Resignation from the United States Senate

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. ^[1] 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 (today known in every state as the governor) 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. ^[2]

The first resignation from the Senate was that of William Paterson of New Jersey on November 13, 1790, who resigned in order to accept the office of Governor of New Jersey.^{[ citation needed ]} His resignation was only the third time a person ceased to hold a seat in the Senate, which had first convened during the preceding year, 1789. The earlier ones resulted from the death of Senator William Grayson of Virginia, and the expiration of the term of the temporary senator John Walker of Virginia, who was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to hold that office until a successor could be elected in November.^{[ citation needed ]}

Before 1796, eight senators resigned. Nine senators resigned during that year—a record-high number that stands to this day.^{[ citation needed ]} Most resignations have been motivated either by declining health or a decision to accept another office.^{[ citation needed ]} Sixteen persons have resigned from the Senate twice and two have resigned three times.^{[ citation needed ]}

1789 to 1799

Name	State	Date of resignation	Notes
William Paterson	New Jersey	November 13, 1790	Resigned to become Governor of New Jersey
Samuel Johnson	Connecticut	March 3, 1791
Richard Lee	Virginia	October 8, 1792
Charles Carroll	Maryland	November 30, 1792
George Read	Delaware	September 18, 1793
James Monroe	Virginia	March 27, 1794
John Taylor of Caroline	Virginia	May 11, 1794
James Jackson	Georgia	November 16, 1795
Oliver Ellsworth	Connecticut	March 8, 1796
Rufus King	New York	May 23, 1796
Caleb Strong	Massachusetts	June 1, 1796
George Cabot	Massachusetts	June 9, 1796
Jonathan Trumbull Jr.	Connecticut	June 10, 1796
Moses Robinson	Vermont	October 15, 1796
Richard Potts	Maryland	October 24, 1796
Pierce Butler	South Carolina	October 25, 1796
Frederick Frelinghuysen	New Jersey	November 12, 1796
William Cocke	Tennessee	September 26, 1797
William Bradford	Rhode Island	October ??, 1797
Isaac Tichenor	Vermont	October 17, 1797	Resigned to become Governor of Vermont [3]
John Henry	Maryland	December 10, 1797
Philip Schuyler	New York	January 3, 1798
John Vining	Delaware	January 19, 1798
Andrew Jackson	Tennessee	April 1, 1798
John Sloss Hobart	New York	April 16, 1798
John Hunter	South Carolina	November 26, 1798
John Rutherfurd	New Jersey	December 5, 1798
Joseph Anderson	Tennessee	March 3, 1799

