Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, and has been represented in the United States Senate by 48 senators in history.
# | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | Other offices/Notes | Term | Electoral history |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jesse B. Thomas | Democratic- Republican |
December 3, 1818 | March 4, 1829 | 1 | Elected in 1818 | |
Crawford Democratic- Republican |
2 | Re-elected in 1823 Retired | |||||
2 | John McLean | Democratic | March 4, 1829 | October 14, 1830 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1820–1822; 1826–1830) Previously served in Illinois's Class 3 seat (1824–1825) |
3 | Elected in 1829 Died |
3 | David J. Baker | Democratic | November 12, 1830 | December 11, 1830 | Appointed Retired | ||
4 | John M. Robinson | Jacksonian | December 11, 1830 | March 4, 1841 | Won special election | ||
Democratic | 4 | Re-elected in 1835 Retired | |||||
5 | Samuel McRoberts | Democratic | March 4, 1841 | March 27, 1843 | 5 | Elected in 1841 Died | |
6 | James Semple | Democratic | December 4, 1843 | March 4, 1847 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1834–1838) |
Appointed Retired | |
7 | Stephen A. Douglas | Democratic | March 4, 1847 | June 3, 1861 | Democratic presidential nominee (1860) |
6 | Elected in 1847 |
7 | Re-elected in 1853 | ||||||
8 | Re-elected in 1859 Died | ||||||
8 | Orville Browning | Republican | June 26, 1861 | January 12, 1863 | Secretary of the Interior (1866–1869) |
Appointed Lost special election | |
9 | William A. Richardson | Democratic | January 12, 1863 | March 4, 1865 | Governor of the Nebraska Territory | Won special election Retired | |
10 | Richard Yates | Republican | March 4, 1865 | March 4, 1871 | Governor of Illinois (1861–1865) |
9 | Elected in 1864 Retired |
11 | John A. Logan | Republican | March 4, 1871 | March 4, 1877 | A House impeachment manager for the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Later served in Illinois's Class 3 seat (1879–1886) |
10 | Elected in 1870 Lost re-election |
12 | David Davis | Independent | March 4, 1877 | March 4, 1883 | U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1862–1877) President pro tempore (1881–1883) |
11 | Elected in 1876 Retired |
13 | Shelby Moore Cullom | Republican | March 4, 1883 | March 4, 1913 | Governor of Illinois (1877–1883) |
12 | Elected in 1882 |
13 | Re-elected in 1888 | ||||||
14 | Re-elected in 1894 | ||||||
15 | Re-elected in 1900 | ||||||
16 | Re-elected in 1906 | ||||||
14 | J. Hamilton Lewis | Democratic | March 26, 1913 | March 4, 1919 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1861–1863; 1873–1875) Senate Majority Whip (1913–1919; 1933–1939) |
17 | Elected in 1912 Lost re-election |
15 | Joseph M. McCormick | Republican | March 4, 1919 | February 25, 1925 | 18 | Elected in 1918 Died[1] | |
16 | Charles S. Deneen | Republican | February 26, 1925 | March 4, 1931 | Governor of Illinois (1905–1913) |
Appointed[1] | |
19 | Elected in 1924 Lost renomination | ||||||
17 | J. Hamilton Lewis | Democratic | March 4, 1931 | April 9, 1939 | Senate Majority Whip (1913–1919; 1933–1939) |
20 | Elected in 1930 |
21 | Re-elected in 1936 Died | ||||||
18 | James M. Slattery | Democratic | April 14, 1939 | November 21, 1940 | Appointed Lost special election | ||
19 | Charles W. Brooks | Republican | November 22, 1940 | January 3, 1949 | Won special election | ||
22 | Re-elected in 1942 Lost re-election | ||||||
20 | Paul Douglas | Democratic | January 3, 1949 | January 3, 1967 | 23 | Elected in 1948 | |
24 | Re-elected in 1954 | ||||||
25 | Re-elected in 1960 Lost re-election | ||||||
21 | Charles H. Percy | Republican | January 3, 1967 | January 3, 1985 | 26 | Elected in 1966 | |
27 | Re-elected in 1972 | ||||||
28 | Re-elected in 1978 Lost re-election | ||||||
22 | Paul Simon | Democratic | January 3, 1985 | January 3, 1997 | Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | 29 | Elected in 1984 |
30 | Re-elected in 1990 Retired | ||||||
23 | Dick Durbin | Democratic | January 3, 1997 | Incumbent | Senate Democratic Whip (2003–present) Senate Majority Whip (2007–present) |
31 | Elected in 1996 |
32 | Re-elected in 2002 | ||||||
33 | Re-elected in 2008 | ||||||
# | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | Other offices/Notes | Term | Electoral history |
# | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | Other offices/Notes | Term | Electoral history |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ninian Edwards | Democratic- Republican |
December 3, 1818 | March 3, 1824 | Chief Justice of Kentucky (1808) Governor of the Illinois Territory (1809–1818) Governor of Illinois (1826–1830) |
1 | Elected in 1818 |
2 | Re-elected in 1819 Resigned | ||||||
2 | John McLean | Democratic | November 24, 1824 | March 3, 1825 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1820–1822; 1826–1830) |
Won special election Retired | |
3 | Elias Kane | Democratic | March 4, 1825 | December 12, 1835 | 3 | Elected in 1825 | |
4 | Re-elected in 1831 Died | ||||||
