List of United States Senators in the 97th Congress by seniority

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This is a complete list of members of the United States Senate during the 97th United States Congress listed by seniority, from January 3, 1981, to January 3, 1983.

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.

97th United States Congress 1981–1983 U.S. Congress

The Ninety-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1981, to January 3, 1983, during the final weeks of Jimmy Carter's presidency and the first two years of Ronald Reagan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Nineteenth Census of the United States in 1970. The House of Representatives had a Democratic majority. The Republicans gained control of the Senate, the first time that Republicans gained control of any chamber of Congress since 1953.

Contents

Order of service is based on the commencement of the senator's first term. Behind this is former service as a senator (only giving the senator seniority within his or her new incoming class), service as vice president, a House member, a cabinet secretary, or a governor of a state. The final factor is the population of the senator's state. [1] [2]

Vice President of the United States Second highest executive office in United States

The vice president of the United States is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as President of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president presides over Senate deliberations, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The vice president also presides over joint sessions of Congress.

United States House of Representatives lower house of the United States Congress

Vacant (3)

Governor (United States) position of the head of the government of a state or territory of the United States

In the United States, a governor serves as the chief executive officer and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states and in the five permanently inhabited territories, functioning as both head of state and head of government therein. As such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. As state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. Governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. A majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.

Senators who were sworn in during the middle of the two-year congressional term (up until the last senator who was not sworn in early after winning the November 1982 election) are listed at the end of the list with no number.

Terms of service

ClassTerms of service of senators that will expire in years
Class 1Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1983 [3]
Class 2Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1985 [4]
Class 3Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1987 [5]