1800 to 1849

Name	State	Date of resignation	Notes
Samuel Dexter	Massachusetts	May 30, 1800	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of War [4]
John Laurance	New York	August 1, 1800
Benjamin Goodhue	Massachusetts	November 8, 1800
James Lloyd	Maryland	December 1, 1800
James Schureman	New Jersey	February 16, 1801
Henry Latimer	Delaware	February 28, 1801
Ray Greene	Rhode Island	March 5, 1801
Charles Pinckney	South Carolina	June 6, 1801
Samuel Livermore	New Hampshire	June 12, 1801
Elijah Paine	Vermont	September 1, 1801
John Armstrong Jr.	New York	February 5, 1802
James Sheafe	New Hampshire	June 14, 1802
Dwight Foster	Massachusetts	March 2, 1803
DeWitt Clinton	New York	November 4, 1803
Theodorus Bailey	New York	January 16, 1804
John Armstrong Jr.	New York	February 23, 1804
Abraham B. Venable	Virginia	June 7, 1804
John Armstrong Jr.	New York	June 30, 1804
William H. Wells	Delaware	November 6, 1804
William Giles	Virginia	December 3, 1804
Andrew Moore	Virginia	December 3, 1804	Resigned his Class 2 senatorship when elected to fill a vacant Class 1 senatorship
John Breckinridge	Kentucky	August 7, 1805
Robert Wright	Maryland	November 12, 1806
John Adair	Kentucky	November 18, 1806
David Stone	North Carolina	February 17, 1807
James Fenner	Rhode Island	September ??, 1807
Israel Smith	Vermont	October 1, 1807
John Smith	Ohio	April 25, 1808	Resigned after being indicted but not expelled in a 19–10 vote [5]
John Quincy Adams	Massachusetts	June 8, 1808
Samuel Maclay	Pennsylvania	January 4, 1809
Aaron Kitchell	New Jersey	March 3, 1809
Daniel Smith	Tennessee	March 31, 1809
John Milledge	Georgia	November 14, 1809
Buckner Thruston	Kentucky	December 18, 1809
Nahum Parker	New Hampshire	June 1, 1810
James Hillhouse	Connecticut	June 10, 1810
Return J. Meigs Jr.	Ohio	December 8, 1810
Thomas Sumter	South Carolina	December 16, 1810
Jenkin Whiteside	Tennessee	October 8, 1811
Christopher Champlin	Rhode Island	October 12, 1811
Jean Noel Destréhan	Louisiana	October 1, 1812
James Bayard	Delaware	March 3, 1813
Dudley Chase	Vermont	March 3, 1813
William Crawford	Georgia	March 23, 1813
James Lloyd	Massachusetts	May 1, 1813
Chauncey Goodrich	Connecticut	May 13, 1813
George W. Campbell	Tennessee	February 11, 1814
Michael Leib	Pennsylvania	February 14, 1814
George Bibb	Kentucky	August 23, 1814
Thomas Worthington	Ohio	December 1, 1814
Jesse Bledsoe	Kentucky	December 24, 1814
David Stone	North Carolina	December 24, 1814
William Giles	Virginia	March 3, 1815
Francis Locke Jr.	North Carolina	December 5, 1815
William T. Barry	Kentucky	May 1, 1816
Christopher Gore	Massachusetts	May 30, 1816
John Taylor	South Carolina	November ??, 1816
Wyatt Bibb	Georgia	November 9, 1816
James Turner	North Carolina	November 21, 1816
Goodloe Harper	Maryland	December 6, 1816
Jeremiah Mason	New Hampshire	June 16, 1817
James Fisk	Vermont	January 8, 1818
George W. Campbell	Tennessee	April 20, 1818
Eli Ashmun	Massachusetts	May 10, 1818
George Troup	Georgia	September 23, 1818
John Forsyth	Georgia	February 17, 1819
John J. Crittenden	Kentucky	March 3, 1819
John Wayles Eppes	Virginia	December 4, 1819
Prentiss Mellen	Massachusetts	May 15, 1820
Walter Leake	Mississippi	May 15, 1820
William Logan	Kentucky	May 28, 1820
James Wilson	New Jersey	January 8, 1821
Freeman Walker	Georgia	August 6, 1821
