List of United States senators from Massachusetts

Below is a chronological listing of the United States senators from Massachusetts. According to the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution adopted in 1913, U.S. senators are popularly elected for a six-year term. Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1 and terms begin on January 3, about two months after the vote. Before 1914 and the enforcement of the Seventeenth Amendment, the state's U.S. senators were chosen by the Massachusetts General Court, and before 1935, their terms began March 4.

Current delegation

Elizabeth Warren
(D)

Ed Markey
(D)

The current senators are Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

Mid-term vacancy appointment processes

Through the 20th century, mid-term vacancies were filled with the governor's appointee, with the appointment expiring at the next biennial state election. In 2004, the Democratic-controlled state legislature changed the vacancy-filling process, mandating that a special election occur, which removed the governor's appointment power. This statute was enacted over the veto by the governor, Mitt Romney. The leadership of the Massachusetts legislature at the time was concerned that the Republican Governor Mitt Romney would appoint a Republican if Democratic Senator John Kerry were elected president of the United States in the 2004 election.[1][2][3][4] Generally, the law requires a special election within 145 to 160 days from the date of the filing of a Senate resignation. The law contemplates resignations that become effective some period of time after the filing of the resignation, so long as the election occurs after effective date of the resignation.[5]

While terminally ill with brain cancer, Ted Kennedy requested that the Massachusetts legislature change the law to allow an interim appointment. Kennedy died shortly thereafter, and the legislature quickly passed a bill providing for an interim appointment.[6] On September 24, 2009, Governor Deval Patrick signed the bill and appointed Paul G. Kirk, who had previously served as one of Kennedy's congressional aides and as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

