Women in the United States Senate - wikipedia Women in the United States Senate Rebecca Latimer Felton, the first female member of the United States Senate, who served for one day in 1922. There have been 50 total women in the United States Senate since its establishment in 1789. The first woman senator, Rebecca Felton, served in 1922 ( for a single day ), but the first woman elected to the Senate was Hattie Caraway in 1932. Fourteen of the women who have served were appointed ; seven of those were appointed to succeed their deceased husbands. Currently ( as of 2017 ), the 115th Congress has 21 female senators out of 100 ( 21 % ), one more than both the 113th and 114th congresses, and an all - time high. Contents 1 History 2 Currently serving women senators 3 Election, selection and family 4 Firsts and onlies 4.1 Houses served 4.2 Defeated incumbents 4.3 Senators from the same state 5 List of states represented by women 6 List of female senators 7 Graphs 7.1 Histograph 7.2 Time series 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links History One woman re-elected and four women elected to the Senate in 1992 `` Year of the Woman '' Eight women senators meet in 1997 By the 111th Congress ( 2009 -- 11 ), the number of women senators had increased to 17, including four Republicans and 13 Democrats. Throughout most of the Senate 's history, that legislative chamber has been almost entirely male. Until 1920, few women ran for the Senate. Until the 1990s, very few were elected. This paucity of women was due to many factors, including the lack of women 's suffrage in many states until ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, women 's limited access to higher education until the mid-1900s, public perceptions of gender roles, and barriers to women 's advancement such as sex discrimination, which still plays a factor in their limited numbers today. The first woman in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton who served for only one day in 1922. Hattie Caraway of Arkansas became the first woman to win election to the Senate, in 1932. No women served from 1922 to 1931, 1945 to 1947, and 1973 to 1978. Since 1978, there has always been at least one woman in the Senate. There were still few women in the Senate near the end of the 20th century, long after women began to make up a significant portion of the membership of the House. In fact, the first time there were three women in the Senate simultaneously was in 1992, when Jocelyn Burdick of North Dakota joined Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. The number increased to four in November, when Dianne Feinstein won a special election in California. This trend began to change in the wake of the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, and the subsequent election of the 103rd Congress in 1992, which was dubbed the `` Year of the Woman. '' In addition to Mikulski, who was reelected that year, four women were elected to the Senate, all Democrats. They were Patty Murray of Washington, Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, and Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both of California. In June 1993, Kay Bailey Hutchison won a special election in Texas, and joined Kassebaum as a fellow female Republican senator. These additions significantly diminished the popular perception of the Senate as an exclusive `` boys ' club. '' Since 1992, there has been at least one woman elected to the Senate every two years with one exception, the 2004 elections. Since 2004, at least two woman have been elected to the Senate every two years except 2010, when only one woman was elected. In 2012, there was a second `` Year of the Woman '' with the election of five women and the re-election of six women. This beat the record of four new female senators from 1992 and set the record of five new women and eleven female senators in one Senate class. The five new women were Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Republican Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Democrat Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Democrat Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The driving force behind the addition of four of the senators elected was one of the original senators from 1992, Patty Murray, who led the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which recruited Baldwin, Heitkamp, Hirono, and Warren, along with several other candidates who did not win. Since then, many more women in both the Democratic and Republican parties