This is a complete list of members of the United States Senate during the 105th United States Congress listed by seniority, from January 3, 1997, to January 3, 1999.
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 state governor. The final factor is the population of the senator's state. [1] [2] [3] [4]
In this congress, Ernest Hollings (D-South Carolina) was the most senior junior senator and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) was the most junior senior senator.
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 1998 election) are listed at the end of the list with no number.
| Class | Terms of service of senators that expired in years |
|---|---|
| Class 3 | Terms of service of senators that expired in 1999 (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, NC, ND, NH, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, UT, VT, WA, and WI.) [5] |
| Class 1 | Terms of service of senators that expired in 2001 (AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, HI, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI, and WY.) [6] |
| Class 2 | Terms of service of senators that expired in 2003 (AK, AL, AR, CO, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, and WY.) [7] |
| Rank | Senator (party-state) | Seniority date | Other factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strom Thurmond (R-SC) | November 7, 1956 | Former governor, Previously a senator |
| 2 | Robert Byrd (D-WV) | January 3, 1959 | Former representative |
| 3 | Ted Kennedy (D-MA) | November 7, 1962 | |
| 4 | Daniel Inouye (D-HI) | January 3, 1963 | Former representative |
| 5 | Ernest Hollings (D-SC) | November 9, 1966 | Former governor |
| 6 | Ted Stevens (R-AK) | December 24, 1968 | |
| 7 | Bill Roth (R-DE) | January 1, 1971 | Former representative |
| 8 | Jesse Helms (R-NC) | January 3, 1973 | North Carolina 12th in population (1970) |
| 9 | Pete Domenici (R-NM) | New Mexico 37th in population (1970) | |
| 10 | Joe Biden (D-DE) | Delaware 46th in population (1970) | |
| 11 | John Glenn [8] (D-OH) | December 24, 1974 | |
| 12 | Wendell H. Ford [8] (D-KY) | December 28, 1974 | |
| 13 | Dale Bumpers [8] (D-AR) | January 3, 1975 | Former governor |
| 14 | Patrick Leahy (D-VT) | ||
| 15 | John Chafee (R-RI) | December 29, 1976 | Former governor, Former cabinet secretary |
| 16 | Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) | January 3, 1977 | Former representative |
| 17 | Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) | New York 2nd in population (1970) | |
| 18 | Richard Lugar (R-IN) | Indiana 11th in population (1970) | |
| 19 | Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | Utah 36th in population (1970) | |
| 20 | Max Baucus (D-MT) | December 15, 1978 | Former representative |
| 21 | Thad Cochran (R-MS) | December 27, 1978 | Former representative |
| 22 | John Warner (R-VA) | January 2, 1979 | Former cabinet secretary |
| 23 | Carl Levin (D-MI) | January 3, 1979 | |
| 24 | Chris Dodd (D-CT) | January 3, 1981 | Former representative (6 years) - Connecticut 24th in population (1970) |
| 25 | Chuck Grassley (R-IA) | Former representative (6 years) - Iowa 25th in population (1970) | |
| 26 | Al D'Amato [8] (R-NY) | New York 2nd in population (1970) | |
| 27 | Arlen Specter (R-PA) | Pennsylvania 3rd in population (1970) | |
| 28 | Don Nickles (R-OK) | Oklahoma 27th in population (1970) | |
| 29 | Frank Murkowski (R-AK) | Alaska 50th in population (1970) | |
| 30 | Frank Lautenberg [9] (D-NJ) | December 27, 1982 | |
| 31 | Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) | January 3, 1983 | |
| 32 | John Kerry (D-MA) | January 2, 1985 | |
| 33 | Tom Harkin (D-IA) | January 3, 1985 | Former representative (10 years) |
| 34 | Phil Gramm (R-TX) | Former representative (6 years) | |
| 35 | Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | ||
| 36 | Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) | January 15, 1985 | |
| 37 | John Breaux (D-LA) | January 3, 1987 | Former representative (14 years) |
| 38 | Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) | Former representative (10 years) | |
| 39 | Richard Shelby (R-AL) | Former representative (8 years) - Alabama 22nd in population (1980) | |
| 40 | Tom Daschle (D-SD) | Former representative (8 years) - South Dakota 45th in population (1980) | |
