List of most senior women in the United States Congress

Last updated December 22, 2023

Seniority in both houses of the United States Congress is valuable as it confers a number of benefits and is based on length of continuous service, with ties broken by a series of factors. The following lists the most senior women in either or both houses of Congress, sometimes called the "dean of women" in either chamber.

Synopsis

In the House, Edith Nourse Rogers, who served 35 years from 1925 to 1960 as one of the first women elected to Congress (and the first woman elected from Massachusetts), was the longest-serving female Representative upon her death in office in 1960. Her record was surpassed in 2018 by Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, who has served in the House since 1983.

In the Senate, Republican Margaret Chase Smith, who served for 23 years from 1949 to 1973 as a senator from Maine, was the longest-serving female Senator upon her retirement. Her record was surpassed in 2011 by Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, who served for 30 years from 1987 to 2017.

Across both houses of Congress, Rogers' 35 years of service from 1925 to 1960 was the longest for a female member when she died in office in 1960. Her record was surpassed in 2012 by Mikulski, who served a total of 40 years in Congress from 1977 to 2017 (10 years in the House of Representatives and 30 years in the Senate).

Maxine Waters and Eleanor Holmes Norton, both inaugurated in 1991, are the longest-serving African-American women (and women of color) in the House.
Patsy Mink, who was the dean of women in the House from 1997 to 2002, was the longest-serving Asian-American woman in the House (and Congress).
Carol Moseley-Braun is the longest-serving (and first) African-American woman (and woman of color) in the Senate.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the longest-serving Hispanic or Latina American woman in the House.
Edith Nourse Rogers is the longest-serving Republican woman in the House.
Catherine Cortez Masto is the longest-serving Hispanic or Latina American woman in the Senate.
Tammy Baldwin is the longest-serving LGBT woman in both the House and Senate.
Nita Lowey is the longest-serving Jewish-American woman in the House.
Dianne Feinstein is the longest-serving (and first) Jewish-American woman in the Senate.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, both inaugurated in 2019, are the first and longest-serving Muslim women in the House (and in Congress).

Women of the House of Representatives

Image	Name (lifespan)	Party	District	Entered the House	Became most senior woman	Tenure ended	Total Tenure	Tenure as Dean	Notes
	Jeannette Rankin (1880–1973)	Republican	Montana at-large	March 4, 1917	Upon taking office	March 4, 1919	2 years, 0 days	2 years, 0 days	First woman elected to a national office Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate election in Montana, 1918 Later served another two-year term from January 3, 1941 –January 3, 1943
House vacant of women (March 4, 1919-March 4, 1921)
	Alice Robertson (1854–1931)	Republican	Oklahoma's 2nd	March 4, 1921	Upon taking office	March 4, 1923	2 years, 0 days	2 years, 0 days	First woman to defeat an incumbent congressman Lost reelection
	Mae Nolan (1886–1973)	Republican	California's 5th	January 23, 1923	March 4, 1923	March 4, 1925	2 years, 40 days	2 years, 0 days	Succeeded her husband Retired
	Florence Kahn (1866–1948)	Republican	California's 4th	March 4, 1925	Upon taking office	January 3, 1937	11 years, 305 days	11 years, 305 days	First woman to be reelected First Jewish woman elected Succeeded her husband Lost reelection
	Mary Norton (1875–1959)	Democratic	New Jersey's 12th & 13th	March 4, 1925	January 3, 1937	January 3, 1951	25 years, 305 days	14 years, 0 days	First Democratic woman elected First woman to chair a standing committee (House District of Columbia Committee) Redistricted Retired
	Edith Rogers (1881–1960)	Republican	Massachusetts's 5th	June 30, 1925	January 3, 1951	September 10, 1960	35 years, 72 days	9 years, 251 days	Succeeded her husband First Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee Second-longest serving woman in the House Died in office
	Frances P. Bolton (1885–1977)	Republican	Ohio's 22nd	February 27, 1940	September 10, 1960	January 3, 1969	28 years, 311 days	8 years, 115 days	Succeeded her husband Lost reelection
	Leonor Sullivan (1902–1988)	Democratic	Missouri's 3rd	January 3, 1953	January 3, 1969	January 3, 1977	24 years, 0 days	8 years, 0 days	Succeeded her husband (though not immediately) First woman Chair of the House Merchant Marine Committee Retired
	Margaret Heckler (1931–2018)	Republican	Massachusetts's 10th	January 3, 1967	January 3, 1977	January 3, 1983	16 years, 0 days	6 years, 0 days	Lost reelection Later became United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and United States Ambassador to Ireland
	Marjorie Holt (1920–2018)	Republican	Maryland's 4th	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1983	January 3, 1987	14 years, 0 days	4 years, 0 days	Retired
	Patricia Schroeder (born 1940)	Democratic	Colorado's 1st	January 3, 1973	January 3, 1987	January 3, 1997	24 years, 0 days	10 years, 0 days	Retired
	Patsy Mink (1927–2002)	Democratic	Hawaii's at-large & 2nd	January 3, 1965	January 3, 1997	January 3, 1977	24 years, 249 days	5 years, 268 days	First woman of color elected Redistricted Ran for President of the United States in the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1972 (Oregon only) First Asian American woman to run for President Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1976 Later became Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs First dean of color of women in Congress Died in office
	Patsy Mink (1927–2002)	Democratic	Hawaii's 2nd	September 22, 1990	January 3, 1997	September 28, 2002	24 years, 249 days	5 years, 268 days
	Marge Roukema (1929–2014)	Republican	New Jersey's 7th & 5th	January 3, 1981	September 28, 2002	January 3, 2003	22 years, 0 days	97 days	Redistricted Retired
	Nancy Johnson (born 1935)	Republican	Connecticut's 6th & 5th	January 3, 1983	January 3, 2003	January 3, 2007	24 years, 0 days	4 years, 0 days	Redistricted Lost reelection
	Marcy Kaptur (born 1946)	Democratic	Ohio's 9th	January 3, 1983	January 3, 2007	present	40 years, 352 days	16 years, 352 days	Current dean of women in Congress Longest-serving woman in the House Most senior female representative ever (#4 on the seniority list)