have campaigned for the Senate, and several have been elected. In 2016, a record 15 women were their party 's nominee for Senate, 12 of whom were truly competitive. Louisiana also had a female senatorial candidate, but she did not make the run - off. Cumulatively, 34 female senators have been Democrats, while 17 have been Republicans. Of the 21 female senators serving in the 115th Congress starting in January 2017, 16 are Democrats and 5 are Republicans. As of 2017, no female senator has ever died in office. Currently serving women senators In January 2017, the number of serving women senators reached a record of 21, 16 of whom were Democrats, and the other 5 being Republicans. Democratic Senators Barbara Mikulski and Barbara Boxer did not seek re-election in 2016, while four new Democratic senators were elected : Catherine Cortez Masto ( Nevada ), Tammy Duckworth ( Illinois ), Kamala Harris ( California ), and Maggie Hassan ( New Hampshire ). Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte ( New Hampshire ) lost to Maggie Hassan. Of the two seats that changed hands from Republican to Democrat both were won by women, Duckworth and Hassan. For three states, California, Washington, and New Hampshire, both senators are women. Seven female senators had previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives -- a distinction long held by only Margaret Chase Smith -- Sens. Stabenow, Cantwell, Gillibrand, Baldwin, Hirono, Capito, and Duckworth. Class State Name Party Prior Experience First took office Alaska Lisa Murkowski Republican Alaska House of Representatives 2002 1957 California Dianne Feinstein Democratic President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Mayor of San Francisco, gubernatorial nominee 1992 1933 California Kamala Harris Democratic State of California Attorney General, District Attorney of San Francisco 2017 1964 Hawaii Mazie Hirono Democratic Hawaii House of Representatives, Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, gubernatorial nominee, U.S. House of Representatives 2013 1947 Illinois Tammy Duckworth Democratic U.S. House of Representatives 2017 1968 Iowa Joni Ernst Republican Montgomery County Auditor ; Iowa Senate 2015 1970 Maine Susan Collins Republican Deputy Maine Treasurer ; gubernatorial nominee 1952 Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren Democratic Special Adviser to the President for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 2013 1949 Michigan Debbie Stabenow Democratic Michigan House of Representatives, Michigan Senate, U.S. House of Representatives 2001 1950 Minnesota Amy Klobuchar Democratic - Farmer - Labor Hennepin County Attorney 2007 1960 Missouri Claire McCaskill Democratic Missouri House of Representatives, State Auditor of Missouri, gubernatorial nominee 2007 1953 Nebraska Deb Fischer Republican Nebraska Legislature 2013 1951 Nevada Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic State of Nevada Attorney General 2017 1964 New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen Democratic New Hampshire Senate, Governor of New Hampshire 2009 1947 New Hampshire Maggie Hassan Democratic New Hampshire Senate, Governor of New Hampshire 2017 1958 New York Kirsten Gillibrand Democratic U.S. House of Representatives 2009 1966 North Dakota Heidi Heitkamp Democratic North Dakota Attorney General, North Dakota Tax Commissioner, gubernatorial nominee 2013 1955 Washington Patty Murray Democratic Washington Senate 1950 Washington Maria Cantwell Democratic Washington House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives 2001 1958 West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito Republican West Virginia House of Delegates, U.S. House of Representatives 2015 1953 Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin Democratic Wisconsin State Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives 2013 1962 Election, selection and family This article is part of a series on the United States Senate History of the United States Senate Members Current members ( by seniority by class ) Former members Hill committees ( DSCC NRSC ) United States Vice President ( list ) President Pro Tempore ( list ) Presiding officer Party leaders Party leadership of the United States Senate Democratic Caucus Republican Conference Politics and procedure Advice and consent Blue slip Closed session ( list ) Cloture Committees ( list ) Executive session Morning business Filibuster Nuclear option Recess appointment Quorum Quorum call Salaries Saxbe fix Seal Holds Senatorial