U.S. Senate seniority list

U.S. Senate seniority
RankSenator (party-state)Seniority dateOther factors
1 John C. Stennis (D-MS)November 17, 1947
2 Russell B. Long (D-LA)December 31, 1948
3 Henry M. Jackson (D-WA)January 3, 1953
4 Strom Thurmond (R-SC)November 7, 1956
5 William Proxmire (D-WI)August 28, 1957
6 Jennings Randolph (D-WV)November 5, 1958
7 Robert Byrd (D-WV)January 3, 1959Former representative (6 years)
8 Harrison A. Williams [6] (D-NJ)Former representative (4 years)
9 Howard Cannon (D-NV)
10 Quentin Northrup Burdick (D-ND)August 8, 1960
11 Claiborne Pell (D-RI)January 3, 1961
12 John Tower (R-TX)June 15, 1961
13 Ted Kennedy (D-MA)November 7, 1962
14 Daniel Inouye (D-HI)January 3, 1963
15 Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (I-VA)November 12, 1965
16 Ernest Hollings (D-SC)November 9, 1966
17 Charles H. Percy (R-IL)January 3, 1967Illinois 4th in population (1960)
18 Howard Baker (R-TN)Tennessee 17th in population (1960)
19 Mark Hatfield (R-OR)January 10, 1967
20 Ted Stevens (R-AK)December 24, 1968
21 Thomas Eagleton (D-MO)December 28, 1968
22 Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)January 3, 1969Previously a senator
23 Charles Mathias (R-MD)Former representative (8 years) - Maryland 21st in population (1960)
24 Bob Dole (R-KS)Former representative (8 years) - Kansas 29th in population (1960)
25 Alan Cranston (D-CA)California 2nd in population (1960)
26 Bob Packwood (R-OR)Oregon 32nd in population (1960)
27 Bill Roth (R-DE)January 1, 1971
28 Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX)January 3, 1971Former representative (6 years)
29 Lowell Weicker (R-CT)Former representative (2 years)
30 Lawton Chiles (D-FL)
31 Robert Stafford (R-VT)September 16, 1971
32 Sam Nunn (D-GA)November 8, 1972
33 Bennett Johnston Jr. (D-LA)November 14, 1972
34 James A. McClure (R-ID)January 3, 1973Former representative (4 years)
35 Jesse Helms (R-NC)North Carolina 12th in population (1970)
36 Walter Huddleston (D-KY)Kentucky 23rd in population (1970)
37 Pete Domenici (R-NM)New Mexico 37th in population (1970)
38 Joe Biden (D-DE)Delaware 46th in population (1970)
39 Paul Laxalt (R-NV)December 18, 1974
40 Jake Garn (R-UT)December 21, 1974
41 John Glenn (D-OH)December 24, 1974
42 Wendell H. Ford (D-KY)December 28, 1974
43 Dale Bumpers (D-AR)January 3, 1975Former governor
44 Gary Hart (D-CO)Colorado 30th in population (1970)
45 Patrick Leahy (D-VT)Vermont 48th in population (1970)
46 John Danforth (R-MO)December 27, 1976
47 Edward Zorinsky (D-NE)December 28, 1976
48 Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH)December 29, 1976Previously a senator
49 John Chafee (R-RI)
50 Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D-MI)December 30, 1976
51 Samuel Hayakawa (R-CA)January 2, 1977
52 Spark Matsunaga (D-HI)January 3, 1977Former representative (14 years)
53 John Melcher (D-MT)Former representative (7 years, 7 months)
54 H. John Heinz III (R-PA)Former representative (6 years)
55 Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)Former representative (6 years)
56 Pat Moynihan (D-NY)New York 2nd in population (1970)
57 Richard Lugar (R-IN)Indiana 11th in population (1970)
58 Jim Sasser (D-TN)Tennessee 17th in population (1970)
59 Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ)Arizona 33rd in population (1970)
60 Orrin Hatch (R-UT)Utah 36th in population (1970)
61 Harrison Schmitt (R-NM)New Mexico 37th in population (1970)
62 Malcolm Wallop (R-WY)Wyoming 49th in population (1970)
63 David Durenberger (R-MN)November 8, 1978
64 Max Baucus (D-MT)December 15, 1978
65 Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-KS)December 23, 1978
66 Thad Cochran (R-MS)December 27, 1978
67 Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN)December 30, 1978
68 Alan K. Simpson (R-WY)January 1, 1979
69 John Warner (R-VA)January 2, 1979
70 David Pryor (D-AR)January 3, 1979Former representative (6 years, 2 months)
71 William Cohen (R-ME)Former representative (6 years)
72 Paul Tsongas (D-MA)Former representative (4 years)
73 William L. Armstrong (R-CO)Former representative (4 years) - Colorado 30th in population (1970)
74 Larry Pressler (R-SD)Former representative (4 years) - South Dakota 44th in population (1970)
75 David L. Boren (D-OK)Former governor - Oklahoma 27th in population (1970)
76 J. James Exon (D-NE)Former governor - Nebraska 35th in population (1970)
77 Carl Levin (D-MI)Michigan 7th in population (1970)
78 Bill Bradley (D-NJ)New Jersey 8th in population (1970)
79 Howell Heflin (D-AL)Alabama 21st in population (1970)
80 Roger Jepsen (R-IA)Iowa 25th in population (1970)
81 Gordon J. Humphrey (R-NH)New Hampshire 41st in population (1970)
82 George J. Mitchell (D-ME)May 17, 1980
83 Warren Rudman (R-NH)December 31, 1980
84 Paula Hawkins (R-FL)January 1, 1981
85 Jeremiah Denton (R-AL)January 2, 1981
86 Mark Andrews (R-ND)January 3, 1981Former representative (16 years)
87 Steve Symms (R-ID)Former representative (12 years)
88 James Abdnor (R-SD)Former representative (8 years)
89 Chris Dodd (D-CT)Former representative (6 years) - Connecticut 24th in population (1970)
90 Chuck Grassley (R-IA)Former representative (6 years) - Iowa 25th in population (1970)
91 Dan Quayle (R-IN)Former representative (4 years) - Indiana 11th in population (1970)
92 Bob Kasten (R-WI)Former representative (4 years) - Wisconsin 16th in population (1970)
93 Al D'Amato (R-NY)New York 2nd in population (1970)
94 Arlen Specter (R-PA)Pennsylvania 3rd in population (1970)
95 Alan J. Dixon (D-IL)Illinois 5th in population (1970)
96 John Porter East (R-NC)North Carolina 12th in population (1970)
97 Mack Mattingly (R-GA)Georgia 15th in population (1970)
98 Slade Gorton (R-WA)Washington 22nd in population (1970)
99 Don Nickles (R-OK)Oklahoma 27th in population (1970)
100 Frank Murkowski (R-AK)Alaska 50th in population (1970)
Nicholas F. Brady (R-NJ)April 20, 1982
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)December 27, 1982

See also

Notes

  1. A Chronological List of United States Senators 1789-Present, via www.Senate.gov
  2. 1971 U.S Census Report Contains 1970 Census results.
  3. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1983.
  4. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1985.
  5. Terms of service of senators that will expire in 1987.
  6. Senator Williams resigned on March 11, 1982.