List of United States Senators from Massachusetts

This is a chronological listing of the United States Senators from Massachusetts. United States Senators are popularly elected, for a six-year term, beginning January 3. Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. Before 1914, they were chosen by the Massachusetts General Court, and before 1935, their terms began March 4. The current Senators are Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

Mid-term vacancy appointment processes

Through the 20th century, mid-term vacancies were filled with the governor's appointee, with the appointment expiring at the next biennial state election. In 2004, the Democratic-controlled state legislature changed the vacancy-filling process, mandating that a special election occur, which removed the Governor's appointment power. This statute was enacted over the veto by the Governor, Mitt Romney. The leadership of the Massachusetts legislature at the time was concerned that the Republican governor Mitt Romney would appoint a Republican if Democratic Senator John Kerry were elected President of the United States in the 2004 election.^[1][2][3][4] Generally, the law requires a special election within 145 to 160 days from the date of the filing of a Senate resignation. The law contemplates resignations that become effective some period of time after the filing of the resignation, so long as the election occurs after effective date of the resignation.^[5]

While terminally ill with brain cancer, Ted Kennedy requested that the Massachusetts legislature change the law to allow an interim appointment. Kennedy died shortly thereafter, and the legislature quickly passed a bill providing for an interim appointment.^[6] On September 24, 2009, Governor Patrick signed the bill and appointed Paul G. Kirk, who had previously served as one of Kennedy's congressional aides and as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Kirk stated he would not run in the special election.^[7]

