List of United States senators from Montana
Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889 and elects U.S. senators to Classes 1 and 2. Its current U.S. senators are Democrat Jon Tester (serving since 2007) and Republican Steve Daines (serving since 2015), making it one of seven states to have a split United States Senate delegation.
List of senators
Class 1 Class 1 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018. The next election will be in 2024. |
C |
Class 2 Class 2 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020. The next election will be in 2026. | ||||||||||
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# | Senator | Party | Dates in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Dates in office | Party | Senator | # | |
Vacant | November 8, 1889 – January 1, 1890 |
Montana elected its first Senators two months after admission to the Union. | 1 | 51st | 1 | Montana elected its first Senators two months after admission to the Union. | November 8, 1889 – January 2, 1890 |
Vacant | ||||
1 | Wilbur F. Sanders |
Republican | January 1, 1890 – March 3, 1893 |
Elected in 1890. Lost re-election. |
Elected in 1890. Retired. |
January 2, 1890 – March 3, 1895 |
Republican | Thomas C. Power |
1 | |||
52nd | ||||||||||||
Vacant | March 3, 1893 – January 16, 1895 |
Legislature failed to elect. | 2 | 53rd | ||||||||
2 | Lee Mantle |
Republican | January 16, 1895 – March 3, 1899 |
Elected to finish vacant term. Lost renomination. | ||||||||
54th | 2 | Elected in January 1895.[1] Lost re-election. |
March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1901 |
Republican | Thomas H. Carter |
2 | ||||||
Silver Republican | 55th | |||||||||||
3 | William A. Clark |
Democratic | March 4, 1899 – May 15, 1900 |
Elected in 1899. Resigned to avoid claim of election fraud. |
3 | 56th | ||||||
Vacant | May 15, 1900 – March 7, 1901 |
Clark was appointed to continue his vacant term, but did not qualify. | ||||||||||
57th | 3 | Elected in 1901. Retired. |
March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1907 |
Democratic | William A. Clark |
3 | ||||||
4 | Paris Gibson |
Democratic | March 7, 1901 – March 3, 1905 |
Elected to finish Clark's term.[2][3] Retired. | ||||||||
58th | ||||||||||||
5 | Thomas H. Carter |
Republican | March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1911 |
Elected January 16, 1905.[4] Lost re-election. |
4 | 59th | ||||||
60th | 4 | Elected January 16, 1907.[5] Lost re-election as a Progressive. |
March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1913 |
Republican | Joseph M. Dixon |
4 | ||||||
61st | ||||||||||||
6 | Henry L. Myers |
Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1923 |
Elected March 2, 1911. | 5 | 62nd | ||||||
63rd | 5 | Elected January 14, 1913. | March 4, 1913 – March 2, 1933 |
Democratic | Thomas J. Walsh |
5 | ||||||
64th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1916. Retired. |
6 | 65th | ||||||||||
66th | 6 | Re-elected in 1918. | ||||||||||
67th | ||||||||||||
7 | Burton K. Wheeler |
Democratic | March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1947 |
Elected in 1922. | 7 | 68th | ||||||
69th | 7 | Re-elected in 1924. | ||||||||||
70th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1928. | 8 | 71st | ||||||||||
72nd | 8 | Re-elected in 1930. Died.[6] | ||||||||||
March 2, 1933 – March 13, 1933 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
73rd | ||||||||||||
Appointed to continue Walsh's term. Lost nomination to finish Walsh's term. |
March 13, 1933 – November 6, 1934 |
Democratic | John E. Erickson |
6 | ||||||||
Elected to finish Walsh's term.[7] | November 7, 1934 – January 3, 1961 |
Democratic | James E. Murray |
7 | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1934. | 9 | 74th | ||||||||||
75th | 9 | Elected to full term in 1936. | ||||||||||
76th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1940. Lost renomination. |
10 | 77th | ||||||||||
78th | 10 | Re-elected in 1942. | ||||||||||
79th | ||||||||||||
8 | Zales Ecton |
Republican | January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953 |
Elected in 1946. Lost re-election. |
11 | 80th | ||||||
81st | 11 | Re-elected in 1948. | ||||||||||
82nd | ||||||||||||
9 | Mike Mansfield |
Democratic | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977 |
Elected in 1952.[8] | 12 | 83rd | ||||||
84th | 12 | Re-elected in 1954. Retired. | ||||||||||