Harrison Gray Otis	Massachusetts	May 30, 1822
John Williams Walker	Alabama	December 12, 1822
James Pleasants	Virginia	December 15, 1822
Caesar Augustus Rodney	Delaware	January 29, 1823
Samuel Southard	New Jersey	March 3, 1823
James Brown	Louisiana	December 10, 1823
Ninian Edwards	Illinois	March 3, 1824
Henry Johnson	Louisiana	May 27, 1824
James Barbour	Virginia	March 7, 1825
David Holmes	Mississippi	September 25, 1825
Andrew Jackson	Tennessee	October 14, 1825
James DeWolf	Rhode Island	October 31, 1825
Edward Lloyd	Maryland	January 14, 1826
James Lloyd	Massachusetts	May 23, 1826
Henry Harrison	Ohio	May 20, 1828
Albion Parris	Maine	August 26, 1828
Thomas Cobb	Georgia	November 7, 1828
Nathaniel Macon	North Carolina	December 14, 1828
Ephraim Bateman	New Jersey	January 12, 1829
Mahlon Dickerson	New Jersey	January 30, 1829
John Berrien	Georgia	March 9, 1829
John Branch	North Carolina	March 9, 1829
John Eaton	Tennessee	March 9, 1829
Louis McLane	Delaware	April 16, 1829
Edward Livingston	Louisiana	May 24, 1831
Issac Barnard	Pennsylvania	December 6, 1831
Powhatan Ellis	Mississippi	July 16, 1832
Littleton Tazewell	Virginia	July 16, 1832
Robert Hayne	South Carolina	December 13, 1832
William Marcy	New York	January 1, 1833
George Troup	Georgia	November 8, 1833
William Rives	Virginia	February 22, 1834
John Forsyth	Georgia	June 27, 1834
Ezekiel Chambers	Maryland	December 20, 1834
Peleg Sprague	Maine	January 1, 1835
Charles Gayarré	Louisiana	January ??, 1836
John Tyler	Virginia	February 29, 1836
Ether Shepley	Maine	March 3, 1836
Willie Mangum	North Carolina	March 19, 1836
Isaac Hill	New Hampshire	May 30, 1836
Arnold Naudain	Delaware	June 16, 1836
Benjamin Leigh	Virginia	July 4, 1836
John Clayton	Delaware	December 29, 1836
Alexander Porter	Louisiana	January 5, 1837
Richard Parker	Virginia	March 13, 1837
John McKinley	Alabama	April 22, 1837
Pendleton King	Georgia	November 1, 1837
John Black	Mississippi	January 22, 1838
Felix Grundy	Tennessee	July 4, 1838
James F. Trotter	Mississippi	July 10, 1838
Ephraim Foster	Tennessee	March 3, 1839
Richard Bayard	Delaware	September 19, 1839
Lawson White	Tennessee	January 13, 1840
Robert Strange	North Carolina	November 16, 1840
Bedford Brown	North Carolina	November 16, 1840
John Davis	Massachusetts	January 5, 1841
Daniel Webster	Massachusetts	February 22, 1841	Resigned to become United States Secretary of State [6]
Comer Clay	Alabama	November 15, 1841
Franklin Pierce	New Hampshire	February 28, 1842
Alexander Mouton	Louisiana	March 1, 1842
Henry Clay	Kentucky	March 31, 1842
Samuel Prentiss	Vermont	April 11, 1842
Samuel Southard	New Jersey	June 26, 1842
Reuel Williams	Maine	February 15, 1843
John Calhoun	South Carolina	March 3, 1843
William Sprague	Rhode Island	January 17, 1844
William King	Alabama	April 15, 1844
Nathaniel Tallmadge	New York	June 17, 1844
Silas Wright Jr.	New York	November 26, 1844
John Berrien	Georgia	March 1, 1845
Elliot Huger	South Carolina	March 3, 1845
Levi Woodbury	New Hampshire	September 20, 1845
William Haywood Jr.	North Carolina	July 25, 1846
Walter Colquitt	Georgia	February 4, 1848
Ambrose Sevier	Arkansas	March 15, 1848
Lewis Cass	Michigan	May 29, 1848
John Crittenden	Kentucky	June 12, 1848
Arthur Bagby	Alabama	June 16, 1848
John Clayton	Delaware	February 2, 1849
Reverdy Johnson	Maryland	March 7, 1849

