List of United States Senators from Florida
Encyclopedia
Florida
was admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, and elects its senators to Class 1 and Class 3. Florida's Senate
seats were declared vacant in March 1861, due to its secession
from the Union
. They were again filled since July 1868. Its current senators are Bill Nelson
(D) and Marco Rubio
(R).
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, and elects its senators to Class 1 and Class 3. Florida's Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seats were declared vacant in March 1861, due to its secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. They were again filled since July 1868. Its current senators are Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson is the senior United States Senator from the state of Florida and a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former U.S. Representative and former Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida...
(D) and Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio is the junior United States Senator from Florida . A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives ....
(R).
Class 1
# | Senator | Party | Years | Term | Electoral history |
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1 | David Levy Yulee David Levy Yulee David Levy Yulee, born David Levy was an American politician and attorney from Florida, a territorial delegate to Congress, the first Jewish member of the United States Senate, and a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War... |
Democratic | July 1, 1845 – March 4, 1851 |
1 | Elected in 1845 Lost re-election |
2 | Stephen Mallory Stephen Mallory Stephen Russell Mallory served in the United States Senate as, Senator from Florida from 1850 to the secession of his home state and the outbreak of the American Civil War. For much of that period, he was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs... |
Democratic | March 4, 1851 – January 21, 1861 |
2 | Elected in 1851 |
3 |
Re-elected in 1857 Withdrew |
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Vacant | January 21, 1861 – June 17, 1868 |
Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25... and Reconstruction |
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4 | |||||
3 | Adonijah Welch Adonijah Welch Adonijah Strong Welch was a United States Senator from Florida and the first president of Iowa State Agricultural College .... |
Republican | June 17, 1868 – March 4, 1869 |
Elected to finish term Retired |
|
4 | Abijah Gilbert Abijah Gilbert Abijah Gilbert was a United States Senator from Florida.Born in Gilbertsville, New York, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City before moving to St... |
Republican | March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1875 |
5 | Elected in 1869 Retired |
5 | Charles W. Jones Charles W. Jones Charles William Jones was a United States Senator from Florida. He abandoned the seat after an apparent onset of mental illness.-Early life, travel and career:... |
Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 4, 1887 |
6 | Elected in 1875 |
7 | Re-elected in 1881 Retired |
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Vacant | April 17, 1899 – April 20, 1899 |
8 | |||
6 | Samuel Pasco Samuel Pasco Samuel Pasco was a United States Senator from Florida.-Biography:Born in London, England, he moved to the United States with his family as a child and settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Pasco attended Harvard University and then moved to Florida in 1859... |
Democratic | May 19, 1887 – April 18, 1899 |
Elected late to finish term in 1887 | |
9 | Appointed in 1893 to continue next term Elected to finish term |
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10 | Appointed in 1899 to continue next term Lost election to finish term |
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Vacant | April 17, 1899 – April 20, 1899 |
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7 | James P. Taliaferro | Democratic | April 20, 1899 – March 4, 1911 |
Elected to finish Pasco's term | |
11 | Re-elected in 1904 United States Senate elections, 1904 The United States Senate election of 1904 was an election which coincided with President Theodore Roosevelt's landslide re-election, and which had the Republican Party gain one seat in the United States Senate.... Lost re-election |
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8 | Nathan P. Bryan Nathan P. Bryan Nathan Philemon Bryan was a lawyer, federal judge, and United States Senator from Florida.-Personal:Bryan was born on April 23, 1872 near Fort Mason, Orange County , Florida. He attended the common schools but graduated from Emory College, Oxford, Georgia , in 1893... |
Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1917 |
12 | Elected in 1910 Lost re-election |
9 | Park Trammell Park Trammell Park Monroe Trammell , an American politician of the Democratic Party, was the 21st Governor of Florida and represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1917 until 1936.... |
