This is a complete list of United States senators during the 106th United States Congress listed by seniority from January 3, 1999, to January 3, 2001.
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 their 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]
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 2000 election) are listed at the end of the list with no number.
During the 106th Congress, the U.S. Senate had a Republican majority. In this Congress, Tim Hutchinson was the most junior senior senator, until Paul Coverdell's death on July 18, 2000, after which Max Cleland was the most junior senior senator. Ernest Hollings was the most senior junior senator.
| Class | Terms of service of senators that expired in years |
|---|---|
| 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.) [5] |
| 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.) [6] |
| Class 3 | Terms of service of senators that expired in 2005 (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.) [7] |
| Rank | Senator (party-state) | Seniority date | Other factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strom Thurmond (R-SC) | November 7, 1956 | |
| 2 | Robert Byrd (D-WV) | January 3, 1959 | |
| 3 | Ted Kennedy (D-MA) | November 7, 1962 | |
| 4 | Daniel Inouye (D-HI) | January 3, 1963 | |
| 5 | Fritz Hollings (D-SC) | November 9, 1966 | |
| 6 | Ted Stevens (R-AK) | December 24, 1968 | |
| 7 | Bill Roth (R-DE) | January 1, 1971 | |
| 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 | Patrick Leahy (D-VT) | January 3, 1975 | |
| 12 | John Chafee [a] (R-RI) | December 29, 1976 | |
| 13 | Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) | January 3, 1977 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
| 14 | Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) | New York 2nd in population (1970) | |
| 15 | Richard Lugar (R-IN) | Indiana 11th in population (1970) | |
| 16 | Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | Utah 36th in population (1970) | |
| 17 | Max Baucus (D-MT) | December 15, 1978 | |
| 18 | Thad Cochran (R-MS) | December 27, 1978 | |
| 19 | John Warner (R-VA) | January 2, 1979 | |
| 20 | Carl Levin (D-MI) | January 3, 1979 | |
| 21 | Chris Dodd (D-CT) | January 3, 1981 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Connecticut 24th in population (1970) |
| 22 | Chuck Grassley (R-IA) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Iowa 25th in population (1970) | |
| 23 | Arlen Specter (R-PA) | Pennsylvania 3rd in population (1970) | |
| 24 | Don Nickles (R-OK) | Oklahoma 27th in population (1970) | |
| 25 | Frank Murkowski (R-AK) | Alaska 50th in population (1970) | |
| 26 | Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) | December 27, 1982 | |
| 27 | Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) | January 3, 1983 | |
| 28 | John Kerry (D-MA) | January 2, 1985 | |
| 29 | Tom Harkin (D-IA) | January 3, 1985 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (10 years) |
| 30 | Phil Gramm (R-TX) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years) | |
| 31 | Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | ||
| 32 | Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) | January 15, 1985 | |
| 33 | John Breaux (D-LA) | January 3, 1987 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years) |
| 34 | Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (10 years) | |
| 35 | Richard Shelby (R-AL) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (8 years); Alabama 22nd in population (1980) | |
| 36 | Tom Daschle (D-SD) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (8 years); South Dakota 45th in population (1980) | |
| 37 | John McCain (R-AZ) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years); Arizona 29th in population (1980) | |
| 38 | Harry Reid (D-NV) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years); Nevada 43rd in population (1980) | |
| 39 | Bob Graham (D-FL) | Former governor; Florida 7th in population (1980) | |
| 40 | Kit Bond (R-MO) | Former governor; Missouri 15th in population (1980) | |
| 41 | Kent Conrad (D-ND) | ||
| 42 | Slade Gorton (R-WA) | January 3, 1989 | Former senator |
| 43 | Trent Lott (R-MS) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (16 years) | |
| 44 | Jim Jeffords (R-VT) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years) | |
| 45 | Connie Mack III (R-FL) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years) | |
| 46 | Richard Bryan (D-NV) | Former governor (6 years) | |
| 47 | Chuck Robb (D-VA) | Former governor (4 years); Virginia 14th in population (1980) | |