1850 to 1899

Name	State	Party	Date of resignation	Notes
Daniel Webster	Massachusetts	Whig	July 22, 1850	Resigned again to again take office as United States Secretary of State [7]
Jefferson Davis	Mississippi	Democratic	September 23, 1851	Resigned to run for Governor of Mississippi
Robert Rhett	South Carolina	Democratic	May 7, 1852
John Berrien	Georgia	Whig	May 28, 1852
William R. King	Alabama	Democratic	December 20, 1852	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Robert Stockton	New Jersey	Democratic	January 10, 1853	Resigned to serve as president of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company
Solon Borland	Arkansas	Democratic	April 11, 1853	Resigned on being appointed as United States Minister to Nicaragua
Pierre Soulé	Louisiana	Democratic	April 11, 1853	Resigned on being appointed as United States Minister to Spain
Edward Everett	Massachusetts	Whig	June 1, 1854	Resigned due to ill health
Augustus C. Dodge	Iowa	Democratic	February 22, 1855	Resigned on being appointed as United States Minister to Spain
Hannibal Hamlin	Maine	Republican	January 7, 1857	Resigned to take office as Governor of Maine
Asa Biggs	North Carolina	Democratic	May 5, 1858	Resigned to take office as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of North Carolina
Thomas Lanier Clingman	North Carolina	Democratic	May 7, 1858
Hannibal Hamlin	Maine	Republican	January 17, 1861	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Jefferson Davis	Mississippi	Democratic	January 21, 1861	Resigned because State seceded from the Union. Subsequently elected Major General of the Mississippi Militia and President of the Confederate States of America.
John Slidell	Louisiana	Democratic	February 4, 1861	Resigned because State seceded from the Union.
Thomas Bragg	North Carolina	Democratic	March 6, 1861	Resigned because State seceded from the Union.
Salmon P. Chase	Ohio	Republican	March 6, 1861	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Andrew Johnson	Tennessee	Democratic	March 4, 1862	Resigned to take office as Military Governor of Tennessee
James F. Simmons	Rhode Island	Republican	August 15, 1862	Resigned after a case for expulsion for corruption was declined [8]
Waitman T. Willey	Virginia	Unionist	March 3, 1863	Resigned to become Senator of newly created West Virginia.
James A. Bayard Jr.	Delaware	Democratic	January 29, 1864	Resigned in protest of new Senate Loyalty Oath [9]
William P. Fessenden	Maine	Republican	July 1, 1864	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
James Harlan	Iowa	Republican	May 15, 1865	Resigned to take office as the United States Secretary of the Interior
Daniel Clark	New Hampshire	Republican	July 27, 1866	Resigned to take office as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
James Gurthrie	Kentucky	Democratic	February 7, 1868	Resigned due to ill health [10]
Reverdy Johnson	Maryland	Democratic	July 10, 1868
James W. Grimes	Iowa	Republican	December 6, 1869	Resigned due to ill health [11]
Charles D. Drake	Missouri	Republican	December 19, 1870	Resigned to take office as Chief Justice of the United States Court of Claims
William Pitt Kellogg	Louisiana	Republican	November 1, 1872	Resigned to take office as Governor of Louisiana
Henry Wilson	Massachusetts	Republican	March 3, 1873	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Alexander Caldwell	Kansas	Republican	March 24, 1873	Resigned before a vote could be taken on his expulsion for corruption [12]
Eugene Casserly	California	Democratic	November 29, 1873
Adelbert Ames	Mississippi	Republican	January 4, 1874	Resigned to take office as Governor of Mississippi
Lot M. Morrill	Maine	Republican	July 7, 1876	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
John Sherman	Ohio	Republican	March 8, 1877	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury [4]
Isaac P. Christiancy	Michigan	Republican	February 10, 1879	Resigned due to ill health [13]
John Brown Gordon	Georgia	Democratic	May 26, 1880
James G. Blaine	Maine	Republican	March 5, 1881	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Samuel J. Kirkwood	Iowa	Republican	March 7, 1881	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Interior
William Windom	Minnesota	Republican	March 7, 1881	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Roscoe Conkling	New York	Republican	May 16, 1881	Resigned in protest of the appointment of a New York City customs collector by President James A. Garfield [14]
Thomas Platt	New York	Republican	May 16, 1881	Resigned in support of fellow Senator Conkling's protest [14]
Henry M. Teller	Colorado	Republican	April 17, 1882	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Interior
Augustus Hill Garland	Arkansas	Democratic	March 6, 1885	Resigned to take office as United States Attorney General
Thomas F. Bayard	Delaware	Democratic	March 6, 1885	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Howell Edmunds Jackson	Tennessee	Democratic	April 14, 1886	Resigned to take office as a judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit
Jonathan Chace	Rhode Island	Republican	April 9, 1889
John Henninger Reagan	Texas	Democratic	June 10, 1891	Resigned to take office as the chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas [15]
John Carlisle	Kentucky	Democratic	February 4, 1893	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Edward Douglass White	Louisiana	Democratic	March 12, 1894	Resigned to take office as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
John Sherman	Ohio	Republican	March 4, 1897	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State

