List of United States senators from Iowa

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Current delegation

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).

List of senators[edit]

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 2004, 2010, 2016, and 2022. The next election will be in 2028.

# Senator Party Dates in office Electoral history T T Electoral history Dates in office Party Senator #
Vacant Dec 28, 1846 –
Dec 7, 1848
Legislature failed to elect.[1] 29th Legislature failed to elect.[1] Dec 28, 1846 –
Dec 7, 1848
Vacant
30th
1
George W. Jones
Democratic Dec 7, 1848 –
Mar 3, 1859
Elected in 1848. 1 1 Elected in 1848. Dec 7, 1848 –
Feb 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
  Feb 22, 1855 –
Mar 3, 1855
Vacant
34th 3 Elected in 1855.
Elected invalidated, as the Iowa Senate had not participated in it.
Mar 4, 1855 –
Jan 5, 1857
Free Soil
James Harlan
2
  Jan 5, 1857 –
Jan 29, 1857
Vacant
Re-elected to finish his vacant term. Jan 29, 1857 –
May 15, 1865
Republican
James Harlan
35th
2
James W. Grimes
Republican Mar 4, 1859 –
Dec 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 –
Jan 13, 1866
Vacant
Elected to finish Harlan's term.[2]
Lost nomination for the next term.
Jan 13, 1866 –
Mar 3, 1867
Republican
Samuel J. Kirkwood
3
40th 5 Elected in 1866.[3]
Lost re-election.
Mar 4, 1867 –
Mar 3, 1873
Republican
James Harlan
4
41st
Vacant Dec 6, 1869 –
Jan 18, 1870
 
3
James B. Howell
Republican Jan 18, 1870 –
Mar 3, 1871
Elected to finish Grimes's term.
Retired.
4
George G. Wright
Republican Mar 4, 1871 –
Mar 3, 1877
Elected in 1870.
Retired.
5 42nd
43rd 6 Elected in 1872.[4] Mar 4, 1873 –
Aug 4, 1908
Republican
William B. Allison
5
44th
5
Samuel J. Kirkwood
Republican Mar 4, 1877 –
Mar 7, 1881
Elected in 1876 or 1877.
Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
6 45th
46th 7 Re-elected in 1878.[5]
47th
6
James W. McDill
Republican Mar 8, 1881 –
Mar 3, 1883
Appointed to continue Kirkwood's term.
Elected in 1882 to finish Kirkwood's term.[6]
Retired.
7
James F. Wilson
Republican Mar 4, 1883 –
Mar 3, 1895
Elected in 1882.[7] 7 48th
49th 8 Re-elected in 1884.[8]
50th
Re-elected in 1888.
Retired.
8 51st
52nd 9 Re-elected in 1890.[9]
53rd
8
John H. Gear
Republican Mar 4, 1895 –
Jul 14, 1900
Elected in 1894.[10]
Re-elected in 1900,[11] but died.
9 54th
55th 10 Re-elected in 1896.[12]
56th
Vacant Jul 14, 1900 –
Aug 22, 1900
 
9
Jonathan P. Dolliver
Republican Aug 22, 1900 –
Oct 15, 1910
Appointed to finish Gear's term.
Appointed to begin the vacant term.
Elected in 1902 to finish the vacant term.[13]
10 57th
58th 11 Re-elected in 1902.[14]
Renominated in 1908 but died before the general election.
59th
Re-elected in 1907.
Died.
11 60th
  Aug 4, 1908 –
Nov 24, 1908
Vacant
Elected to finish Allison's term. Nov 24, 1908 –
Jul 30, 1926
Republican
Albert B. Cummins
6
61st 12 Re-elected in 1909.
Vacant Oct 15, 1910 –
Nov 12, 1910
 
