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List of United States senators in the 96th Congress

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This is a complete list of members of the United States Senate during the 96th United States Congress listed by seniority, from January 3, 1979, to January 3, 1981.

Order of service is based on the commencement of the senator's first term. Behind this is former service as a senator (only giving the senator seniority within his or her new incoming class), service as vice president, a House member, a cabinet secretary, or a governor of a state. The final factor is the population of the senator's state.[1][2][3]

In this congress, Henry M. Jackson was the most senior junior senator and Donald W. Stewart was the most junior senior senator until May 7, 1980 when Edmund Muskie resigned to become Secretary of State. William Cohen was the most junior senior senator from that date until John Durkin resigned on December 29, 1980, after which it was Gordon Humphrey.

Senators who were sworn in during the middle of the two-year congressional term (up until the last senator who was not sworn in early after winning the November 1980 election) are listed at the end of the list with no number.

Terms of service

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Class Terms of service of senators that expired in years
Class 3 Terms of service of senators that expired in 1981 (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, NC, ND, NH, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, UT, VT, WA, and WI.)[4]
Class 1 Terms of service of senators that expired in 1983 (AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, HI, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY.)[5]
Class 2 Terms of service of senators that expired in 1985 (AK, AL, AR, CO, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, and WY.)[6]

U.S. Senate seniority list

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U.S. Senate seniority
Rank Senator (party-state) Seniority date Other factors
1 Warren G. Magnuson (D-WA) December 14, 1944 Former representative (7 years)
2 Milton Young (R-ND) March 12, 1945
3 John C. Stennis (D-MS) November 17, 1947
4 Russell B. Long (D-LA) December 31, 1948
5 Henry M. Jackson (D-WA) January 3, 1953 Former representative (12 years)
6 Strom Thurmond (R-SC) November 7, 1956 Former governor, Previously a senator
7 Herman Talmadge (D-GA) January 3, 1957 Former governor
8 Frank Church (D-ID)
9 Jacob K. Javits (R-NY) January 9, 1957 Former representative (7 years)
10 William Proxmire (D-WI) August 28, 1957
11 Jennings Randolph (D-WV) November 5, 1958 Former representative (14 years)
12 Robert Byrd (D-WV) January 3, 1959 Former representative (6 years)
13 Harrison A. Williams (D-NJ) Former representative (4 years)
14 Edmund Muskie[7] (D-ME) Former governor
15 Howard Cannon (D-NV)
16 Quentin Northrup Burdick (D-ND) August 8, 1960 Former representative
17 Claiborne Pell (D-RI) January 3, 1961
18 John Tower (R-TX) June 15, 1961
19 Ted Kennedy (D-MA) November 7, 1962
20 Abraham A. Ribicoff (D-CT) January 3, 1963 Former representative (4 years) - Former cabinet secretary - Former governor
21 George McGovern (D-SD) Former representative (4 years) - South Dakota 40th in population (1960)
22 Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Former representative (4 years) - Hawaii 43rd in population (1960)
23 Birch Bayh (D-IN)
24 Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) January 7, 1963 Former governor
25 Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (I-VA) November 12, 1965
26 Ernest Hollings (D-SC) November 9, 1966 Former governor
27 Charles H. Percy (R-IL) January 3, 1967 Illinois 4th in population (1960)
28 Howard Baker (R-TN) Tennessee 17th in population (1960)
29 Mark Hatfield (R-OR) January 10, 1967 Former governor
30 Ted Stevens (R-AK) December 24, 1968
31 Thomas Eagleton (D-MO) December 28, 1968
32 Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) January 3, 1969 Previously a senator
33 Richard Schweiker (R-PA) Former representative (8 years) - Pennsylvania 3rd in population (1960)
34 Charles Mathias (R-MD) Former representative (8 years) - Maryland 21st in population (1960)
35 Bob Dole (R-KS) Former representative (8 years) - Kansas 29th in population (1960)
36 Henry Bellmon (R-OK) Former governor
37 Alan Cranston (D-CA) California 2nd in population (1960)
38 Bob Packwood (R-OR) Oregon 32nd in population (1960)
39 Mike Gravel (D-AK) Alaska 50th in population (1960)
40 Adlai Stevenson III (D-IL) November 17, 1970