1900 to 1949

Name	State	Party	Date of resignation	Notes
William A. Clark	Montana	Democratic	May 15, 1900	Resigned before a Senate vote on declaring his election void due to bribery [16]
Charles W. Fairbanks	Indiana	Republican	March 3, 1905	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Joseph Burton	Kansas	Republican	June 4, 1906	Resigned following corruption charges ( Burton v. United States ) [17]
John Coit Spooner	Wisconsin	Republican	April 30, 1907
Philander C. Knox	Pennsylvania	Republican	March 4, 1909	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Fountain L. Thompson	North Dakota	Democratic	January 31, 1910
Joseph M. Terrell	Georgia	Democratic	July 14, 1911	Resigned for health reasons
Joseph Weldon Bailey	Texas	Democratic	January 3, 1913
Warren G. Harding	Ohio	Republican	January 13, 1921	First President of the United States to be elected during his term as a Senator
John F. Nugent	Idaho	Democratic	January 14, 1921	Resigned to take office as a member of the Federal Trade Commission
Albert B. Fall	New Mexico	Republican	March 4, 1921	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Interior
Josiah O. Wolcott	Delaware	Democratic	July 2, 1921	Resigned to take office as Chancellor of Delaware
William Kenyon	Iowa	Republican	February 24, 1922	Resigned to take office as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
Truman Newberry	Michigan	Republican	November 18, 1922 [17]	Resigned after being condemned for violating campaign financing rules [18]
Frank L. Smith	Illinois	Republican	February 9, 1928	Resigned after the Senate voted to refuse to seat him due to fraud and corruption [19]
T. Coleman du Pont	Delaware	Republican	December 8, 1928	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Charles Curtis	Kansas	Republican	March 3, 1929	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Evans Edge	New Jersey	Republican	November 21, 1929	Resigned to take office as United States Ambassador to France
Frederic M. Sackett	Kentucky	Republican	January 9, 1930	Resigned to take office as United States Ambassador to Germany
Cordell Hull	Tennessee	Democratic	March 3, 1933	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Claude A. Swanson	Virginia	Democratic	March 3, 1933	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Navy
Sam G. Bratton	New Mexico	Democratic	June 24, 1933	Resigned to take office as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
Hugo Black	Alabama	Democratic	August 19, 1937	Resigned to take office as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court
Dixie Bibb Graves	Alabama	Democratic	January 10, 1938
Harry Moore	New Jersey	Democratic	January 17, 1938	Resigned to take office as Governor of New Jersey
Frederick Steiwer	Oregon	Republican	January 31, 1938
William Gibbs McAdoo	California	Democratic	November 8, 1938
Matthew M. Neely	West Virginia	Democratic	January 12, 1941	Resigned to take office as Governor of West Virginia
John E. Miller	Arkansas	Democratic	March 31, 1941	Resigned to take office as a federal judge on the District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
James Byrnes	South Carolina	Democratic	July 8, 1941	Resigned to take office as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.	Massachusetts	Republican	February 3, 1944	Resigned to return to active duty in the United States Army during the Second World War
Homer Bone	Washington	Democratic	November 13, 1944	Resigned to take office as Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Sinclair Weeks	Massachusetts	Republican	December 19, 1944
Monrad Wallgren	Washington	Democratic	January 9, 1945	Resigned to take office as Governor of Washington
Harry Truman	Missouri	Democratic	January 17, 1945	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Harold Burton	Ohio	Republican	September 30, 1945	Resigned to take office as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court
Happy Chandler	Kentucky	Democratic	November 1, 1945	Resigned to become Commissioner of Baseball
Warren Austin	Vermont	Republican	August 2, 1946	Resigned to take office as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Hugh Mitchell	Washington	Democratic	December 25, 1946	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Vera Bushfield	South Dakota	Republican	December 26, 1948	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Alben Barkley	Kentucky	Democratic	January 19, 1949	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Robert Wagner	New York	Democratic	June 28, 1949	Resigned due to health reasons
Howard McGrath	Rhode Island	Democratic	August 23, 1949	Resigned to take office as United States Attorney General
Raymond Baldwin	Connecticut	Republican	December 16, 1949	Resigned to take office as an associate justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors

