List of United States senators from Arkansas

Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836, and elects its senators to class 2 and class 3. Arkansas's Senate seats were declared vacant in July 1861, due to its secession from the Union. They were again filled from June 1868. Its current senators are Republicans John Boozman and Tom Cotton. John L. McClellan was Arkansas's longest-serving senator (1943–1977).

Current delegation

List of senators edit

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.
#SenatorPartyDates in officeElectoral historyTTElectoral historyDates in officePartySenator#
1
William S. Fulton
JacksonianSep 18, 1836 –
Aug 15, 1844
Elected in 1836.124th1Elected in 1836.Sep 18, 1836 –
Mar 15, 1848
Jacksonian
Ambrose Hundley Sevier
1
Democratic25th2Re-elected in 1837.Democratic
26th
Re-elected in 1840.
Died.
227th
28th3Re-elected in 1843.
Resigned.
VacantAug 15, 1844 –
Nov 8, 1844
 
2
Chester Ashley
DemocraticNov 8, 1844 –
Apr 29, 1848
Elected to finish Fulton's term.
29th
Elected to a full term in 1846.
Died.
330th
 Mar 15, 1848 –
Mar 30, 1848
Vacant
Appointed to finish Sevier's term.[1]Mar 30, 1848 –
Apr 11, 1853
Democratic
Solon Borland
2
VacantApr 29, 1848 –
May 12, 1848
 
3
William K. Sebastian
DemocraticMay 12, 1848 –
Jul 11, 1861
Appointed to continue Ashley's term.
Elected in 1848 to finish Ashley's term.[2]
31st4Elected to full term in 1848.
Resigned.
32nd
Elected to full term in 1853.433rd
 Apr 11, 1853 –
Jul 6, 1853
Vacant
Appointed to continue Borland's term.
Elected in 1854 to finish Borland's term.[2]
Jul 6, 1853 –
Mar 3, 1861
Democratic
Robert Ward Johnson
3
34th5Re-elected in 1855.
Retired.
35th
Re-elected in 1859.
Expelled.
(Expulsion was reversed by the Senate in 1877).
536th
37th6Elected in 1860 or 1861.
Expelled for supporting the Confederacy.
Mar 4, 1861 –
Jul 11, 1861
Democratic
Charles B. Mitchel
4
VacantJul 11, 1861 –
Jun 22, 1868
Civil War and ReconstructionCivil War and ReconstructionJul 11, 1861 –
Jun 23, 1868
Vacant
38th
639th
40th7
4
Alexander McDonald
RepublicanJun 22, 1868 –
Mar 3, 1871
Elected upon readmission.
Lost re-election.
Elected upon readmission.
Unknown if retired or lost re-election.
Jun 23, 1868 –
Mar 3, 1873
Republican
Benjamin F. Rice
5
41st
5
Powell Clayton
RepublicanMar 4, 1871 –
Mar 3, 1877
Elected in 1870.
Unknown if retired or lost re-election.
742nd
43rd8Elected in 1872 or 1873.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1873 –
Mar 3, 1879
Republican
Stephen W. Dorsey
6
44th
6
Augustus H. Garland
DemocraticMar 4, 1877 –
Mar 6, 1885
Elected in 1876.845th
46th9Elected in 1878.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1879 –
Mar 3, 1885
Democratic
James D. Walker
7
47th
Re-elected in 1883.
Resigned to become U.S. Attorney General.
948th
49th10Elected in 1885.Mar 4, 1885 –
Mar 3, 1903
Democratic
James K. Jones
8
VacantMar 6, 1885 –
Mar 20, 1885
 
7
James H. Berry
DemocraticMar 20, 1885 –
Mar 3, 1907
Elected to finish Garland's term.
50th
Re-elected in 1889.1051st
52nd11Re-elected in 1891.
53rd
Re-elected in 1895.1154th
55th12Re-elected in 1897.
Lost re-election.
56th
Re-elected in 1901.
Lost re-election.
1257th
58th13Elected in 1903.Mar 4, 1903 –
Oct 1, 1916
Democratic
James P. Clarke
9
59th
8
Jeff Davis
DemocraticMar 4, 1907 –
Jan 3, 1913
Elected in 1907.[3]
Died.
1360th
61st14Re-elected in 1909.
62nd
VacantJan 3, 1913 –
Jan 6, 1913
 