List of senators

Class 1 Class 1 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected for only one Congress in the first elections of 1788/1789, and the seat was contested again for the 2nd, 5th, and every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. The seat in recent years has been contested in 2006, 2012, and 2018, with a special election in 2010. The next election will be in 2024.						C	Class 2 Class 2 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that were elected for the first two United States Congresses in the first election of 1788/1789, and the seat was next contested again for the 3rd, 6th, and every three Congresses (six years) thereafter. The seat in recent years has been contested in 2008, 2014, and 2020, with a special election taking place in 2013. The next election will be in 2026.
#	Senator	Party	Dates in office	Electoral history	T		T	Electoral history	Dates in office	Party	Senator	#
1	Tristram Dalton	Pro- Admin.	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	Elected in 1788. Lost re-election.	1	1st	1	Elected in 1788.	March 4, 1789 – June 1, 1796	Pro- Admin.	Caleb Strong	1
2	George Cabot	Pro- Admin.	March 4, 1791 – June 9, 1796	Elected in 1790. Resigned.	2	2nd
						3rd	2	Re-elected in 1793. Resigned.
		Federalist				4th				Federalist
Vacant			June 9, 1796 – June 11, 1796	Vacant				Vacant	June 1, 1796 – June 11, 1796	Vacant
3	Benjamin Goodhue	Federalist	June 11, 1796 – November 8, 1800	Elected to finish Cabot's term.				Elected to finish Strong's term. Retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.	June 11, 1796 – March 3, 1799	Federalist	Theodore Sedgwick	2
				Also elected to full term in 1796. Resigned.	3	5th
						6th	3	Elected June 14, 1798.[7] Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of War.	March 4, 1799 – May 30, 1800	Federalist	Samuel Dexter	3
								Vacant	May 31, 1800 – June 5, 1800	Vacant
								Elected to finish Dexter's term.[8] Resigned.	June 6, 1800 – March 2, 1803	Federalist	Dwight Foster	4
Vacant			November 8, 1800 – November 14, 1800	Vacant
4	Jonathan Mason	Federalist	November 14, 1800 – March 3, 1803	Elected to finish Goodhue's term.
						7th
								Vacant	March 2, 1803 – March 3, 1803	Vacant
5	John Quincy Adams	Federalist	March 4, 1803 – June 8, 1808	Elected February 7, 1803.[9] Resigned, having broken with the Federalist Party and lost re-election to the next term.	4	8th		Elected to finish Foster's term.	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1811	Federalist	Timothy Pickering	5
						9th	4	Re-elected February 6, 1805.[10] Lost re-election.
						10th
6	James Lloyd	Federalist	June 9, 1808 – May 1, 1813	Elected to finish Adams's term, having already been elected to the next term.
				Elected June 2, 1808.[11] Resigned.	5	11th
						12th	5	The State Senate deadlocked in the 1810 election.	March 4, 1811 – June 28, 1811	Vacant
								Elected June 6, 1811 to finish the vacant term. Unknown if retired or lost re-election.	June 29, 1811 – March 3, 1817	Democratic- Republican	Joseph Bradley Varnum	6
						13th
Vacant			May 1, 1813 – May 5, 1813	Vacant
7	Christopher Gore	Federalist	May 5, 1813 – May 30, 1816	Appointed to finish Lloyd's term.
				Elected to full term in 1815. Resigned, unhappy with the politics of Washington and suffering from poor health.	6	14th
Vacant			May 31, 1816 – June 11, 1816	Vacant
8	Eli P. Ashmun	Federalist	June 12, 1816 – May 10, 1818	Elected to finish Gore's term. Resigned.
						15th	6	Elected June 12, 1816. Resigned to run for Mayor of Boston.	March 4, 1817 – May 30, 1822	Federalist	Harrison Gray Otis	7
Vacant			May 11, 1818 – June 4, 1818	Vacant
9	Prentiss Mellen	Federalist	June 5, 1818 – May 15, 1820	Elected to finish Ashmun's term. Resigned to become Chief Justice of Maine.
						16th
Vacant			May 16, 1820 – June 12, 1820	Vacant
10	Elijah H. Mills	Federalist	June 12, 1820 – March 3, 1827	Elected to finish Mellen's term.
				Re-elected in 1820. Lost re-election in 1826.	7	17th
								Vacant	May 30, 1822 – June 5, 1822	Vacant
								Elected to finish Otis's term.	June 5, 1822 – May 23, 1826	Federalist	James Lloyd	8
						18th	7	Re-elected in 1822. Resigned.
		Anti- Jacksonian				19th				Anti- Jacksonian
								Vacant	May 23, 1826 – May 31, 1826	Vacant
								Elected to finish Lloyd's term.	May 31, 1826 – March 3, 1835	Anti-Jacksonian	Nathaniel Silsbee	9
Vacant			March 4, 1827 – June 8, 1827	Vacant	8	20th
11	Daniel Webster	Anti-Jacksonian	June 8, 1827 – February 22, 1841	Elected late in 1827.
						21st	8	Re-elected in 1828. Retired.
						22nd
				Re-elected in 1833.	9	23rd
						24th	9	Elected in 1835. Resigned to become Governor of Massachusetts.	March 4, 1835 – January 5, 1841	Anti- Jacksonian	John Davis	10
		Whig				25th				Whig
				Re-elected in 1839. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State.	10	26th
								Vacant	January 5, 1841 – January 13, 1841	Vacant
								Elected to finish Davis's term.	January 13, 1841 – March 16, 1845	Whig	Isaac C. Bates	11
12	Rufus Choate	Whig	February 23, 1841 – March 3, 1845	Elected to finish Webster's term. Retired.
						27th	10	Elected to full term in 1841. Died.
						28th
13	Daniel Webster	Whig	March 4, 1845 – July 22, 1850	Elected in 1845. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State again.	11	29th
								Vacant	March 16, 1845 – March 24, 1845	Vacant
								Elected to finish Bates's term.	March 24, 1845 – March 3, 1853	Whig	John Davis	12
						30th	11	Re-elected in 1847. Retired.
						31st
Vacant			July 23, 1850 – July 30, 1850	Vacant
14	Robert Charles Winthrop	Whig	July 30, 1850 – February 1, 1851	Appointed to continue Webster's term. Lost election to finish Webster's term.
15	Robert Rantoul Jr.	Democratic	February 1, 1851 – March 3, 1851	Elected to finish Webster's term. Retired.
Vacant			March 4, 1851 – April 24, 1851	In 1851, Democrats gained control of the Massachusetts General Court in coalition with the Free Soilers. However, the legislature deadlocked on who should succeed Daniel Webster. Democrats refused to vote for Charles Sumner (the Free Soilers' choice). Sumner was eventually elected late.	12	32nd
16	Charles Sumner	Free Soil	April 24, 1851 – March 11, 1874
						33rd	12	Elected in 1853. Resigned.	March 4, 1853 – June 1, 1854	Whig	Edward Everett	13
								Vacant	June 1, 1854 – June 3, 1854	Vacant
								Appointed to continue Everett's term. Successor was elected.	June 3, 1854 – January 31, 1855	Whig	Julius Rockwell	14
								Elected to finish Everett's term.	January 31, 1855 – March 3, 1873	Free Soil	Henry Wilson	15