List of Senators

Class 1 Class 1 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected for only one U.S. Congress in the first election of 1788/1789, and then the seat was contested again for the 2nd, 5th, and every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. Those seats in recent years have been contested in 1994, 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018, with a special election taking place in 2010.						C o n g r e s s	Class 2 Class 2 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected for the first two United States Congresses in the first election of 1788/1789, and then the seat was contested again for the 3rd, 6th, and every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. Those seats in recent years are contested in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014, with a special election taking place in 2013.
#	Senator	Party	Years in office	Electoral history	T e r m		T e r m	Electoral history	Years in office	Party	Senator	#
1	Tristram Dalton	Pro- Admin.	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	Elected in 1789 Lost re-election	1	1st Congress	1	Elected in 1789	March 4, 1789 – June 1, 1796	Pro- Admin.	Caleb Strong	1
2	George Cabot	Pro- Admin.	March 4, 1791 – June 9, 1796	Elected in 1790 Resigned	2	2nd Congress
						3rd Congress	2	Re-elected in 1793 Resigned
		Federalist				4th Congress				Federalist
Vacant			June 9, 1796 – June 11, 1796	Vacant				Vacant	June 1, 1796 – June 11, 1796	Vacant
3	Benjamin Goodhue	Federalist	June 11, 1796 – November 8, 1800	Elected to finish Cabot's term				Elected to finish Strong's term Retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives	June 11, 1796 – March 3, 1799	Federalist	Theodore Sedgwick	2
				Also elected to full term in 1796 Resigned	3	5th Congress
						6th Congress	3	Elected in 1799 Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of War	March 4, 1799 – May 30, 1800	Federalist	Samuel Dexter	3
						6th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	May 31, 1800 – June 5, 1800	Vacant
						6th Congress (Continued)		Elected to finish Dexter's term Resigned	June 6, 1800 – March 2, 1803	Federalist	Dwight Foster	4
Vacant			November 8, 1800 – November 14, 1800	Vacant		6th Congress (Continued)
4	Jonathan Mason	Federalist	November 14, 1800 – March 3, 1803	Elected to finish Goodhue's term		6th Congress (Continued)
						7th Congress
						7th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	March 2, 1803 – March 4, 1803	Vacant
5	John Quincy Adams	Federalist	March 4, 1803 – June 8, 1808	Elected in 1802 Resigned, having broken with the Federalist Party and lost re-election to the next term.	4	8th Congress		Elected to finish Foster's term	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1811	Federalist	Timothy Pickering	5
						9th Congress	4	Re-elected in 1804 Lost re-election
						10th Congress
6	James Lloyd	Federalist	June 9, 1808 – May 1, 1813	Elected to finish Adams's term, having already been elected to the next term.		10th Congress (Continued)
				Re-elected in 1809 Resigned	5	11th Congress
						12th Congress	5	The State Senate deadlocked in the 1810 election	March 4, 1811 – June 28, 1811	Vacant
						12th Congress (Continued)		Elected after the spring 1811 state elections gave Democratic-Republicans control of the body.	June 29, 1811 – March 3, 1817	Democratic- Republican	Joseph Bradley Varnum	6
						13th Congress
Vacant			May 1, 1813 – May 5, 1813	Vacant		13th Congress (Continued)
7	Christopher Gore	Federalist	May 5, 1813 – May 30, 1816	Appointed to finish Lloyd's term		13th Congress (Continued)
				Elected to full term in 1815 Resigned	6	14th Congress
Vacant			June 1, 1816 – June 11, 1816	Vacant		14th Congress (Continued)
8	Eli P. Ashmun	Federalist	June 12, 1816 – May 10, 1818	Elected to finish Gore's term Resigned		14th Congress (Continued)
						15th Congress	6	Elected in 1817 Resigned	March 4, 1817 – May 30, 1822	Federalist	Harrison Gray Otis	7
Vacant			May 11, 1818 – June 4, 1818	Vacant
9	Prentiss Mellen	Federalist	June 5, 1818 – May 15, 1820	Elected to finish Ashmun's term Resigned to become Chief Justice of Maine		15th Congress (Continued)
						16th Congress
Vacant			May 16, 1820 – June 11, 1820	Vacant
10	Elijah H. Mills	Federalist	June 12, 1820 – March 3, 1827	Elected to finish Mellen's term		16th Congress (Continued)
				Re-elected in 1820 Lost re-election in 1826	7	17th Congress
						17th Congress (Continued)		Elected to finish Otis's term	June 5, 1822 – May 23, 1826	Federalist	James Lloyd	8
		Adams-Clay Federalist				18th Congress	7	Re-elected in 1822 Resigned		Adams-Clay Federalist
		Anti- Jacksonian				19th Congress				Anti- Jacksonian
						19th Congress (Continued)		Elected to finish Lloyd's term	May 31, 1826 – March 3, 1835	Anti- Jacksonian	Nathaniel Silsbee	9
Vacant			March 4, 1827 – June 8, 1827	Vacant	8	20th Congress				Adams