10
Lafayette Young
Republican Nov 12, 1910 –
Apr 11, 1911
Appointed to continue Dolliver's term.
Lost election to finish Dolliver's term.
62nd
11
William S. Kenyon
Republican Apr 12, 1911 –
Feb 24, 1922
Elected to finish Dolliver's term.
Re-elected in 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 Feb 24, 1922 –
Dec 1, 1922
Appointed to continue Kenyon's term.
Retired when his successor was elected.
13
Smith W. Brookhart
Republican Dec 1, 1922 –
Apr 12, 1926
Elected to finish Kenyon's term.
68th
Re-elected in 1924.
Lost election challenge.
14 69th
14
Daniel F. Steck
Democratic Apr 12, 1926 –
Mar 3, 1931
Successfully challenged his predecessor's election.
Lost re-election.
  Jul 30, 1926 –
Aug 7, 1926
Vacant
Appointed to continue Cummins's term.
Elected in 1926 to finish Cummins's term.[15]
Retired.
Aug 7, 1926 –
Mar 3, 1927
Republican
David W. Stewart
7
70th 15 Elected in 1926.
Lost renomination and then lost re-election as an Independent.
Mar 4, 1927 –
Mar 3, 1933
Republican
Smith W. Brookhart
8
71st
15
L. J. Dickinson
Republican Mar 4, 1931 –
Jan 3, 1937
Elected in 1930.
Lost re-election.
15 72nd
73rd 16 Elected in 1932.
Died.
Mar 4, 1933 –
Jul 16, 1936
Democratic
Louis Murphy
9
74th
  Jul 16, 1936 –
Nov 3, 1936
Vacant
Elected to finish Murphy's term. Nov 3, 1936 –
Jan 3, 1945
Democratic
Guy Gillette
10
16
Clyde L. Herring
Democratic Jan 3, 1937 –
Jan 3, 1943
Elected in 1936.
Didn't take seat until Jan 15, 1937 in order to remain Governor of Iowa.
Lost re-election.
16 75th
76th 17 Re-elected in 1938.
Lost re-election.
77th
17
George A. Wilson
Republican Jan 3, 1943 –
Jan 3, 1949
Elected in 1942.
Didn't take seat until Jan 14, 1943 in order to remain Governor of Iowa.
Lost re-election.
17 78th
79th 18 Elected in 1944. Jan 3, 1945 –
Jan 3, 1969
Republican
Bourke B. Hickenlooper
11
80th
18
Guy Gillette
Democratic Jan 3, 1949 –
Jan 3, 1955
Elected in 1948.
Lost re-election.
18 81st
82nd 19 Re-elected in 1950.
83rd
19
Thomas E. Martin
Republican Jan 3, 1955 –
Jan 3, 1961
Elected in 1954.
Retired.
19 84th
85th 20 Re-elected in 1956.
86th
20
Jack Miller
Republican Jan 3, 1961 –
Jan 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.
Jan 3, 1969 –
Jan 3, 1975
Democratic
Harold Hughes
12
92nd
21
Dick Clark
Democratic Jan 3, 1973 –
Jan 3, 1979
Elected in 1972.
Lost re-election.
22 93rd
94th 23 Elected in 1974.
Lost re-election.
Jan 3, 1975 –
Jan 3, 1981
Democratic
John Culver
13
95th
22
Roger Jepsen
Republican Jan 3, 1979 –
Jan 3, 1985
Elected in 1978.
Lost re-election.
23 96th
97th 24 Elected in 1980. Jan 3, 1981 –
present
Republican
Chuck Grassley
14
98th
23
Tom Harkin
Democratic Jan 3, 1985 –
Jan 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 Jan 3, 2015 –
present
Elected in 2014. 29 114th
115th 30 Re-elected in 2016.
116th
Re-elected in 2020. 30 117th
118th 31 Re-elected in 2022.
119th
To be determined in the 2026 election. 31 120th
121st 32 To be determined in the 2028 election.
# Senator Party Years in office Electoral history T C T Electoral history Years in office Party Senator #
Class 2 Class 3

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Clark, pp. 17–46, 72–79.
  2. ^ Clark, p. 141: Kirkwood 118 votes, J. F. Stomenan (Democratic) 20
  3. ^ Clark, p. 141: Harlan 118 votes, H. H. Trimble (Democratic) 20
  4. ^ Clark, p. 167.
  5. ^ Clark, p. 185: Allison 104 votes, Daniel F. Miller 35 votes, E. N. Gates 3 votes.
  6. ^ Clark, p. 199: M. M. Ham and Daniel Campbell lost.
  7. ^ Clark, p. 199: L. G. Kinne and D. P. Stubbs lost.
  8. ^ Clark, p. 209: Allison 90 votes, Benton J. Hall 48 votes, D. M. Clark 10 votes, L. G. Kinne 1 vote.
  9. ^ Clark, p. 221: Allison 79 votes, S.T. Bestow (Democratic) 63 votes, William Larrabee 8 votes.
  10. ^ Clark, p. 234: Gear beat Democrat Horace Boies by votes unknown.
  11. ^ Clark, p. 245: Gear 111 votes, Fred E. White (Democratic) 32 votes.
  12. ^ Clark, p. 238: Allison 118 votes, Washington I. Babb (Democratic) 25 votes, Frank Q. Stuart 1 vote.
  13. ^ Clark, p. 247: Dolliver 119 votes, John J. Seerley (Democratic) 20 votes.
  14. ^ Clark, p. 247: Allison 119 votes, E. H. Thayer (Democratic) 20 votes.
  15. ^ Byrd, p. 107.

References[edit]

  • 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.