This article lists all appointed United States senators since the 1913 ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which established the direct election of senators, as well as means of filling vacant Senate seats.[1]
Text of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.[1]
Filling vacancies by gubernatorial appointment followed by a proximate special election
The following 8 states allow state governors to fill Senate vacancies through appointments. However, a special election must be held within a few months of the vacancy.[2]
Filling vacancies by gubernatorial appointment through the next election
The following 38 states allow state governors to fill Senate vacancies through appointments. An appointed senator may serve out the balance of the term or until after the next statewide general election.[2]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Requires the governor to appoint a replacement senator from the same party as the previous incumbent.
1 2 3 Requires the governor to select a candidate from a list of three prospective appointees submitted by the political party of the previous incumbent.
In the past, retiring or defeated senators often resigned after the general election but before the expiration of their term due to various reasons.
One of the common reason was to allow state governors to appoint their successors to the vacated seat. This enabled their successors to gain extra seniority over other freshmen senators for the purposes of obtaining choice committee assignments. This practice ended in 1980 after both parties established new party rules that no longer gave seniority to senators who entered Congress early by being appointed to fill the vacancy just before the end of a Congress. Seniority still counted in obtaining choice of office and parking space assignments.[3][4]
In the election years of 1966, 1974 and 1978, changes to pension laws made it advantageous for senators to resign before December 31, rather than wait until their term expired in early January, contributing to the increase in the number of appointed senators.[5]
In addition, 3 senators died after the election of their successors, allowing their successors to be appointed and take office early.[6]
Number of appointed senators since the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment
There have been a total of 242 senators appointed to the United States Senate since the 1913 ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, including 200 appointments made before the next scheduled or special election and 42 appointments made of senators-elect who have already been elected to the seat.
The following is a list of individuals appointed to the Senate preceding an election. Only appointments made after the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, which established the direct election of senators, are included. The Senate Historical Office does not maintain records of senators who were appointed before the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.[7]
Tenure of appointee serving within the unexpired term[note 1]
Electoral history
List of senators-elect appointed to the Senate
The following is a list of senators-elect appointed to the Senate after being elected. Only appointments made after the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment, which established the direct election of senators, are included.
1 2 3 4 "Unexpired terms occur when there is a vacancy due to death or resignation and a senator is either appointed or elected for the term remaining." – The Term of Senator: When Does It Begin and End?Archived December 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Terms of senators who are reelected in subsequent scheduled elections are not reflected in the tenure listed in this table.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by John McCain. Martha McSally was appointed to the seat after the previous interim appointee, Jon Kyl, resigned.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by Monrad Wallgren. Harry P. Cain was appointed to the seat early after the previous interim appointee, Hugh Mitchell, lost election to a full term.
↑ Senator Strom Thurmond was originally elected as a Democrat in 1954, but as a write-in candidate, then resigned, and then won a special election in 1956 and 1960 before switching to a Republican in 1964. Thurmond won re-election as a Republican in 1966, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1990 and 1996.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by Dwight Griswold. Carl Curtis was appointed to the seat early after the previous interim appointee, Eva Bowring, retired.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by Clair Engle. George Murphy was appointed to the seat early after the previous interim appointee, Pierre Salinger, lost election to a full term.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by William B. Saxbe. John Glenn was appointed to the seat early after the previous interim appointee, Howard Metzenbaum, lost nomination to a full term.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by Lee Metcalf. Max Baucus was appointed to the seat early after the previous interim appointee, Paul G. Hatfield, lost nomination to a full term.
↑ The Senate seat was first vacated by Bob Menendez. Andy Kim will be appointed to the seat early after the previous interim appointee, George Helmy, resigns.
Related Research Articles
Lisa Ann Murkowski is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Alaska, having held the seat since 2002. She is the first woman to represent Alaska in the Senate and the Senate's second-most senior Republican woman, after Susan Collins of Maine. She became dean of Alaska's congressional delegation upon Representative Don Young's death.
Since Connecticut became a U.S. state in 1788, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, beginning with the 1st United States Congress in 1789. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Connecticut General Assembly. Each state elects varying numbers of members of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms. Connecticut has sent five members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 2000 United States Census.
Since Colorado became a U.S. state in 1876, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, beginning with the 44th United States Congress. Prior to statehood, the Colorado Territory sent non-voting delegates to the House of Representatives from 1861 to 1876. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years, and members of the House to two-year terms. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Colorado General Assembly. Each state elects a varying number of, but at least one, member of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms. Colorado has sent eight members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 2020 United States Census.
Since Idaho became a U.S. state in 1890, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, beginning with the 51st United States Congress. Prior to 1890, Idaho sent non-voting delegates to the House of Representatives from 1864 to 1889. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Idaho Legislature. Each state elects a varying number of, but at least one, member of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms. Idaho has sent two members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 1910 United States Census.
Since Utah became a U.S. state in 1896, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years. Before the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Utah State Legislature. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms, one from each of Utah's four congressional districts. Before becoming a state, the Territory of Utah elected a non-voting delegate at-large to Congress from 1850 to 1896.
These are tables of congressional delegations from Indiana to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
The 1988 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 8, 1988, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. In spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Democrats gained a net of 1 seat in the Senate. 7 seats changed parties, with 4 incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one to 55–45.
The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
The 1914 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 1914. These were the first regularly scheduled elections held following the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, which required that all seats up for election be popularly elected, rather than chosen by their state legislatures. Thus, it was the first time that elections were generally scheduled on Election Day to coincide with the U.S. House elections. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections in 1914. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. These elections occurred in the middle of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson's first term.
Paul Grattan Kirk Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 2009 to 2010, having been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ted Kennedy. From 1985 to 1989, he chaired the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Joseph Robert Goodwin is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Donald W. Norcross is an American politician and labor leader who is the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district in South Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, Norcross was first elected to this congressional seat in 2014, following the resignation of Rob Andrews. His district covers much of the New Jersey side of the Philadelphia metro area, including Camden, Cherry Hill, Lindenwold, and Glassboro.
U.S. President Barack Obama nominated over 400 individuals for federal judgeships during his presidency. Of these nominations, Congress confirmed 329 judgeships, 173 during the 111th & 112th Congresses and 156 during the 113th and 114th Congresses.
The 1796–97 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1796 and 1797, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.
Carte Patrick Goodwin is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia in 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed by Governor Joe Manchin on July 16, 2010 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Robert Byrd. He chose not to seek election to finish the unexpired term of Robert Byrd. Goodwin left office on November 15, 2010 when Joe Manchin was sworn in after being elected to the Senate.
Luther Johnson Strange III is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Alabama from 2017 to 2018. He was appointed to fill that position after it was vacated by Sen. Jeff Sessions upon Sessions's confirmation as U.S. Attorney General.
A member of the United States Senate can resign by writing a letter of resignation to the governor of the state that the senator represents. Under Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States, and under the Seventeenth Amendment, in case of a vacancy in the Senate resulting from resignation, the executive authority of the state can make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy if so authorized by the state legislature. A special election may follow depending on timing and state law. Whenever a senator needs to be appointed or elected, the Secretary of the Senate mails one of three forms to the state's governor to inform that person of the proper wording to certify the appointment of a new Senator.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