9
John N. Heiskell
DemocraticJan 6, 1913 –
Jan 29, 1913
Appointed to continue Davis's term.
Successor qualified.
10
William M. Kavanaugh
DemocraticJan 29, 1913 –
Mar 3, 1913
Elected to finish Davis's term.
Retired.
11
Joe T. Robinson
DemocraticMar 4, 1913 –
Jul 14, 1937
Elected in 1913.[a]1463rd
64th15Re-elected in 1914.
Died.
 Oct 1, 1916 –
Nov 8, 1916
Vacant
Elected to finish Clarke's term.
Lost renomination.
Nov 8, 1916 –
Mar 3, 1921
Democratic
William F. Kirby
10
65th
Re-elected in 1918.1566th
67th16Elected in 1920.Mar 4, 1921 –
Nov 6, 1931
Democratic
Thaddeus H. Caraway
11
68th
Re-elected in 1924.1669th
70th17Re-elected in 1926.
Died.
71st
Re-elected in 1930.1772nd
 Nov 6, 1931 –
Nov 13, 1931
Vacant
Appointed to finish her husband's term.
Elected in 1932 to finish her husband's term.
Nov 13, 1931 –
Jan 3, 1945
Democratic
Hattie Caraway
12
73rd18Re-elected in 1932.
74th
Re-elected in 1936.
Died.
1875th
VacantJul 14, 1937 –
Nov 15, 1937
 
12
John E. Miller
DemocraticNov 15, 1937 –
Mar 31, 1941
Elected to finish Robinson's term.
Resigned to become U.S. District Judge.
76th19Re-elected in 1938.
Lost renomination.
77th
VacantMar 31, 1941 –
Apr 1, 1941
 
13
Lloyd Spencer
DemocraticApr 1, 1941 –
Jan 3, 1943
Appointed to finish Robinson's term.
Retired.
14
John L. McClellan
DemocraticJan 3, 1943 –
Nov 28, 1977
Elected in 1942.1978th
79th20Elected in 1944.Jan 3, 1945 –
Dec 31, 1974
Democratic
J. William Fulbright
13
80th
Re-elected in 1948.2081st
82nd21Re-elected in 1950.
83rd
Re-elected in 1954.2184th
85th22Re-elected in 1956.
86th
Re-elected in 1960.2287th
88th23Re-elected in 1962.
89th
Re-elected in 1966.2390th
91st24Re-elected in 1968.
Lost re-nomination, then resigned.
92nd
Re-elected in 1972.
Died.
2493rd
 Dec 31, 1974 –
Jan 3, 1975
Vacant
94th25Elected in 1974.Jan 3, 1975 –
Jan 3, 1999
Democratic
Dale Bumpers
14
95th
VacantNov 28, 1977 –
Dec 10, 1977
 
15
Kaneaster Hodges Jr.
DemocraticDec 10, 1977 –
Jan 3, 1979
Appointed to finish McClellan's term.
Retired.
16
David Pryor
DemocraticJan 3, 1979 –
Jan 3, 1997
Elected in 1978.2596th
97th26Re-elected in 1980.
98th
Re-elected in 1984.2699th
100th27Re-elected in 1986.
101st
Re-elected in 1990.
Retired.
27102nd
103rd28Re-elected in 1992.
Retired.
104th
17
Tim Hutchinson
RepublicanJan 3, 1997 –
Jan 3, 2003
Elected in 1996.
Lost re-election.
28105th
106th29Elected in 1998.Jan 3, 1999 –
Jan 3, 2011
Democratic
Blanche Lincoln
15
107th
18
Mark Pryor
DemocraticJan 3, 2003 –
Jan 3, 2015
Elected in 2002.29108th
109th30Re-elected in 2004.
Lost re-election.
110th
Re-elected in 2008.
Lost re-election.
30111th
112th31Elected in 2010.Jan 3, 2011 –
present
Republican
John Boozman
16
113th
19
Tom Cotton
RepublicanJan 3, 2015 –
present
Elected in 2014.31114th
115th32Re-elected in 2016.
116th
Re-elected in 2020.32117th
118th33Re-elected in 2022.
119th
To be determined in the 2026 election.33120th
121st34To be determined in the 2028 election.
#SenatorPartyYears in officeElectoral historyTCTElectoral historyYears in officePartySenator#
Class 2 Class 3

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Robinson was the last U.S. senator elected by a state legislature before the ratification of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ "Solon Borland (1811–1864) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net.
  2. ^ a b Byrd, Robert C.; Wolff, Wendy (October 1, 1993). The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992 (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office., page 80
  3. ^ The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1908. New York: The Tribune Association. 1908. p. 258.