| 48 | Bob Kerrey (D-NE) | Former governor (4 years); Nebraska 35th in population (1980) | |
| 49 | Herb Kohl (D-WI) | Wisconsin 16th in population (1980) | |
| 50 | Joe Lieberman (D-CT) | Connecticut 25th in population (1980) | |
| 51 | Conrad Burns (R-MT) | Montana 44th in population (1980) | |
| 52 | Daniel Akaka (D-HI) | May 16, 1990 | |
| 53 | Bob Smith (R-NH) | December 7, 1990 | |
| 54 | Larry Craig (R-ID) | January 3, 1991 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
| 55 | Paul Wellstone (D-MN) | ||
| 56 | Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) | November 10, 1992 | |
| 57 | Byron Dorgan (D-ND) | December 15, 1992 | |
| 58 | Barbara Boxer (D-CA) | January 3, 1993 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (10 years) |
| 59 | Judd Gregg (R-NH) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (8 years) | |
| 60 | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years) | |
| 61 | Paul Coverdell [b] (R-GA) | Georgia 11th in population (1990) | |
| 62 | Russ Feingold (D-WI) | Wisconsin 16th in population (1990) | |
| 63 | Patty Murray (D-WA) | Washington 18th in population (1990) | |
| 64 | Bob Bennett (R-UT) | Utah 35th in population (1990) | |
| 65 | Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) | June 14, 1993 | |
| 66 | Jim Inhofe (R-OK) | November 17, 1994 | |
| 67 | Fred Thompson (R-TN) | December 2, 1994 | |
| 68 | Olympia Snowe (R-ME) | January 3, 1995 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (16 years) |
| 69 | Mike DeWine (R-OH) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (8 years); Ohio 7th in population (1990) | |
| 70 | Jon Kyl (R-AZ) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (8 years); Arizona 24th in population (1990) | |
| 71 | Craig L. Thomas (R-WY) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years) | |
| 72 | Rick Santorum (R-PA) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years) | |
| 73 | Rod Grams (R-MN) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2 years) | |
| 74 | John Ashcroft (R-MO) | Former governor | |
| 75 | Spencer Abraham (R-MI) | Michigan 8th in population (1990) | |
| 76 | Bill Frist (R-TN) | Tennessee 17th in population (1990) | |
| 77 | Ron Wyden (D-OR) | February 6, 1996 | |
| 78 | Sam Brownback (R-KS) | November 7, 1996 | |
| 79 | Pat Roberts (R-KS) | January 3, 1997 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (16 years) |
| 80 | Dick Durbin (D-IL) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years); Illinois 6th in population (1990) | |
| 81 | Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (14 years); New Jersey 9th in population (1990) | |
| 82 | Tim Johnson (D-SD) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (10 years) | |
| 83 | Wayne Allard (R-CO) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Colorado 26th in population (1990) | |
| 84 | Jack Reed (D-RI) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years); Rhode Island 43rd in population (1990) | |
| 85 | Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years) | |
| 86 | Max Cleland (D-GA) | Georgia 11th in population (1990) | |
| 87 | Mary Landrieu (D-LA) | Louisiana 21st in population (1990) | |
| 88 | Jeff Sessions (R-AL) | Alabama 22nd in population (1990) | |
| 89 | Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) | Oregon 29th in population (1990) | |
| 90 | Chuck Hagel (R-NE) | Nebraska 36th in population (1990) | |
| 91 | Susan Collins (R-ME) | Maine 38th in population (1990) | |
| 92 | Mike Enzi (R-WY) | Wyoming 50th in population (1990) | |
| 93 | Chuck Schumer (D-NY) | January 3, 1999 | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (18 years) |
| 94 | Jim Bunning (R-KY) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (12 years) | |
| 95 | Mike Crapo (R-ID) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (6 years) | |
| 96 | Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) | Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (4 years) | |
| 97 | George Voinovich (R-OH) | Former governor; Ohio 7th in population (1990) | |
| 98 | Evan Bayh (D-IN) | Former governor; Indiana 14th in population (1990) | |
| 99 | Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) | Illinois 6th in population (1990) | |
| 100 | John Edwards (D-NC) | North Carolina 10th in population (1990) | |
| Lincoln Chafee [a] (R-RI) | November 4, 1999 | ||
| Zell Miller [b] (D-GA) | July 27, 2000 | ||
The most senior senators by class were Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) from Class 1, Strom Thurmond (R-South Carolina) from Class 2, and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) from Class 3.