List of United States Senators from Massachusetts

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This is a chronological listing of the United States Senators from Massachusetts.

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 Massachusetts General Court, and before 1935, their terms began March 4.

Contents

[edit] Mid-term vacancy appointment processes

Through the 20th Century, mid-term vacancies were filled by appointment of the governor, with the appointment expiring at the next biennial state election. In 2004, the Democratic-controlled state legislature changed the vacancy-filling process, mandating that a special election occur, which removed the Governor's appointment power. This statute was enacted over the veto by the Governor, Mitt Romney. The leadership of the Massachusetts legislature at the time was concerned that the Repubican governor Mitt Romney would appoint a Republican if Democratic Senator John Kerry were elected United States President that year.[1][2][3][4] Generally, the law requires a special election within 145 to 160 days from the date of the filing of a Senate resignation. The law contemplates resignations that become effective some period of time after the filing of the resignation, so long as the election occurs after effective date of the resignation.[5]

[edit] Class I Senators

Class 1 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected for one session of the U.S. Congress in the first election of 1788/1789 and whose seats in recent years are contested in 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2012.

# Senator Took office Left office Party Residence Background Congress Term
1 Tristram Dalton March 4, 1789 March 3, 1791
(Lost re-election)		 Pro-Administration Newbury Massachusetts Senate 1 1
2 George Cabot March 4, 1791 June 9, 1796
(Resigned)		 Pro-Administration/
Federalist		 Salem Delegate to the Constitutional Convention 2 2
3
4
3 Benjamin Goodhue June 11, 1796 November 8, 1800
(Resigned)		 Federalist Salem U.S. Representative (Mass.-10) 2
5 3
6
4 Jonathan Mason November 14, 1800 March 3, 1803 Federalist Boston Massachusetts Senate 3
7 3
5 John Quincy Adams March 4, 1803 June 8, 1808
(Resigned)		 Federalist Boston Minister to Prussia 8 4
9
10
6 James Lloyd June 9, 1808 May 1, 1813
(Resigned)		 Federalist Boston Massachusetts Senate 4
11 5
12
13
7 Christopher Gore May 5, 1813
(Appointed)		 May 30, 1816
(Resigned)		 Federalist Boston Governor of Massachusetts
14 6
8 Eli P. Ashmun June 12, 1816
(Elected)		 May 10, 1818
(Resigned)		 Federalist Northampton Massachusetts Senate 6
15 6
9 Prentiss Mellen June 5, 1818
(Elected)		 May 15, 1820
(Resigned to become Chief Justice of Maine)		 Federalist Portland, Maine Lawyer 6
