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List of United States senators from Illinois

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Current delegation

Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, and has been represented in the United States Senate by 47 senators. Senators from Illinois are elected to class 2 and class 3.

The Senate twice refused to seat Frank L. Smith, in December 1926 for an appointed term and in March 1927 for an elected one, due to corruption, but he is included in this list because Smith and the Governor considered him to be a senator for approximately two years.

Of the eight African Americans ever to sit in the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction, three have held Illinois's class 3 seat, including Barack Obama who went on to become the president of the United States. This makes Illinois the state with the most African-American senators. Illinois's current U.S. senators are Democrats Dick Durbin (serving since 1997) and Tammy Duckworth (serving since 2017). Shelby Moore Cullom was the longest serving senator, who served from 1883 to 1913.

List of senators

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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 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 #
1
Jesse B. Thomas
Democratic-
Republican
Dec 3, 1818 –
Mar 3, 1829
Elected in 1818. 1 15th 1 Elected in 1818. Dec 3, 1818 –
Mar 3, 1824
Democratic-
Republican

Ninian Edwards
1
16th 2 Re-elected in 1819.
Resigned.
17th
Re-elected in 1823.
Retired.
2 18th
  Mar 4, 1824 –
Nov 24, 1824
Vacant
Elected to finish Edwards's term.
Retired.
Nov 24, 1824 –
Mar 3, 1825
Democratic-
Republican

John McLean
2
National
Republican
19th 3 Elected in 1825. Mar 4, 1825 –
Dec 12, 1835
Jacksonian
Elias Kane
3
20th
2
John McLean
Jacksonian Mar 4, 1829 –
Oct 14, 1830
Elected in 1829.
Died.
3 21st
Vacant Oct 14, 1830 –
Nov 12, 1830
 
3
David J. Baker
Jacksonian Nov 12, 1830 –
Dec 11, 1830
Appointed to continue McLean's term.
Retired.
4
John M. Robinson
Jacksonian Dec 11, 1830 –
Mar 3, 1841
Elected to finish McLean's term.
22nd 4 Re-elected in 1831.
Died.
23rd
Re-elected in 1835.
Retired.
4 24th
  Dec 12, 1835 –
Dec 30, 1835
Vacant
Appointed to finish Kane's term.
Lost election to full term.
Dec 30, 1835 –
Mar 3, 1837
Jacksonian
William Lee D. Ewing
4
Democratic 25th 5 Elected in 1837.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1837 –
Mar 3, 1843
Democratic
Richard M. Young
5
26th
5
Samuel McRoberts
Democratic Mar 4, 1841 –
Mar 27, 1843
Elected in 1841.
Died.
5 27th
28th 6 Elected in 1843.
Lost renomination.
Mar 4, 1843 –
Mar 3, 1849
Democratic
Sidney Breese
6
Vacant Mar 27, 1843 –
Aug 16, 1843
 
6
James Semple
Democratic Aug 16, 1843 –
Mar 3, 1847
Appointed to continue McRoberts's term.
Elected in 1844 to finish McRoberts's term.[1]
Retired.
29th
7
Stephen A. Douglas
Democratic Mar 4, 1847 –
Jun 3, 1861
Elected in 1846. 6 30th
31st 7 Elected in 1849.[2]
Election voided.[a]
Mar 4, 1849 –
Mar 15, 1849
Democratic
James Shields
7
  Mar 15, 1849 –
Oct 27, 1849
Vacant
Elected to finish his own term.
Lost re-election.
Oct 27, 1849 –
Mar 3, 1855
Democratic
James Shields
32nd
Re-elected in 1852. 7 33rd
34th 8 Elected in 1855. Mar 4, 1855 –
Mar 3, 1873
Democratic
Lyman Trumbull
8
35th Republican
Re-elected in 1859.
Died.
8 36th
37th 9 Re-elected in 1861.
Vacant Jun 3, 1861 –
Jun 26, 1861
 