41 Bill Roth (R-DE) January 1, 1971 Former representative
42 Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) January 3, 1971 Former representative (6 years)
43 Lowell Weicker (R-CT) Former representative (2 years)
44 Lawton Chiles (D-FL)
45 Robert Stafford (R-VT) September 16, 1971 Former governor, Former representative (10 years)
46 Sam Nunn (D-GA) November 8, 1972
47 Bennett Johnston Jr. (D-LA) November 14, 1972
48 James A. McClure (R-ID) January 3, 1973 Former representative
49 Jesse Helms (R-NC) North Carolina 12th in population (1970)
50 Walter Huddleston (D-KY) Kentucky 23rd in population (1970)
51 Pete Domenici (R-NM) New Mexico 37th in population (1970)
52 Joe Biden (D-DE) Delaware 46th in population (1970)
53 Paul Laxalt (R-NV) December 18, 1974
54 Jake Garn (R-UT) December 21, 1974
55 John Glenn (D-OH) December 24, 1974
56 Wendell H. Ford (D-KY) December 28, 1974
57 Richard Stone (D-FL) January 1, 1975
58 John Culver (D-IA) January 3, 1975 Former representative
59 Dale Bumpers (D-AR) Former governor
60 Robert Burren Morgan (D-NC) North Carolina 12th in population (1970)
61 Gary Hart (D-CO) Colorado 30th in population (1970)
62 Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Vermont 48th in population (1970)
63 John Durkin (D-NH) September 18, 1975
64 John Danforth (R-MO) December 27, 1976
65 Edward Zorinsky (D-NE) December 28, 1976
66 Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH) December 29, 1976 Previously a senator
67 John Chafee (R-RI) Former governor, Former cabinet secretary
68 Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D-MI) December 30, 1976 Former representative (9 years)
69 Samuel Hayakawa (R-CA) January 2, 1977
70 Spark Matsunaga (D-HI) January 3, 1977 Former representative (14 years)
71 John Melcher (D-MT) Former representative (7 years, 7 months)
72 H. John Heinz III (R-PA) Former representative (6 years)
73 Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) Former representative (6 years)
74 Pat Moynihan (D-NY) New York 2nd in population (1970)
75 Richard Lugar (R-IN) Indiana 11th in population (1970)
76 Jim Sasser (D-TN) Tennessee 17th in population (1970)
77 Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) Arizona 33rd in population (1970)
78 Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Utah 36th in population (1970)
79 Harrison Schmitt (R-NM) New Mexico 37th in population (1970)
80 Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) Wyoming 29th in population (1970)
81 David Durenberger (R-MN) November 8, 1978 Minnesota 19th in population (1970)
82 Donald W. Stewart (D-AL) Alabama 21st in population (1970)
83 Max Baucus (D-MT) December 15, 1978 Former representative
84 Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-KS) December 23, 1978
85 Thad Cochran (R-MS) December 27, 1978 Former representative
86 Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN) December 30, 1978
87 Alan K. Simpson (R-WY) January 1, 1979
88 John Warner (R-VA) January 2, 1979 Former cabinet secretary
89 David Pryor (D-AR) January 3, 1979 Former representative (6 years, 2 months)
90 William Cohen (R-ME) Former representative (6 years)
91 Paul Tsongas (D-MA) Former representative (4 years) - Massachusetts 10th in population (1970)
92 William L. Armstrong (R-CO) Former representative (4 years) - Colorado 30th in population (1970)
93 Larry Pressler (R-SD) Former representative (4 years) - South Dakota 44th in population (1970)
94 David L. Boren (D-OK) Former governor - Oklahoma 27th in population (1970)
95 J. James Exon (D-NE) Former governor - Nebraska 35th in population (1970)
96 Carl Levin (D-MI) Michigan 7th in population (1970)
97 Bill Bradley (D-NJ) New Jersey 8th in population (1970)
98 Howell Heflin (D-AL) Alabama 21st in population (1970)
99 Roger Jepsen (R-IA) Iowa 25th in population (1970)
100 Gordon J. Humphrey (R-NH) New Hampshire 41st in population (1970)
101 George J. Mitchell (D-ME) May 17, 1980
102 Warren Rudman (R-NH) December 31, 1980
103 Paula Hawkins (R-FL) January 1, 1981
104 Jeremiah Denton (R-AL) January 2, 1981

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A Chronological List of United States Senators 1789-Present, via www.Senate.gov
  2. ^ 1961 U.S Census Report Contains 1960 Census results.
  3. ^ 1971 U.S Census Report Contains 1970 Census results.
  4. ^ Terms of service of senators that expired in 1981.
  5. ^ Terms of service of senators that expired in 1983.
  6. ^ Terms of service of senators that expired in 1985.
  7. ^ Senator Muskie stepped down on May 7, 1980 to become secretary of state.
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