List of United States Senators from North Carolina
North Carolina ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789, after the beginning of the 1st Congress. Its current senators are Republicans Thom Tillis and Richard Burr.
List of Senators
Class 2 Class 2 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014. The next election will be in 2020. |
C o n g r e s s |
Class 3 Class 3 U.S. Senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 1998, 2004, and 2010, and 2016. The next election will be in 2022. | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Senator | Party | Years in office | Electoral history | T e r m |
T e r m |
Electoral history | Years in office | Party | Senator | # | |
1 | Samuel Johnston |
Pro- Administration |
November 27, 1789 – March 3, 1793 |
Elected in 1789. [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
1 | 1st Congress | 1 | Elected in 1789. [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
November 27, 1789 – March 3, 1795 |
Pro- Administration |
![]() Benjamin Hawkins |
1 |
2nd Congress | ||||||||||||
2 | ![]() Alexander Martin |
Anti- Administration |
March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1799 |
Elected in 1792. Lost re-election. |
2 | 3rd Congress | Anti- Administration | |||||
Democratic- Republican |
4th Congress | 2 | Elected in 1794. [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1801 |
Democratic- Republican |
Timothy Bloodworth | 2 | |||||
5th Congress | ||||||||||||
3 | Jesse Franklin | Democratic- Republican |
March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1805 |
Elected in 1799. Lost re-election. |
3 | 6th Congress | ||||||
7th Congress | 3 | Elected in 1800. Resigned to return to the State Superior Court. |
March 4, 1801 – February 17, 1807[1] |
Democratic- Republican |
![]() David Stone |
3 | ||||||
8th Congress | ||||||||||||
4 | James Turner | Democratic- Republican |
March 4, 1805 – November 21, 1816 |
Elected in 1804 | 4 | 9th Congress | ||||||
February 17, 1807[1] – March 3, 1807 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
10th Congress | 4 | Elected in 1806. Retired. |
March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1813 |
Democratic- Republican |
Jesse Franklin | 4 | ||||||
11th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1811. Resigned due to ill health. |
5 | 12th Congress | ||||||||||
13th Congress | 5 | Elected in 1813. Resigned. |
March 4, 1813 – December 24, 1814 |
Democratic- Republican |
![]() David Stone |
5 | ||||||
December 24, 1814 – December 1814 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Stone's term. Resigned without having qualified. |
December 1814 – December 5, 1815 |
Democratic- Republican |
Francis Locke, Jr. | 6 | ||||||||
14th Congress | ||||||||||||
December 5, 1815 – December 13, 1815 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Locke's term. | December 13, 1815 – November 14, 1828 |
Democratic- Republican |
![]() Nathaniel Macon |
7 | ||||||||
Vacant | November 21, 1816 – December 4, 1816 | |||||||||||
5 | ![]() Montfort Stokes |
Democratic- Republican |
December 4, 1816 – March 3, 1823 |
Elected to finish Turner's term. | ||||||||
Elected to full term in 1816. Lost re-election. |
6 | 15th Congress | ||||||||||
16th Congress | 6 | Elected to full term in 1819 | ||||||||||
17th Congress | ||||||||||||
6 | ![]() John Branch |
Crawford Republican |
March 4, 1823 – March 9, 1829 |
Elected in 1822 | 7 | 18th Congress | Crawford Republican | |||||
Jacksonian | 19th Congress | 7 | Re-elected in 1825. Resigned. |
Jacksonian | ||||||||
20th Congress | ||||||||||||
November 14, 1828 – December 15, 1828 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Macon's term. Retired. |
December 15, 1828 – March 3, 1831 |
Jacksonian | James Iredell, Jr. | 8 | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1828. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Navy. |
8 | 21st Congress | ||||||||||
Vacant | March 9, 1829 – December 9, 1829 | |||||||||||
7 | ![]() Bedford Brown |
Jacksonian | December 9, 1829 – November 16, 1840 |
Elected to finish Branch's term. | ||||||||
22nd Congress | 8 | Elected in 1830. Resigned. |
March 4, 1831 – March 19, 1836 |
Jacksonian | ![]() Willie Mangum |
9 | ||||||
23rd Congress | Anti-Jacksonian | |||||||||||
