Jump to content

List of United States senators from Connecticut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Current delegation

This is a chronological listing of the United States senators from Connecticut.

United States senators are popularly elected, for a six-year term, beginning January 3. Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. Before 1914, they were chosen by the Connecticut General Assembly, and before 1935, their terms began March 4. Its current U.S. senators are Democrats Richard Blumenthal (serving since 2011) and Chris Murphy (serving since 2013). Chris Dodd is Connecticut's longest-serving senator (1981–2011).

List of senators[edit]

Class 1
Class 1 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018. The next election will be in 2024.
C Class 3
Class 3 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2004, 2010, 2016, and 2022. The next election will be in 2028.
# Senator Party Dates in office Electoral history T T Electoral history Dates in office Party Senator #
1
Oliver Ellsworth
Pro-Administration Mar 4, 1789 –
Mar 8, 1796
Elected in 1788. 1 1st 1 Elected in 1788.
Resigned.
Mar 4, 1789 –
Mar 3, 1791
Pro-Administration
William S. Johnson
1
Re-elected in 1791.
Resigned to become Chief Justice of the United States.
2 2nd   Mar 4, 1791 –
Jun 13, 1791
Vacant
Elected to finish Johnson's term.
Died.
Jun 13, 1791 –
Jul 23, 1793
Pro-Administration
Roger Sherman
2
3rd
  Jul 23, 1793 –
Dec 2, 1793
Vacant
Elected to finish Sherman's term.
Retired.
Dec 2, 1793 –
Mar 3, 1795
Pro-Administration
Stephen Mix Mitchell
3
Federalist 4th 2 Election date unknown.
Resigned to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.
Mar 4, 1795 –
Jun 10, 1796
Federalist
Jonathan Trumbull Jr.
4
Vacant Mar 8, 1796 –
May 12, 1796
 
  Jun 10, 1796 –
Oct 13, 1796
Vacant
Elected to finish Trumbull's term. Oct 13, 1796 –
Jul 19, 1807
Federalist
Uriah Tracy
5
2
James Hillhouse
Federalist May 12, 1796 –
Jun 10, 1810
Elected to finish Ellsworth's term.
Re-elected in 1797. 3 5th
6th
7th 3 Re-elected in 1801.
Re-elected in 1802.[1] 4 8th
9th
10th 4 Re-elected in 1807.
Died.
  Jul 19, 1807 –
Oct 25, 1807
Vacant
Elected to finish Tracy's term. Oct 25, 1807 –
May 13, 1813
Federalist
Chauncey Goodrich
6
Re-elected in 1809.
Resigned.
5 11th
Vacant Jun 10, 1810 –
Dec 4, 1810
 
3
Samuel W. Dana
Federalist Dec 4, 1810 –
Mar 3, 1821
Elected to finish Hillhouse's term.
12th
13th 5 Re-elected in 1813.
Resigned to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.
Elected to finish Goodrich's term.
Retired.
May 13, 1813 –
Mar 3, 1819
Federalist
David Daggett
7
Re-elected in 1814. 6 14th
15th
16th 6 Elected in 1818.
Re-elected in 1824 and presented his credentials but was not permitted to qualify.
Mar 4, 1819 –
Mar 3, 1825
Democratic-Republican
James Lanman
8
4
Elijah Boardman
Democratic-Republican Mar 4, 1821 –
Aug 18, 1823
Elected in 1821.
Died.
7 17th
18th
Vacant Aug 18, 1823 –
Oct 8, 1823
 
5
Henry W. Edwards
Democratic-Republican Oct 8, 1823 –
Mar 3, 1827
Appointed to continue Boardman's term.
Elected in 1824 to finish Boardman's term.
Jacksonian 19th 7   Mar 4, 1825 –
May 4, 1825
Vacant
Elected late to complete Lanman's term.
[data missing]
May 4, 1825 –
Mar 3, 1831
National
Republican

Calvin Willey
9
6
Samuel A. Foot
National
Republican
Mar 4, 1827 –
Mar 3, 1833
Elected in 1826.
Lost re-election.
8 20th
21st
22nd 8 Elected in 1831.
[data missing]
Mar 4, 1831 –
Mar 3, 1837
National
Republican

Gideon Tomlinson
10
7
Nathan Smith
National
Republican
Mar 4, 1833 –
Dec 6, 1835
Elected in 1832.
Died.
9 23rd
24th
Vacant Dec 6, 1835 –
Dec 21, 1835
 