85th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1958. | 13 | 86th | ||||||||||
87th | 13 | Elected in 1960.[9] | January 3, 1961 – January 12, 1978 |
Democratic | Lee Metcalf |
8 | ||||||
88th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1964. | 14 | 89th | ||||||||||
90th | 14 | Re-elected in 1966. | ||||||||||
91st | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1970. Retired. |
15 | 92nd | ||||||||||
93rd | 15 | Re-elected in 1972. Died. | ||||||||||
94th | ||||||||||||
10 | John Melcher |
Democratic | January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1989 |
Elected in 1976. | 16 | 95th | ||||||
January 12, 1978 – January 22, 1978 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to finish Metcalf's term. Lost nomination to full term. Resigned early to give successor preferential seniority. |
January 22, 1978 – December 14, 1978 |
Democratic | Paul G. Hatfield |
9 | ||||||||
December 14, 1978 – December 15, 1978 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed early to finish Hatfield's term, having already been elected to the next term.[10] | December 15, 1978 – February 6, 2014 |
Democratic | Max Baucus |
10 | ||||||||
96th | 16 | Elected in 1978. | ||||||||||
97th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1982. Lost re-election. |
17 | 98th | ||||||||||
99th | 17 | Re-elected in 1984. | ||||||||||
100th | ||||||||||||
11 | Conrad Burns |
Republican | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2007 |
Elected in 1988. | 18 | 101st | ||||||
102nd | 18 | Re-elected in 1990. | ||||||||||
103rd | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1994. | 19 | 104th | ||||||||||
105th | 19 | Re-elected in 1996. | ||||||||||
106th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 2000. Lost re-election. |
20 | 107th | ||||||||||
108th | 20 | Re-elected in 2002. | ||||||||||
109th | ||||||||||||
12 | Jon Tester |
Democratic | January 3, 2007 – Present |
Elected in 2006. | 21 | 110th | ||||||
111th | 21 | Re-elected in 2008. Resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to China. | ||||||||||
112th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 2012. | 22 | 113th | ||||||||||
February 6, 2014 – February 9, 2014 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to finish Baucus's term. Retired. |
February 9, 2014 – January 3, 2015 |
Democratic | John Walsh |
11 | ||||||||
114th | 22 | Elected in 2014. | January 3, 2015 – Present |
Republican | Steve Daines |
12 | ||||||
115th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 2018. | 23 | 116th | ||||||||||
117th | 23 | Re-elected in 2020. | ||||||||||
118th | ||||||||||||
To be determined in the 2024 election. | 23 | 119th | ||||||||||
120th | 24 | To be determined in the 2026 election. | ||||||||||
# | Senator | Party | Years in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Years in office | Party | Senator | # | |
Class 1 | Class 2 |
Living former senators
As of February 2021, there are two living former U.S. senators from Montana. The most recent senator to die was John Melcher (served 1977–1989) on April 12, 2018. The most recently serving senator to die was Conrad Burns (served 1989-2007) on April 28, 2016.
Senator | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
Max Baucus | 1978–2014 | December 11, 1941 |
John Walsh | 2014–2015 | November 3, 1960 |
References
- Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, ed. (1904). "The Province and the States: A History of the Province of Louisiana Under France and Spain, And of the Territories and States of the United States Formed Therefrom" (Vol. VI ed.). Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association. p. 457.
- Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Paris Gibson". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- "Gibson, Paris, (1830 - 1920)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906. New York: The Press Publishing Co. New York World. 1905. p. 108.
- The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1908. New York: The Tribune Association. 1908. p. 259.
- Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. Thomas J. Walsh". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. James E. Murray". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Mike Mansfield". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. Lee Metcalf". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. Max Baucus". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2011.