courtesy Standing Rules Traditions Unanimous consent Vice Presidents ' tie - breaking votes Places United States Capitol Senate chamber Senate Reception Room Senate office buildings ( Dirksen Hart Russell ) Before 2001, numerically speaking, the most common way for a woman to ascend to the U.S. Senate was to have been appointed there following the death or resignation of a husband or father who previously held the seat. An example is Muriel Humphrey ( D - MN ), the widow of former senator and Vice President Hubert Humphrey ; she was appointed to fill his seat until a special election was held ( in which she did not run ). However, with the election of three women in 2000, the balance shifted : More women have now entered service as a senator by winning their seats outright than by being appointed to the body. Recent examples of selection include Jean Carnahan and Lisa Murkowski. In 2000, Jean Carnahan ( D - MO ) was appointed to fill the Senate seat won by her recently deceased husband, Mel Carnahan. Carnahan -- even though dead -- defeated the incumbent senator, John Ashcroft. Carnahan 's widow was named to fill his seat by Missouri Governor Roger Wilson until a special election was held. However, she lost the subsequent 2002 election to fill out the rest of the six - year term. In 2002, Lisa Murkowski ( R - AK ) was appointed by her father Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski, who had resigned from the Senate to become governor, to serve the remaining two years of his term. Lisa Murkowski defeated former governor Tony Knowles in her reelection bid in 2004. Two recent members of the Senate brought with them a combination of name recognition resulting from the political careers of their famous husbands and their own substantial experience in public affairs. The first, former Senator Elizabeth Dole ( R - NC ), is married to former Senate Majority Leader and 1996 Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole and served as Secretary of Transportation under President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of Labor under President George H.W. Bush ; she later ran a losing bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. The other, former Senator Hillary Clinton ( D - NY ), wife of former President Bill Clinton, was First Lady of the United States and First Lady of Arkansas before taking her seat in 2000. She too ran an unsuccessful campaign for her party 's presidential nomination in 2008 ; she resigned in 2009 to become the secretary of state for the eventual victor of that election, Barack Obama. In 2016, she ran a successful campaign for her party 's presidential nomination, and, although gaining a plurality in the popular vote, failed to obtain a majority in the electoral college, losing to Republican nominee Donald Trump. Another famous name is Nancy Landon Kassebaum, the daughter of former Kansas governor and one - time presidential candidate Alf Landon. After retiring from the Senate, she married former Senator Howard Baker ( R - TN ). Kassebaum has the distinction of being the first female elected senator who did not succeed her husband in Congress ( Margaret Chase Smith was only elected to the Senate after succeeding her husband to his House seat ). At the time of her retirement in 1997, Kassebaum was the second longest serving female senator, after Smith ( though now that five other women senators have since served longer tenures, she is now seventh ). Firsts and onlies Senator Margaret Chase Smith ( R - ME ) holds several distinctions for women in the U.S. Congress : She served in the Senate for 24 years, longer than any other female senator until Barbara Mikulski eclipsed her record in 2011 ; she was the first woman ever elected to both the U.S. House and Senate ( she was first elected to the House in 1940 after the unexpected death of her husband, who himself was a member of the House of Representatives, and she served there for eight years before winning the Senate seat by a landslide ) ; she was the first woman to hold a Senate Leadership position ; and she also won her 1960 race for Senate in the nation 's first ever race pitting two women against each other for a Senate seat. As of 2017, Dianne Feinstein and Patty Murray have also surpassed Smith 's longevity record. Mikulski, who as the longest - serving sitting senator was considered the `` dean '' of the women in the Senate, relinquished that title to Feinstein when the former retired in January 2017. Joni Ernst ( R - IA ) is the first female veteran to serve in the Senate. Two years later Tammy Duckworth ( D - IL ) joined Ernst as a fellow veteran and also as the first female Double Amputee in the Senate. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire hold the distinction of being the first and second women elected both governor and senator of a state, both served as Governor of New Hampshire and served together starting in 2017. Hillary Clinton ( D - NY ) was the first and only First Lady to run and win for a United States Senate seat. She is also the only female senator ( and only woman ) to be the nominee of a major party for President of the United States. Houses served Senator Olympia Snowe ( R - ME ) arrived in the Senate in 1995, having previously served in the House of Representatives and both houses of the Maine state legislature. She and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan are the only women to have served in both houses of a state legislature and both houses of the federal legislature. Defeated incumbents In 1992, Carol Moseley Braun ( D - IL ) became the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator when she toppled Senator Alan Dixon in the Democratic primary. Later that year, Dianne Feinstein ( D - CA ) was the first woman to defeat an incumbent senator from a different party when she defeated appointed Senator John Seymour in a special election. Kay Bailey Hutchison ( R - TX ) duplicated Feinstein 's feat in 1993, toppling appointed Senator Bob Krueger in a special election. In 2000, Stabenow ( D - MI ) and Maria Cantwell ( D - WA ) became the first women to defeat incumbent elected senators in a general election, unseating Senators Spencer Abraham and Slade Gorton respectively. In 2008, Kay Hagan became the first woman to unseat a female incumbent, Elizabeth Dole. In 2016, Maggie Hassan repeated Hagan 's feat and unseated Kelly Ayotte. In 2016, Kamala Harris was the first woman to defeat another woman from the same party, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, in a General Election. Senators from the same state The first time two female senators from the same state served concurrently were Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer ( both D - CA ), both elected in 1992, with Feinstein taking office that same year ( as the result of a special election ) and Boxer taking office in 1993 until 2016 when Boxer retired and Feinstein was joined by Kamala Harris. For a brief time, there were two female senators from Kansas serving concurrently, when Nancy Kassebaum and Sheila Frahm briefly served together after Frahm 's appointment in 1996 ; Frahm did not win election to the seat and left office later the same year. Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins served concurrently from 1997, when Collins entered office, to 2013, when Snowe retired. In Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have also served concurrently since 2001, when Cantwell entered office. Upon the opening of the 112th Congress, New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen was joined by newly elected Republican Kelly Ayotte, making the first female tandem senators that do not belong to the same party. In 2016 Maggie Hassan defeated Kelly Ayotte to make the sixth pair of female senators with Jeanne Shaheen in two pairs. List of States represented by women This is a map of states that have been represented by women in the United States Senate. Democrat ( s ) Republican ( s ) Both a Democrat and a Republican Eight Democratic women senators appear at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver. It has become a tradition at Democratic conventions for incumbent women senators to appear on opening night. Twenty - nine states have been represented by female senators, and 18 are currently represented. In 2009, North Carolina became the first state to have been represented by female senators of both parties, and the first to have a female senator succeeded by a female senator from the other party. In 2011, New Hampshire became the second state to be represented by female senators from both parties, and the first to have female senators of both parties serving concurrently. State Current Previous Total Alabama 0 Alaska 0 Arkansas 0 California Florida 0 Georgia 0 Hawaii 0 Illinois Iowa 0 Kansas 0 Louisiana 0 Maine Maryland 0 Massachusetts 0 Michigan 0 Minnesota Missouri Nebraska Nevada 0 New Hampshire New York North Carolina 0 North Dakota Oregon 0 South Dakota 0 Texas 0 Washington 0 West Virginia 0 Wisconsin 0 List of female