# List of new members of the 97th United States Congress

The 97th United States Congress began on January 3, 1981. There were 15 new senators (two Democrats, 13 Republicans) and 73 new representatives (21 Democrats, 52 Republicans), as well as two new delegates (both Democrats), at the start of the first session. Additionally, two senators (one Democrat, one Republican) and nine representatives (six Democrats, three Republicans) took office on various dates in order to fill vacancies during the 97th Congress before it ended on January 3, 1983.

## Senate
### Took office January 3, 1981

| State | Senator | Seniority | Switched party | Prior background | Birth year |
| Alaska | Frank Murkowski (R) | 15th (100th overall) | Yes Replaced Mike Gravel (D), who was defeated in a primary | Alaska Commissioner of Economic Development U.S. Coast Guard | 1933 |
| Connecticut | Chris Dodd (D) | 4th (89th overall) | No Open seat; replaced Abraham Ribicoff (D) | U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Army Reserve | 1944 |
| Georgia | Mack Mattingly (R) | 12th (97th overall) | Yes Defeated Herman Talmadge (D) | Chair of the Georgia Republican Party U.S. Air Force | 1931 |
| Idaho | Steve Symms (R) | 2nd (87th overall) | Yes Defeated Frank Church (D) | U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant | 1938 |
| Illinois | Alan J. Dixon (D) | 10th (95th overall) | No Open seat; replaced Adlai Stevenson III (D) | Illinois Secretary of State Illinois Treasurer Illinois Senate Illinois House of Representatives U.S. Navy | 1927 |
| Indiana | Dan Quayle (R) | 6th (91st overall) | Yes Defeated Birch Bayh (D) | U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Army Sergeant | 1947 |
| Iowa | Chuck Grassley (R) | 5th (90th overall) | Yes Defeated John Culver (D) | U.S. House of Representatives Iowa House of Representatives | 1933 |
| New York | Al D'Amato (R) | 8th (93rd overall) | No Defeated Jacob Javits (R) in a primary | Nassau County Board of Supervisors Hempstead Presiding Supervisor | 1937 |
| North Carolina | John Porter East (R) | 11th (96th overall) | Yes Defeated Robert Burren Morgan (D) | Professor | 1931 |
| North Dakota | Mark Andrews (R) | 1st (86th overall) | No Open seat; replaced Milton Young (R) | U.S. House of Representatives | 1926 |
| Oklahoma | Don Nickles (R) | 14th (99th overall) | No Open seat; replaced Henry Bellmon (R) | Oklahoma Senate Oklahoma National Guard | 1948 |
| Pennsylvania | Arlen Specter (R) | 9th (94th overall) | No Open seat; replaced Richard Schweiker (R) | District Attorney of Philadelphia Assistant counsel to the Warren Commission U.S. Air Force First Lieutenant | 1930 |
| South Dakota | James Abdnor (R) | 3rd (88th overall) | Yes Defeated George McGovern (D) | U.S. House of Representatives Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota South Dakota Senate U.S. Army | 1923 |
| Washington | Slade Gorton (R) | 13th (98th overall) | Yes Defeated Warren Magnuson (D) | Attorney General of Washington Washington House of Representatives U.S. Air Force Reserve Colonel | 1928 |
| Wisconsin | Bob Kasten (R) | 7th (92nd overall) | Yes Defeated Gaylord Nelson (D) | U.S. House of Representatives Wisconsin Senate Wisconsin Air National Guard | 1942 |

### Took office during the 97th Congress

| State | Image | Senator | Took office | Switched party | Prior background | Birth year | Ref |
| New Jersey | | Nicholas F. Brady (R) | April 12, 1982 | Yes Appointed; replaced Harrison A. Williams (D) | Businessman | 1930 | |
| New Jersey | | Frank Lautenberg (D) | December 27, 1982 | Yes Open seat; replaced Nicholas F. Brady (R) | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey U.S. Army Technician | 1924 | |