11	Daniel Webster	Adams	June 8, 1827 – February 22, 1841	Elected late in 1827		20th Congress (Continued)
						21st Congress	8	Re-elected in 1828 Retired		Anti- Jacksonian
		Anti- Jacksonian				22nd Congress
				Re-elected in 1833	9	23rd Congress
						24th Congress	9	Elected in 1835 Resigned to become Governor of Massachusetts	March 4, 1835 – January 5, 1841	Anti- Jacksonian	John Davis	10
		Whig				25th Congress				Whig
				Re-elected in 1839 Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State	10	26th Congress
						26th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	January 5, 1841 – January 13, 1841	Vacant
						26th Congress (Continued)		Appointed to finish Davis's term	January 13, 1841 – March 16, 1845	Whig	Isaac C. Bates	11
12	Rufus Choate	Whig	February 23, 1841 – March 3, 1845	Elected to finish Webster's term Retired		26th Congress (Continued)
						27th Congress	10	Elected to full term in 1841 Died
						28th Congress
13	Daniel Webster	Whig	March 4, 1845 – July 22, 1850	Elected in 1845 Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State again	11	29th Congress
						29th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	March 16, 1845 – March 24, 1845	Vacant
						29th Congress (Continued)		Elected to finish Bates's term	March 24, 1845 – March 3, 1853	Whig	John Davis	12
						30th Congress	11	Re-elected in 1847 Retired
						31st Congress
Vacant			July 23, 1850 – July 29, 1850	Vacant		31st Congress (Continued)
14	Robert Charles Winthrop	Whig	July 30, 1850 – February 1, 1851	Appointed to continue Webster's term Lost election to finish Webster's term		31st Congress (Continued)
15	Robert Rantoul, Jr.	Democratic	February 1, 1851 – March 3, 1851	Elected to finish Webster's term Retired		31st Congress (Continued)
Vacant			March 4, 1851 – April 24, 1851	In 1851, Democrats gained control of the Massachusetts General Court in coalition with the Free Soilers. However, the legislature deadlocked on who should succeed Daniel Webster. Democrats refused to vote for Charles Sumner (the Free Soilers' choice). Sumner was eventually elected late.	12	32nd Congress
16	Charles Sumner	Free Soil	April 24, 1851 – March 11, 1874			32nd Congress (Continued)
						33rd Congress	12	Elected in 1853 Resigned	March 4, 1853 – June 1, 1854	Whig	Edward Everett	13
						33rd Congress (Continued)		Vacant	June 1, 1854 – June 3, 1854	Vacant
						33rd Congress (Continued)		Appointed to continue Everett's term Successor was elected	June 3, 1854 – January 31, 1855	Whig	Julius Rockwell	14
						33rd Congress (Continued)		Elected to finish Everett's term	January 31, 1855 – March 3, 1873	Free Soil	Henry Wilson	15
		Opposition				34th Congress				Know-nothing
						34th Congress (Continued)				Opposition
		Republican		Re-elected in 1857	13	35th Congress				Republican
						36th Congress	13	Re-elected in 1859
						37th Congress
				Re-elected in 1863	14	38th Congress
						39th Congress	14	Re-elected in 1865
						40th Congress
				Re-elected in 1869 Died	15	41st Congress
						42nd Congress	15	Re-elected in 1871 Resigned to become U.S. Vice President
						43rd Congress		Vacant	March 3, 1873 – March 17, 1873	Vacant
						43rd Congress (Continued)		Elected to finish Wilson's term	March 17, 1873 – March 3, 1877	Republican	George S. Boutwell	16
Vacant			March 12, 1874 – April 16, 1874	Vacant		43rd Congress (Continued)
17	William B. Washburn	Republican	April 17, 1874 – March 3, 1875	Elected to finish Sumner's term Retired		43rd Congress (Continued)
18	Henry L. Dawes	Republican	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1893	Elected in 1875	16	44th Congress
						45th Congress	16	Elected in 1877	March 4, 1877 – September 30, 1904	Republican	George Frisbie Hoar	17
						46th Congress
				Re-elected in 1881	17	47th Congress
						48th Congress	17	Re-elected in 1883
						49th Congress
				Re-elected in 1887 Retired	18	50th Congress
						51st Congress	18	Re-elected in 1889
						52nd Congress
19	Henry Cabot Lodge	Republican	March 4, 1893 – November 9, 1924	Elected in 1893	19	53rd Congress
						54th Congress	19	Re-elected in 1895
						55th Congress
				Re-elected in 1898	20	56th Congress
						57th Congress	20	Re-elected in 1901 Died
						58th Congress
						58th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	September 30, 1904 – October 12, 1904	Vacant
						58th Congress (Continued)		Appointed to continue Hoar's term Elected to finish Hoar's term	October 12, 1904 – March 3, 1913	Republican	Winthrop M. Crane	18
				Re-elected in 1904	21	59th Congress
						60th Congress	21	Re-elected in 1907 Retired
						61st Congress
				Re-elected in 1910	22	62nd Congress
						63rd Congress	22	Elected in 1912 Lost re-election	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919	Republican	John W. Weeks	19
						64th Congress
				Re-elected in 1916	23	65th Congress
