List of United States senators from Illinois

Current delegation

Dick Durbin (D)

Tammy Duckworth (D)

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).

List of senators[]

#	Senator	Party	Dates in office	Electoral history	T	C	T	Electoral history	Dates in office	Party	Senator	#
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 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2016. The next election will be in 2022.
1	Jesse B. Thomas	Democratic- Republican	December 3, 1818 – March 3, 1829	Elected October 7, 1818.	1	15th	1	Elected October 7, 1818.	December 3, 1818 – March 3, 1824	Democratic- Republican	Ninian Edwards	1
						16th	2	Re-elected in early February 1819. Resigned.
						17th
				Re-elected in 1823. Retired.	2	18th
									March 4, 1824 – November 24, 1824	Vacant
								Elected to finish Edwards's term. Retired.	November 24, 1824 – March 3, 1825	Democratic- Republican	John McLean	2
		Anti-Jacksonian				19th	3	Elected in 1825.	March 4, 1825 – December 12, 1835	Jacksonian	Elias Kane	3
		Anti-Jacksonian				20th
2	John McLean	Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – October 14, 1830	Elected in 1829. Died.	3	21st
Vacant			October 14, 1830 – November 12, 1830
3	David J. Baker	Jacksonian	November 12, 1830 – December 11, 1830	Appointed to continue McLean's term. Retired.
4	John M. Robinson	Jacksonian	December 11, 1830 – March 3, 1841	Elected to finish McLean's term.
						22nd	4	Re-elected in 1831. Died.
						23rd
				Re-elected in 1835. Retired.	4	24th
									December 12, 1835 – December 30, 1835	Vacant
								Appointed to finish Kane's term. Lost election to full term.	December 30, 1835 – March 3, 1837	Jacksonian	William Lee D. Ewing	4
		Democratic				25th	5	Elected in 1837. Retired.	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	Democratic	Richard M. Young	5
		Democratic				26th
5	Samuel McRoberts	Democratic	March 4, 1841 – March 27, 1843	Elected in 1841. Died.	5	27th
5	Samuel McRoberts	Democratic	March 4, 1841 – March 27, 1843	Elected in 1841. Died.		28th	6	Elected in 1843. Lost renomination.	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849	Democratic	Sidney Breese	6
Vacant			March 27, 1843 – August 16, 1843
6	James Semple	Democratic	August 16, 1843 – March 3, 1847	Appointed to continue McRoberts's term. Elected December 11, 1844 to finish McRoberts's term.^[1] Retired.
6	James Semple	Democratic	August 16, 1843 – March 3, 1847			29th
7	Stephen A. Douglas	Democratic	March 4, 1847 – June 3, 1861	Elected in 1846.	6	30th
						31st	7	Elected January 13, 1849.^[2] Election voided.^[a]	March 4, 1849 – March 15, 1849	Democratic	James Shields	7
									March 15, 1849 – October 27, 1849	Vacant
								Elected to finish his own term. Lost re-election.	October 27, 1849 – March 3, 1855	Democratic	James Shields
						32nd
				Re-elected in 1852.	7	33rd
						34th	8	Elected in 1855.	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1873	Democratic	Lyman Trumbull	8
						35th				Republican
				Re-elected in 1859. Died.	8	36th
				Re-elected in 1859. Died.		37th	9	Re-elected in 1861.
Vacant			June 3, 1861 – June 26, 1861
8	Orville Browning	Republican	June 26, 1861 – January 12, 1863	Appointed to continue Douglas's term. Retired.
9	William A. Richardson	Democratic	January 12, 1863 – March 3, 1865	Elected to finish Douglas's term. Retired.
9	William A. Richardson	Democratic	January 12, 1863 – March 3, 1865	Elected to finish Douglas's term. Retired.		38th
10	Richard Yates	Republican	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1871	Elected in 1864 or 1865. Retired.	9	39th
						40th	10	Re-elected in 1867. [data unknown/missing]
						41st
11	John A. Logan	Republican	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1877	Elected in 1870 or 1871. Lost re-election.	10	42nd				Liberal Republican
						43rd	11	Elected in 1873. Retired.	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879	Republican	Richard J. Oglesby	9
						44th
12	David Davis	Independent	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883	Elected in 1877. Retired.	11	45th
						46th	12	Elected in 1879.	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885	Republican	John A. Logan	10
						47th
13	Shelby Moore Cullom	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1913	Elected in 1882.	12	48th
						49th	13	Legislature failed to elect.	March 4, 1885 – May 18, 1885	Vacant
								Re-elected late in 1885. Died.	May 19, 1885 – December 26, 1886	Republican	John A. Logan
									December 26, 1886 – January 19, 1887	Vacant
								Elected to finish Logan's term. Retired.	January 19, 1887 – March 3, 1891	Republican	Charles B. Farwell	11
						50th
				Re-elected in 1888.	13	51st
						52nd	14	Elected in 1890. Retired.	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1897	Democratic	John M. Palmer	12
						53rd
				Re-elected in 1894.	14	54th
						55th	15	Elected January 20, 1897.^[3] Retired.	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903	Republican	William E. Mason	13
						56th
				Re-elected January 22, 1901.	15	57th