8
Orville Browning
Republican Jun 26, 1861 –
Jan 12, 1863
Appointed to continue Douglas's term.
Retired.
9
William A. Richardson
Democratic Jan 12, 1863 –
Mar 3, 1865
Elected to finish Douglas's term.
Retired.
38th
10
Richard Yates
Republican Mar 4, 1865 –
Mar 3, 1871
Elected in 1864 or 1865.
Retired.
9 39th
40th 10 Re-elected in 1867.
[data missing]
41st
11
John A. Logan
Republican Mar 4, 1871 –
Mar 3, 1877
Elected in 1870 or 1871.
Lost re-election.
10 42nd Liberal
Republican
43rd 11 Elected in 1873.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1873 –
Mar 3, 1879
Republican
Richard J. Oglesby
9
44th
12
David Davis
Independent Mar 4, 1877 –
Mar 3, 1883
Elected in 1877.
Retired.
11 45th
46th 12 Elected in 1879. Mar 4, 1879 –
Mar 3, 1885
Republican
John A. Logan
10
47th
13
Shelby M. Cullom
Republican Mar 4, 1883 –
Mar 3, 1913
Elected in 1882. 12 48th
49th 13 Legislature failed to elect. Mar 4, 1885 –
May 18, 1885
Vacant
Re-elected late in 1885.
Died.
May 19, 1885 –
Dec 26, 1886
Republican
John A. Logan
  Dec 26, 1886 –
Jan 19, 1887
Vacant
Elected to finish Logan's term.
Retired.
Jan 19, 1887 –
Mar 3, 1891
Republican
Charles Farwell
11
50th
Re-elected in 1888. 13 51st
52nd 14 Elected in 1890.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1891 –
Mar 3, 1897
Democratic
John Palmer
12
53rd
Re-elected in 1894. 14 54th
55th 15 Elected in 1897.[3]
Retired.
Mar 4, 1897 –
Mar 3, 1903
Republican
William Mason
13
56th
Re-elected in 1901. 15 57th
58th 16 Elected in 1903.
Lost re-election.
Mar 4, 1903 –
Mar 3, 1909
Republican
Albert Hopkins
14
59th
Re-elected in 1907.[4]
Lost renomination.
16 60th
61st 17   Mar 4, 1909 –
Jun 18, 1909
Vacant
Elected in 1909, but ineligible until resignation from U.S. House.
Election voided.
Jun 18, 1909 –
Jul 13, 1912
Republican
William Lorimer
15
62nd
  Jul 13, 1912 –
Mar 26, 1913
Vacant
Vacant Mar 4, 1913 –
Mar 26, 1913
Legislature elected late. 17 63rd
14
J. Hamilton Lewis
Democratic Mar 26, 1913 –
Mar 3, 1919
Elected late in 1913.
Lost re-election.
Elected in 1913 to finish Lorimer's term. Mar 26, 1913 –
Mar 3, 1921
Republican
Lawrence Y. Sherman
16
64th 18 Re-elected in 1914.
Retired.
65th
15
Medill McCormick
Republican Mar 4, 1919 –
Feb 25, 1925
Elected in 1918.
Lost renomination and died just before the end of the term.
18 66th
67th 19 Elected in 1920.
Lost renomination and died just before the end of the term.
Mar 4, 1921 –
Dec 7, 1926
Republican
William B. McKinley
17
68th
16
Charles S. Deneen
Republican Feb 26, 1925 –
Mar 3, 1931
Appointed to finish McCormick's term, having already been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1924.
Lost renomination.
19 69th
Appointed to continue McKinley's term.
Not seated/resigned.[b]
Dec 7, 1926 Republican
Frank L. Smith
18
  Dec 7, 1926 –
Dec 3, 1928
Vacant
70th 20
Elected to finish the term.
Lost re-election.
Dec 3, 1928 –
Mar 3, 1933
Republican
Otis F. Glenn
19
71st
17
J. Hamilton Lewis
Democratic Mar 4, 1931 –
Apr 9, 1939
Elected in 1930. 20 72nd
73rd 21 Elected in 1932.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1933 –
Jan 3, 1939
Democratic
William H. Dieterich
20
74th
Re-elected in 1936.
Died.
21 75th
76th 22 Elected in 1938. Jan 3, 1939 –
Jan 3, 1951
Democratic
Scott W. Lucas
21
Vacant Apr 9, 1939 –
Apr 14, 1939
 