Democratic | March 4, 1917 – May 8, 1936 |
13 | Elected in 1916 |
14 | Re-elected in 1922 | ||||
15 | Re-elected in 1928 | ||||
16 | Re-elected in 1934 Died |
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Vacant | May 8, 1936 – May 26, 1936 |
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10 | Scott M. Loftin | Democratic | May 26, 1936 – November 3, 1936 |
Appointed to continue Trammell's term Successor elected |
|
11 | Charles O. Andrews Charles O. Andrews Charles Oscar Andrews was a Democratic Party politician from Florida, who represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1936 until 1946.-Biography:... |
Democratic | November 4, 1936 – September 18, 1946 |
Elected to finish Trammell's term | |
17 | Elected to full term in 1940 Died |
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Vacant | September 18, 1946 – September 25, 1946 |
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12 | Spessard Holland Spessard Holland Spessard Lindsey Holland was an American lawyer, politician and elected officeholder. He was the 28th Governor of Florida from 1941 until 1945, during World War II. After finishing his term as governor, he was a United States Senator from Florida from 1946 until 1971... |
Democratic | September 25, 1946 – January 3, 1971 |
Elected to finish Andrews's term | |
18 | Re-elected in 1946 | ||||
19 | Re-elected in 1952 | ||||
20 | Re-elected in 1958 | ||||
21 | Re-elected in 1964 Retired |
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13 | Lawton Chiles Lawton Chiles Lawton Mainor Chiles, Jr. was an American politician from the US state of Florida. In a career spanning four decades, Chiles, a Democrat who never lost an election, served in the Florida House of Representatives , the Florida State Senate , the United States Senate , and as the 41st Governor of... |
Democratic | January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1989 |
22 | Elected in 1970 United States Senate election in Florida, 1970 The 1970 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Spessard Holland decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term... |
23 | Re-elected in 1976 | ||||
24 | Re-elected in 1982 United States Senate elections, 1982 The United States Senate election of November 2, 1982 was an election for the United States Senate following the Republican gains in 1980. Party balance was unchanged following the election. Incumbents Howard Cannon of Nevada and Harrison Schmitt of New Mexico lost seats to the opposite party, the... Retired |
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14 | Connie Mack III Connie Mack III Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III , popularly known as Connie Mack, is a former Republican politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1983 to 1989 and then as a Senator from 1989 to 2001. He served as chairman of the Senate Republican... |
Republican | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2001 |
25 | Elected in 1988 United States Senate election in Florida, 1988 The 1988 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Connie Mack III won the open seat.-Candidates:... |
26 | Re-elected in 1994 United States Senate election in Florida, 1994 The 1994 United States Senate election in florida was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Connie Mack III won re-election to a second term.-Candidates:*Hugh Rodham, public defender and brother to first lady Hillary Clinton... Retired |
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15 | Bill Nelson | Democratic | January 3, 2001 – Present |
27 | Elected in 2000 United States Senate election in Florida, 2000 The 2000 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent U.S. Senator Connie Mack III decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Democrat Bill Nelson won the open seat.-Candidates:... |
28 | Re-elected in 2006 | ||||
# | Senator | Party | Years | Term | Electoral history |
Class 3
# | Senator | Party | Years | Term | Electoral history |
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1 | James Westcott James Westcott James Diament Westcott, Jr. was a United States Senator from Florida.-Early life and career:Westcott was born in Alexandria, Virginia where his father, James Sr., was transitioning from newspaper publisher to politician. James Jr.'s grandfather was a captain in the American Revolutionary War... |
Democratic | July 1, 1845 – March 4, 1849 |
1 | Elected in 1845 Retired |
2 | Jackson Morton Jackson Morton Jackson Morton was an antebellum United States Senator from Florida and then a member of the Congress of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.-Early life:... |
Whig | March 4, 1849 – March 4, 1855 |
2 | Elected in 1849 Retired |
3 | David Levy Yulee David Levy Yulee David Levy Yulee, born David Levy was an American politician and attorney from Florida, a territorial delegate to Congress, the first Jewish member of the United States Senate, and a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War... |