16 6
10 Elijah H. Mills June 12, 1820
(Elected)		 March 3, 1827
(Lost re-election)		 Federalist/
Adams Federalist/
Adams		 Northampton Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 6
17 7
18
19
Vacant March 4, 1827 December 17, 1827 20 8
11 Daniel Webster December 17, 1827
(Elected)		 February 22, 1841
(Resigned)		 Adams/Anti-Jackson Boston U.S. Representative (Mass.-1) 8
21 8
22 8
23 9
24 9
Whig 25 9
26 10
12 Rufus Choate February 23, 1841 March 3, 1845 Whig Boston U.S. Representative (Mass.-2) 10
27 10
28
13 Daniel Webster March 4, 1845 July 22, 1850 Whig Boston U.S. Secretary of State 29 11
30
31
14 Robert Charles Winthrop July 30, 1850 February 1, 1851 Whig Boston Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
15 Robert Rantoul, Jr. February 1, 1851 March 3, 1851 Democratic Boston U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
Vacant March 3, 1851 April 24, 1851 12
16 Charles Sumner April 24, 1851
(Elected)		 March 11, 1874
(Died)		 Free Soil/
Republican		 Boston Lawyer 32
33
34
35 13
36
37
38 14
39
40
41 15
42
43
Vacant March 12, 1874 April 16, 1874
17 William B. Washburn April 17, 1874
(Elected)		 March 3, 1875
(Retired)		 Republican Greenfield Governor of Massachusetts
18 Henry L. Dawes March 4, 1875
(Elected)		 March 3, 1893
(Retired)		 Republican Pittsfield U.S. Representative (11th district) 44 16
45
46
47 17
48
49
50 18
51
52
19 Henry Cabot Lodge March 4, 1893
(Elected)		 November 9, 1924
(Died)		 Republican Nahant U.S. Representative (6th district) 53 19
54
55
56 20
57
58
59 21
60
61
62 22
63
64
65 23
66
67
68 24
Vacant November 10, 1924 November 12, 1924
20 William M. Butler November 13, 1924
(Appointed)		 December 6, 1926
(Lost election)		 Republican Boston Chairman of the Republican National Committee
69
21 David I. Walsh December 6, 1926
(Elected)		 January 3, 1947
(Lost re-election)		 Democratic Fitchburg U.S. Senator
70
71 25
72
73
74 26
75
76
77 27
78
79
22 Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. January 3, 1947
(Elected)		 January 3, 1953
(Lost re-election)		 Republican Beverly U.S. Senator (class II) 80 28
81
82
23 John F. Kennedy January 3, 1953
(Elected)		 December 22, 1960
(Resigned)		 Democratic Boston U.S. Representative (11th district) 83 29
84
85
86 30
Vacant December 23, 1960 December 26, 1960
24 Benjamin A. Smith II December 27, 1960
(Appointed)		 November 7, 1962
(Retired)		 Democratic Gloucester Mayor of Gloucester
87
25
Ted Kennedy		 November 7, 1962
(Special election, November 6, 1962)		 Incumbent Democratic Boston/Hyannis Port Lawyer
87
88
89 31
90
91
92 32
93
94
95 33
96
97
98 34
99
100
101 35
102
103
104 36
105
106
107 37
108
109
110 38
111