18
James M. Slattery
Democratic Apr 14, 1939 –
Nov 21, 1940
Appointed to continue Lewis's term.
Lost election to finish Lewis's term.
19
C. Wayland Brooks
Republican Nov 22, 1940 –
Jan 3, 1949
Elected to finish Lewis's term.
77th
Re-elected in 1942.
Lost re-election.
22 78th
79th 23 Re-elected in 1944.
Lost re-election.
80th
20
Paul Douglas
Democratic Jan 3, 1949 –
Jan 3, 1967
Elected in 1948. 23 81st
82nd 24 Elected in 1950. Jan 3, 1951 –
Sep 7, 1969
Republican
Everett Dirksen
22
83rd
Re-elected in 1954. 24 84th
85th 25 Re-elected in 1956.
86th
Re-elected in 1960.
Lost re-election.
25 87th
88th 26 Re-elected in 1962.
89th
21
Charles H. Percy
Republican Jan 3, 1967 –
Jan 3, 1985
Elected in 1966. 26 90th
91st 27 Re-elected in 1968.
Died.
  Sep 7, 1969 –
Sep 17, 1969
Vacant
Appointed to continue Dirksen's term.
Lost election to finish Dirksen's term.
Sep 17, 1969 –
Nov 3, 1970
Republican
Ralph T. Smith
23
  Nov 3, 1970 –
Nov 17, 1970
Vacant
Elected to finish Dirksen's term. Nov 17, 1970 –
Jan 3, 1981
Democratic
Adlai Stevenson III
24
92nd
Re-elected in 1972. 27 93rd
94th 28 Re-elected in 1974.
Retired.
95th
Re-elected in 1978.
Lost re-election.
28 96th
97th 29 Elected in 1980. Jan 3, 1981 –
Jan 3, 1993
Democratic
Alan J. Dixon
25
98th
22
Paul Simon
Democratic Jan 3, 1985 –
Jan 3, 1997
Elected in 1984. 29 99th
100th 30 Re-elected in 1986.
Lost renomination.
101st
Re-elected in 1990.
Retired.
30 102nd
103rd 31 Elected in 1992.
Lost re-election.
Jan 3, 1993 –
Jan 3, 1999
Democratic
Carol Moseley Braun
26
104th
23
Dick Durbin
Democratic Jan 3, 1997 –
present
Elected in 1996. 31 105th
106th 32 Elected in 1998.
Retired.
Jan 3, 1999 –
Jan 3, 2005
Republican
Peter Fitzgerald
27
107th
Re-elected in 2002. 32 108th
109th 33 Elected in 2004.
Resigned to become U.S. President.
Jan 3, 2005 –
Nov 16, 2008
Democratic
Barack Obama
28
110th
  Nov 16, 2008 –
Jan 12, 2009
Vacant
Re-elected in 2008. 33 111th
Appointed to continue Obama's term, certified late.
Retired when successor qualified.
Jan 12, 2009 –
Nov 29, 2010
Democratic
Roland Burris
29
Elected to finish Obama's term.[c] Nov 29, 2010 –
Jan 3, 2017
Republican
Mark Kirk
30
112th 34 Elected to full term in 2010.[c]
Lost re-election.
113th
Re-elected in 2014. 34 114th
115th 35 Elected in 2016. Jan 3, 2017 –
present
Democratic
Tammy Duckworth
31
116th
Re-elected in 2020. 35 117th
118th 36 Re-elected in 2022.
119th
To be determined in the 2026 election. 36 120th
121st 37 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

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Notes

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  1. ^ Shields was not seated because he had not been a citizen for the required nine years. He reached that mark on October 21, 1849, so his subsequent election was accepted by the Senate.
  2. ^ When Smith presented his credentials to serve the remainder of McKinley's term, the Senate refused to seat him based on what it saw as an election rife with fraud and corruption. When Smith returned with his credentials for the term he was elected to, the Senate again refused to seat him for the same reasons. Smith and the Governor considered him to be the rightful senator, but he resigned in February 1928. The Senate does not consider him to have been a senator.
  3. ^ a b Kirk was elected to fill the remainder of Barack Obama's term in a special election held the same day as the general election for the next term, which he also won.

References

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  1. ^ Byrd & Wolff, p. 101.
  2. ^ Polk, James (1853). The Statesman's Manual: The Addresses and Messages of the Presidents of the United States, Inaugural, Annual, and Special, from 1789 to 1851. E. Walker. p. 1890. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "Mason in Illinois". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
  4. ^ "NO CHOICE IN RHODE ISLAND". The New York Times. January 23, 1907. p. 1.
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