Re-elected in 1835. Resigned rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. |
9 | 24th Congress | ||||||||||
March 19, 1836 – December 5, 1836 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Mangum's term. | December 5, 1836 – November 16, 1840 |
Jacksonian | ![]() Robert Strange |
10 | ||||||||
Democratic | 25th Congress | 9 | Elected to full term in 1836. Resigned rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. |
Democratic | ||||||||
26th Congress | ||||||||||||
Vacant | November 16, 1840 – November 25, 1840 |
November 16, 1840 – November 25, 1840 |
Vacant | |||||||||
8 | ![]() Willie Mangum |
Whig | November 25, 1840 – March 3, 1853 |
Elected to finish Brown's term. | Elected to finish Strange's term. [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
November 25, 1840 – March 3, 1843 |
Whig | ![]() William Alexander Graham |
11 | |||
Elected in 1841 | 10 | 27th Congress | ||||||||||
28th Congress | 10 | Elected in 1843. Resigned rather than disobey instructions from the N.C. General Assembly. |
March 4, 1843 – July 25, 1846 |
Democratic | ![]() William H. Haywood, Jr. |
12 | ||||||
29th Congress | ||||||||||||
July 25, 1846 – November 25, 1846 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Haywood's term. | November 25, 1846 – March 3, 1855 |
Whig | ![]() George Badger |
13 | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1847. Lost re-election. |
11 | 30th Congress | ||||||||||
31st Congress | 11 | Re-elected in 1849. Retired. | ||||||||||
32nd Congress | ||||||||||||
Vacant | March 4, 1853 – December 6, 1854 |
Legislature failed to elect | 12 | 33rd Congress | ||||||||
9 | David Reid | Democratic | December 6, 1854 – March 3, 1859 |
Elected to finish vacant term. Lost re-election. | ||||||||
34th Congress | 12 | Elected in 1855. Resigned to become U.S. District Court Judge. |
March 4, 1855 – May 5, 1858 |
Democratic | ![]() Asa Biggs |
14 | ||||||
35th Congress | ||||||||||||
May 5, 1858 – May 7, 1858 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Biggs's term. | May 7, 1858 – March 11, 1861 |
Democratic | ![]() Thomas Clingman |
15 | ||||||||
Elected November 23, 1858 to finish Biggs's term. | ||||||||||||
10 | ![]() Thomas Bragg |
Democratic | March 4, 1859 – March 6, 1861 |
Elected in 1858 or 1859. Resigned and subsequently expelled for support of the Confederate States. |
13 | 36th Congress | ||||||
37th Congress | 13 | Re-elected in 1861. Resigned and subsequently expelled for support of the Confederate States. | ||||||||||
Civil War and Reconstruction | March 11, 1861 – July 14, 1868 |
Vacant | ||||||||||
Vacant | July 11, 1861 – July 14, 1868 |
Civil War and Reconstruction | ||||||||||
38th Congress | ||||||||||||
14 | 39th Congress | |||||||||||
40th Congress | 14 | |||||||||||
11 | ![]() Joseph Abbott |
Republican | July 14, 1868 – March 3, 1871 |
Elected in 1868 to finish vacant term. Lost renomination. |
Elected in 1868 to finish vacant term. Retired. |
July 14, 1868 – March 3, 1873 |
Republican | ![]() John Pool |
16 | |||
41st Congress | ||||||||||||
Vacant | March 4, 1871 – January 30, 1872 |
Legislature failed to elect | 15 | 42nd Congress | ||||||||
12 | ![]() Matt W. Ransom |
Democratic | January 30, 1872 – March 3, 1895 |
Elected to finish vacant term. | ||||||||
43rd Congress | 15 | Elected in 1872. Lost re-election. |
March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879 |
Democratic | ![]() Augustus Merrimon |
17 | ||||||
44th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1876 | 16 | 45th Congress | ||||||||||
46th Congress | 16 | Elected in 1879 | March 4, 1879 – April 14, 1894 |
Democratic | ![]() Zebulon Vance |
18 | ||||||
47th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1883 | 17 | 48th Congress | ||||||||||
49th Congress | 17 | Re-elected in 1884 | ||||||||||
50th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1889. Lost re-election. |
18 | 51st Congress | ||||||||||
52nd Congress | 18 | Re-elected in 1890. Died. | ||||||||||
53rd Congress | ||||||||||||
April 14, 1894 – April 19, 1894 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Vance's term. Successor qualified. |
April 19, 1894 – January 23, 1895 |
Democratic | ![]() Thomas J. Jarvis |
19 | ||||||||
Elected November 7, 1894 to finish Vance's term. Qualified January 23, 1895. |