senators Image Name ( lifespan ) State Term start Term end Length of service ( days ) Entered by Left for Party Felton, Rebecca Rebecca Felton ( 1835 -- 1930 ) Georgia 000000001922 - 11 - 21 - 0000 November 21, 1922 000000001922 - 11 - 22 - 0000 November 22, 1922 7000100000000000000 ♠ 1 Appointment Appointment ended Democratic Caraway, Hattie Hattie Caraway ( 1878 -- 1950 ) Arkansas 000000001931 - 12 - 09 - 0000 December 9, 1931 000000001945 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1945 7003477400000000000 ♠ 4,774 Appointment Lost renomination Democratic Long, Rose Rose Long ( 1892 -- 1970 ) Louisiana 000000001936 - 01 - 31 - 0000 January 31, 1936 000000001937 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1937 7002337000000000000 ♠ 337 Appointment Appointment ended Democratic Graves, Dixie Dixie Graves ( 1882 -- 1965 ) Alabama 000000001937 - 08 - 20 - 0000 August 20, 1937 000000001938 - 01 - 10 - 0000 January 10, 1938 7002143000000000000 ♠ 143 Appointment Appointment ended Democratic Pyle, Gladys Gladys Pyle ( 1890 -- 1989 ) South Dakota 000000001938 - 11 - 09 - 0000 November 9, 1938 000000001939 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1939 7001550000000000000 ♠ 55 Special election Retired Republican Bushfield, Vera C. Vera C. Bushfield ( 1889 -- 1976 ) South Dakota 000000001948 - 10 - 06 - 0000 October 6, 1948 000000001948 - 12 - 26 - 0000 December 26, 1948 7001810000000000000 ♠ 81 Appointment Appointment ended Republican Smith, Margaret C. Margaret C. Smith ( 1897 -- 1995 ) Maine 000000001949 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1949 000000001973 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1973 7003876600000000000 ♠ 8,766 Election Lost reelection Republican Bowring, Eva Eva Bowring ( 1892 -- 1985 ) Nebraska 000000001954 - 04 - 16 - 0000 April 16, 1954 000000001954 - 11 - 07 - 0000 November 7, 1954 7002205000000000000 ♠ 205 Appointment Appointment ended Republican Abel, Hazel Hazel Abel ( 1888 -- 1966 ) Nebraska 000000001954 - 11 - 08 - 0000 November 8, 1954 000000001954 - 12 - 31 - 0000 December 31, 1954 7001530000000000000 ♠ 53 Special election Retired and resigned early Republican Neuberger, Maurine Maurine Neuberger ( 1907 -- 2000 ) Oregon 000000001960 - 11 - 09 - 0000 November 9, 1960 000000001967 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1967 7003224600000000000 ♠ 2,246 Special election Retired Democratic Edwards, Elaine Elaine Edwards ( born 1929 ) Louisiana 000000001972 - 08 - 01 - 0000 August 1, 1972 000000001972 - 11 - 13 - 0000 November 13, 1972 7002104000000000000 ♠ 104 Appointment Appointment ended Democratic Humphrey, Muriel Muriel Humphrey ( 1912 -- 1998 ) Minnesota 000000001978 - 01 - 25 - 0000 January 25, 1978 000000001978 - 11 - 07 - 0000 November 7, 1978 7002286000000000000 ♠ 286 Appointment Appointment ended Democratic Allen, Maryon Maryon Allen ( born 1925 ) Alabama 000000001978 - 06 - 08 - 0000 June 8, 1978 000000001978 - 11 - 07 - 0000 November 7, 1978 7002152000000000000 ♠ 152 Appointment Lost nomination to finish term Democratic Kassebaum, Nancy Nancy Kassebaum ( born 1932 ) Kansas 000000001978 - 12 - 23 - 0000 December 23, 1978 000000001997 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1997 7003658600000000000 ♠ 6,586 Election Retired Republican Hawkins, Paula Paula Hawkins ( 1927 -- 2009 ) Florida 000000001981 - 01 - 01 - 0000 January 1, 1981 000000001987 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1987 7003219300000000000 ♠ 2,193 Election Lost reelection Republican Mikulski, Barbara Barbara Mikulski ( born 1936 ) Maryland 000000001987 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1987 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 7004109590000000000 ♠ 10,959 Election Retired Democratic Burdick, Jocelyn Jocelyn Burdick ( born 1922 ) North Dakota 000000001992 - 09 - 16 - 0000 September 16, 1992 000000001992 - 12 - 14 - 0000 December 14, 1992 7001890000000000000 ♠ 89 Appointment Appointment ended Democratic Feinstein, Dianne Dianne Feinstein ( born 1933 ) California 000000001992 - 11 - 10 - 0000 November 10, 1992 present 7003909400000000000 ♠ 9,094 Special election Incumbent Democratic Boxer, Barbara Barbara Boxer ( born 1940 ) California 000000001993 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1993 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 7003876700000000000 ♠ 8,767 Election Retired Democratic Moseley - Braun, Carol Carol Moseley - Braun ( born 1947 ) Illinois 000000001993 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1993 