Earliest serving United States senator

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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.

United States Senate Upper house of the United States Congress

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress which, along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C.

Fred R. Harris American politician

Fred Roy Harris is a former Democratic United States Senator from the state of Oklahoma.

Contents

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 DateEnd DateSenatorState1st Entered Senate
March 4, 1789March 12, 1790 William Grayson [1] VirginiaMarch 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 [1] Maryland
March 7, 1838 Paine Wingate [1] New Hampshire
March 7, 1838February 23, 1840 John Rutherfurd New JerseyMarch 4, 1791
February 23, 1840August 12, 1849 Albert Gallatin PennsylvaniaDecember 2, 1793
August 12, 1849December 22, 1850 William Plumer New HampshireJune 17, 1802
December 22, 1850June 29, 1852 Henry Clay KentuckyNovember 19, 1806
June 29, 1852October 14, 1853 Elisha Mathewson Rhode IslandOctober 26, 1807
October 14, 1853November 5, 1857 Alexander Campbell OhioDecember 11, 1809
November 5, 1857April 14, 1859 George M. Bibb KentuckyMarch 4, 1811
April 14, 1859July 26, 1863 John J. Crittenden KentuckyMarch 4, 1817
July 26, 1863September 4, 1864 Henry Johnson LouisianaJanuary 12, 1818
September 4, 1864December 14, 1868 Walter Lowrie PennsylvaniaMarch 4, 1819
December 14, 1868October 13, 1880 Peleg Sprague MaineMarch 4, 1829
October 13, 1880March 19, 1888 John P. King GeorgiaNovember 21, 1833
March 19, 1888May 11, 1889 Henry A. Foster New YorkNovember 30, 1844
May 11, 1889June 26, 1889 Simon Cameron PennsylvaniaMarch 13, 1845
June 26, 1889June 13, 1896 Alpheus Felch MichiganMarch 4, 1847
January 6, 1901 James Bradbury Maine
January 6, 1901April 12, 1913 John B. Henderson MissouriJanuary 17, 1862
April 12, 1913September 11, 1915 William Sprague Rhode IslandMarch 4, 1863
September 11, 1915February 27, 1919 George F. Edmunds VermontApril 3, 1866
February 27, 1919November 3, 1924 Cornelius Cole CaliforniaMarch 4, 1867
November 3, 1924April 12, 1933 Adelbert Ames MississippiFebruary 23, 1870
April 12, 1933November 16, 1933 Henry C. Hansbrough North DakotaMarch 4, 1891
November 16, 1933November 18, 1934 Lee Mantle MontanaJanuary 16, 1895
November 18, 1934June 3, 1938 Marion Butler North CarolinaMarch 4, 1895
June 3, 1938October 21, 1938 Henry Heitfeld IdahoMarch 4, 1897
October 21, 1938April 30, 1940 Furnifold Simmons North CarolinaMarch 4, 1901
April 30, 1940February 9, 1941 Reed Smoot UtahMarch 4, 1903
February 9, 1941March 13, 1945 Charles W. F. Dick OhioMarch 23, 1904
March 13, 1945January 5, 1960 Norris Brown NebraskaMarch 4, 1907
January 5, 1960May 31, 1962 Henry F. Ashurst ArizonaMarch 27, 1912
May 31, 1962December 28, 1972 John Heiskell ArkansasJanuary 6, 1913
December 28, 1972January 6, 1975 Burton K. Wheeler MontanaMarch 4, 1923
January 14, 1978 Clarence Dill Washington
January 14, 1978August 16, 1979 F. Ryan Duffy WisconsinMarch 4, 1933
August 16, 1979March 13, 1985 Elmer Austin Benson MinnesotaDecember 27, 1935
March 13, 1985May 30, 1989 Claude Pepper FloridaNovember 4, 1936
May 30, 1989September 22, 1990 John A. Danaher ConnecticutJanuary 3, 1939
September 22, 1990June 15, 1991 Happy Chandler KentuckyOctober 10, 1939
June 15, 1991December 18, 1993 Joseph H. Ball MinnesotaOctober 14, 1940
December 18, 1993January 21, 1999 Berkeley L. Bunker NevadaNovember 27, 1940
January 21, 1999May 9, 2003 Russell B. Long LouisianaDecember 31, 1948
May 9, 2003January 20, 2007 George Smathers FloridaJanuary 3, 1951
January 20, 2007June 28, 2010 Robert Byrd [1] West VirginiaJanuary 3, 1959
June 28, 2010October 21, 2012 George McGovern South DakotaJanuary 3, 1963
December 17, 2012 Daniel Inouye [1] Hawaii
March 14, 2019 Birch Bayh Indiana
March 14, 2019present Fred R. Harris OklahomaNovember 4, 1964

Earliest serving senators currently living

This is a list of the 30 earliest-serving senators, [2] current or former, currently living.

