Schuyler	New York
	May 8, 1806	Robert Morris	Pennsylvania
	September 9, 1806	William Paterson	New Jersey
	November 26, 1807	Oliver Ellsworth	Connecticut
	August 15, 1815	Richard Bassett	Delaware
	May 30, 1817	Tristram Dalton	Massachusetts
	September 3, 1817	Jonathan Elmer	New Jersey
	September 18, 1819	John Langdon	New Hampshire
	November 7, 1819	Caleb Strong	Massachusetts
	November 14, 1819	William Samuel Johnson	Connecticut
	February 15, 1822	Pierce Butler	South Carolina
	July 16, 1828	William Few	Georgia
	November 14, 1832	Charles Carroll	Maryland
	March 7, 1838	Paine Wingate	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 P. 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 Bradbury	Maine
January 6, 1901	April 12, 1913	John B. Henderson	Missouri	January 17, 1862
April 12, 1913	September 11, 1915	William Sprague	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	Furnifold 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 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 Austin 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	West Virginia	January 3, 1959
June 28, 2010	October 21, 2012	George McGovern	South Dakota	January 3, 1963
	December 17, 2012	Daniel Inouye	Hawaii
	March 14, 2019	Birch Bayh	Indiana
March 14, 2019	present	Fred R. Harris	Oklahoma	November 4, 1964

Earliest serving senators currently living

This is a list of the 30 earliest-serving senators, current or former, currently living, who first assumed office at least 20 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	59 years, 180 days
2	Bob Packwood	September 11, 1932	January 3, 1969	October 1, 1995	Oregon	Republican	55 years, 120 days
3	Sam Nunn	September 8, 1938	November 8, 1972	January 3, 1997	Georgia	Democratic	51 years, 176 days
4	J. Bennett Johnston	June 10, 1932	November 13, 1972		Louisiana	Democratic	51 years, 171 days
5	Joe Biden	November 20, 1942	January 3, 1973	January 15, 2009	Delaware	Democratic	51 years, 120 days
6	Jake Garn	October 12, 1932	December 21, 1974	January 3, 1993	Utah	Republican	49 years, 133 days
7	Gary Hart	November 28, 1936	January 3, 1975	January 3, 1987	Colorado	Democratic	49 years, 120 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, 127 days
10	Donald Riegle	February 4, 1938	December 30, 1976		Michigan	Democratic	47 years, 124 days
11	Dennis DeConcini	May 8, 1937	January 3, 1977		Arizona	Democratic	47 years, 120 days
	Jim Sasser	September 30, 1936			Tennessee	Democratic
	Harrison Schmitt	July 3, 1935		January 3, 1983	New Mexico	Republican
14	Donald Stewart	February 8, 1940	November 8, 1978	January 2, 1981	Alabama	Democratic	45 years, 176 days
15	Max Baucus	December 11, 1941	December 15, 1978	February 6, 2014	Montana	Democratic	45 years, 139 days
16	Nancy Kassebaum	July 29, 1932	December 23, 1978	January 3, 1997	Kansas	Republican	45 years, 131 days
17	Rudy Boschwitz	November 7, 1930	December 30, 1978	January 3, 1991	Minnesota	Republican	45 years, 124 days
18	Alan Simpson	September 2, 1931	January 1, 1979	January 3, 1997	Wyoming	Republican	45 years, 122 days
19	David Boren	April 21, 1941	January 3, 1979	November 15, 1994	Oklahoma	Democratic	45 years, 120 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
24	George J. Mitchell	August 20, 1933	May 19, 1980	January 3, 1995	Maine	Republican	43 years, 349 days
25	Al D'Amato	August 1, 1937	January 3, 1981	January 3, 1999	New York	Republican	43 years, 120 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

See also

• 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

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📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• List of longest-living United States senators
• List of living former United States senators

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