Iowa was admitted to the Union on December 28, 1846, and elects United States senators to Class 2 and Class 3. The state's current U.S. senators are Republicans Chuck Grassley (serving since 1981) and Joni Ernst (serving since 2015). Chuck Grassley is Iowa's longest-serving senator (since 1981).
Current delegation
Chuck Grassley (R)
Joni Ernst (R)
List of senatorsEdit
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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. |
C |
Class 3 Class 3 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016. The next election will be in 2022. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Senator | Party | Dates in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Dates in office | Party | Senator | # | |
| Vacant | December 28, 1846 – December 7, 1848 |
Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[1] | — | 29th | — | Legislature failed to elect due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[1] | December 28, 1846 – December 7, 1848 |
Vacant | ||||
| 30th | ||||||||||||
| 1 |  George W. Jones |
Democratic | December 7, 1848 – March 3, 1859 |
Elected in 1848. | 1 | 1 | Elected in 1848. | December 7, 1848 – February 22, 1855 |
Democratic |  Augustus C. Dodge |
1 | |
| 31st | 2 | Re-elected in 1849. Resigned to become U.S. Minister to Spain, having lost re-election. | ||||||||||
| 32nd | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1852. Lost renomination. |
2 | 33rd | ||||||||||
| February 22, 1855 – March 3, 1855 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
| 34th | 3 | Elected in 1855. Elected invalidated, as the Iowa Senate had not participated in it. |
March 4, 1855 – January 5, 1857 |
Free Soil |  James Harlan |
2 | ||||||
| January 5, 1857 – January 29, 1857 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
| Re-elected to finish his vacant term. | January 29, 1857 – May 15, 1865 |
Republican | James Harlan | |||||||||
| 35th | ||||||||||||
| 2 |  James W. Grimes |
Republican | March 4, 1859 – December 6, 1869 |
Elected in 1858. | 3 | 36th | ||||||
| 37th | 4 | Re-elected in 1860. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior. | ||||||||||
| 38th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1864. Resigned due to ill health. |
4 | 39th | ||||||||||
| May 15, 1865 – January 13, 1866 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
| Elected to finish Harlan's term.[2] Lost nomination for the next term. |
January 13, 1866 – March 3, 1867 |
Republican |  Samuel J. Kirkwood |
3 | ||||||||
| 40th | 5 | Elected January 13, 1866.[3] Lost re-election. |
March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1873 |
Republican | James Harlan |
4 | ||||||
| 41st | ||||||||||||
| Vacant | December 6, 1869 – January 18, 1870 |
|||||||||||
| 3 |  James B. Howell |
Republican | January 18, 1870 – March 3, 1871 |
Elected to finish Grimes's term. Retired. | ||||||||
| 4 |  George G. Wright |
Republican | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1877 |
Elected in 1870. Retired. |
5 | 42nd | ||||||
| 43rd | 6 | Elected January 17, 1872.[4] | March 4, 1873 – August 4, 1908 |
Republican |  William B. Allison |
5 | ||||||
| 44th | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Samuel J. Kirkwood |
Republican | March 4, 1877 – March 7, 1881 |
Elected in 1876 or 1877. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior. |
6 | 45th | ||||||
| 46th | 7 | Re-elected January 23, 1878.[5] | ||||||||||
| 47th | ||||||||||||
| 6 |  James W. McDill |
Republican | March 8, 1881 – March 3, 1883 |
Appointed to continue Kirkwood's term. Elected January 25, 1882, to finish Kirkwood's term.[6] Retired. | ||||||||
| 7 |  James F. Wilson |
Republican | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1895 |