1950 to 1999

Name	State	Party	Date of resignation	Notes
Sheridan Downey	California	Democratic	November 30, 1950	Resigned due to health reasons
Ralph Brewster	Maine	Republican	December 31, 1952
Richard Nixon	California	Republican	January 1, 1953	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Charles Daniel	South Carolina	Democratic	December 23, 1954	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Hazel Abel	Nebraska	Republican	December 31, 1954	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Strom Thurmond	South Carolina	Democratic	April 4, 1956 [20]	Resigned to fulfill a pledge to contest a full election after first being chosen as a write-in candidate
Price Daniel	Texas	Democratic	January 14, 1957 [21]	Resigned to take office as Governor of Texas
John F. Kennedy	Massachusetts	Democratic	December 22, 1960	Resigned to take office as President of the United States [22]
Lyndon Johnson	Texas	Democratic	January 3, 1961 [23]	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States [22]
Hubert Humphrey	Minnesota	Democratic	December 29, 1964	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Pierre Salinger	California	Democratic	December 31, 1964	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Harry Byrd	Virginia	Democratic	November 10, 1965	Resigned due to health reasons [24]
John Williams	Delaware	Republican	December 31, 1970	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
George Murphy	California	Republican	January 2, 1971	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
William Saxbe	Ohio	Republican	January 3, 1974	Resigned to take office as United States Attorney General [25]
Alan Bible	Nevada	Democratic	December 17, 1974	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Wallace Bennett	Utah	Republican	December 20, 1974	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor [26]
Howard Metzenbaum	Ohio	Democratic	December 23, 1974	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Marlow Cook	Kentucky	Republican	December 27, 1974	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
J. William Fulbright	Arkansas	Democratic	December 31, 1974
Edward Gurney	Florida	Republican	December 31, 1974	Resigned after declining to seek re-election while under indictment in an influence peddling scandal [27]
Sam Ervin	North Carolina	Democratic	December 31, 1974
Roman Hruska	Nebraska	Republican	December 27, 1976	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Stuart Symington	Missouri	Democratic	December 27, 1976	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
John Pastore	Rhode Island	Democratic	December 28, 1976	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Walter Mondale	Minnesota	Democratic	December 30, 1976 [28]	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Paul Hatfield	Montana	Democratic	December 12, 1978	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
James Pearson	Kansas	Republican	December 23, 1978	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
James Eastland	Mississippi	Democratic	December 27, 1978	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Wendell Anderson	Minnesota	Democratic	December 29, 1978	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Clifford Hansen	Wyoming	Republican	December 31, 1978	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Edmund Muskie	Maine	Democratic	May 7, 1980	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State [4]
John Durkin	New Hampshire	Democratic	December 29, 1980	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Richard Stone	Florida	Democratic	December 31, 1980	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Harrison A. Williams	New Jersey	Democratic	March 11, 1982 [17]	Resigned after conviction of bribery in the Abscam scandal ahead of a vote on his expulsion
Nicholas F. Brady	New Jersey	Republican	December 27, 1982	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Paul Tsongas	Massachusetts	Democratic	January 2, 1985	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor and due to health reasons
Dan Quayle	Indiana	Republican	January 3, 1989	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Gordon J. Humphrey	New Hampshire	Republican	December 4, 1990	Resigned to take seat in New Hampshire Senate
Pete Wilson	California	Republican	January 7, 1991	Resigned to take office as Governor of California
Kent Conrad	North Dakota	Democratic	December 14, 1992	Resigned after winning a special election to fill North Dakota's other Senate seat
Al Gore	Tennessee	Democratic	January 2, 1993	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States.
Lloyd Bentsen	Texas	Democratic	January 20, 1993	Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury [4]
David Boren	Oklahoma	Democratic	December 15, 1994	Resigned to become President of the University of Oklahoma. [29]
Bob Packwood	Oregon	Republican	October 1, 1995	Resigned after the Senate Ethics Committee recommended his expulsion for ethical misconduct
Bob Dole	Kansas	Republican	June 11, 1996	Resigned to run for President of the United States [30]