						34th				Republican
		Republican		Re-elected in 1857.	13	35th
						36th	13	Re-elected in 1859.
						37th
				Re-elected in 1863.	14	38th
						39th	14	Re-elected in 1865.
						40th
				Re-elected in 1869. Died.	15	41st
						42nd	15	Re-elected in 1871. Resigned to become the Vice President of the United States.
		Liberal Republican				43rd		Vacant	March 3, 1873 – March 17, 1873	Vacant
								Elected to finish Wilson's term. Lost renomination.	March 17, 1873 – March 3, 1877	Republican	George S. Boutwell	16
Vacant			March 12, 1874 – April 16, 1874	Vacant
17	William B. Washburn	Republican	April 17, 1874 – March 3, 1875	Elected to finish Sumner's term. Retired.
18	Henry L. Dawes	Republican	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1893	Elected in 1875.	16	44th
						45th	16	Elected in 1877.	March 4, 1877 – September 30, 1904	Republican	George Frisbie Hoar	17
						46th
				Re-elected in 1881.	17	47th
						48th	17	Re-elected in 1883.
						49th
				Re-elected in 1887. Retired.	18	50th
						51st	18	Re-elected in 1889.
						52nd
19	Henry Cabot Lodge	Republican	March 4, 1893 – November 9, 1924	Elected in 1893.	19	53rd
						54th	19	Re-elected in 1895.
						55th
				Re-elected in 1899.	20	56th
						57th	20	Re-elected in 1901. Died.
						58th
								Vacant	September 30, 1904 – October 12, 1904	Vacant
								Appointed to continue Hoar's term. Elected January 18, 1905 to finish Hoar's term.[12]	October 12, 1904 – March 3, 1913	Republican	Winthrop M. Crane	18
				Re-elected January 18, 1905.[12]	21	59th
						60th	21	Re-elected in 1907. Retired.
						61st
				Re-elected in January 1911.	22	62nd
						63rd	22	Elected January 14, 1913. Lost re-election.	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919	Republican	John W. Weeks	19
						64th
				Re-elected in 1916.	23	65th
						66th	23	Elected in 1918. Lost re-election.	March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1925	Democratic	David I. Walsh	20
						67th
				Re-elected in 1922. Died.	24	68th
Vacant			November 9, 1924 – November 13, 1924	Vacant
20	William M. Butler	Republican	November 13, 1924 – December 6, 1926	Appointed to continue Lodge's term. Lost election to finish Lodge's term.
						69th	24	Elected in 1924. Retired.	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931	Republican	Frederick H. Gillett	21
21	David I. Walsh	Democratic	December 6, 1926 – January 3, 1947	Elected to finish Lodge's term.
						70th
				Re-elected in 1928.	25	71st
						72nd	25	Elected in 1930. Retired.	March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1937	Democratic	Marcus A. Coolidge	22
						73rd
				Re-elected in 1934.	26	74th
						75th	26	Elected in 1936.	January 3, 1937 – February 3, 1944	Republican	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.	23
						76th
				Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election.	27	77th
						78th	27	Re-elected in 1942. Resigned to return to active duty in the U.S. Army.
								Vacant	February 4, 1944 – February 7, 1944	Vacant
								Appointed to continue Lodge's term. Did not run for election to finish the term.	February 8, 1944 – December 19, 1944	Republican	Sinclair Weeks	24
								Elected November 7, 1944 to finish Lodge's term. Didn't take seat until January 4, 1945, as he wanted to remain Governor of Massachusetts. However, he was duly elected and qualified as senator.	December 19, 1944 – January 3, 1967	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall	25
						79th
22	Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953	Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.	28	80th
						81st	28	Re-elected in 1948.
						82nd
23	John F. Kennedy	Democratic	January 3, 1953 – December 22, 1960	Elected in 1952.	29	83rd
						84th	29	Re-elected in 1954.
						85th
				Re-elected in 1958. Resigned to become the President of the United States.	30	86th
Vacant			December 22, 1960 – December 27, 1960	Vacant
24	Benjamin Smith	Democratic	December 27, 1960 – November 7, 1962	Appointed to continue John Kennedy's term. Did not run for election to finish the term.
						87th	30	Re-elected in 1960. Retired.
25	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	November 7, 1962 – August 25, 2009	Elected to finish his brother's term.
						88th
				Re-elected in 1964.	31	89th
						90th	31	Elected in 1966.	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979	Republican	Edward Brooke	26
						91st
				Re-elected in 1970.	32	92nd
						93rd	32	Re-elected in 1972. Lost re-election.
						94th
				Re-elected in 1976.	33	95th
						96th	33	Elected in 1978. Retired, then resigned early to give successor preferential seniority.	January 3, 1979 – January 2, 1985	Democratic	Paul Tsongas	27
						97th
				Re-elected in 1982.	34	98th
								Appointed early to finish Tsongas's term, having already been elected to the next term.	January 2, 1985 – February 1, 2013	Democratic	John Kerry	28
						99th	34	Elected in 1984.
						100th
				Re-elected in 1988.	35	101st
						102nd	35	Re-elected in 1990.
						103rd
				Re-elected in 1994.	36	104th
						105th	36	Re-elected in 1996.
						106th
				Re-elected in 2000.	37	107th
						108th	37	Re-elected in 2002.
						109th
				Re-elected in 2006. Died.	38	110th
						111th	38	Re-elected in 2008. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State.
Vacant			August 25, 2009 – September 24, 2009	Vacant
26	Paul G. Kirk	Democratic	September 24, 2009 – February 4, 2010	Appointed to continue Ted Kennedy's term. Did not run for election to finish the term.[13]
27	Scott Brown	Republican	February 4, 2010 – January 3, 2013	Elected to finish Ted Kennedy's term. Lost re-election.
						112th
28	Elizabeth Warren	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – Present	Elected in 2012.	39	113th
								Appointed to continue Kerry's term. Did not run for election to finish the term.[14]	February 1, 2013 – July 16, 2013	Democratic	Mo Cowan	29
								Elected to finish Kerry's term.	July 16, 2013 – Present	Democratic	Ed Markey	30
						114th	39	Re-elected in 2014.
						115th
				Re-elected in 2018.	40	116th
						117th	40	Re-elected in 2020.
						118th
To be determined in the 2024 election.					41	119th
						120th	41	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 four living former senators from Massachusetts. The most recent senator to die was Edward Brooke (served 1967–1979) on January 3, 2015. The most recently serving senator to die was Ted Kennedy (served 1962–2009), who died in office on August 25, 2009.