Elected January 25, 1882.[7] | 7 | 48th | ||||||
| 49th | 8 | Re-elected January 23, 1884.[8] | ||||||||||
| 50th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1888. Retired. |
8 | 51st | ||||||||||
| 52nd | 9 | Re-elected March 5, 1890.[9] | ||||||||||
| 53rd | ||||||||||||
| 8 |  John H. Gear |
Republican | March 4, 1895 – July 14, 1900 |
Elected January 17, 1894.[10] Re-elected January 17, 1900,[11] but died. |
9 | 54th | ||||||
| 55th | 10 | Re-elected January 22, 1896.[12] | ||||||||||
| 56th | ||||||||||||
| Vacant | July 14, 1900 – August 22, 1900 |
|||||||||||
| 9 |  Jonathan P. Dolliver |
Republican | August 22, 1900 – October 15, 1910 |
Appointed to finish Gear's term. | ||||||||
| Appointed to begin the vacant term. Elected January 22, 1902, to finish the vacant term.[13] |
10 | 57th | ||||||||||
| 58th | 11 | Re-elected January 22, 1902.[14] Renominated in 1908 but died before the general election. | ||||||||||
| 59th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected January 23, 1907. Died. |
11 | 60th | ||||||||||
| August 4, 1908 – November 24, 1908 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
| Elected to finish Allison's term. | November 24, 1908 – July 30, 1926 |
Republican |  Albert B. Cummins |
6 | ||||||||
| 61st | 12 | Re-elected January 19, 1909. | ||||||||||
| Vacant | October 15, 1910 – November 12, 1910 |
|||||||||||
| 10 |  Lafayette Young |
Republican | November 12, 1910 – April 11, 1911 |
Appointed to continue Dolliver's term. Lost election to finish Dolliver's term. | ||||||||
| 62nd | ||||||||||||
| 11 |  William S. Kenyon |
Republican | April 12, 1911 – February 24, 1922 |
Elected to finish Dolliver's term. | ||||||||
| Re-elected January 21, 1913. | 12 | 63rd | ||||||||||
| 64th | 13 | Re-elected in 1914. | ||||||||||
| 65th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1918. Resigned to become Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals. |
13 | 66th | ||||||||||
| 67th | 14 | Re-elected in 1920. Lost renomination, then died. | ||||||||||
| 12 |  Charles A. Rawson |
Republican | February 24, 1922 – December 1, 1922 |
Appointed to continue Kenyon's term. Retired when his successor was elected. | ||||||||
| 13 |  Smith W. Brookhart |
Republican | December 1, 1922 – April 12, 1926 |
Elected to finish Kenyon's term. | ||||||||
| 68th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1924. Lost election challenge. |
14 | 69th | ||||||||||
| 14 |  Daniel F. Steck |
Democratic | April 12, 1926 – March 3, 1931 |
Successfully challenged his predecessor's election. Lost re-election. | ||||||||
| July 30, 1926 – August 7, 1926 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
| Appointed to continue Cummins's term. Elected on November 10, 1926, to finish Cummins's term.[15] Retired. |
August 7, 1926 – March 3, 1927 |
Republican |  David W. Stewart |
7 | ||||||||
| 70th | 15 | Elected in 1926. Lost renomination and then lost re-election as an Independent. |
March 4, 1927 – March 3, 1933 |
Republican | Smith W. Brookhart |
8 | ||||||
| 71st | ||||||||||||
| 15 |  Lester J. Dickinson |
Republican | March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1937 |
Elected in 1930. Lost re-election. |
15 | 72nd | ||||||
| 73rd | 16 | Elected in 1932. Died. |
March 4, 1933 – July 16, 1936 |
Democratic |  Richard L. Murphy |
9 | ||||||
| 74th | ||||||||||||
| July 16, 1936 – November 3, 1936 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
| Elected to finish Murphy's term. | November 3, 1936 – January 3, 1945 |
Democratic |  Guy Gillette |
10 | ||||||||
| 16 |  Clyde L. Herring |
Democratic | January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1943 |