8
John Milton Niles
Jacksonian Dec 21, 1835 –
Mar 3, 1839
Elected to finish Smith's term.
Retired.
Democratic 25th 9 Elected in 1837.
[data missing]
Mar 4, 1837 –
Mar 3, 1843
Democratic Perry Smith 11
9 Thaddeus Betts Whig Mar 4, 1839 –
Apr 7, 1840
Elected in 1838 or 1839.
Died.
10 26th
Vacant Apr 7, 1840 –
May 4, 1840
 
10
Jabez W. Huntington
Whig May 4, 1840 –
Nov 1, 1847
Elected to finish Betts's term.
27th
28th 10 Elected in 1842.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1843[2]
Mar 3, 1849
Democratic
John Milton Niles
12
Re-elected in 1844 or 1845.
Died.
11 29th
30th
Vacant Nov 1, 1847 –
Nov 11, 1847
 
11
Roger Sherman Baldwin
Whig Nov 11, 1847 –
Mar 3, 1851
Appointed to continue Huntington's term.
Elected in 1848 to finish Huntington's term.
[data missing]
31st 11 Elected in 1848 or 1849.
Resigned.
Mar 4, 1849 –
May 24, 1854
Whig
Truman Smith
13
Vacant Mar 4, 1851 –
May 12, 1852
  12 32nd
12
Isaac Toucey
Democratic May 12, 1852 –
Mar 3, 1857
Elected late in 1852.
Retired.
33rd
Elected to finish Smith's term.
Retired.
May 24, 1854 –
Mar 3, 1855
Free Soil
Francis Gillette
14
34th 12 Elected in 1854. Mar 4, 1855 –
Mar 3, 1867
Republican
Lafayette S. Foster
15
13
James Dixon
Republican Mar 4, 1857 –
Mar 3, 1869
Elected in 1856. 13 35th
36th
37th 13 Re-elected in 1860.
Lost re-election.
Re-elected in 1863.
Lost re-election.
14 38th
39th
40th 14 Elected in 1866. Mar 4, 1867 –
Nov 21, 1875
Republican
Orris S. Ferry
16
14
William A. Buckingham
Republican Mar 4, 1869 –
Feb 5, 1875
Elected in 1868 or 1869.
Lost re-election and died before end of term.
15 41st
42nd
43rd 15 Re-elected in 1872.
Died.
Liberal Republican
15
William W. Eaton
Democratic Feb 5, 1875 –
Mar 3, 1881
Appointed to finish Buckingham's term, having been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1874.
Unknown if retired or lost re-election.
16 44th Republican
  Nov 21, 1875 –
Nov 27, 1875
Vacant
Appointed to continue Ferry's term.
Retired when successor elected.
Nov 27, 1875 –
May 17, 1876
Democratic
James E. English
17
Elected to finish Ferry's term.
[data missing]
May 17, 1876 –
Mar 3, 1879
Democratic
William Barnum
18
45th
46th 16 Elected in 1879. Mar 4, 1879 –
Apr 21, 1905
Republican
Orville H. Platt
19
16
Joseph R. Hawley
Republican Mar 4, 1881 –
Mar 3, 1905
Elected in 1881. 17 47th
48th
49th 17 Re-elected in 1885.
Re-elected in 1887. 18 50th
51st
52nd 18 Re-elected in 1891.
Re-elected in 1893. 19 53rd
54th
55th 19 Re-elected in 1897.
Re-elected in 1899.
Retired.
20 56th
57th
58th 20 Re-elected in 1903.
Died.
  Apr 21, 1905 –
May 10, 1905
Vacant
17
Morgan Bulkeley
Republican Mar 4, 1905 –
Mar 3, 1911
Elected in 1905.[3]
Lost re-election.
21 59th
Elected to finish Platt's term. May 10, 1905 –
Oct 14, 1924
Republican
Frank B. Brandegee
20
60th
61st 21 Re-elected in 1909.
18
George P. McLean
Republican Mar 4, 1911 –
Mar 3, 1929
Elected in 1911. 22 62nd
63rd
64th 22 Re-elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916. 23 65th
66th
67th 23 Re-elected in 1920.
Died.
Re-elected in 1922.
Retired.
24 68th
  Oct 14, 1924 –
Dec 17, 1924
Vacant
Elected to finish Brandegee's term and seated Jan 8, 1925.[4] Dec 17, 1924 –
Mar 3, 1933
Republican
Hiram Bingham III
21
69th
70th 24 Re-elected in 1926.
Lost re-election.
19
Frederic C. Walcott
Republican Mar 4, 1929 –
Jan 3, 1935
Elected in 1928.
Lost re-election.
25 71st
72nd
73rd 25 Elected in 1932.
Lost re-election.
Mar 4, 1933 –
Jan 3, 1939
Democratic
Augustine Lonergan
22
20
Francis T. Maloney
Democratic Jan 3, 1935 –
Jan 16, 1945
Elected in 1934. 26 74th
75th
76th 26 Elected in 1938.
Lost re-election.
Jan 3, 1939 –
Jan 3, 1945
Republican
John A. Danaher
23
Re-elected in 1940.
Died.
27 77th
78th
79th 27 Elected in 1944. Jan 3, 1945 –
Jul 28, 1952
Democratic
Brien McMahon
24
Vacant Jan 16, 1945 –
Feb 15, 1945
 