000000001999 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1999 7003219100000000000 ♠ 2,191 Election Lost reelection Democratic Murray, Patty Patty Murray ( born 1950 ) Washington 000000001993 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1993 present 7003904000000000000 ♠ 9,040 Election Incumbent Democratic Hutchison, Kay Kay Hutchison ( born 1943 ) Texas 000000001993 - 06 - 14 - 0000 June 14, 1993 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 7003714300000000000 ♠ 7,143 Special election Retired Republican Snowe, Olympia Olympia Snowe ( born 1947 ) Maine 000000001995 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1995 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 7003657600000000000 ♠ 6,576 Election Retired Republican Frahm, Sheila Sheila Frahm ( born 1945 ) Kansas 000000001996 - 06 - 11 - 0000 June 11, 1996 000000001996 - 11 - 06 - 0000 November 6, 1996 7002148000000000000 ♠ 148 Appointment Lost nomination to finish term Republican Collins, Susan Susan Collins ( born 1952 ) Maine 000000001997 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1997 present 7003757900000000000 ♠ 7,579 Election Incumbent Republican Landrieu, Mary Mary Landrieu ( born 1955 ) Louisiana 000000001997 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1997 January 3, 2015 7003657500000000000 ♠ 6,575 Election Lost reelection Democratic Lincoln, Blanche Blanche Lincoln ( born 1960 ) Arkansas 000000001999 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 1999 000000002011 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2011 7003438300000000000 ♠ 4,383 Election Lost reelection Democratic Cantwell, Maria Maria Cantwell ( born 1958 ) Washington 000000002001 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2001 present 7003611800000000000 ♠ 6,118 Election Incumbent Democratic Carnahan, Jean Jean Carnahan ( born 1933 ) Missouri 000000002001 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2001 000000002002 - 11 - 25 - 0000 November 25, 2002 7002691000000000000 ♠ 691 Appointment Lost election to finish term Democratic Clinton, Hillary Hillary Clinton ( born 1947 ) New York 000000002001 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2001 000000002009 - 01 - 21 - 0000 January 21, 2009 7003294000000000000 ♠ 2,940 Election Resigned to become United States Secretary of State Democratic Stabenow, Debbie Debbie Stabenow ( born 1950 ) Michigan 000000002001 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2001 present 7003611800000000000 ♠ 6,118 Election Incumbent Democratic Murkowski, Lisa Lisa Murkowski ( born 1957 ) Alaska 000000002002 - 12 - 20 - 0000 December 20, 2002 present 7003540200000000000 ♠ 5,402 Appointment Incumbent Republican Dole, Elizabeth Elizabeth Dole ( born 1936 ) North Carolina 000000002003 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2003 000000002009 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2009 7003219200000000000 ♠ 2,192 Election Lost reelection Republican Klobuchar, Amy Amy Klobuchar ( born 1960 ) Minnesota 000000002007 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2007 present 7003392700000000000 ♠ 3,927 Election Incumbent Democratic McCaskill, Claire Claire McCaskill ( born 1953 ) Missouri 000000002007 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2007 present 7003392700000000000 ♠ 3,927 Election Incumbent Democratic Shaheen, Jeanne Jeanne Shaheen ( born 1947 ) New Hampshire 000000002009 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2009 present 7003319600000000000 ♠ 3,196 Election Incumbent Democratic Hagan, Kay Kay Hagan ( born 1953 ) North Carolina 000000002009 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2009 January 3, 2015 7003219100000000000 ♠ 2,191 Election Lost reelection Democratic Gillibrand, Kirsten Kirsten Gillibrand ( born 1966 ) New York 000000002009 - 01 - 26 - 0000 January 26, 2009 present 7003317300000000000 ♠ 3,173 Appointment Incumbent Democratic Ayotte, Kelly Kelly Ayotte ( born 1968 ) New Hampshire 000000002011 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2011 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 7003219200000000000 ♠ 2,192 Election Lost reelection Republican Baldwin, Tammy Tammy Baldwin ( born 1962 ) Wisconsin 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 present 7003173500000000000 ♠ 1,735 Election Incumbent Democratic Fischer, Deb Deb Fischer ( born 1951 ) Nebraska 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 present 7003173500000000000 ♠ 1,735 Election Incumbent Republican