2000 to present

Name	State	Party	Date of resignation	Notes
Phil Gramm	Texas	Republican	November 30, 2002	Resigned to allow early appointment of successor.
Frank Murkowski	Alaska	Republican	December 2, 2002	Resigned to become Governor of Alaska.
Jon Corzine	New Jersey	Democratic	January 17, 2006	Resigned to become Governor of New Jersey.
Trent Lott	Mississippi	Republican	December 18, 2007	Resigned to pursue a private-sector career. [31]
Barack Obama	Illinois	Democratic	November 16, 2008	Resigned to take office as President of the United States. [32]
Joe Biden	Delaware	Democratic	January 15, 2009	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States.
Ken Salazar	Colorado	Democratic	January 20, 2009	Resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior.
Hillary Clinton	New York	Democratic	January 21, 2009	Resigned to become United States Secretary of State. [33]
Mel Martínez	Florida	Republican	September 9, 2009	Resigned early after declining to seek re-election. [34]
John Ensign	Nevada	Republican	May 3, 2011	Resigned during a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into events surrounding an extramarital affair. [35]
Jim DeMint	South Carolina	Republican	January 1, 2013	Resigned to become President of The Heritage Foundation.
John Kerry	Massachusetts	Democratic	February 1, 2013	Resigned to become United States Secretary of State.
Max Baucus	Montana	Democratic	February 6, 2014	Resigned to become Ambassador to China.
Tom Coburn	Oklahoma	Republican	January 3, 2015	Announced on January 16, 2014 and resigned at the end of 113th Congress, [36] so a special election to choose his successor could be held in conjunction with the regular election.
Jeff Sessions	Alabama	Republican	February 8, 2017	Resigned to become United States Attorney General.
Al Franken	Minnesota	Democratic	January 2, 2018	Resigned after allegations of sexual harassment. He said he expected that an investigation would clear him but he could not do his job and undergo investigation at the same time. [37] [38]
Thad Cochran	Mississippi	Republican	April 1, 2018	Resigned because of health issues. [39]
Jon Kyl	Arizona	Republican	December 31, 2018	Resigned so that a "new appointee can begin the new term with all other Senators." [40] Kyl was previously appointed to fill the seat left vacant by the death of John McCain.
Johnny Isakson	Georgia	Republican	December 31, 2019	Resigned because of health issues. [41]
Kamala Harris	California	Democratic	January 18, 2021	Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States.
Jim Inhofe	Oklahoma	Republican	January 3, 2023	Announced on February 24, 2022 and resigned at the end of the 117th Congress, [42] so a special election to choose his successor could be held in conjunction with the regular election.
Ben Sasse	Nebraska	Republican	January 8, 2023	Announced on October 6, 2022 and resigned to become President of the University of Florida. [43]