| 41 | John McCain (R-AZ) | Former representative (4 years) - Arizona 29th in population (1980) | |
| 42 | Harry Reid (D-NV) | Former representative (4 years) - Nevada 43rd in population (1980) | |
| 43 | Bob Graham (D-FL) | Former governor - Florida 7th in population (1980) | |
| 44 | Kit Bond (R-MO) | Former governor - Missouri 15th in population (1980) | |
| 45 | Kent Conrad (D-ND) | ||
| 46 | Slade Gorton (R-WA) | January 3, 1989 | Previously a senator |
| 47 | Trent Lott (R-MS) | Former representative (16 years) | |
| 48 | Jim Jeffords (R-VT) | Former representative (14 years) | |
| 49 | Dan Coats [8] (R-IN) | Former representative (8 years) | |
| 50 | Connie Mack (R-FL) | Former representative (6 years) | |
| 51 | Richard Bryan (D-NV) | Former governor (6 years) | |
| 52 | Chuck Robb (D-VA) | Former governor (4 years) - Virginia 14th in population (1980) | |
| 53 | Bob Kerrey (D-NE) | Former governor (4 years) - Nebraska 35th in population (1980) | |
| 54 | Herb Kohl (D-WI) | Wisconsin 16th in population (1980) | |
| 55 | Joe Lieberman (D-CT) | Connecticut 25th in population (1980) | |
| 56 | Conrad Burns (R-MT) | Montana 44th in population (1980) | |
| 57 | Daniel Akaka (D-HI) | May 16, 1990 | |
| 58 | Bob Smith (R-NH) | December 7, 1990 | |
| 59 | Larry Craig (R-ID) | January 3, 1991 | Former representative |
| 60 | Paul Wellstone (D-MN) | ||
| 61 | Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) | November 10, 1992 | |
| 62 | Byron Dorgan (D-ND) | December 15, 1992 | |
| 63 | Barbara Boxer (D-CA) | January 3, 1993 | Former representative (10 years) |
| 64 | Judd Gregg (R-NH) | Former representative (8 years) | |
| 65 | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) | Former representative (6 years) | |
| 66 | Carol Moseley Braun [8] (D-IL) | Illinois 6th in population (1990) | |
| 67 | Lauch Faircloth [8] (R-NC) | North Carolina 10th in population (1990) | |
| 68 | Paul Coverdell (R-GA) | Georgia 11th in population (1990) | |
| 69 | Russ Feingold (D-WI) | Wisconsin 16th in population (1990) | |
| 70 | Patty Murray (D-WA) | Washington 18th in population (1990) | |
| 71 | Bob Bennett (R-UT) | Utah 35th in population (1990) | |
| 72 | Dirk Kempthorne [8] (R-ID) | Idaho 42nd in population (1990) | |
| 73 | Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) | June 14, 1993 | |
| 74 | Jim Inhofe (R-OK) | November 17, 1994 | |
| 75 | Fred Thompson (R-TN) | December 2, 1994 | |
| 76 | Olympia Snowe (R-ME) | January 3, 1995 | Former representative (16 years) |
| 77 | Mike DeWine (R-OH) | Former representative (8 years) - Ohio 7th in population (1990) | |
| 78 | Jon Kyl (R-AZ) | Former representative (8 years) - Arizona 24th in population (1990) | |
| 79 | Craig L. Thomas (R-WY) | Former representative (6 years) | |
| 80 | Rick Santorum (R-PA) | Former representative (4 years) | |
| 81 | Rod Grams (R-MN) | Former representative (2 years) | |
| 82 | John Ashcroft (R-MO) | Former governor | |
| 83 | Spencer Abraham (R-MI) | Michigan 8th in population (1990) | |
| 84 | Bill Frist (R-TN) | Tennessee 17th in population (1990) | |
| 85 | Ron Wyden (D-OR) | February 6, 1996 | |
| 86 | Sam Brownback (R-KS) | November 7, 1996 | |
| 87 | Pat Roberts (R-KS) | January 3, 1997 | Former representative (16 years) |
| 88 | Dick Durbin (D-IL) | Former representative (14 years) - Illinois 6th in population (1990) | |
| 89 | Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) | Former representative (14 years) - New Jersey 9th in population (1990) | |
| 90 | Tim Johnson (D-SD) | Former representative (10 years) | |
| 91 | Wayne Allard (R-CO) | Former representative (6 years) - Colorado 26th in population (1990) | |
| 92 | Jack Reed (D-RI) | Former representative (6 years) - Rhode Island 43rd in population (1990) | |
| 93 | Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) | Former representative (4 years) | |
| 94 | Max Cleland (D-GA) | Georgia 11th in population (1990) | |
| 95 | Mary Landrieu (D-LA) | Louisiana 21st in population (1990) | |
| 96 | Jeff Sessions (R-AL) | Alabama 22nd in population (1990) | |
| 97 | Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) | Oregon 29th in population (1990) | |
| 98 | Chuck Hagel (R-NE) | Nebraska 36th in population (1990) | |
| 99 | Susan Collins (R-ME) | Maine 38th in population (1990) | |
| 100 | Mike Enzi (R-WY) | Wyoming 50th in population (1990) | |