						66th Congress	23	Elected in 1918 Lost re-election	March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1925	Democratic	David I. Walsh	20
						67th Congress
				Re-elected in 1922 Died	24	68th Congress
Vacant			November 10, 1924 – November 12, 1924	Vacant
20	William M. Butler	Republican	November 13, 1924 – December 6, 1926	Appointed to continue Lodge's term Lost election to finish Lodge's term		68th Congress (Continued)
						69th Congress	24	Elected in 1924 Retired	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931	Republican	Frederick H. Gillett	21
21	David I. Walsh	Democratic	December 6, 1926 – January 3, 1947	Elected to finish Lodge's term
						70th Congress
				Re-elected in 1928	25	71st Congress
						72nd Congress	25	Elected in 1930 Retired	March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1937	Democratic	Marcus A. Coolidge	22
						73rd Congress
				Re-elected in 1934	26	74th Congress
						75th Congress	26	Elected in 1936	January 3, 1937 – February 3, 1944	Republican	Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.	23
						76th Congress
				Re-elected in 1940 Lost re-election	27	77th Congress
						78th Congress	27	Re-elected in 1942 Resigned to return to active duty in the U.S. Army
						78th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	February 4, 1944 – February 7, 1944	Vacant
						78th Congress (Continued)		Appointed to continue Lodge's term Did not run for election to finish the term and resigned early	February 8, 1944 – December 19, 1944	Republican	Sinclair Weeks	24
						78th Congress (Continued)		Vacant	December 20, 1944 – January 3, 1945	Vacant
						79th Congress		Elected to finish Lodge's term	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1967	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall	25
22	Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953	Elected in 1946 Lost re-election	28	80th Congress
						81st Congress	28	Re-elected in 1948
						82nd Congress
23	John F. Kennedy	Democratic	January 3, 1953 – December 22, 1960	Elected in 1952	29	83rd Congress
						84th Congress	29	Re-elected in 1954
						85th Congress
				Re-elected in 1958 Resigned to become U.S. President	30	86th Congress
Vacant			December 22, 1960 – December 27, 1960	Vacant
24	Benjamin Smith	Democratic	December 27, 1960 – November 7, 1962	Appointed to continue John Kennedy's term Did not run for election to finish the term		86th Congress (Continued)
						87th Congress	30	Re-elected in 1960 Retired
25	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	November 7, 1962 – August 25, 2009	Elected to finish his brother's term
						88th Congress
				Re-elected in 1964	31	89th Congress
						90th Congress	31	Elected in 1966	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979	Republican	Edward Brooke	26
						91st Congress
				Re-elected in 1970	32	92nd Congress
						93rd Congress	32	Re-elected in 1972 Lost re-election
						94th Congress
				Re-elected in 1976	33	95th Congress
						96th Congress	33	Elected in 1978 Retired, then resigned early to give successor preferential seniority	January 3, 1979 – January 2, 1985	Democratic	Paul Tsongas	27
						97th Congress
				Re-elected in 1982	34	98th Congress
						98th Congress (Continued)		Appointed early to finish Tsongas's term, having already been elected to the next term	January 2, 1985 – February 1, 2013	Democratic	John Kerry	28
						99th Congress	34	Elected in 1984
						100th Congress
				Re-elected in 1988	35	101st Congress
						102nd Congress	35	Re-elected in 1990
						103rd Congress
				Re-elected in 1994	36	104th Congress
						105th Congress	36	Re-elected in 1996
						106th Congress
				Re-elected in 2000	37	107th Congress
						108th Congress	37	Re-elected in 2002
						109th Congress
				Re-elected in 2006 Died	38	110th Congress
						111th Congress	38	Re-elected in 2008 Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State
Vacant			August 25, 2009 – September 24, 2009	Vacant
26	Paul G. Kirk	Democratic	September 24, 2009 – February 4, 2010	Appointed to continue Ted Kennedy's term Did not run for election to finish the term
27	Scott Brown	Republican	February 4, 2010 – January 3, 2013	Elected to finish Ted Kennedy's term Lost re-election		111th Congress (Continued)
						112th Congress
28	Elizabeth Warren	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – Present	Elected in 2012	39	113th Congress
						113th Congress (Continued)		Appointed to continue Kerry's term Did not run for election to finish the term[8]	February 1, 2013 – July 16, 2013	Democratic	Mo Cowan	29
								Elected to finish Kerry's term	July 16, 2013 – Present	Democratic	Ed Markey	30
						114th Congress	39	Re-elected in 2014
						115th Congress
#	Senator	Party	Years in office	Electoral history	T e r m	C o n g r e s s	T e r m	Electoral history	Years in office	Party	Senator	#
Class 1							Class 2

References