RankSenatorDate of birthEntered SenateLeft SenateState servedPartyTime since entry
1 Fred R. Harris November 13, 1930November 4, 1964January 3, 1973 Oklahoma Democratic54 years, 322 days
2 Walter Mondale January 5, 1928December 30, 1964December 30, 1976 Minnesota Democratic54 years, 266 days
3 Bob Dole July 22, 1923January 3, 1969June 1, 1996 Kansas Republican50 years, 262 days
Mike Gravel May 13, 1930January 3, 1981 Alaska Democratic
Bob Packwood September 11, 1932October 1, 1995 Oregon Republican
6 Adlai Stevenson III October 10, 1930November 17, 1970January 3, 1981 Illinois Democratic48 years, 309 days
7 Bill Brock November 23, 1930January 3, 1971January 3, 1977 Tennessee Republican48 years, 262 days
James L. Buckley March 9, 1923January 3, 1977 New York Conservative
Lowell Weicker May 16, 1931January 3, 1989 Connecticut Republican
10 David H. Gambrell December 20, 1929February 1, 1971November 8, 1972 Georgia Democratic48 years, 233 days
11 Sam Nunn September 8, 1938November 8, 1972January 3, 1997 Georgia Democratic46 years, 318 days
12 J. Bennett Johnston June 10, 1932November 13, 1972January 3, 1997 Louisiana Democratic46 years, 313 days
13 James Abourezk February 24, 1931January 3, 1973January 3, 1979 South Dakota Democratic46 years, 262 days
Joe Biden November 20, 1942January 15, 2009 Delaware Democratic
Dick Clark September 14, 1928January 3, 1979 Iowa Democratic
16 Jake Garn October 12, 1932December 21, 1974January 3, 1993 Utah Republican44 years, 275 days
17 Gary Hart November 28, 1936January 3, 1975January 3, 1987 Colorado Democratic44 years, 262 days
Patrick Leahy March 31, 1940in office Vermont Democratic
19 John Danforth September 5, 1936December 27, 1976January 3, 1995 Missouri Republican42 years, 269 days
20 Donald Riegle February 4, 1938December 30, 1976January 3, 1995 Michigan Democratic42 years, 266 days
21 Dennis DeConcini May 8, 1937January 3, 1977January 3, 1995 Arizona Democratic42 years, 262 days
Orrin Hatch March 22, 1934January 3, 2019 Utah Republican
Paul Sarbanes February 3, 1933January 3, 2007 Maryland Democratic
Jim Sasser September 30, 1936January 3, 1995 Tennessee Democratic
Harrison Schmitt July 3, 1935January 3, 1983 New Mexico Republican
26 Kaneaster Hodges Jr. August 20, 1938December 10, 1977January 3, 1979 Arkansas Democratic41 years, 286 days
27 David Durenberger August 19, 1934November 8, 1978January 3, 1995 Minnesota Republican40 years, 318 days
Donald Stewart February 8, 1940January 2, 1981 Alabama Democratic
29 Max Baucus December 11, 1941December 15, 1978February 6, 2014 Montana Democratic40 years, 311 days
30 Nancy Kassebaum July 29, 1932December 23, 1978January 3, 1997 Kansas Republican40 years, 273 days

See also

This page contains a list of the individuals who, at the time of their deaths, had served at the earliest date in the United States House of Representatives among those current or former Representatives then living and a list of the earliest serving United States Representatives among those currently living.

Dean of the United States House of Representatives Longest continuously serving member of the House of Respresentatives alive

The Dean of the United States House of Representatives is the longest continuously serving member of the House. The current Dean is Don Young, a Republican Party representative from Alaska who has served since 1973, and is the first Republican Dean in more than eighty years, as well as the first from Alaska. The Dean is a symbolic post whose only customary duty is to swear in a Speaker of the House after he or she is elected. The Dean comes forward on the House Floor to administer the oath to the Speaker-elect, before the new Speaker then administers the oath to the other members.

The Dean of the United States Senate is an informal term for the Senator with the longest continuous service, regardless of party affiliation. This is not an official position within the Senate, although customarily the longest-serving member of the majority party serves as President pro tempore.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Attained most Senior Senator status while serving uninterrupted terms.
  2. ↑ Source: US Senate Historical Office's "Senators, 1789 to Present."

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This is an incomplete list of lists pertaining to the United States Congress.

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