List of United States senators from California
Appearance
Current delegation
California elects United States Senators to Class 1 and Class 3. The state has been represented by 44 people in the Senate since it was admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850. Its current U.S. Senators are Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.
List of Senators
Class 1Class 1 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that were first elected for only one U.S. Congress in the first elections of 1850, and then the seat was contested again every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. The seat in recent years have been contested in 2000, 2006, and 2012. The next election will be in 2018. | C | Class 3Class 3 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that were first elected for the first three United States Congresses in the first elections of 1850, and then the seat was contested again every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. The seat in recent years have been contested in 1998, 2004, and 2010, and 2016. The next election will be in 2022. | ||||||||||
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# | Senator | Party | Dates in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Dates in office | Party | Senator | # | |
1 | John C. Frémont |
Democratic | September 9, 1850 – March 3, 1851 |
Elected December 20, 1849. | 1 | 31st | 1 | Elected December 20, 1849. | September 9, 1850 – March 2, 1855 |
Democratic | William M. Gwin |
1 |
Vacant | March 4, 1851 – January 29, 1852 |
Legislature failed to elect. | 2 | 32nd | ||||||||
2 | John B. Weller |
Democratic | January 30, 1852 – March 3, 1857 |
Elected late in 1852. Lost re-election. | ||||||||
33rd | ||||||||||||
34th | 2 | Legislature failed to elect. | March 3, 1855 – January 13, 1857 |
Vacant | ||||||||
Elected late in 1857. | January 14, 1857 – March 3, 1861 |
Democratic | William M. Gwin | |||||||||
3 | David C. Broderick |
Democratic | March 4, 1857 – September 16, 1859 |
Elected in 1856. Died. |
3 | 35th | ||||||
36th | ||||||||||||
Vacant | September 17, 1859 – November 2, 1859 | |||||||||||
4 | Henry P. Haun |
Democratic | November 3, 1859 – March 4, 1860 |
Appointed to continue Broderick's term. Lost election to finish Broderick's term. | ||||||||
5 | Milton Latham |
Democratic | March 5, 1860 – March 3, 1863 |
Elected to finish Broderick's term. Lost re-election. | ||||||||
37th | 3 | Elected in 1860. Retired. |
March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1867 |
Democratic | James A. McDougall |
2 | ||||||
6 | John Conness |
Republican | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869 |
Elected during the 1862/63 cycle.[1] | 4 | 38th | ||||||
39th | ||||||||||||
40th | 4 | Elected during the 1866/67 cycle. | March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1873 |
Republican | Cornelius Cole |
3 | ||||||
7 | Eugene Casserly |
Democratic | March 4, 1869 – November 29, 1873 |
Elected in 1868. Resigned. |
5 | 41st | ||||||
42nd | ||||||||||||
43rd | 5 | Elected in 1872 or 1873. Retired. |
March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879 |
Republican | Aaron A. Sargent |
4 | ||||||
Vacant | November 30, 1873 – December 22, 1873 | |||||||||||
8 | John S. Hager |
Democratic | December 23, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
Elected to finish Casserly's term. Retired. | ||||||||
9 | Newton Booth |
Anti-Monopoly | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1881 |
Elected in 1874. Retired. |
6 | 44th | ||||||
45th | ||||||||||||
46th | 6 | Elected in 1878. Retired. |
March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885 |
Democratic | James T. Farley |
5 | ||||||
10 | John Franklin Miller |
Republican | March 4, 1881 – March 8, 1886 |
Elected in 1880. Died. |
7 | 47th | ||||||
48th | ||||||||||||
49th | 7 | Elected in 1885. | March 4, 1885 – June 21, 1893 |
Republican | Leland Stanford |
6 | ||||||
Vacant | March 9, 1886 – March 22, 1886 | |||||||||||
11 | George Hearst |
Democratic | March 23, 1886 – August 3, 1886 |
Appointed to continue Miller's term. Successor qualified. | ||||||||
12 | Abram P. Williams |
Republican | August 4, 1886 – March 3, 1887 |