References

1. Lalor, John Joseph (1893). Cyclopaedia of Political Science, Political Economy, and of the Political History of the United States. Vol. 3. C.E. Merrill & Company. p. 614. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
2. "The Term of A Senator – When Does It Begin and End? – Senate 98-29" (PDF). United States Senate. United States Printing Office. pp. 14–15. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
3. "TICHENOR, Isaac – Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
4. "1787: From the Senate to the Cabinet, May 13, 1800". United States Senate. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
5. "1801: John Smith Resigns Under Fire – April 25, 1808". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
6. "1801: Daniel Webster Quits the Senate – July 22, 1850". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
7. "U.S. Senate: 1801: Speech Costs Senator his Seat – March 7, 1850". United States Senate. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
8. "U.S. Senate: James Simmons expulsion case". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
9. "1851: Senator Resigns to Protest Civil War Loyalty Oath – January 29, 1864". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
10. "GUTHRIE, James, (1792 - 1869)". Biographical Directory United States Congress. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
11. "GRIMES, James Wilson, (1816 - 1872)". Biographical Directory United States Congress. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
12. "The Election Case of Samuel C. Pomeroy and Alexander Caldwell of Kansas (1873)". United States Senate. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
13. "CHRISTIANCY, Isaac Peckham, (1812 - 1890)". Biographical Directory United States Congress. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
14. "1878: Both New York Senators Resign – May 16, 1881". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
15. Senate, United States Congress (1903). Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 48.
16. "The Election Case of William A. Clark of Montana (1900)". United States Senate. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
17. "U.S. Senate: Expulsion and Censure". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
18. "1921: Senator Condemned for Excessive Campaign Expenditures – January 12, 1922". United States Senate. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
19. "The Election Case of Frank L. Smith of Illinois (1928)". United States Senate. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
20. "The Term of A Senator – When Does It Begin and End? – Senate 98–29" (PDF). United States Senate. United States Printing Office. p. 5. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
21. "The Term of A Senator – When Does It Begin and End? – Senate 98–29" (PDF). United States Senate. United States Printing Office. p. 9. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
22. "1941: Two Senators to the White House". United States Senate. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
23. "The Term of A Senator – When Does It Begin and End? – Senate 98–29" (PDF). United States Senate. United States Printing Office. p. 11. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
24. Ayers, B. Drummond (October 20, 1976). "Virginia, a State With Many Changes, is Still Expected to Return Byrd to the Senate". The New York Times .
25. "Attorney General: William Bart Saxbe". United States Department of Justice . 23 October 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
26. "Wallace Bennett, Ex-Senator, 95; Utah Republican Served 24 Years". The New York Times . December 20, 1993.
27. Leithauser, Tom (May 22, 1996). "Ex-senator Ed Gurney Dies". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
28. "The Term of A Senator – When Does It Begin and End? – Senate 98–29" (PDF). United States Senate. United States Printing Office. p. 13. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
29. Boren, David (May 13, 1994). "Why I Am Leaving the Senate". The New York Times . Retrieved June 16, 2008.
30. "Senator Dole Resignation – Video – C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
31. Kane, Paul (November 27, 2007). "Lott Will Quit Senate Next Month". The Washington Post.
32. Obama, Barack (November 8, 2008). Barack Obama's letter of resignation from the Senate  – via Wikisource.
33. Tumulty, Brian (January 21, 2009). "Clinton sworn in at State Dept. and then resigns Senate". The Journal News. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
34. Kraushaar, Josh (August 7, 2009). "Martinez: Time to 'move on'". Politico.
35. "Sen. Ensign says he will resign on May 3". CNN International. April 21, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
36. Everett, Burgess; Burns, Alexander (January 16, 2014). "Coburn won't serve out Senate term". Politico.
37. Rao, Maya (January 3, 2018). "Al Franken submits resignation letter to Senate; Tina Smith ready to step in". Star Tribune . Washington, D.C. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
38. Jennifer Brooks [@stribrooks] (January 2, 2018). "Sen. Al Franken's letter of resignation to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton. Franken resigned at noon today, Minnesota time" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
39. Pender, Geoff; Berry, Deborah Barfield (March 5, 2018). "Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran announces he will retire April 1, citing health issues". USA Today . Washington, D.C. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
40. Arkin, James (December 14, 2018). "Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl to resign, prompting new appointment to McCain seat". Politico . Retrieved August 16, 2020.
41. Everett, Burgess (August 28, 2019). "Sen. Johnny Isakson to resign at end of the year". Politico . Retrieved August 16, 2020.
42. Beavers, Olivia; Everett, Burgess (24 February 2022). "Inhofe to retire from Senate, teeing up special election in Oklahoma". Politico. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
43. Thorp V, Frank; Wong, Scott (October 6, 2022). "Republican Sen. Ben Sasse Expected to Resign from Congress". NBC News . Retrieved October 6, 2022.