## House of Representatives
### Took office January 3, 1981

| District | Representative | Switched party | Prior background | Birth year |
| Alabama 6 | Albert L. Smith Jr. (R) | No | Insurance agent | 1931 |
| California 1 | Eugene A. Chappie (R) | Yes | State Assemblyman | 1920 |
| California 11 | Tom Lantos (D) | Yes | Professor | 1928 |
| California 21 | Bobbi Fiedler (R) | Yes | Education official | 1937 |
| California 31 | Mervyn Dymally (D) | No | Lieutenant Governor of California | 1926 |
| California 35 | David Dreier (R) | Yes | Philanthropist | 1952 |
| California 41 | Bill Lowery (R) | No | City Councilor | 1947 |
| California 42 | Duncan L. Hunter (R) | Yes | U.S. Army First Lieutenant | 1948 |
| Colorado 4 | Hank Brown (R) | No | State Senator | 1940 |
| Connecticut 2 | Sam Gejdenson (D) | No | State Representative | 1948 |
| Connecticut 3 | Lawrence J. DeNardis (R) | Yes | State Senator | 1938 |
| Florida 5 | Bill McCollum (R) | No | County Party Chair | 1944 |
| Florida 12 | Clay Shaw (R) | Yes | Mayor of Fort Lauderdale | 1939 |
| Georgia 2 | Charles Floyd Hatcher (D) | No | State Representative | 1939 |
| Idaho 1 | Larry Craig (R) | No | State Senator | 1945 |
| Illinois 1 | Harold Washington (D) | No | State Senator | 1922 |
| Illinois 2 | Gus Savage (D) | No | Journalist | 1925 |
| Illinois 16 | Lynn Morley Martin (R) | No | State Senator | 1939 |
| Indiana 3 | John P. Hiler (R) | Yes | Marketing director | 1953 |
| Indiana 4 | Dan Coats (R) | No | Congressional staffer | 1943 |
| Iowa 3 | T. Cooper Evans (R) | No | State Representative | 1924 |
| Kansas 1 | Pat Roberts (R) | No | Congressional staffer | 1936 |
| Kentucky 5 | Hal Rogers (R) | No | Commonwealth Attorney | 1937 |
| Louisiana 4 | Buddy Roemer (D) | No | Banker | 1943 |
| Maryland 1 | Roy Dyson (D) | Yes | State Delegate | 1948 |
| Massachusetts 4 | Barney Frank (D) | No | State Representative | 1940 |
| Michigan 6 | James Whitney Dunn (R) | Yes | Businessman | 1943 |
| Michigan 14 | Dennis Hertel (D) | No | Lawyer | 1948 |
| Minnesota 6 | Vin Weber (R) | Yes | Newspaper publisher | 1952 |
| Missouri 8 | Wendell Bailey (R) | Yes | State Representative | 1940 |
| Missouri 10 | Bill Emerson (R) | Yes | Consultant | 1938 |
| Nebraska 2 | Hal Daub (R) | Yes | Lawyer | 1941 |
| New Hampshire 2 | Judd Gregg (R) | No | Executive Councilor | 1947 |
| New Jersey 4 | Chris Smith (R) | Yes | Nonprofit executive | 1953 |
| New Jersey 7 | Marge Roukema (R) | Yes | School Board Member | 1929 |
| New Jersey 15 | Bernard J. Dwyer (D) | No | State Senator | 1921 |
| New Mexico 2 | Joe Skeen (R) | Yes | State Party Chair | 1927 |
| New York 3 | Gregory W. Carman (R) | Yes | Town Councilor | 1937 |
| New York 5 | Raymond J. McGrath (R) | No | State Assemblyman | 1942 |
| New York 6 | John LeBoutillier (R) | Yes | Campaign coordinator | 1953 |
| New York 16 | Chuck Schumer (D) | No | State Assemblyman | 1950 |
| New York 17 | Guy Molinari (R) | Yes | State Assemblyman | 1928 |
| New York 30 | David O'Brien Martin (R) | No | State Assemblyman | 1944 |
| New York 32 | George C. Wortley (R) | Yes | Business executive | 1926 |
| North Carolina 6 | Walter E. Johnston III (R) | Yes | Lawyer | 1936 |
| North Carolina 11 | Bill Hendon (R) | Yes | Businessman | 1944 |
| North Dakota at-large | Byron Dorgan (D–NPL) | Yes | North Dakota Tax Commissioner | 1942 |
| Ohio 6 | Bob McEwen (R) | No | State Representative | 1950 |
| Ohio 9 | Ed Weber (R) | Yes | Law professor | 1931 |
| Ohio 12 | Bob Shamansky (D) | Yes | Lawyer | 1927 |
| Ohio 22 | Dennis E. Eckart (D) | No | State Representative | 1950 |
| Oklahoma 4 | Dave McCurdy (D) | No | Assistant Attorney General of Oklahoma | 1950 |
| Oregon 2 | Denny Smith (R) | Yes | Flight engineer | 1938 |
| Oregon 3 | Ron Wyden (D) | No | Gerontology professor | 1949 |
| Pennsylvania 1 | Thomas M. Foglietta (D) | No | City Councillor | 1928 |
| Pennsylvania 8 | James K. Coyne III (R) | Yes | Business executive | 1946 |
| Pennsylvania 11 | James Nelligan (R) | Yes | Federal government official | 1929 |
| Pennsylvania 14 | William J. Coyne (D) | No | City Councillor | 1936 |
| Rhode Island 2 | Claudine Schneider (R) | Yes | Director of the CLF | 1947 |
| South Carolina 1 | Thomas F. Hartnett (R) | Yes | State Senator | 1941 |
| South Carolina 6 | John Light Napier (R) | Yes | Congressional staffer | 1947 |
| South Dakota 2 | Clint Roberts (R) | No | State Senator | 1935 |
| Texas 4 | Ralph Hall (D) | No | State Senator | 1923 |
| Texas 8 | Jack Fields (R) | Yes | Lawyer | 1952 |
| Texas 14 | Bill Patman (D) | No | State Senator | 1927 |
| Utah 1 | Jim Hansen (R) | Yes | State House Speaker | 1932 |
| Virginia 3 | Thomas J. Bliley Jr. (R) | Yes | Mayor of Richmond | 1932 |
| Virginia 8 | Stanford Parris (R) | Yes | U.S. Representative | 1929 |
| Virginia 10 | Frank Wolf (R) | Yes | U.S. DOI official | 1939 |
| Washington 4 | Sid Morrison (R) | Yes | State Senator | 1933 |
| West Virginia 2 | Cleve Benedict (R) | Yes | State Party Chair | 1935 |
| West Virginia 3 | Mick Staton (R) | Yes | Banker | 1940 |
| Wisconsin 3 | Steve Gunderson (R) | Yes | State Assemblyman | 1951 |