						58th	16	Elected January 20, 1903. Lost re-election.	March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909	Republican	Albert J. Hopkins	14
						59th
				Re-elected January 22, 1907.^[4] Lost renomination.	16	60th
						61st	17		March 4, 1909 – June 18, 1909	Vacant
						61st		Elected May 26, 1909, but ineligible until resignation from U.S. House. Election voided.	June 18, 1909 – July 13, 1912	Republican	William Lorimer	15
						62nd			June 18, 1909 – July 13, 1912	Republican	William Lorimer	15
						62nd			July 13, 1912 – March 26, 1913	Vacant
Vacant			March 4, 1913 – March 26, 1913	Legislature elected late.	17	63rd			July 13, 1912 – March 26, 1913	Vacant
14	J. Hamilton Lewis	Democratic	March 26, 1913 – March 3, 1919	Elected late March 26, 1913. Lost re-election.		63rd		Elected March 26, 1913 to finish Lorimer's term.	March 26, 1913 – March 3, 1921	Republican	Lawrence Y. Sherman	16
						64th	18	Re-elected in 1914. Retired.
						65th
15	Medill McCormick	Republican	March 4, 1919 – February 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.	March 4, 1921 – December 7, 1926	Republican	William B. McKinley	17
						68th
16	Charles S. Deneen	Republican	February 26, 1925 – March 3, 1931	Appointed to finish McCormick's term, having already been elected to the next term.		68th
				Elected in 1924. Lost renomination.	19	69th
								Appointed to continue McKinley's term. Not seated/resigned.^[b]	December 7, 1926	Republican	Frank L. Smith	18
									December 7, 1926 – December 3, 1928	Vacant
						70th	20		December 7, 1926 – December 3, 1928	Vacant
						70th		Elected to finish the term. Lost re-election.	December 3, 1928 – March 3, 1933	Republican	Otis F. Glenn	19
						71st
17	J. Hamilton Lewis	Democratic	March 4, 1931 – April 9, 1939	Elected in 1930.	20	72nd
						73rd	21	Elected in 1932. Retired.	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939	Democratic	William H. Dieterich	20
						74th
				Re-elected in 1936. Died.	21	75th
				Re-elected in 1936. Died.		76th	22	Elected in 1938.	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1951	Democratic	Scott W. Lucas	21
Vacant			April 9, 1939 – April 14, 1939
18	James M. Slattery	Democratic	April 14, 1939 – November 21, 1940	Appointed to continue Lewis's term. Lost election to finish Lewis's term.
19	Charles W. Brooks	Republican	November 22, 1940 – January 3, 1949	Elected to finish Lewis's term.
				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	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1967	Elected in 1948.	23	81st
						82nd	24	Elected in 1950.	January 3, 1951 – September 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	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1985	Elected in 1966.	26	90th
						91st	27	Re-elected in 1968. Died.
									September 7, 1969 – September 17, 1969	Vacant
								Appointed to continue Dirksen's term. Lost election to finish Dirksen's term.	September 17, 1969 – November 3, 1970	Republican	Ralph Tyler Smith	23
									November 3, 1970 – November 17, 1970	Vacant
								Elected to finish Dirksen's term.	November 17, 1970 – January 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.	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993	Democratic	Alan J. Dixon	25
						98th
22	Paul Simon	Democratic	January 3, 1985 – January 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.	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999	Democratic	Carol Moseley Braun	26
						104th
23	Dick Durbin	Democratic	January 3, 1997 – Present	Elected in 1996.	31	105th
						106th	32	Elected in 1998. Retired.	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005	Republican	Peter Fitzgerald	27
						107th
				Re-elected in 2002.	32	108th
						109th	33	Elected in 2004. Resigned to become U.S. President.	January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008	Democratic	Barack Obama	28
						110th		Elected in 2004. Resigned to become U.S. President.	January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008	Democratic	Barack Obama	28
						110th			November 16, 2008 – January 12, 2009	Vacant
				Re-elected in 2008.	33	111th			November 16, 2008 – January 12, 2009	Vacant
								Appointed December 30, 2008, but was certified late because his appointment was disputed. Retired when successor qualified.	January 12, 2009– November 29, 2010	Democratic	Roland Burris	29
								Elected to finish Obama's term.^[c]	November 29, 2010 – January 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.	January 3, 2017 – Present	Democratic	Tammy Duckworth	31
						116th
				Re-elected in 2020.	35	117th
						118th	36	To be determined in the 2022 election.
						119th
To be determined in the 2026 election.					36	120th
#	Senator	Party	Years in office	Electoral history	T		T	Electoral history	Years in office	Party	Senator	#
Class 2							Class 3

Living former senators[]

As of August 2021, there are six living former U.S. senators from Illinois. The most recent senator to die was Alan J. Dixon (served 1981–1993) on July 6, 2014. The most recently serving senator to die was Paul Simon (served 1985–1997) on December 9, 2003.