Elected to finish Miller's term. Retired. | ||||||||
13 | George Hearst |
Democratic | March 4, 1887 – February 28, 1891 |
Elected in 1887. Died. |
8 | 50th | ||||||
51st | ||||||||||||
Vacant | March 1, 1891 – March 18, 1891 |
|||||||||||
52nd | 8 | Re-elected in 1891. Died. | ||||||||||
14 | Charles N. Felton |
Republican | March 19, 1891 – March 3, 1893 |
Elected to finish Hearst's term. Retired. | ||||||||
15 | Stephen M. White |
Democratic | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1899 |
Elected in 1893. Retired. |
9 | 53rd | ||||||
June 22, 1893 – July 25, 1893 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Stanford's term. Elected January 23, 1895 to finish Stanford's term.[2] |
July 26, 1893 – March 3, 1915 |
Republican | George Clement Perkins |
7 | ||||||||
54th | ||||||||||||
55th | 9 | Re-elected January 13, 1897.[3] | ||||||||||
Vacant | March 4, 1899 – February 6, 1900 |
10 | 56th | |||||||||
16 | Thomas R. Bard |
Republican | February 7, 1900 – March 3, 1905 |
Elected late in 1900. Lost re-election. | ||||||||
57th | ||||||||||||
58th | 10 | Re-elected January 13, 1903.[4] | ||||||||||
17 | Frank P. Flint |
Republican | March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911 |
Elected January 11, 1905.[5] Retired. |
11 | 59th | ||||||
60th | ||||||||||||
61st | 11 | Re-elected January 12, 1909.[6] Retired. | ||||||||||
18 | John D. Works |
Republican | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1917 |
Elected in 1911. Retired. |
12 | 62nd | ||||||
63rd | ||||||||||||
64th | 12 | Elected in 1914. Lost re-election. |
March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921 |
Democratic | James D. Phelan |
8 | ||||||
19 | Hiram Johnson |
Republican | March 4, 1917 – August 6, 1945 |
Elected in 1916. Didn't take seat until March 16, 1917 as he wanted to remain Governor of California. However, he was still elected and qualified as Senator. |
13 | 65th | ||||||
66th | ||||||||||||
67th | 13 | Elected in 1920. | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1933 |
Republican | Samuel M. Shortridge |
9 | ||||||
Re-elected in 1922. | 14 | 68th | ||||||||||
69th | ||||||||||||
70th | 14 | Re-elected in 1926. Lost renomination. | ||||||||||
Re-elected in 1928. | 15 | 71st | ||||||||||
72nd | ||||||||||||
73rd | 15 | Elected in 1932. Lost renomination, then resigned. |
March 4, 1933 – November 8, 1938 |
Democratic | William Gibbs McAdoo |
10 | ||||||
Re-elected in 1934. | 16 | 74th | ||||||||||
75th | ||||||||||||
Appointed to finish McAdoo's term. Retired. |
November 9, 1938 – January 2, 1939 |
Democratic | Thomas M. Storke |
11 | ||||||||
76th | 16 | Elected in 1938. | January 3, 1939 – November 30, 1950 |
Democratic | Sheridan Downey |
12 | ||||||
Re-elected in 1940. Died. |
17 | 77th | ||||||||||
78th | ||||||||||||
79th | 17 | Re-elected in 1944. Ran for re-election, but dropped out of renomination race due to ill health. Resigned early due to ill health. | ||||||||||
Vacant | August 7, 1945 – August 25, 1945 |
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20 | William F. Knowland |
Republican | August 26, 1945 – January 2, 1959 |
Appointed to continue Johnson's term. Elected November 5, 1946 to finish Johnson's term. | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1946. | 18 | 80th | ||||||||||
81st | ||||||||||||
Appointed to finish Downey's term, having been elected to the next term. |
December 1, 1950 – January 1, 1953 |
Republican | Richard Nixon |
13 | ||||||||
82nd | 18 | Elected in 1950. Resigned to become Vice President of the United States. | ||||||||||
Appointed to continue Nixon's term. Elected November 2, 1954 to finish Nixon's term.[2] |
January 2, 1953 – January 2, 1969 |
Republican | Thomas Kuchel |
14 | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1952. Retired to run for Governor of California. |
19 | 83rd | ||||||||||
84th | ||||||||||||
85th | 19 | Re-elected in 1956. | ||||||||||
21 | Clair Engle |
Democratic | January 3, 1959 – July 30, 1964 |
Elected in 1958. Died. |
20 | 86th | ||||||
87th | ||||||||||||
88th | 20 | Re-elected in 1962. Lost renomination. | ||||||||||
Vacant | July 31, 1964 – August 3, 1964 |
|||||||||||
22 | Pierre Salinger |
Democratic | August 4, 1964 – December 31, 1964 |
