Rank
|
Senator (party-state)
|
Seniority date
|
Other factors
|
1
|
John C. Stennis (D-MS)
|
November 17, 1947
|
2
|
Russell B. Long (D-LA)
|
December 31, 1948
|
3
|
Henry M. Jackson (D-WA)
|
January 3, 1953
|
Former representative (12 years)
|
4
|
Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
|
November 7, 1956
|
Former governor, Previously a senator
|
5
|
William Proxmire (D-WI)
|
August 28, 1957
|
6
|
Jennings Randolph (D-WV)
|
November 5, 1958
|
Former representative (14 years)
|
7
|
Robert Byrd (D-WV)
|
January 3, 1959
|
Former representative (6 years)
|
8
|
Harrison A. Williams[6] (D-NJ)
|
Former representative (4 years)
|
9
|
Howard Cannon (D-NV)
|
10
|
Quentin Northrup Burdick (D-ND)
|
August 8, 1960
|
Former representative
|
11
|
Claiborne Pell (D-RI)
|
January 3, 1961
|
12
|
John Tower (R-TX)
|
June 15, 1961
|
13
|
Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
|
November 7, 1962
|
14
|
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
|
January 3, 1963
|
Former representative
|
15
|
Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (I-VA)
|
November 12, 1965
|
16
|
Ernest Hollings (D-SC)
|
November 9, 1966
|
Former governor
|
17
|
Charles H. Percy (R-IL)
|
January 3, 1967
|
Illinois 4th in population (1960)
|
18
|
Howard Baker (R-TN)
|
Tennessee 17th in population (1960)
|
19
|
Mark Hatfield (R-OR)
|
January 10, 1967
|
Former governor
|
20
|
Ted Stevens (R-AK)
|
December 24, 1968
|
21
|
Thomas Eagleton (D-MO)
|
December 28, 1968
|
22
|
Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)
|
January 3, 1969
|
Previously a senator
|
23
|
Charles Mathias (R-MD)
|
Former representative (8 years) - Maryland 21st in population (1960)
|
24
|
Bob Dole (R-KS)
|
Former representative (8 years) - Kansas 29th in population (1960)
|
25
|
Alan Cranston (D-CA)
|
California 2nd in population (1960)
|
26
|
Bob Packwood (R-OR)
|
Oregon 32nd in population (1960)
|
27
|
Bill Roth (R-DE)
|
January 1, 1971
|
Former representative
|
28
|
Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX)
|
January 3, 1971
|
Former representative (6 years)
|
29
|
Lowell Weicker (R-CT)
|
Former representative (2 years)
|
30
|
Lawton Chiles (D-FL)
|
31
|
Robert Stafford (R-VT)
|
September 16, 1971
|
Former governor, Former representative (10 years)
|
32
|
Sam Nunn (D-GA)
|
November 8, 1972
|
33
|
Bennett Johnston Jr. (D-LA)
|
November 14, 1972
|
34
|
James A. McClure (R-ID)
|
January 3, 1973
|
Former representative
|
35
|
Jesse Helms (R-NC)
|
North Carolina 12th in population (1970)
|
36
|
Walter Huddleston (D-KY)
|
Kentucky 23rd in population (1970)
|
37
|
Pete Domenici (R-NM)
|
New Mexico 37th in population (1970)
|
38
|
Joe Biden (D-DE)
|
Delaware 46th in population (1970)
|
39
|
Paul Laxalt (R-NV)
|
December 18, 1974
|
40
|
Jake Garn (R-UT)
|
December 21, 1974
|
41
|
John Glenn (D-OH)
|
December 24, 1974
|
42
|
Wendell H. Ford (D-KY)
|
December 28, 1974
|
43
|
Dale Bumpers (D-AR)
|
January 3, 1975
|
Former governor
|
44
|
Gary Hart (D-CO)
|
Colorado 30th in population (1970)
|
45
|
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
|
Vermont 48th in population (1970)
|
46
|
John Danforth (R-MO)
|
December 27, 1976
|
47
|
Edward Zorinsky (D-NE)
|
December 28, 1976
|
48
|
Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH)
|
December 29, 1976
|
Previously a senator
|
49
|
John Chafee (R-RI)
|
Former governor, Former cabinet secretary
|
50
|
Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (D-MI)
|
December 30, 1976
|
Former representative
|
51
|
Samuel Hayakawa (R-CA)
|
January 2, 1977
|
52
|
Spark Matsunaga (D-HI)
|
January 3, 1977
|
Former representative (14 years)
|
53
|
John Melcher (D-MT)
|
