10 Longest-Serving United States Senators

The United States Congress, or upper chamber, works in conjunction with the United States House of Representatives, or lower chamber, to serve as the legislature of the United States. Each US Senator is elected to represent a single state as a whole while exercising powers of advice and consent during the development of US legislation.

Serving as a US Senator is surely a taxing job, but some people continue to serve for surprisingly long periods of time! Today we’ll be taking a look at the 10 longest-serving United States senators and ranking them according to how long they spent in office. We’ll also learn about the backgrounds of each one.

10. Thad Cochran

 
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Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, and was an active Boy Scout who worked up to the rank of Eagle Scout. He got a degree in psychology from the University of Mississippi and later served in the United States Navy before studying and graduating from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He maintained conservative Democratic beliefs for years until switching to the Republican party to support Nixon.

Did you know? 

Thad Cochran passed away in May of 2019 at the age of 81.

9. Ted Stevens 

 
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Ted Stevens served for 4 decades as a member of the US Senate and was convicted based on corruption charges. The charges were later overruled and thrown out in 2009 due to alleged prosecutorial misconduct. He continued to serve for another year until his death, and held the title of longest-serving senator for some time afterwards until he was surpassed.

Did you know? 

Ted Stevens survived the plane crash in 1978 that took his first wife, but later perished in another plane crash in Alaska in 2010.

8. John Stennis 

 
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John Cornelius Stennis was born to a farming family in a Mississippi county riddled with poverty, which helped him build a strong work ethic and a sense of responsibility to the idea of making the country better. He originally won a seat on the Senate as a result of a special election held to fill the gap left behind after Theodore G. Bilbo’s death.

Did you know? 

John Stennis was the most senior member of the US Senate for his final eight years of service.

7. Carl T. Hayden 

 
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Carl Trumbull Hayden spent eight terms serving as the first representative for the state of Arizona before he ever filled a seat as senator. During his time spent on the US Senate, he set the record for the longest-serving US senator in history–a full decade before his political career came to an end. Altogether, Carl Hayden’s time spent serving on both the House and Senate totaled an astounding 56 years! 

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Carl Hayden mainly exerted his influence in committee meetings and private discussions, hardly ever speaking on the Senate floor and earning the nickname of the “Silent Senator”.

6. Orrin Hatch 

 
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Orrin Hatch grew up in an impoverished family and was the first member of his family to attend college. He reportedly lived in a refurbished chicken coop behind his parents’ home while attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He went on to become the longest-serving Republican senator in the United States and is known for his highly conservative views.

Did you know? 

Alongside his extensive career in politics, Orrin Hatch is also a composer and lyricist.

5. Patrick J. Leahy 

 
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Patrick Leahy was born in Montpelier, Vermont with no vision in one eye. He studied law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. before returning to work as an attorney in Vermont where he gained a reputation for his tough prosecution methods. After decades of holding a seat on the US Senate, Leahy also served three years as president pro tempore of the United States Senate. This means that he was third in line for presidential succession!

Did you know? 

While Patrick Leahy accumulated a reputation for being very liberal, his voting record was usually more moderate.

4. Edward M. Kennedy 

 
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Edward Moore Kennedy, often referred to as Ted Kennedy, was born in Boston and was the third-longest US senator who served without interruption. He earned his law degree from Harvard University and began serving on the US Senate at just 30 years old in order to fill the seat that was left behind when his brother John became president.

Did you know? 

Ted Kennedy was the youngest of nine kids in the famous Kennedy family. 

3. Strom Thurmond 

 
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James Strom Thurmond was a controversial senator, and he is often remembered for switching to the Republican party in order to support Senator Barry Goldwater, a Republican presidential candidate. He is also known to have supported segregation and acted as a strong supporter of states’ rights.

Did you know? 

Strom Thurmond is famous for being the only member of the US Congress to reach 100 years of age while still in office!

2. Daniel K. Inouye

 
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Daniel K. Inouye was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, volunteering as a private in World War II in 1943 and later retiring after advancing and serving as a captain. He was the first US representative of the state of Hawaii, and he was also the first Japanese-American to spend time serving in both parts of US Congress.

Did you know? 

Daniel Inouye sustained serious injuries in Italy in 1945 that made it necessary to amputate his right arm.

1. Robert Byrd 

 
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Robert Byrd was the longest-serving US senator. He was originally named Cornelius Calvin Sale, Jr. and served six years in the United States House of Representatives before being elected to serve in the US Congress. Alongside being the longest-serving US Senator, he also earned the title of the longest-serving member of Congress in United States history.

Did you know? 

Robert Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s, but later left the group and spoke out against racism and intolerance.