21
Thomas C. Hart
Republican Feb 15, 1945 –
Nov 5, 1946
Appointed to continue Maloney's term.
Successor qualified.
Vacant Nov 5, 1946 –
Dec 27, 1946
 
22
Raymond E. Baldwin
Republican Dec 27, 1946 –
Dec 16, 1949
Elected to finish Maloney's term.
Elected to full term in 1946.
Resigned.
28 80th
81st
23
William Benton
Democratic Dec 17, 1949 –
Jan 3, 1953
Appointed to continue Baldwin's term.
Elected to finish Baldwin's term.
Lost re-election.
82nd 28 Re-elected in 1950.
Died.
  Jul 28, 1952 –
Aug 29, 1952
Vacant
Appointed to continue McMahon's term.
Retired when successor elected, and elected to the class 1 seat.
Aug 29, 1952 –
Nov 4, 1952
Republican
William A. Purtell
25
Elected to finish McMahon's term. Nov 4, 1952 –
Jan 3, 1963
Republican
Prescott Bush
26
24
William A. Purtell
Republican Jan 3, 1953 –
Jan 3, 1959
Elected in 1952.
Lost re-election.
29 83rd
84th
85th 29 Re-elected in 1956.
Retired.
25
Thomas J. Dodd
Democratic Jan 3, 1959 –
Jan 3, 1971
Elected in 1958. 30 86th
87th
88th 30 Elected in 1962. Jan 3, 1963 –
Jan 3, 1981
Democratic
Abraham Ribicoff
27
Re-elected in 1964.
Lost renomination, and lost re-election as an independent.
31 89th
90th
91st 31 Re-elected in 1968.
26
Lowell Weicker
Republican Jan 3, 1971 –
Jan 3, 1989
Elected in 1970. 32 92nd
93rd
94th 32 Re-elected in 1974.
Retired.
Re-elected in 1976. 33 95th
96th
97th 33 Elected in 1980. Jan 3, 1981 –
Jan 3, 2011
Democratic
Chris Dodd
28
Re-elected in 1982.
Lost re-election.
34 98th
99th
100th 34 Re-elected in 1986.
27
Joe Lieberman
Democratic Jan 3, 1989 –
Jan 3, 2013
Elected in 1988. 35 101st
102nd
103rd 35 Re-elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994. 36 104th
105th
106th 36 Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000. 37 107th
108th
109th 37 Re-elected in 2004.
Retired.
Independent Lost re-nomination, but re-elected in 2006 as an Independent.
Retired.
38 110th
111th
112th 38 Elected in 2010. Jan 3, 2011 –
present
Democratic
Richard Blumenthal
29
28
Chris Murphy
Democratic Jan 3, 2013 –
present
Elected in 2012. 39 113th
114th
115th 39 Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018. 40 116th
117th
118th 40 Re-elected in 2022.
To be determined in the 2024 election. 41 119th
120th
121st 41 To be determined in the 2028 election.
# Senator Party Years in office Electoral history T C T Electoral history Years in office Party Senator #
Class 1 Class 3

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Connecticut 1802 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing American Mercury (Hartford, CT). November 4, 1802.
  2. ^ Due to ill-health and a credentials challenge, John Milton Niles was unable to serve until May 16, 1844
  3. ^ "BULKELEY IN CONNECTICUT". The New York Times. January 18, 1905. p. 2.
  4. ^ "A chronological list of senators since the First Congress in 1789" (PDF). United States Senate.