List of United States Senators in the 104th Congress by seniority
U.S. Senate seniority list

List of United States Senators in the 104th Congress by seniority

Section Title: U.S. Senate seniority list
Table Section Text: None

Rank	Senator (party-state)	Seniority date	Other factors

1	Strom Thurmond (R-SC)	November 7, 1956

2	Robert Byrd (D-WV)	January 3, 1959

3	Claiborne Pell (D-RI)	January 3, 1961

4	Ted Kennedy (D-MA)	November 7, 1962

5	Daniel Inouye (D-HI)	January 3, 1963

6	Ernest Hollings (D-SC)	November 9, 1966

7	Mark Hatfield (R-OR)	January 10, 1967

8	Ted Stevens (R-AK)	December 24, 1968

9	Bob Dole (R-KS)	January 3, 1969	Former representative (8 years)

10	Bob Packwood (R-OR)

11	Bill Roth (R-DE)	January 1, 1971

12	Sam Nunn (D-GA)	November 8, 1972

13	Bennett Johnston Jr. (D-LA)	November 14, 1972

14	Jesse Helms (R-NC)	January 3, 1973	North Carolina 12th in population (1970)

15	Pete Domenici (R-NM)	New Mexico 37th in population (1970)

16	Joe Biden (D-DE)	Delaware 46th in population (1970)

17	John Glenn (D-OH)	December 24, 1974

18	Wendell H. Ford (D-KY)	December 28, 1974

19	Dale Bumpers (D-AR)	January 3, 1975	Former governor

20	Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

21	John Chafee (R-RI)	December 29, 1976

22	Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)	January 3, 1977	Former representative

23	Pat Moynihan (D-NY)	New York 2nd in population (1970)

24	Richard Lugar (R-IN)	Indiana 11th in population (1970)

25	Orrin Hatch (R-UT)	Utah 36th in population

26	Max Baucus (D-MT)	December 15, 1978

27	Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-KS)	December 23, 1978

28	Thad Cochran (R-MS)	December 27, 1978

29	Alan K. Simpson (R-WY)	January 1, 1979

30	John Warner (R-VA)	January 2, 1979

31	David Pryor (D-AR)	January 3, 1979	Former representative (6 years, 2 months)

32	William Cohen (R-ME)	Former representative (6 years)

33	Larry Pressler (R-SD)	Former representative (4 years)

34	J. James Exon (D-NE)	Former governor

35	Carl Levin (D-MI)	Michigan 7th in population (1970)

36	Bill Bradley (D-NJ)	New Jersey 8th in population (1970)

37	Howell Heflin (D-AL)	Alabama 21st in population (1970)

38	Chris Dodd (D-CT)	January 3, 1981	Former representative (6 years) - Connecticut 24th in population (1970)

39	Chuck Grassley (R-IA)	Former representative (6 years) - Iowa 25th in population (1970)

40	Al D'Amato (R-NY)	New York 2nd in population (1970)

41	Arlen Specter (R-PA)	Pennsylvania 3rd in population (1970)

42	Don Nickles (R-OK)	Oklahoma 27th in population (1970)

43	Frank Murkowski (R-AK)	Alaska 50th in population (1970)

44	Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)	December 27, 1982

45	Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)	January 3, 1983

46	John Kerry (D-MA)	January 2, 1985

47	Paul Simon (D-IL)	January 3, 1985	Former representative (10 years) - Illinois 5th in population (1980)

48	Tom Harkin (D-IA)	Former representative (10 years) - Iowa 27th in population (1980)

49	Phil Gramm (R-TX)	Former representative (6 years)

50	Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

51	Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)	January 15, 1985

52	John Breaux (D-LA)	January 3, 1987	Former representative (14 years)

53	Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)	Former representative (10 years)

54	Richard Shelby (R-AL)	Former representative (8 years) - Alabama 22nd in population (1980)

55	Tom Daschle (D-SD)	Former representative (8 years) - South Dakota 45th in population (1980)

56	John McCain (R-AZ)	Former representative (4 years) - Arizona 29th in population (1980)

57	Harry Reid (D-NV)	Former representative (4 years) - Nevada 43rd in population (1980)

58	Bob Graham (D-FL)	Former governor - Florida 7th in population (1980)

59	Kit Bond (R-MO)	Former governor - Missouri 15th in population (1980)

60	Kent Conrad (D-ND)

61	Slade Gorton (R-WA)	January 3, 1989	Previously a senator

62	Trent Lott (R-MS)	Former representative (16 years)

63	Jim Jeffords (R-VT)	Former representative (14 years)

64	Dan Coats (R-IN)	Former representative (8 years)

65	Connie Mack (R-FL)	Former representative (6 years)

66	Chuck Robb (D-VA)	Former governor - Virginia 14th in population (1980)

67	Richard Bryan (D-NV)	Former governor - Nevada 43rd in population (1980)

68	Bob Kerrey (D-NE)	Former governor - Nebraska 35th in population (1980)

69	Herb Kohl (D-WI)	Wisconsin 16th in population (1980)

70	Joe Lieberman (ID-CT)	Connecticut 25th in population (1980)

71	Conrad Burns (R-MT)	Montana 44th in population (1980)

72	Daniel Akaka (D-HI)	May 16, 1990

73	Bob Smith (R-NH)	December 7, 1990

74	Hank Brown (R-CO)	January 3, 1991	Former representative (10 years)

75	Larry Craig (R-ID)	Former representative (6 years)

76	Paul Wellstone (D-MN)

77	Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)	November 10, 1992

78	Byron Dorgan (D-ND)	December 15, 1992

79	Barbara Boxer (D-CA)	January 3, 1993	Former representative (10 years)

80	Judd Gregg (R-NH)	Former representative (8 years) Former governor

81	Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-CO)	Former representative (6 years)

82	Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL)	Illinois 6th in population (1990)

83	Lauch Faircloth (R-NC)	North Carolina 10th in population (1990)

84	Paul Coverdell (R-GA)	Georgia 11th in population (1990)

85	Russ Feingold (D-WI)	Wisconsin 16th in population (1990)

86	Patty Murray (D-WA)	Washington 18th in population (1990)

87	Bob Bennett (R-UT)	Utah 35th in population (1990)

88	Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID)	Idaho 42nd in population (1990)

89	Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)	June 14, 1993

90	Jim Inhofe (R-OK)	November 17, 1994

91	Fred Thompson (R-TN)	December 2, 1994

92	Olympia Snowe (R-ME)	January 3, 1995	Former representative (16 years)

93	Mike DeWine (R-OH)	Former representative (8 years) - Ohio 7th in population (1990)

94	Jon Kyl (R-AZ)	Former representative (8 years) - Arizona 24th in population (1990)

95	Craig Thomas (R-WY)	Former representative (6 years)

96	Rick Santorum (R-PA)	Former representative (4 years)

97	Rod Grams (R-MN)	Former representative (2 years)

98	John Ashcroft (R-MO)	Former governor

99	Spencer Abraham (R-MI)	Michigan 8th in population (1990)

100	Bill Frist (R-TN)	Tennessee 17th in population (1990)

—	Ron Wyden (D-OR)	February 6, 1996

—	Sheila Frahm (R-KS)	June 11, 1996

—	Sam Brownback (R-KS)	November 7, 1996

Sentence(s)

Mark Hatfield was the 7th senior Senator.

final_sentence: Mark Hatfield was the 7th senior Senator.