Women of the Senate

Image	Name (lifespan)	Party	State	Entered the Senate	Became most senior woman	Tenure ended	Total Tenure	Tenure as Dean	Notes
	Rebecca Felton (1835–1930)	Democratic	Georgia	November 21, 1922	Upon taking office	November 22, 1922	1 day	1 day	First woman to serve in the Senate Appointment ended
Senate vacant of women (November 22, 1922–December 9, 1931)
	Hattie Caraway (1878–1950)	Democratic	Arkansas	December 9, 1931	Upon taking office	January 3, 1945	13 years, 25 days	13 years, 25 days	First woman to win reelection to the Senate Lost renomination
Senate vacant of women (January 3, 1945–October 6, 1948)
	Vera C. Bushfield (1889–1976)	Republican	South Dakota	October 6, 1948	Upon taking office	December 26, 1948	81 days	81 days	First Republican woman to serve in the Senate Appointment ended
Senate vacant of women (December 26, 1948–January 3, 1949)
	Margaret C. Smith (1897–1995)	Republican	Maine	January 3, 1949	Upon taking office	January 3, 1973	24 years, 0 days	24 years, 0 days	Lost reelection
Senate vacant of women (January 3, 1973–January 25, 1978)
	Muriel Humphrey (1912–1998)	Democratic	Minnesota	January 25, 1978	Upon taking office	November 7, 1978	286 days	286 days	Appointment ended
Senate vacant of women (November 7, 1978–December 23, 1978)
	Nancy Kassebaum (born 1932)	Republican	Kansas	December 23, 1978^[1]	Upon taking office	January 3, 1997	18 years, 11 days	18 years, 11 days	Retired
	Barbara Mikulski (born 1936)	Democratic	Maryland	January 3, 1987	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2017	30 years, 0 days	20 years, 0 days	Retired
	Dianne Feinstein (1933–2023)	Democratic	California	November 10, 1992	January 3, 2017	September 28, 2023	30 years, 322 days	6 years, 268 days	Died in office
	Patty Murray (born 1950)	Democratic	Washington	January 3, 1993	September 28, 2023	present	30 years, 352 days	84 days	Longest-serving woman in the Senate Most senior female senator ever (#3 on the seniority list) First female president pro tempore

Most senior by party

Senate

Republican

Democratic

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References

↑ Predecessor resigned early to give successor seniority advantage, so the senator was appointed for the few days prior to the commencement of the elected term

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[seniority_advantage-1] Predecessor resigned early to give successor seniority advantage, so the senator was appointed for the few days prior to the commencement of the elected term

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List of most senior women in the United States Congress

Contents

Synopsis

Women of the House of Representatives

Women of the Senate

Most senior by party

House

Republican

Democratic

Senate

Republican

Democratic

See also

Related Research Articles

References