Appointed to continue Engle's term. Lost election to full term, then resigned early to give successor preferential seniority. | ||||||||
23 | George Murphy |
Republican | January 1, 1965 – January 1, 1971 |
Appointed to finish Salinger's term, having been elected to the next term. | ||||||||
Elected in 1964. Lost re-election, then resigned early to give successor preferential seniority. |
21 | 89th | ||||||||||
90th | ||||||||||||
91st | 21 | Elected in 1968. | January 3, 1969 – January 2, 1993 |
Democratic | Alan Cranston |
15 | ||||||
24 | John V. Tunney |
Democratic | January 2, 1971 – January 1, 1977 |
Appointed to finish Murphy's term, having been elected to the next term. | ||||||||
Elected in 1970. Lost re-election, resigned early to give his successor preferential seniority. |
22 | 92nd | ||||||||||
93rd | ||||||||||||
94th | 22 | Re-elected in 1974. | ||||||||||
25 | S. I. Hayakawa |
Republican | January 2, 1977 – January 2, 1983 |
Appointed to finish Tunney's term, having been elected to the next term. | ||||||||
Elected in 1976. Retired. |
23 | 95th | ||||||||||
96th | ||||||||||||
97th | 23 | Re-elected in 1980. | ||||||||||
26 | Pete Wilson |
Republican | January 3, 1983 – January 6, 1991 |
Elected in 1982. | 24 | 98th | ||||||
99th | ||||||||||||
100th | 24 | Re-elected in 1986. Retired. | ||||||||||
Re-elected in 1988. Resigned to become Governor of California. |
25 | 101st | ||||||||||
102nd | ||||||||||||
27 | John Seymour |
Republican | January 7, 1991 – November 3, 1992 |
Appointed to continue Wilson's term. Lost election to finish Wilson's term. | ||||||||
28 | Dianne Feinstein |
Democratic | November 4, 1992 – Present |
Elected to finish Wilson's term. | ||||||||
103rd | 25 | Elected in 1992. | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2017 |
Democratic | Barbara Boxer |
16 | ||||||
Re-elected in 1994. | 26 | 104th | ||||||||||
105th | ||||||||||||
106th | 26 | Re-elected in 1998. | ||||||||||
Re-elected in 2000. | 27 | 107th | ||||||||||
108th | ||||||||||||
109th | 27 | Re-elected in 2004. | ||||||||||
Re-elected in 2006. | 28 | 110th | ||||||||||
111th | ||||||||||||
112th | 28 | Re-elected in 2010. Retired. | ||||||||||
Re-elected in 2012. | 29 | 113th | ||||||||||
114th | ||||||||||||
115th | 29 | Elected in 2016. | January 3, 2017 – Present |
Democratic | Kamala Harris |
17 | ||||||
To be determined in the 2018 election. | 30 | 116th | ||||||||||
117th | ||||||||||||
118th | 30 | To be determined in the 2022 election. | ||||||||||
# | Senator | Party | Years in office | Electoral history | T | C | T | Electoral history | Years in office | Party | Senator | # |
Class 1 | Class 3 |
Living former U.S. Senators from California
There are currently three living former U.S. Senators from California. The most recent to die was John V. Tunney (January 2, 1971 – January 1, 1977) on January 12, 2018. The most recently serving senator to die was Alan Cranston (1969–1993) on December 31, 2000.
Senator | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
Pete Wilson | January 3, 1983 – January 6, 1991 | August 23, 1933 |
John Seymour| 1 | January 7, 1991 – November 3, 1992 | December 3, 1937 |
Barbara Boxer[7] | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2017 | November 11, 1940 |
References
- ^ John Conness was elected as a Democrat, but changed party to Republican after the election.[citation needed]
- ^ a b Byrd, p. 83.
- ^ "Perkins Re-elected in California". The New York Times. p. 12.
- ^ "Perkins of California Re-elected". The New York Times. January 14, 1903. p. 12.
- ^ The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906. 1905. p. 108.
- ^ "Perkins of California Re-elected". The New York Times. January 13, 1903. p. 5.
- ^ Joseph, Cameron (January 8, 2015). "Barbara Boxer to retire in 2016". The Hill. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
- "States in the Senate – California's United States Senators". via Senate.gov.
- "Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". via Senate.gov.
- Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy (ed.). "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992". United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.