List of United States senators from Arkansas
Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836, and elects its senators to Class 2 and Class 3. Arkansas's Senate seats were declared vacant in July 1861, due to its secession from the Union. They were again filled from June 1868. Its current senators are Republicans John Boozman and Tom Cotton.
List of senators
Class 2 Class 2 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected in the first election of 1836, for three Congresses, starting with the 24th and the seat was contested again for the 27th, 30th, and every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. The seat in recent years has been contested in 2008, and 2014, and 2020. The next election is in 2026. |
C |
Class 3 Class 3 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected in the first election of 1836, for one Congress starting with the 24th and the seat was contested again for the 25th, 28th, and every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. The seat in recent years has 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 | William S. Fulton |
Jacksonian | September 18, 1836 – August 15, 1844 |
Elected in 1836. | 1 | 24th | 1 | Elected in 1836. | September 18, 1836 – March 15, 1848 |
Jacksonian | Ambrose H. Sevier |
1 |
Democratic | 25th | 2 | Re-elected in 1837. | Democratic | ||||||||
26th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1840. Died. |
2 | 27th | ||||||||||
28th | 3 | Re-elected in 1843. Resigned. | ||||||||||
Vacant | August 15, 1844 – November 8, 1844 |
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2 | Chester Ashley |
Democratic | November 8, 1844 – April 29, 1848 |
Elected to finish Fulton's term. | ||||||||
29th | ||||||||||||
Elected to a full term in 1846. Died. |
3 | 30th | ||||||||||
March 15, 1848 – March 30, 1848 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to finish Sevier's term.[1] | March 30, 1848 – April 11, 1853 |
Democratic | Solon Borland |
2 | ||||||||
Vacant | April 29, 1848 – May 12, 1848 |
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3 | William K. Sebastian |
Democratic | May 12, 1848 – July 11, 1861 |
Appointed to continue Ashley's term. Elected November 17, 1848 to finish Ashley's term.[2] | ||||||||
31st | 4 | Elected to full term in 1848. Resigned. | ||||||||||
32nd | ||||||||||||
Elected to full term in 1853. | 4 | 33rd | ||||||||||
April 11, 1853 – July 6, 1853 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Borland's term. Elected to finish Borland's term November 10, 1854.[2] |
July 6, 1853 – March 3, 1861 |
Democratic | Robert W. Johnson |
3 | ||||||||
34th | 5 | Re-elected in 1855. Retired. | ||||||||||
35th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1859. Expelled (Expulsion was reversed by the Senate in 1877). |
5 | 36th | ||||||||||
37th | 6 | Elected in 1860 or 1861. Expelled for supporting the Confederacy. |
March 4, 1861 – July 11, 1861 |
Democratic | Charles B. Mitchel |
4 | ||||||
Vacant | July 11, 1861 – June 22, 1868 |
Civil War and Reconstruction | Civil War and Reconstruction | July 11, 1861 – June 23, 1868 |
Vacant | |||||||
38th | ||||||||||||
6 | 39th | |||||||||||
40th | 7 | |||||||||||
4 | Alexander McDonald |
Republican | June 22, 1868 – March 3, 1871 |
Elected upon readmission. Lost re-election. | ||||||||
Elected upon readmission. Unknown if retired or lost re-election. |
June 23, 1868 – March 3, 1873 |
Republican | Benjamin F. Rice |
5 | ||||||||
41st | ||||||||||||
5 | Powell Clayton |
Republican | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1877 |
Elected in 1870. Unknown if retired or lost re-election. |
7 | 42nd | ||||||
43rd | 8 | Elected in 1872 or 1873. Retired. |
March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879 |
Republican | Stephen W. Dorsey |
6 | ||||||
44th | ||||||||||||
6 | Augustus Garland |
Democratic | March 4, 1877 – March 6, 1885 |
Elected in 1876. | 8 | 45th | ||||||
46th | 9 | Elected in 1878. Retired. |
March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885 |
Democratic | James D. Walker |
7 | ||||||
47th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1883. Resigned to become U.S. Attorney General. |
9 | 48th | ||||||||||
49th | 10 | Elected in 1885. | March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1903 |
Democratic | James K. Jones |
8 | ||||||
Vacant | March 6, 1885 – March 20, 1885 |
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7 | James H. Berry |
Democratic | March 20, 1885 – March 3, 1907 |
Elected to finish Garland's term. | ||||||||
50th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1889. | 10 | 51st | ||||||||||
52nd | 11 | Re-elected in 1891. | ||||||||||
53rd | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1895. | 11 | 54th | ||||||||||
55th | 12 | Re-elected in 1897. Lost re-election. | ||||||||||
56th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1901. Lost re-election. |
12 | 57th | ||||||||||
58th | 13 | Elected in 1903. | March 4, 1903 – October 1, 1916 |
Democratic | James P. Clarke |
9 | ||||||
59th | ||||||||||||
8 | Jeff Davis |
Democratic | March 4, 1907 – January 3, 1913 |
Elected January 29, 1907.[3] Died. |
13 | 60th | ||||||
61st | 14 | Re-elected in 1909. | ||||||||||
62nd | ||||||||||||
Vacant | January 3, 1913 – January 6, 1913 |
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9 | John N. Heiskell |
Democratic | January 6, 1913 – January 29, 1913 |
Appointed to continue Davis's term. Successor qualified. | ||||||||
10 | William M. Kavanaugh |
Democratic | January 29, 1913 – March 3, 1913 |
Elected to finish Davis's term. Retired. | ||||||||
11 | Joseph Robinson |
Democratic | March 4, 1913 – July 14, 1937 |
Elected January 29, 1913[4] | 14 | 63rd | ||||||
64th | 15 | Re-elected in 1914. Died. | ||||||||||
October 1, 1916 – November 8, 1916 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Clarke's term. Lost renomination. |