January 23, 1895 – March 3, 1903 |
Republican | ![]() Jeter Pritchard |
20 | ||||||||
13 | ![]() Marion Butler |
Populist | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1901 |
Elected in 1894. Lost re-election. |
19 | 54th Congress | ||||||
55th Congress | 19 | Re-elected January 20, 1897.[2] Lost re-election. | ||||||||||
56th Congress | ||||||||||||
14 | ![]() Furnifold M. Simmons |
Democratic | March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1931 |
Elected January 22, 1901.[3] | 20 | 57th Congress | ||||||
58th Congress | 20 | Elected in 1903 | March 4, 1903 – December 12, 1930 |
Democratic | ![]() Lee S. Overman |
21 | ||||||
59th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1906 | 21 | 60th Congress | ||||||||||
61st Congress | 21 | Re-elected in 1909 | ||||||||||
62nd Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1912 | 22 | 63rd Congress | ||||||||||
64th Congress | 22 | Re-elected in 1914 | ||||||||||
65th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1918 | 23 | 66th Congress | ||||||||||
67th Congress | 23 | Re-elected in 1920 | ||||||||||
68th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1924. Lost renomination. |
24 | 69th Congress | ||||||||||
70th Congress | 24 | Re-elected in 1926. Died. | ||||||||||
71st Congress | ||||||||||||
Appointed to continue Overman's term. Lost election to finish Overman's term. |
December 13, 1930 – December 4, 1932 |
Democratic | ![]() Cameron A. Morrison |
22 | ||||||||
15 | ![]() Josiah Bailey |
Democratic | March 4, 1931 – December 15, 1946 |
Elected in 1930 | 25 | 72nd Congress | ||||||
Elected to finish Overman's term. | December 5, 1932 – January 3, 1945 |
Democratic | ![]() Robert Reynolds |
23 | ||||||||
73rd Congress | 25 | Elected to full term in 1932 | ||||||||||
74th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1936 | 26 | 75th Congress | ||||||||||
76th Congress | 26 | Re-elected in 1938. Retired. | ||||||||||
77th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1942. Died. |
27 | 78th Congress | ||||||||||
79th Congress | 27 | Elected in 1944 | January 3, 1945 – May 12, 1954 |
Democratic | ![]() Clyde R. Hoey |
24 | ||||||
Vacant | December 15, 1946 – December 18, 1946 | |||||||||||
16 | ![]() William B. Umstead |
Democratic | December 18, 1946 – December 30, 1948 |
Appointed to continue Bailey's term. Lost election to finish Bailey's term. | ||||||||
80th Congress | ||||||||||||
17 | ![]() J. Melville Broughton |
Democratic | December 31, 1948 – March 6, 1949 |
Elected to finish Bailey's term. | ||||||||
Elected to full term in 1948. Died. |
28 | 81st Congress | ||||||||||
Vacant | March 6, 1949 – March 29, 1949 | |||||||||||
18 | ![]() Frank Graham |
Democratic | March 29, 1949 – November 26, 1950 |
Appointed to continue Broughton's term. Lost nomination to finish Broughton's term. | ||||||||
19 | Willis Smith |
Democratic | November 27, 1950 – June 26, 1953 |
Elected to finish Broughton's term. Died. | ||||||||
82nd Congress | 28 | Re-elected in 1950. Died. | ||||||||||
83rd Congress | ||||||||||||
May 12, 1954 – June 5, 1954 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Hoey's term Elected to finish Hoey's term. |
June 5, 1954 – December 31, 1974 |
Democratic | ![]() Sam Ervin |
25 | ||||||||
Vacant | June 26, 1953 – July 10, 1953 | |||||||||||
20 | ![]() Alton A. Lennon |
Democratic | July 10, 1953 – November 28, 1954 |
Appointed to continue Smith's term. Lost nomination to finish Smith's term. | ||||||||
21 | ![]() W. Kerr Scott |
Democratic | November 29, 1954 – April 16, 1958 |
Elected to finish Smith's term. | ||||||||
Elected to full term in 1954. Died. |
29 | 84th Congress | ||||||||||
85th Congress | 29 | Re-elected in 1956 | ||||||||||
Vacant | April 16, 1958 – April 19, 1958 | |||||||||||
22 | ![]() B. Everett Jordan |
Democratic | April 19, 1958 – January 3, 1973 |
Appointed to continue Scott's term. Elected to finish Scott's term. | ||||||||
86th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1960 | 30 | 87th Congress | ||||||||||
88th Congress | 30 | Re-elected in 1962 | ||||||||||
89th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1966. Lost renomination. |
31 | 90th Congress | ||||||||||
91st Congress | 31 | Re-elected in 1968. Retired and resigned early. | ||||||||||
