List of United States senators from Illinois

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Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, and has been represented in the United States Senate by 48 senators in history.

Class 2

change
# 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

Class 3

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# 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

Living former Illinois senators

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As of January 2017, six former senators are alive:

Senator Class Term Date of birth (and age)
Adlai Stevenson III 3 1970–1981 (1930-10-10) October 10, 1930 (age 94)
Carol Moseley Braun 1993–1999 (1947-08-16) August 16, 1947 (age 77)
Peter Fitzgerald 1999–2005 (1960-10-20) October 20, 1960 (age 64)
Barack Obama 2005–2008 (1961-08-04) August 4, 1961 (age 63)
Roland Burris 2008-2010 (1937-08-03) August 3, 1937 (age 87)
Mark Kirk 2010–2017 (1959-09-15) September 15, 1959 (age 65)
  1. 1.0 1.1 Deneen defeated McCormick for the Republican nomination in 1924 and won the subsequent general election. McCormick died shortly before the end of his term, so Deneen was appointed to replace him.
  2. Shields was not seated because he had not been a citizen for the required nine years. He reached that mark on October 21, 1949, so his subsequent election was accepted by the Senate.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Smith defeated McKinely for the Republican nomination in 1926 and won the subsequent general election. McKinley died shortly before the end of his term, so Smith was appointed to replace him.
  4. 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.
  5. Kirk was elected to fill the remainder of the Barack Obama's term at a special election held the same day as the general election for the next term, which election he also won.