Democratic | March 4, 1855 – January 21, 1861 |
3 |
Elected in 1855 Withdrew |
Vacant | January 21, 1861 – June 25, 1868 |
Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25... and Reconstruction |
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4 | |||||
5 | |||||
4 | Thomas W. Osborn Thomas W. Osborn Thomas Ward Osborn was a Union Army officer and United States Senator representing Florida.-Early life:Thomas Osborn was born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, the son of John and Amelia Osborn. He and his family moved to North Wilna, New York in 1842 where he worked on the family farm until 1854... |
Republican | June 25, 1868 – March 4, 1873 |
Elected to finish term Retired |
|
5 | Simon B. Conover Simon B. Conover Simon Barclay Conover was a Republican Senator from Florida.-Biography:Born in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Conover attended an academy in Trenton, New Jersey. He studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated from the medical department of the University of Nashville in 1864... |
Republican | March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1879 |
6 | Elected in 1873 Retired |
6 | Wilkinson Call Wilkinson Call Wilkinson Call was a U.S. Senator from Florida who served as a Democrat from 1879 to 1897.Call was a nephew of Florida Governor Richard K. Call and cousin of Arkansas Senator James D... |
Democratic | March 4, 1879 – March 4, 1897 |
7 | Elected in 1879 |
8 | Elected in 1885 | ||||
9 | Elected in 1891 Retired |
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7 | Stephen R. Mallory, Jr. Stephen Mallory II Stephen Russell Mallory, Jr. was a U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from Florida who served as a Democrat. He was the son of U.S... |
Democratic | May 15, 1897 – December 23, 1907 |
10 | Elected in 1897 |
11 | Appointed to continue term Elected to finish term Died |
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Vacant | December 23, 1907 – December 26, 1907 |
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8 | William James Bryan William James Bryan William James Bryan was a U.S. Senator from Florida who served as a Democrat. He was the brother of U.S. Senator Nathan P... |
Democratic | December 26, 1907 – March 22, 1908 |
Appointed to finish Mallory's term Died |
|
Vacant | March 22, 1908 – March 27, 1908 |
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9 | William Hall Milton William Hall Milton William Hall Milton was a US Senator from Florida who served as a Democrat.Born near Marianna, Jackson County, Florida; attended the public schools of Jackson County, Marianna Academy, and the Agricultural and Mechanical College, Auburn, Alabama; city clerk and treasurer of Marianna 1885-1893;... |
Democratic | March 27, 1908 – March 4, 1909 |
Appointed to finish Bryan's term Retired |
|
10 | Duncan U. Fletcher Duncan U. Fletcher Duncan Upshaw Fletcher was an American lawyer and politician of the Democratic Party. Senator Fletcher was the longest serving U.S. Senator in Florida's history.-Early life and career:... |
Democratic | March 4, 1909 – June 17, 1936 |
12 | Elected in 1908 United States Senate elections, 1908 Some states elected their Senators directly even before passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to... |
13 | Re-elected in 1914 | ||||
14 | Re-elected in 1920 | ||||
15 | Re-elected in 1926 | ||||
16 | Re-elected in 1932 Died |
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Vacant | June 17, 1936 – July 1, 1936 |
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11 | William Luther Hill William Luther Hill William Luther Hill a US Senator from Florida, serving as a Democrat in 1936.Born in Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida; attended private and public schools and the East Florida Seminary at Gainesville, Fla.; engaged in banking and insurance; graduated from the law college of the University of... |
Democratic | July 1, 1936 – November 3, 1936 |
Appointed to continue Fletcher's term Retired when successor qualified |
|
12 | Claude Pepper Claude Pepper Claude Denson Pepper was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. In foreign policy he shifted from pro-Soviet in the 1940s to anti-Communist in the 1950s... |
Democratic | November 4, 1936 – January 3, 1951 |
Elected to finish Fletcher's term | |
17 | Re-elected in 1938 | ||||
18 | Re-elected in 1944 Lost renomination |
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13 | George Smathers George Smathers George Armistead Smathers was an American lawyer and politician who represented the state of Florida in the United States Senate for eighteen years, from 1951 until 1969, as a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:... |
Democratic | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1969 |
19 | Elected in 1950 |
20 | Re-elected in 1956 | ||||
21 | Re-elected in 1962 Retired |