#### Non-voting delegates

| District | Delegate | Switched party | Prior background | Birth year | Ref |
| American Samoa at-large | Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia (D) | New seat | Territorial Senator | 1937 | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands at-large | Ron de Lugo (D) | Yes | U.S. Delegate | 1930 | |

### Took office during the 97th Congress

| District | Representative | Took office | Switched party | Prior background | Birth year |
| Michigan 4 | Mark D. Siljander (R) | April 21, 1981 | No | State Representative | 1951 |
| Maryland 5 | Steny Hoyer (D) | May 19, 1981 | No | State Senate President | 1939 |
| Ohio 4 | Mike Oxley (R) | June 25, 1981 | No | State Representative | 1944 |
| Mississippi 4 | Wayne Dowdy (D) | July 7, 1981 | Yes | Mayor of McComb | 1943 |
| Pennsylvania 3 | Joseph F. Smith (D) | July 21, 1981 | No | State Senator | 1920 |
| Connecticut 1 | Barbara B. Kennelly (D) | January 12, 1982 | No | Connecticut Secretary of State | 1936 |
| Ohio 17 | Jean Spencer Ashbrook (R) | June 29, 1982 | No | None | 1934 |
| California 30 | Matthew G. Martínez (D) | July 13, 1982 | No | State Assemblyman | 1929 |
| Indiana 1 | Katie Hall (D) | November 2, 1982 | No | State Senator | 1938 |