Senator	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
John Kerry	January 2, 1985 – February 1, 2013	December 11, 1943
Paul G. Kirk	September 24, 2009 – February 4, 2010	January 18, 1938
Scott Brown	February 4, 2010 – January 3, 2013	September 12, 1959
Mo Cowan	February 1, 2013 – July 16, 2013	April 4, 1969

See also

• Political party strength in Massachusetts

References

1. Belluck, Pam (June 25, 2004). "Massachusetts Politicians Fight Over a Kerry Victory". New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
2. Zezima, Katie (July 2, 2004). "National Briefing: Massachusetts: Senate Approves Interim-Appointment Bill". New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
3. Greenberger, Scott S. (July 31, 2004). "Romney veto overridden: Governor can no longer fill vacancies in the US Senate". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
4. Anderson, Rob (July 16, 2004). "Devil in the Details: After Kerry, The Deluge". The American Prospect. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
5. "Chapter 236 of the Acts of 2004". Acts of 2004 (Session Laws). The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 30, 2004. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
6. Viser, Matt (September 23, 2009). "Legislature gives final approval to bill to fill Kennedy seat". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
7. "Massachusetts 1798 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 5, 2018., citing Connecticut Gazette (New London, CT). June 20, 1798.
8. "Massachusetts 1800 U.S. Senate, Special". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 25, 2018., citing Hampshire Gazette (Northhampton). June 11, 1800. The Kentucky Gazette (Lexington, KY). July 3, 1800.
9. "Massachusetts 1803 U.S. Senate, Ballot 4". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 30, 2018., citing Columbian Centinel. Massachusetts Federalist (Boston, MA). February 5, 1803. The Independent Chronicle (Boston, MA). February 7, 1803. Columbian Centinel. Massachusetts Federalist (Boston, MA). February 9, 1803. Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA). February 9, 1803. Boston Gazette (Boston, MA). February 10, 1803. Republican Star or Eastern Shore General Advertiser (Easton, MD). March 1, 1803. Frederick-Town Herald (Fredericktown, MD). March 5, 1803.
10. "Massachusetts 1805 U.S. Senate, Ballot 3". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved January 29, 2018., citing The Providence Phoenix (Providence, RI). February 9, 1805.
11. "Massachusetts 1808 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 3, 2018., citing The Pittsfield Sun (Pittsfield, MA). June 11, 1808.
12. The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906. New York: The Press Publishing Co. New York World. 1905. p. 108.
13. "Paul Kirk officially appointed state's interim senator". September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
14. Battenfeld, Joe; Chabot, Hillary; Cassidy, Chris (January 30, 2013). "Gov names adviser Mo Cowan to interim Senate post". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 30, 2013.