Senator	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
Adlai Stevenson III	November 17, 1970 – January 3, 1981	(1930-10-10) October 10, 1930 (age 90)
Carol Moseley Braun	January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999	(1947-08-16) August 16, 1947 (age 74)
Peter Fitzgerald	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005	(1960-10-20) October 20, 1960 (age 60)
Barack Obama	January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008	(1961-08-04) August 4, 1961 (age 60)
Roland Burris	January 12, 2009 – November 29, 2010	(1937-08-03) August 3, 1937 (age 84)
Mark Kirk	November 29, 2010 – January 3, 2017	(1959-09-15) September 15, 1959 (age 61)

Superlatives[]

Longest service[]

Senator	First served	Last served	Length of service
Shelby Moore Cullom	March 4, 1883	March 4, 1913	30 years, 0 days (10,956 days)
Dick Durbin	January 3, 1997	Present	24 years, 237 days (9,003 days)
Everett Dirksen	January 3, 1951	September 7, 1969	18 years, 247 days (6,822 days)
Charles H. Percy	January 3, 1967	January 3, 1985	18 years, 0 days (6,575 days)
Paul Douglas	January 3, 1949	January 3, 1967	18 years, 0 days (6,574 days)

Shortest service[]

Senator	First served	Last served	Length of service
David J. Baker	November 12, 1830	December 11, 1830	4 weeks and 1 day (29 days)
Ralph Tyler Smith	September 17, 1969	November 16, 1970	1 year, 1 month, 4 weeks and 2 days (425 days)
William Lee D. Ewing	December 30, 1835	March 3, 1837	1 year, 2 months and 3 days (429 days)
Orville Hickman Browning	June 26, 1861	January 12, 1863	1 year, 6 months, 2 weeks and 3 days (565 days)
James M. Slattery	April 14, 1939	November 21, 1940	1 year, 7 months and 1 week (587 days)

Youngest at beginning of service[]

Senator	Date of birth	First served	Age
Elias Kane	June 7, 1794	March 4, 1825	30 years, 8 months and 25 days
John McLean	February 4, 1791	November 23, 1824	33 years, 9 months and 19 days
Stephen A. Douglas	April 23, 1813	March 4, 1847	33 years, 10 months and 9 days
John McCracken Robinson	April 10, 1794	December 11, 1830	36 years, 8 months and 1 day
David J. Baker	September 7, 1792	November 12, 1830	38 years, 2 months and 5 days

Oldest at end of service[]

Senator	Date of birth	Last served	Age
Shelby Moore Cullom	November 22, 1829	March 3, 1913	83 years, 3 months and 9 days
John M. Palmer	September 13, 1817	March 3, 1897	79 years, 5 months and 18 days
Dick Durbin	November 21, 1944	Present	76 years, 9 months and 7 days
J. Hamilton Lewis	May 18, 1863	April 9, 1939	75 years, 10 months and 22 days
Paul Douglas	March 26, 1892	January 3, 1967	74 years, 9 months and 8 days

Notes[]

^ 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.
^ When Smith presented his credentials to serve the remainder of McKinely'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.
^ Jump up to: ^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.

^ Byrd & Wolff, p. 101.
^ 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.
^ "Mason in Illinois". The New York Times. January 21, 1897. p. 2.
^ "NO CHOICE IN RHODE ISLAND". The New York Times. January 23, 1907. p. 1.

References[]

"Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present". via Senate.gov.
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.
Taft, George S.; Furber, George P.; ; Webb, Charles A.; Pierce, Herbert R. (1913). "Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1913". U.S. Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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show v t Illinois's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators	Dick Durbin (D) Tammy Duckworth (D)
Representatives (ordered by district)	Bobby Rush (D) Robin Kelly (D) Marie Newman (D) Jesús "Chuy" García (D) Mike Quigley (D) Sean Casten (D) Danny Davis (D) Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) Jan Schakowsky (D) Brad Schneider (D) Bill Foster (D) Mike Bost (R) Rodney Davis (R) Lauren Underwood (D) Mary Miller (R) Adam Kinzinger (R) Cheri Bustos (D) Darin LaHood (R)

show v t United States senators from Illinois
Class 2	Thomas McLean Baker Robinson McRoberts Semple S. Douglas Browning Richardson Yates Logan Davis Cullom Lewis McCormick Deneen Lewis Slattery Brooks P. Douglas Percy Simon Durbin
Class 3	Edwards McLean Kane Ewing Young Breese Shields Trumbull Oglesby Logan Farwell Palmer Mason Hopkins Lorimer Sherman McKinley Glenn Dieterich Lucas Dirksen Smith Stevenson III Dixon Moseley Braun Fitzgerald Obama Burris Kirk Duckworth

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