Elected in 1936. Didn't take seat until January 15, 1937, as he wanted to remain Governor of Iowa. However, he was still elected and qualified as senator. Lost re-election. |
16 | 75th | ||||||
| 76th | 17 | Re-elected in 1938. Lost re-election. | ||||||||||
| 77th | ||||||||||||
| 17 |  George A. Wilson |
Republican | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1949 |
Elected in 1942. Didn't take seat until January 14, 1943, as he wanted to remain Governor of Iowa. However, he was still elected and qualified as senator. Lost re-election. |
17 | 78th | ||||||
| 79th | 18 | Elected in 1944. | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1969 |
Republican |  Bourke B. Hickenlooper |
11 | ||||||
| 80th | ||||||||||||
| 18 | Guy Gillette |
Democratic | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1955 |
Elected in 1948. Lost re-election. |
18 | 81st | ||||||
| 82nd | 19 | Re-elected in 1950. | ||||||||||
| 83rd | ||||||||||||
| 19 |  Thomas E. Martin |
Republican | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1961 |
Elected in 1954. Retired. |
19 | 84th | ||||||
| 85th | 20 | Re-elected in 1956. | ||||||||||
| 86th | ||||||||||||
| 20 |  Jack Miller |
Republican | January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1973 |
Elected in 1960. | 20 | 87th | ||||||
| 88th | 21 | Re-elected in 1962 Retired. | ||||||||||
| 89th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1966. Lost re-election. |
21 | 90th | ||||||||||
| 91st | 22 | Elected in 1968. Retired. |
January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1975 |
Democratic |  Harold Hughes |
12 | ||||||
| 92nd | ||||||||||||
| 21 |  Dick Clark |
Democratic | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979 |
Elected in 1972. Lost re-election. |
22 | 93rd | ||||||
| 94th | 23 | Elected in 1974. Lost re-election. |
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 |
Democratic |  John Culver |
13 | ||||||
| 95th | ||||||||||||
| 22 |  Roger Jepsen |
Republican | January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985 |
Elected in 1978. Lost re-election. |
23 | 96th | ||||||
| 97th | 24 | Elected in 1980. | January 3, 1981 – Present |
Republican |  Chuck Grassley |
14 | ||||||
| 98th | ||||||||||||
| 23 |  Tom Harkin |
Democratic | January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2015 |
Elected in 1984. | 24 | 99th | ||||||
| 100th | 25 | Re-elected in 1986. | ||||||||||
| 101st | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1990. | 25 | 102nd | ||||||||||
| 103rd | 26 | Re-elected in 1992. | ||||||||||
| 104th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 1996. | 26 | 105th | ||||||||||
| 106th | 27 | Re-elected in 1998. | ||||||||||
| 107th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 2002. | 27 | 108th | ||||||||||
| 109th | 28 | Re-elected in 2004. | ||||||||||
| 110th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 2008 Retired. |
28 | 111th | ||||||||||
| 112th | 29 | Re-elected in 2010. | ||||||||||
| 113th | ||||||||||||
| 24 |  Joni Ernst |
Republican | January 3, 2015 – Present |
Elected in 2014. | 29 | 114th | ||||||
| 115th | 30 | Re-elected in 2016. | ||||||||||
| 116th | ||||||||||||
| Re-elected in 2020. | 30 | 117th | ||||||||||
| 118th | 31 | To be decided in the 2022 election. | ||||||||||
| 119th | ||||||||||||
| To be determined in the 2026 election. | 31 | 120th | ||||||||||
| # | Senator | Party | Years in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Years in office | Party | Senator | # | |
| Class 2 | Class 3 | |||||||||||
Living former senatorsEdit
As of June 2022[update], there are two living former U.S. senators from Iowa. The most recent and most recently serving senator to die was Roger Jepsen (served 1979–1985) on November 13, 2020.