November 8, 1916 – March 3, 1921 |
Democratic | William F. Kirby |
10 | ||||||||
65th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1918. | 15 | 66th | ||||||||||
67th | 16 | Elected in 1920. | March 4, 1921 – November 6, 1931 |
Democratic | Thaddeus H. Caraway |
11 | ||||||
68th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1924. | 16 | 69th | ||||||||||
70th | 17 | Re-elected in 1926. Died. | ||||||||||
71st | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1930. | 17 | 72nd | ||||||||||
November 6, 1931 – November 13, 1931 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to finish her husband's term. Elected January 12, 1932 to finish her husband's term. |
November 13, 1931 – January 3, 1945 |
Democratic | Hattie W. Caraway |
12 | ||||||||
73rd | 18 | Re-elected in 1932. | ||||||||||
74th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1936. Died. |
18 | 75th | ||||||||||
Vacant | July 14, 1937 – November 15, 1937 |
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12 | John E. Miller |
Democratic | November 15, 1937 – March 31, 1941 |
Elected to finish Robinson's term. Resigned to become U.S. District Judge. | ||||||||
76th | 19 | Re-elected in 1938. Lost renomination. | ||||||||||
77th | ||||||||||||
Vacant | March 31, 1941 – April 1, 1941 |
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13 | Lloyd Spencer |
Democratic | April 1, 1941 – January 3, 1943 |
Appointed to finish Miller's term. Retired. | ||||||||
14 | John L. McClellan |
Democratic | January 3, 1943 – November 28, 1977 |
Elected in 1942. | 19 | 78th | ||||||
79th | 20 | Elected in 1944. | January 3, 1945 – December 31, 1974 |
Democratic | J. William Fulbright |
13 | ||||||
80th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1948. | 20 | 81st | ||||||||||
82nd | 21 | Re-elected in 1950. | ||||||||||
83rd | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1954. | 21 | 84th | ||||||||||
85th | 22 | Re-elected in 1956. | ||||||||||
86th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1960. | 22 | 87th | ||||||||||
88th | 23 | Re-elected in 1962. | ||||||||||
89th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1966. | 23 | 90th | ||||||||||
91st | 24 | Re-elected in 1968. Lost re-nomination, then resigned. | ||||||||||
92nd | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1972. Died. |
24 | 93rd | ||||||||||
December 31, 1974 – January 3, 1975 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
94th | 25 | Elected in 1974. | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1999 |
Democratic | Dale Bumpers |
14 | ||||||
95th | ||||||||||||
Vacant | November 28, 1977 – December 10, 1977 |
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15 | Kaneaster Hodges, Jr. |
Democratic | December 10, 1977 – January 3, 1979 |
Appointed to finish McClellan's term. Retired. | ||||||||
16 | David H. Pryor |
Democratic | January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997 |
Elected in 1978. | 25 | 96th | ||||||
97th | 26 | Re-elected in 1980. | ||||||||||
98th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1984. | 26 | 99th | ||||||||||
100th | 27 | Re-elected in 1986. | ||||||||||
101st | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1990. Retired. |
27 | 102nd | ||||||||||
103rd | 28 | Re-elected in 1992. Retired. | ||||||||||
104th | ||||||||||||
17 | Tim Hutchinson |
Republican | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003 |
Elected in 1996. Lost re-election. |
28 | 105th | ||||||
106th | 29 | Elected in 1998. | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2011 |
Democratic | Blanche Lincoln |
15 | ||||||
107th | ||||||||||||
18 | Mark Pryor |
Democratic | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2015 |
Elected in 2002. | 29 | 108th | ||||||
109th | 30 | Re-elected in 2004. Lost re-election. | ||||||||||
110th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 2008. Lost re-election. |
30 | 111th | ||||||||||
112th | 31 | Elected in 2010. | January 3, 2011 – Present |
Republican | John Boozman |
16 | ||||||
113th | ||||||||||||
19 | Tom Cotton |
Republican | January 3, 2015 – Present |
Elected in 2014. | 31 | 114th | ||||||
115th | 32 | Re-elected in 2016. | ||||||||||
116th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 2020. | 32 | 117th | ||||||||||
118th | 33 | To be determined in the 2022 election. | ||||||||||
119th | ||||||||||||
To be determined in the 2026 election. | 33 | 120th | ||||||||||
# | Senator | Party | Years in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Years in office | Party | Senator | # | |
Class 2 | Class 3 |
Living former senators
As of February 2021, there are five living former senators from Arkansas. The most recent and most recently serving senator to die was Dale Bumpers (served 1975–1999) on January 1, 2016.
Senator | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
Kaneaster Hodges Jr. | December 10, 1977 – January 3, 1979 | August 20, 1938 |
David Pryor | January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997 | August 29, 1934 |
Tim Hutchinson | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003 | August 11, 1949 |
Blanche Lincoln | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2011 | September 30, 1960 |
Mark Pryor | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2015 | January 10, 1963 |
See also
References
- "Solon Borland (1811–1864) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net.
- Byrd, Robert C.; Wolff, Wendy (October 1, 1993). The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992 (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office., page 80
- The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1908. New York: The Tribune Association. 1908. p. 258.
- Robinson was the last U.S. senator elected by a state legislature before the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.