List of United States senators from South Dakota

Current delegation

John Thune (R)

Mike Rounds (R)

South Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, and elects U.S. senators to Class 2 and Class 3. Its current U.S. senators are Republicans John Thune (since 2005) and Mike Rounds (since 2015). Karl E. Mundt is South Dakota's longest-serving senator (1948–1973).

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	Richard Pettigrew	Republican	November 2, 1889 – March 3, 1901	Elected in 1889.	1	51st	1	Elected in 1889. Lost re-election.	November 2, 1889 – March 3, 1891	Republican	Gideon C. Moody	1
						52nd	2	Elected February 16, 1891.^[1]	March 4, 1891 – July 1, 1901	Independent	James H. Kyle	2
						53rd				Populist
				Re-elected in 1894. Lost re-election.	2	54th
		Silver Republican				55th	3	Re-elected February 18, 1897.^[2] Died.
		Silver Republican				56th
2	Robert J. Gamble	Republican	March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1913	Elected January 22, 1901.^[3]	3	57th				Republican
									July 1, 1901 – July 11, 1901	Vacant
								Appointed to continue Kyle's term. Elected January 20, 1903 to finish Kyle's term.^[4]	July 11, 1901 – March 3, 1909	Republican	Alfred Kittredge	3
						58th	4	Elected to a full term January 21, 1903.^[5] Lost renomination.
						59th
				Re-elected January 22, 1907. Lost renomination.	4	60th
						61st	5	Elected January 19, 1909. Lost renomination.	March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1915	Republican	Coe I. Crawford	4
						62nd
3	Thomas Sterling	Republican	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1925	Elected January 22, 1913.	5	63rd
						64th	6	Elected in 1914. Retired.	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921	Democratic	Edwin S. Johnson	5
						65th
				Re-elected in 1918. Lost renomination.	6	66th
						67th	7	Elected in 1920.	March 4, 1921 – December 20, 1936	Republican	Peter Norbeck	6
						68th
4	William McMaster	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1931	Elected in 1924. Lost re-election.	7	69th
						70th	8	Re-elected in 1926.
						71st
5	William J. Bulow	Democratic	March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1943	Elected in 1930.	8	72nd
						73rd	9	Re-elected in 1932. Died.
						74th		Re-elected in 1932. Died.
									December 20, 1936 – December 29, 1936	Vacant
								Appointed to continue Norbeck's term. Lost election to finish Norbeck's term.	December 29, 1936 – November 8, 1938	Democratic	Herbert Hitchcock	7
				Re-elected in 1936. Lost renomination.	9	75th			December 29, 1936 – November 8, 1938	Democratic	Herbert Hitchcock	7
						75th		Elected to finish Norbeck's term. Retired.	November 9, 1938 – January 3, 1939	Republican	Gladys Pyle	8
						76th	10	Elected in 1938.	January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1951	Republican	John Gurney	9
						77th
6	Harlan Bushfield	Republican	January 3, 1943 – September 27, 1948	Elected in 1942. Died.	10	78th
						79th	11	Re-elected in 1944. Lost renomination.
						80th
Vacant			September 27, 1948 – October 6, 1948
7	Vera Bushfield	Republican	October 6, 1948 – December 26, 1948	Appointed to finish her husband's term. Resigned when successor appointed.
Vacant			December 26, 1948 – December 31, 1948
8	Karl E. Mundt	Republican	December 31, 1948 – January 3, 1973	Appointed to finish Bushfield's term, having been elected to the next term.
				Elected in 1948	11	81st
						82nd	12	Elected in 1950.	January 3, 1951 – June 22, 1962	Republican	Francis H. Case	10
						83rd
				Re-elected in 1954.	12	84th
						85th	13	Re-elected in 1956. Died.
						86th
				Re-elected in 1960.	13	87th
									June 22, 1962 – July 9, 1962	Vacant
								Appointed to finish Case's term. Lost election to full term.	July 9, 1962 – January 3, 1963	Republican	Joseph H. Bottum	11
						88th	14	Elected in 1962.	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1981	Democratic	George McGovern	12
						89th
				Re-elected in 1966. Retired.	14	90th
						91st	15	Re-elected in 1968.
						92nd
9	James Abourezk	Democratic	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979	Elected in 1972. Retired.	15	93rd
						94th	16	Re-elected in 1974. Lost re-election.
						95th
10	Larry Pressler	Republican	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997	Elected in 1978.	16	96th
						97th	17	Elected in 1980. Lost re-election.	January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987	Republican	James Abdnor	13
						98th
				Re-elected in 1984.	17	99th
						100th	18	Elected in 1986.	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2005	Democratic	Tom Daschle	14
						101st
				Re-elected in 1990. Lost re-election.	18	102nd
						103rd	19	Re-elected in 1992.
						104th
11	Tim Johnson	Democratic	January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2015	Elected in 1996.	19	105th
						106th	20	Re-elected in 1998. Lost re-election.
						107th
				Re-elected in 2002.	20	108th
						109th	21	Elected in 2004.	January 3, 2005 – Present	Republican	John Thune	15
						110th
				Re-elected in 2008. Retired.	21	111th
						112th	22	Re-elected in 2010.
						113th
12	Mike Rounds	Republican	January 3, 2015 – Present	Elected in 2014.	22	114th
						115th	23	Re-elected in 2016.
						116th
				Re-elected in 2020.	23	117th
						118th	24	To be determined in the 2022 election.
						119th
To be determined in the 2026 election.					24	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 four living former U.S. senators from South Dakota. The most recent senator to die was George McGovern (served 1963–1981) on October 21, 2012. The most recently serving senator to die was James Abdnor (served 1981–1987) on May 16, 2012.