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14 | Edward J. Gurney Edward J. Gurney Edward John Gurney was an American politician from Florida, where he served as a Representative and a United States Senator. He was the first Republican Senator elected from Florida since Reconstruction.-Biography:... |
Republican | January 3, 1969 – December 31, 1974 |
22 | Elected in 1968 United States Senate election in Florida, 1968 The Florida United States Senate election of 1968 was marked by election of first Republican to the United States Senate from Florida since Reconstruction.... Retired and resigned early |
15 | Richard Stone | Democratic | January 1, 1975 – December 31, 1980 |
Appointed to finish Gurney's term, having been elected to the next term |
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23 | Elected in 1974 Lost re-election and resigned early |
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16 | Paula Hawkins Paula Hawkins Paula Hawkins was an U.S. politician from Florida. She is to date the only woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida. She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the Senate without a family connection.... |
Republican | January 1, 1981 – January 3, 1987 |
Appointed to finish Stone's term, having been elected to the next term |
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24 | Elected in 1980 United States Senate elections, 1980 The 1980 U.S. Senate elections coincided with Ronald Reagan's election to the Presidency. Reagan's large margin of victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter pulled in many Democratic voters and gave a huge boost to Republican senate candidates.... Lost re-election |
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17 | Bob Graham Bob Graham Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005... |
Democratic | January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2005 |
25 | Elected in 1986 United States Senate election in Florida, 1986 The 1986 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 4, 1986 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S... |
26 | Re-elected in 1992 United States Senate elections, 1992 The 1992 United States Senate election was an election for the United States Senate in which the victory of Bill Clinton in the presidential election was not accompanied by major Democratic gains in the Senate.... |
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27 | Re-elected in 1998 United States Senate elections, 1998 The U.S. Senate election, 1998 was a roughly even contest between the Republican and Democratic parties. While the Democrats had more seats, Republican attacks on the morality of President Bill Clinton failed to connect with voters and anticipated Republican gains failed to materialize... Retired |
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18 | Mel Martinez Mel Martinez Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz, usually known as Mel Martinez , is a former United States Senator from Florida and served as Chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007, the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major party... |
Republican | January 3, 2005 – September 9, 2009 |
28 | Elected in 2004 United States Senate election in Florida, 2004 The 2004 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 2, 2004 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob... Resigned |
Vacant | September 9, 2009 – September 10, 2009 |
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19 | George LeMieux George LeMieux George Stephen LeMieux is a former United States Senator from Florida. He was Chairman of the Florida-based law firm of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. and served as Chief of Staff to Governor Charlie Crist, was former Deputy Florida Attorney General, and is credited with spearheading Crist's... |
Republican | September 10, 2009 – January 3, 2011 |
Appointed to finish Martinez's term Retired |
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18 | Marco Rubio Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio is the junior United States Senator from Florida . A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives .... |
Republican | January 3, 2011 – Present |
29 | Elected in 2010 United States Senate election in Florida, 2010 -Polling:-Results:-Background:Upon Senator Martinez's announcement that he would not run for reelection, early speculation surrounded former Governor Jeb Bush. It was thought that if Bush decided to run, other potential Republican candidates would allow Bush to run uncontested... |
# | Senator | Party | Years | Term | Electoral history |
See also
- List of United States Representatives from Florida
- United States congressional delegations from FloridaUnited States congressional delegations from FloridaThese are tables of congressional delegations from Florida to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.Unlike many smaller states that generally have continuity in their districts when reapportioned every 10 years after the United States Census, Florida has seen a great...