92nd Congress | ||||||||||||
23 | ![]() Jesse Helms |
Republican | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 2003 |
Elected in 1972 | 32 | 93rd Congress | ||||||
December 31, 1974 – January 3, 1975 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
94th Congress | 32 | Elected in 1974. Lost re-election. |
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 |
Democratic | ![]() Robert B. Morgan |
26 | ||||||
95th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1978 | 33 | 96th Congress | ||||||||||
97th Congress | 33 | Elected in 1980. Died. |
January 3, 1981 – June 29, 1986 |
Republican | ![]() John P. East |
27 | ||||||
98th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1984 | 34 | 99th Congress | ||||||||||
June 29, 1986 – July 14, 1986 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue East's term. Lost election to finish East's term. |
July 14, 1986 – November 4, 1986 |
Republican | ![]() James T. Broyhill |
28 | ||||||||
Elected to finish East's term. | November 5, 1986 – January 3, 1993 |
Democratic | ![]() Terry Sanford |
29 | ||||||||
100th Congress | 34 | Elected to full term in 1986. Lost re-election. | ||||||||||
101st Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1990 | 35 | 102nd Congress | ||||||||||
103rd Congress | 35 | Elected in 1992. Lost re-election. |
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999 |
Republican | ![]() Lauch Faircloth |
30 | ||||||
104th Congress | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1996. Retired. |
36 | 105th Congress | ||||||||||
106th Congress | 36 | Elected in 1998. Retired to run for president. |
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005 |
Democratic | ![]() John Edwards |
31 | ||||||
107th Congress | ||||||||||||
24 | ![]() Elizabeth Dole |
Republican | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
Elected in 2002. Lost re-election. |
37 | 108th Congress | ||||||
109th Congress | 37 | Elected in 2004 | January 3, 2005 – Present |
Republican | ![]() Richard Burr |
32 | ||||||
110th Congress | ||||||||||||
25 | ![]() Kay Hagan |
Democratic | January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 |
Elected in 2008. Lost re-election. |
38 | 111th Congress | ||||||
112th Congress | 38 | Re-elected in 2010 | ||||||||||
113th Congress | ||||||||||||
26 | ![]() Thom Tillis |
Republican | January 3, 2015 – Present |
Elected in 2014 | 39 | 114th Congress | ||||||
115th Congress | 39 | Re-elected in 2016. | ||||||||||
116th Congress | ||||||||||||
To be decided in the 2020 election. | 40 | 117th Congress | ||||||||||
118th Congress | 40 | To be decided in the 2022 election. | ||||||||||
# | Senator | Party | Years in office | Electoral history | T e r m |
T e r m |
Electoral history | Years in office | Party | Senator | # | |
Class 2 | Class 3 |
Living former Senators
As of October 2016, there are five living former Senators, two from Class 2 and three from Class 3. The most recent senator to die was Robert Burren Morgan (1975-1981) of Class 3 on July 16, 2016. The most recent Class 2 senator to die was Jesse Helms (1973-2003) on July 4, 2008. The most recently serving Class 3 senator to die was Terry Sanford (1986-1993) on April 18, 1998.
Senator | Years in office | Class | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|---|
Jim Broyhill | July 14, 1986 – November 4, 1986 | 3 | August 19, 1927 |
Lauch Faircloth | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999 | 3 | January 14, 1928 |
John Edwards | January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005 | 3 | June 10, 1953 |
Elizabeth Dole | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 | 2 | July 29, 1936 |
Kay Hagan | January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015 | 2 | May 26, 1953 |
References
- 1 2 This date is approximate. Stone's resignation letter was read on February 17, but it could have been delivered on as early as February 11, 1807, according to the Annals of Congress (pages 66 to 68).
- ↑ "PRITCHARD IN PRITCHARD IN NORTH CAROLINA.". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
- ↑ "North Carolina Elects a Democrat". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
See also
- United States congressional delegations from North Carolina
- List of United States Representatives from North Carolina