Former representative (7 years, 7 months)
|
54
|
H. John Heinz III (R-PA)
|
Former representative (6 years)
|
55
|
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
|
Former representative (6 years)
|
56
|
Pat Moynihan (D-NY)
|
New York 2nd in population (1970)
|
57
|
Richard Lugar (R-IN)
|
Indiana 11th in population (1970)
|
58
|
Jim Sasser (D-TN)
|
Tennessee 17th in population (1970)
|
59
|
Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ)
|
Arizona 33rd in population (1970)
|
60
|
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
|
Utah 36th in population (1970)
|
61
|
Harrison Schmitt (R-NM)
|
New Mexico 37th in population (1970)
|
62
|
Malcolm Wallop (R-WY)
|
Wyoming 49th in population (1970)
|
63
|
David Durenberger (R-MN)
|
November 8, 1978
|
64
|
Max Baucus (D-MT)
|
December 15, 1978
|
Former representative
|
65
|
Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-KS)
|
December 23, 1978
|
66
|
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
|
December 27, 1978
|
Former representative
|
67
|
Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN)
|
December 30, 1978
|
68
|
Alan K. Simpson (R-WY)
|
January 1, 1979
|
69
|
John Warner (R-VA)
|
January 2, 1979
|
Former cabinet secretary
|
70
|
David Pryor (D-AR)
|
January 3, 1979
|
Former representative (6 years, 2 months)
|
71
|
William Cohen (R-ME)
|
Former representative (6 years)
|
72
|
Paul Tsongas (D-MA)
|
Former representative (4 years) - Massachusetts 10th in population (1970)
|
73
|
William L. Armstrong (R-CO)
|
Former representative (4 years) - Colorado 30th in population (1970)
|
74
|
Larry Pressler (R-SD)
|
Former representative (4 years) - South Dakota 44th in population (1970)
|
75
|
David L. Boren (D-OK)
|
Former governor - Oklahoma 27th in population (1970)
|
76
|
J. James Exon (D-NE)
|
Former governor - Nebraska 35th in population (1970)
|
77
|
Carl Levin (D-MI)
|
Michigan 7th in population (1970)
|
78
|
Bill Bradley (D-NJ)
|
New Jersey 8th in population (1970)
|
79
|
Howell Heflin (D-AL)
|
Alabama 21st in population (1970)
|
80
|
Roger Jepsen (R-IA)
|
Iowa 25th in population (1970)
|
81
|
Gordon J. Humphrey (R-NH)
|
New Hampshire 41st in population (1970)
|
82
|
George J. Mitchell (D-ME)
|
May 17, 1980
|
83
|
Warren Rudman (R-NH)
|
December 31, 1980
|
84
|
Paula Hawkins (R-FL)
|
January 1, 1981
|
85
|
Jeremiah Denton (R-AL)
|
January 2, 1981
|
86
|
Mark Andrews (R-ND)
|
January 3, 1981
|
Former representative (16 years)
|
87
|
Steve Symms (R-ID)
|
Former representative (12 years)
|
88
|
James Abdnor (R-SD)
|
Former representative (8 years)
|
89
|
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
|
Former representative (6 years) - Connecticut 24th in population (1970)
|
90
|
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
|
Former representative (6 years) - Iowa 25th in population (1970)
|
91
|
Dan Quayle (R-IN)
|
Former representative (4 years) - Indiana 11th in population (1970)
|
92
|
Bob Kasten (R-WI)
|
Former representative (4 years) - Wisconsin 16th in population (1970)
|
93
|
Al D'Amato (R-NY)
|
New York 2nd in population (1970)
|
94
|
Arlen Specter (R-PA)
|
Pennsylvania 3rd in population (1970)
|
95
|
Alan J. Dixon (D-IL)
|
Illinois 5th in population (1970)
|
96
|
John Porter East (R-NC)
|
North Carolina 12th in population (1970)
|
97
|
Mack Mattingly (R-GA)
|
Georgia 15th in population (1970)
|
98
|
Slade Gorton (R-WA)
|
Washington 22nd in population (1970)
|
99
|
Don Nickles (R-OK)
|
Oklahoma 27th in population (1970)
|
100
|
Frank Murkowski (R-AK)
|
Alaska 50th in population (1970)
|
101
|
Nicholas F. Brady (R-NJ)
|
April 20, 1982
|
102
|
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
|
December 27, 1982
|