[edit] Class II Senators

Class 2 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected for the first two United States Congresses in the first election of 1788 and whose seats in recent years are contested in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014.

# Senator Took office Left office Party Residence Background Congress Term
1 Caleb Strong March 4, 1789 June 1, 1796
(Resigned)		 Pro-Administration/
Federalist		 Northampton Delegate to Constitutional Convention 1 1
2
3 2
4
2 Theodore Sedgwick June 11, 1796 March 3, 1799 Federalist Stockbridge U.S. Representative (1st district)
5
3 Samuel Dexter March 4, 1799 May 30, 1800 Federalist Lunenberg U.S. Representative (1st district) 6 3
4 Dwight Foster June 6, 1800 March 2, 1803 Federalist Brookfield U.S. Representative (4th district)
7
5 Timothy Pickering March 4, 1803 March 3, 1811 Federalist Wenham U.S. Secretary of State 8
9 4
10
11
6 Joseph Bradley Varnum June 29, 1811 March 3, 1817 Democratic-Republican Dracut Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 12 5
13
14
7 Harrison Gray Otis March 4, 1817 May 30, 1822 Federalist Boston Massachusetts Senate 15 6
16
17
8 James Lloyd June 5, 1822 May 23, 1826 Federalist/
Adams Federalist/
Adams		 Boston U.S. Senator
18 7
19
9 Nathaniel Silsbee May 31, 1826 March 3, 1835 Adams/
Anti-Jackson		 Salem U.S. Representative (2nd district)
20
21 8
22
23
10 John Davis March 4, 1835 January 5, 1841 Anti-Jackson/
Whig		 Worcester Governor of Massachusetts 24 9
25
26
11 Isaac C. Bates January 13, 1841 March 16, 1845 Whig Northampton U.S. Representative (8th district)
27 10
28
29
12 John Davis March 24, 1845 March 3, 1853 Whig Worcester Governor of Massachusetts
30 11
31
32
13 Edward Everett March 4, 1853 June 1, 1854 (resigned) Whig Boston U.S. Secretary of State 33 12
14 Julius Rockwell June 3, 1854
(Appointed)		 January 31, 1855
(Resigned)		 Whig Pittsfield U.S. Representative (7th district)
15 Henry Wilson January 31, 1855
(Elected)		 March 3, 1873
(Resigned to become Vice President)		 Free Soil,
Know-nothing
& Democratic		 Natick Newspaper Publisher
34
35
Republican 36 13
37
38
39 14
40
41
42 15
16 George S. Boutwell March 17, 1873 March 3, 1877 Republican Groton U.S. Secretary of the Treasury 43
44
17 George Frisbie Hoar March 4, 1877 September 30, 1904
(Died)		 Republican Worcester U.S. Representative (9th district) 45 16
46
47
48 17
49
50
51 18
52
53
54 19
55
56
57 20
58
18 Winthrop Murray Crane October 12, 1904 March 3, 1913 Republican Dalton Governor of Massachusetts
59
60 21
61
62
19 John W. Weeks March 4, 1913 March 3, 1919 Republican West Newton U.S. Representative (12th district) 63 22
64
65
20 David I. Walsh March 4, 1919 March 3, 1925 Democratic Fitchburg Governor of Massachusetts 66 23
67
68
21 Frederick H. Gillett March 4, 1925 March 3, 1931 Republican Springfield Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives 69 24
70
71
22 Marcus A. Coolidge March 4, 1931
(Elected)		 January 3, 1937
(Retired)		 Democratic Fitchburg Businessman 72 25
73
74
23 Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. January 3, 1937
(Elected)		 February 3, 1944
(Resigned)		 Republican Beverly Massachusetts House of Representatives 75 26
76
77
78 27
Vacant February 4, 1944 February 7, 1945
24 Sinclair Weeks February 8, 1944
(Appointed)		 December 19, 1944
(Retired)		 Republican West Newton Treasurer of the Republican National Committee
Vacant December 20, 1944 January 3, 1945
25 Leverett Saltonstall January 3, 1945
(Won special election)		 January 3, 1967
(Retired)		 Republican Dover Governor of Massachusetts 79
80
81 28
82
83
84 29
85
86
87 30
88
89
26 Edward Brooke January 3, 1967
(Elected)		 January 3, 1979
(Lost re-election)		 Republican Newton Centre Attorney General of Massachusetts 90 31
91
92
93 32
94
95
27 Paul Tsongas January 3, 1979
(Elected)		 January 2, 1985
(Retired & resigned 1 day early to give successor preferential seniority)		 Democratic Lowell U.S. Representative (5th district) 96 33
97

98
28 John Kerry January 2, 1985
(Elected, but took seat early due to appointment)		 Incumbent Democratic Boston Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
99 34
100
101
102 35
103
104
105 36
106
107
108 37
109
110
111 38
# Senator Took office Left office Party Residence Background Congress Term

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Belluck, Pam (June 25, 2004). "Massachusetts Politicians Fight Over a Kerry Victory". New York times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE2D91F39F936A15755C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  2. ^ Zezima, Katie (July 2, 2004). "National Briefing: Massachusetts: Senate Approves Interim-Appointment Bill". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E1D61138F931A35754C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  3. ^ Greenberger, Scott S. (July 31, 2004). "Romney veto overridden: Governor can no longer fill vacancies in the US Senate". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/07/31/romney_veto_overridden/?page=full. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  4. ^ Anderson, Rob (July 16, 2004). "Devil in the Details: After Kerry, The Deluge". The American Prospect. http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=devil_in_the_details_071604. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
  5. ^ "Chapter 236 of the Acts of 2004". Acts of 2004 (Session Laws). The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 30, 2004. http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw04/sl040236.htm. Retrieved on 2008-05-21. 
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