| Senator | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Clark | 1973–1979 | September 14, 1928 |
| Tom Harkin | 1985–2015 | November 19, 1939 |
SuperlativesEdit
Longest serviceEdit
| Senator | First served | Last served | Length of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Grassley | January 3, 1981 | Present | 41 years, 174 days (15,149 days) |
| William B. Allison | March 4, 1873 | August 4, 1908 | 35 years, 153 days (12,936 days) |
| Tom Harkin | January 3, 1985 | January 3, 2015 | 30 years, 0 days (10,957 days) |
| Bourke B. Hickenlooper | January 3, 1945 | January 3, 1969 | 24 years, 0 days (8,766 days) |
| Albert B. Cummins | November 24, 1908 | July 30, 1926 | 17 years, 248 days (6,457 days) |
Shortest serviceEdit
| Senator | First served | Last served | Length of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Young | November 12, 1910 | April 11, 1911 | 4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days (150 days) |
| David W. Stewart | August 7, 1926 | March 3, 1927 | 6 months, 3 weeks and 3 days (208 days) |
| Charles A. Rawson | February 24, 1922 | November 7, 1922 | 8 months and 2 weeks (256 days) |
| James B. Howell | January 18, 1870 | March 3, 1871 | 1 year, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days (409 days) |
| James W. McDill | March 8, 1881 | March 3, 1883 | 1 year, 11 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (725 days) |
Youngest at beginning of serviceEdit
| Senator | Date of birth | First served | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Harlan | August 26, 1820 | March 4, 1855 | 34 years, 6 months and 6 days |
| Augustus C. Dodge | January 2, 1812 | December 7, 1848 | 36 years, 11 months and 5 days |
| David W. Stewart | January 22, 1887 | August 7, 1926 | 39 years, 6 months and 16 days |
| William S. Kenyon | June 10, 1869 | April 12, 1911 | 41 years, 10 months and 2 days |
| James W. Grimes | October 20, 1816 | March 4, 1859 | 42 years, 4 months and 12 days |
Oldest at end of serviceEdit
| Senator | Date of birth | Last served | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Grassley | September 17, 1933 | Present | 88 years, 9 months and 9 days |
| William B. Allison | March 2, 1829 | August 4, 1908 | 79 years, 5 months and 2 days |
| Albert B. Cummins | February 15, 1850 | July 30, 1926 | 76 years, 5 months and 15 days |
| Guy Gillette | February 3, 1879 | January 3, 1955 | 75 years and 11 months |
| John H. Gear | April 7, 1825 | July 14, 1900 | 75 years, 3 months and 7 days |
See alsoEdit
NotesEdit
- ^ a b Clark, pp. 17–46, 72–79.
- ^ Clark, p. 141: Kirkwood 118 votes, J. F. Stomenan (Democratic) 20
- ^ Clark, p. 141: Harlan 118 votes, H. H. Trimble (Democratic) 20
- ^ Clark, p. 167.
- ^ Clark, p. 185: Allison 104 votes, Daniel F. Miller 35 votes, E. N. Gates 3 votes.
- ^ Clark, p. 199: M. M. Ham and Daniel Campbell lost.
- ^ Clark, p. 199: L. G. Kinne and D. P. Stubbs lost.
- ^ Clark, p. 209: Allison 90 votes, Benton J. Hall 48 votes, D. M. Clark 10 votes, L. G. Kinne 1 vote.
- ^ Clark, p. 221: Allison 79 votes, S.T. Bestow (Democratic) 63 votes, William Larrabee 8 votes.
- ^ Clark, p. 234: Gear beat Democrat Horace Boies by votes unknown.
- ^ Clark, p. 245: Gear 111 votes, Fred E. White (Democratic) 32 votes.
- ^ Clark, p. 238: Allison 118 votes, Washington I. Babb (Democratic) 25 votes, Frank Q. Stuart 1 vote.
- ^ Clark, p. 247: Dolliver 119 votes, John J. Seerley (Democratic) 20 votes.
- ^ Clark, p. 247: Allison 119 votes, E. H. Thayer (Democratic) 20 votes.
- ^ Byrd, p. 107.
ReferencesEdit
- Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy (ed.). The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992. United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160632563.
- Clark, Dan Elbert (1913). "History of Senatorial Elections in Iowa". Iowa City, Iowa.