Senator	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
James Abourezk	1973–1979	(1931-02-24) February 24, 1931 (age 90)
Larry Pressler	1979–1997	(1942-03-29) March 29, 1942 (age 79)
Tom Daschle	1987–2005	(1947-12-09) December 9, 1947 (age 73)
Tim Johnson	1997–2015	(1946-12-28) December 28, 1946 (age 74)

Superlatives[]

Longest service[]

Senator	First served	Last served	Length of service
Karl E. Mundt	December 31, 1948	January 3, 1973	24 years, 3 days (8,769 days)
George McGovern	January 3, 1963	January 3, 1981	18 years, 0 days (6,575 days)
Larry Pressler	January 3, 1979	January 3, 1997	18 years, 0 days (6,575 days)
Tom Daschle	January 3, 1987	January 3, 2005	18 years, 0 days (6,575 days)
Tim Johnson	January 3, 1997	January 3, 2015	18 years, 0 days (6,574 days)

Shortest service[]

Senator	First served	Last served	Length of service
Gladys Pyle	November 9, 1938	January 3, 1939	1 month, 3 weeks and 4 days (55 days)
Vera C. Bushfield	October 6, 1948	December 26, 1948	2 months, 2 weeks and 6 days (81 days)
Joseph H. Bottum	July 9, 1962	January 3, 1963	5 months, 3 weeks and 4 days (178 days)
Gideon C. Moody	November 2, 1889	March 3, 1891	1 year, 4 months and 1 day (486 days)
Herbert E. Hitchcock	December 29, 1936	November 8, 1938	1 year, 10 months, 1 week and 3 days (679 days)

Youngest at beginning of service[]

Senator	Date of birth	First served	Age
Larry Pressler	March 29, 1942	January 3, 1979	36 years, 9 months and 5 days
James H. Kyle	February 24, 1854	March 4, 1891	37 years and 8 days
Tom Daschle	December 9, 1947	January 3, 1987	39 years and 25 days
Alfred B. Kittredge	March 28, 1861	July 11, 1901	40 years, 3 months and 13 days
George McGovern	July 19, 1922	January 3, 1963	40 years, 5 months and 15 days

Oldest at end of service[]

Senator	Date of birth	Last served	Age
Thomas Sterling	February 21, 1851	March 3, 1925	74 years and 10 days
William J. Bulow	January 13, 1869	January 3, 1943	73 years, 11 months and 21 days
Karl E. Mundt	June 3, 1900	January 3, 1973	72 years and 7 months
Herbert E. Hitchcock	August 22, 1867	November 8, 1938	71 years, 2 months and 17 days
Tim Johnson	December 28, 1946	January 3, 2015	68 years and 6 days

Notes[]

^ "SENATOR JAMES H. KYLE". The New York Times. February 17, 1891. p. 5.
^ "SENATOR KYLE RE-ELECTED". The New York Times. February 19, 1897. p. 3.
^ "R.J. Gamble Succeeds Pettigrew". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.
^ Journal of the Senate of the South Dakota Legislature Commencing January 6, 1903, Eighth Session. Pierre, South Dakota. 1903. p. 298.
^ Journal of the Senate of the South Dakota Legislature Commencing January 6, 1903, Eighth Session. Pierre, South Dakota. 1903. p. 299.

[NYTSD1891-1] "SENATOR JAMES H. KYLE". The New York Times. February 17, 1891. p. 5.

[NYTSD1897-2] "SENATOR KYLE RE-ELECTED". The New York Times. February 19, 1897. p. 3.

[NYT1901-3] "R.J. Gamble Succeeds Pettigrew". The New York Times. January 23, 1901. p. 5.

[4] Journal of the Senate of the South Dakota Legislature Commencing January 6, 1903, Eighth Session. Pierre, South Dakota. 1903. p. 298.

[5] Journal of the Senate of the South Dakota Legislature Commencing January 6, 1903, Eighth Session. Pierre, South Dakota. 1903. p. 299.

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show v t United States senators from South Dakota
Class 2	Pettigrew Gamble Sterling McMaster Bulow H. Bushfield V. Bushfield Mundt Abourezk Pressler T. Johnson Rounds
Class 3	Moody Kyle Kittredge Crawford E. Johnson Norbeck Hitchcock Pyle Gurney Case Bottum McGovern Abdnor Daschle Thune

show v t South Dakota's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators	John Thune (R) Mike Rounds (R)
Representative	Dusty Johnson (R)

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