4 | William Lee D. Ewing | Democratic | December 30, 1835 | March 3, 1837 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1830–1832) Governor of Illinois (1834) |
Appointed Lost election | |
5 | Richard M. Young | Democratic | March 4, 1837 | March 3, 1843 | 5 | Elected in 1837 Retired | |
6 | Sidney Breese | Democratic | March 4, 1843 | March 3, 1849 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1851–1853) Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court (1867–1870; 1873–1874) |
6 | Elected in 1843 Lost renomination |
7 | James Shields | Democratic | October 27, 1849 | March 3, 1855 | Later a senator from Minnesota and Missouri | 7 | Elected in 1849 Not seated[2] Won special election Lost re-election |
8 | Lyman Trumbull | Democratic | March 4, 1855 | March 3, 1873 | 8 | Elected in 1855 | |
Republican | |||||||
9 | Re-elected in 1861 | ||||||
10 | Re-elected in 1867 | ||||||
Liberal Republican | |||||||
9 | Richard J. Oglesby | Republican | March 4, 1873 | March 3, 1879 | Governor of Illinois (1865–1869; 1873) |
11 | Elected in 1873 Retired |
10 | John A. Logan | Republican | March 4, 1879 | December 26, 1886 | A House impeachment manager for the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Also served in Illinois's Class 1 seat 1871–1877 |
12 | Elected in 1879 |
13 | Re-elected in 1885 Died | ||||||
11 | Charles B. Farwell | Republican | January 19, 1887 | March 3, 1891 | Won special election Retired | ||
12 | John M. Palmer | Democratic | March 4, 1891 | March 3, 1897 | 14 | Elected in 1890 Retired | |
13 | William E. Mason | Republican | March 4, 1897 | March 3, 1903 | 15 | Elected in 1896 Retired | |
14 | Albert J. Hopkins | Republican | March 4, 1903 | March 3, 1909 | 16 | Elected in 1902 Lost re-election | |
15 | William Lorimer | Republican | June 18, 1909 | July 13, 1912 | 17 | Elected late in 1909 Election voided | |
16 | Lawrence Y. Sherman | Republican | March 26, 1913 | March 3, 1921 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1899–1903) Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1905–1909) |
Won special election | |
18 | Re-elected in 1914 Retired | ||||||
17 | William B. McKinley | Republican | March 4, 1921 | December 7, 1926 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1913–1915) |
19 |
Elected in 1920 Died[3] |
18 | Frank L. Smith | Republican | December 7, 1926 | February 9, 1928 | Appointed[3] Not seated/resigned[4] | ||
20 | |||||||
19 | Otis F. Glenn | Republican | December 3, 1928 | March 3, 1933 | Won special election Lost re-election | ||
20 | William H. Dieterich | Democratic | March 4, 1933 | January 3, 1939 | 21 | Elected in 1932 Retired | |
21 | Scott W. Lucas | Democratic | January 3, 1939 | January 3, 1951 | Senate Minority Whip (1947–1949) Senate Majority Leader (1949–1951) |
22 | Elected in 1938 |
23 | Re-elected in 1944 Lost re-election | ||||||
22 | Everett Dirksen | Republican | January 3, 1951 | September 7, 1969 | Senate Minority Leader (1959–1969) |
24 | Elected in 1950 |
25 | Re-elected in 1956 | ||||||
26 | Re-elected in 1962 | ||||||
27 | Re-elected in 1968 Died | ||||||
23 | Ralph Tyler Smith | Republican | September 17, 1969 | November 3, 1970 | Speaker of the Illinois House (1967–1969) |
Appointed Lost special election | |
24 | Adlai Stevenson III | Democratic | November 17, 1970 | January 3, 1981 | Won special election | ||
28 | Re-elected in 1974 Retired | ||||||
25 | Alan J. Dixon | Democratic | January 3, 1981 | January 3, 1993 | 29 | Elected in 1980 | |
30 | Re-elected in 1986 Lost renomination | ||||||
26 | Carol Moseley Braun | Democratic | January 3, 1993 | January 3, 1999 | First Black woman in the Senate First Black Senator from Illinois |
31 | Elected in 1992 Lost re-election |
27 | Peter Fitzgerald | Republican | January 3, 1999 | January 3, 2005 | 32 | Elected in 1998 Retired | |
28 | Barack Obama | Democratic | January 3, 2005 | November 16, 2008 | President of the United States (2009–2017) |
33 | Elected in 2004 Resigned |
29 | Roland Burris | Democratic | January 12, 2009 | November 29, 2010 | Illinois Comptroller (1979–1991) Illinois Attorney General (1991–1995) |
Appointed Retired | |
30 | Mark Kirk | Republican | November 29, 2010 | January 3, 2017 | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | Won special election[5] | |
34 | Re-elected in 2010 Lost re-election | ||||||
31 | Tammy Duckworth | Democratic | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives | ||
35 | Elected in 2016 | ||||||
# | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | Other offices/Notes | Term | Electoral history |
As of January 2017[update], six former senators are alive:
Senator | Class | Term | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|---|
Adlai Stevenson III | 3 | 1970–1981 | October 10, 1930 |
Carol Moseley Braun | 1993–1999 | August 16, 1947 | |
Peter Fitzgerald | 1999–2005 | October 20, 1960 | |
Barack Obama | 2005–2008 | August 4, 1961 | |
Roland Burris | 2008-2010 | August 3, 1937 | |
Mark Kirk | 2010–2017 | September 15, 1959 |