Heitkamp, Heidi Heidi Heitkamp ( born 1955 ) North Dakota 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 present 7003173500000000000 ♠ 1,735 Election Incumbent Democratic Hirono, Mazie Mazie Hirono ( born 1947 ) Hawaii 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 present 7003173500000000000 ♠ 1,735 Election Incumbent Democratic Warren, Elizabeth Elizabeth Warren ( born 1949 ) Massachusetts 000000002013 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2013 present 7003173500000000000 ♠ 1,735 Election Incumbent Democratic Ernst, Joni Joni Ernst ( born 1970 ) Iowa 000000002015 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2015 present 7003100500000000000 ♠ 1,005 Election Incumbent Republican Moore Capito, Shelley Shelley Moore Capito ( born 1953 ) West Virginia 000000002015 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2015 present 7003100500000000000 ♠ 1,005 Election Incumbent Republican Cortez Masto, Catherine Catherine Cortez Masto ( born 1964 ) Nevada 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 present 7002274000000000000 ♠ 274 Election Incumbent Democratic Duckworth, Tammy Tammy Duckworth ( born 1968 ) Illinois 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 present 7002274000000000000 ♠ 274 Election Incumbent Democratic Harris, Kamala Kamala Harris ( born 1964 ) California 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 present 7002274000000000000 ♠ 274 Election Incumbent Democratic Hassan, Maggie Maggie Hassan ( born 1958 ) New Hampshire 000000002017 - 01 - 03 - 0000 January 3, 2017 present 7002274000000000000 ♠ 274 Election Incumbent Democratic Graphs Histograph Starting Total Graph March 4, 1789 0 November 21, 1922 * November 23, 1922 0 December 9, 1931 * January 31, 1936 * * January 3, 1937 * August 20, 1937 * * January 11, 1938 * November 9, 1938 * * January 3, 1939 * January 3, 1945 0 October 6, 1948 * December 27, 1948 0 January 3, 1949 * April 16, 1954 * * January 1, 1955 * November 9, 1960 * * January 3, 1967 * August 1, 1972 * * November 14, 1972 * January 3, 1973 0 January 25, 1978 * June 8, 1978 * * November 8, 1978 0 December 23, 1978 * January 1, 1981 * * September 16, 1992 * * * November 10, 1992 * * * * December 15, 1992 * * * January 3, 1993 6 * * * * * * June 14, 1993 7 * * * * * * * January 3, 1995 8 * * * * * * * * June 11, 1996 9 * * * * * * * * * November 7, 1996 8 * * * * * * * * January 3, 1997 9 * * * * * * * * * January 3, 2001 13 * * * * * * * * * * * * * November 26, 2002 12 * * * * * * * * * * * * December 20, 2002 13 * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 3, 2003 14 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 3, 2007 16 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 3, 2009 17 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 22, 2009 16 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 26, 2009 17 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 3, 2013 20 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * January 3, 2017 21 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Time series See also Women in the United States House of Representatives Widow 's succession Notes Jump up ^ Abel resigned 3 days before the end of her term, a common practice to give her successor seniority advantage. ^ Jump up to : Predecessor resigned early to give successor seniority advantage, so the senator was appointed for the few days prior to the commencement of the elected term ^ Jump up to : When Kay Hagan defeated Elizabeth Dole, it was the first time in history a woman candidate defeated an incumbent woman. References This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2010 ) Jump up ^ `` Women in the U.S. Senate 1922 -- 2015 '' ( PDF ). Center for American Women and Politics. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2015 - 07 - 03. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Senate : Art & History Home > Historical Minutes > 1964 -- Present > `` Year of the Woman '' ``. Jump up ^ Mundy, Liza. `` Who Will Be the Next Dean of the Senate Women ? '' Politico. 2015 - 03 - 04. Retrieved 2016 - 12 - 12. External links U.S. Senate History : Women in the Senate `` Women in the U.S. Senate 1922 -- 2010 '' Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Steinhauer, Jennifer ( March 21, 2013 ). `` Once Few, Women Hold More Power in Senate ''. The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2013. 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Question: the first woman elected to the us senate
Answer: Hattie Caraway