List of United States senators from Montana

Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889, and elects U.S. senators to classes 1 and 2. Its current U.S. senators are Democrat Jon Tester (serving since 2007) and Republican Steve Daines (serving since 2015), making it one of five states to have a United States Senate delegation split between Republican and Democratic caucusing senators. Max Baucus is the state's longest serving senator, serving from 1978 to 2014.

Current delegation

List of senators

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Class 1
Class 1 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018. The next election will be in 2024.
C 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.
# Senator Party Dates in office Electoral history T T Electoral history Dates in office Party Senator #
Vacant Nov 8, 1889 –
Jan 1, 1890
Montana elected its first senators two months after admission to the Union. 1 51st 1 Montana elected its first senators two months after admission to the Union. Nov 8, 1889 –
Jan 2, 1890
Vacant
1  
Wilbur F. Sanders
Republican Jan 1, 1890 –
Mar 3, 1893
Elected in 1890.
Lost re-election.
Elected in 1890.
Retired.
Jan 2, 1890 –
Mar 3, 1895
Republican  
Thomas C. Power
1
52nd
Vacant Mar 3, 1893 –
Jan 16, 1895
Legislature failed to elect. 2 53rd
2  
Lee Mantle
Republican Jan 16, 1895 –
Mar 3, 1899
Elected to finish vacant term.
Lost renomination.
54th 2 Elected in Jan 1895.[1]
Lost re-election.
Mar 4, 1895 –
Mar 3, 1901
Republican  
Thomas H. Carter
2
Silver
Republican
55th
3  
William Clark
Democratic Mar 4, 1899 –
May 15, 1900
Elected in 1899.
Resigned to avoid claim of election fraud.
3 56th
Vacant May 15, 1900 –
Mar 7, 1901
Clark was appointed to continue his term, but did not qualify.
57th 3 Elected in 1901.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1901 –
Mar 3, 1907
Democratic  
William Clark
3
4  
Paris Gibson
Democratic Mar 7, 1901 –
Mar 3, 1905
Elected to finish Clark's term.[2][3]
Retired.
58th
5  
Thomas H. Carter
Republican Mar 4, 1905 –
Mar 3, 1911
Elected Jan 16, 1905.[4]
Lost re-election.
4 59th
60th 4 Elected Jan 16, 1907.[5]
Lost re-election as a Progressive.
Mar 4, 1907 –
Mar 3, 1913
Republican  
Joseph M. Dixon
4
61st
6  
Henry L. Myers
Democratic Mar 4, 1911 –
Mar 3, 1923
Elected Mar 2, 1911. 5 62nd
63rd 5 Elected Jan 14, 1913. Mar 4, 1913 –
Mar 2, 1933
Democratic  
Thomas J. Walsh
5
64th
Re-elected in 1916.
Retired.
6 65th
66th 6 Re-elected in 1918.
67th
7  
Burton K. Wheeler
Democratic Mar 4, 1923 –
Jan 3, 1947
Elected in 1922. 7 68th
69th 7 Re-elected in 1924.
70th
Re-elected in 1928. 8 71st
72nd 8 Re-elected in 1930.
Died.[6]
  Mar 2, 1933 –
Mar 13, 1933
Vacant
73rd
Appointed to continue Walsh's term.
Lost nomination to finish Walsh's term.
Mar 13, 1933 –
Nov 6, 1934
Democratic  
John E. Erickson
6
Elected to finish Walsh's term.[7] Nov 7, 1934 –
Jan 3, 1961
Democratic  
James E. Murray
7
Re-elected in 1934. 9 74th
75th 9 Re-elected in 1936.
76th
Re-elected in 1940.
Lost renomination.
10 77th
78th 10 Re-elected in 1942.
79th
8  
Zales Ecton
Republican Jan 3, 1947 –
Jan 3, 1953
Elected in 1946.
Lost re-election.
11 80th
81st 11 Re-elected in 1948.
82nd
9  
Mike Mansfield
Democratic Jan 3, 1953 –
Jan 3, 1977
Elected in 1952.[8] 12 83rd
84th 12 Re-elected in 1954.
Retired.
85th
Re-elected in 1958. 13 86th
87th 13 Elected in 1960.[9] Jan 3, 1961 –
Jan 12, 1978
Democratic  
Lee Metcalf
8
88th
Re-elected in 1964. 14 89th
90th 14 Re-elected in 1966.
91st
Re-elected in 1970.
Retired.
15 92nd
93rd 15 Re-elected in 1972.
Died.
94th
10  
John Melcher
Democratic Jan 3, 1977 –
Jan 3, 1989
Elected in 1976. 16 95th
  Jan 12, 1978 –
Jan 22, 1978
Vacant
Appointed to finish Metcalf's term.
Lost nomination to full term.
Resigned early to give successor preferential seniority.
Jan 22, 1978 –
Dec 14, 1978
Democratic  
Paul G. Hatfield
9
  Dec 14, 1978 –
Dec 15, 1978
Vacant
Appointed early to finish Metcalf's term, having already been elected to the next term.[10] Dec 15, 1978 –
Feb 6, 2014
Democratic  
Max Baucus
10
96th 16 Elected in 1978.
97th
Re-elected in 1982.
Lost re-election.
17 98th
99th 17 Re-elected in 1984.
100th
11  
Conrad Burns
Republican Jan 3, 1989 –
Jan 3, 2007
Elected in 1988. 18 101st
102nd 18 Re-elected in 1990.
103rd
Re-elected in 1994. 19 104th
105th 19 Re-elected in 1996.
106th
Re-elected in 2000.
Lost re-election.
20 107th
108th 20 Re-elected in 2002.
109th
12  
Jon Tester
Democratic Jan 3, 2007 –
present
Elected in 2006. 21 110th
111th 21 Re-elected in 2008.
Announced retirement, then resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to China.
112th
Re-elected in 2012. 22 113th
  Feb 6, 2014 –
Feb 9, 2014
Vacant
Appointed to finish Baucus's term.
Ran for election to full term, but withdrew.
Feb 9, 2014 –
Jan 3, 2015
Democratic  
John Walsh
11
114th 22 Elected in 2014. Jan 3, 2015 –
present
Republican  
Steve Daines
12
115th
Re-elected in 2018.
Lost re-election.
23 116th
117th 23 Re-elected in 2020.
118th
13  
Tim Sheehy
Republican Taking office
Jan 3, 2025
Elected in 2024. 24 119th
120th 24 To be determined in the 2026 election.
# Senator Party Years in office Electoral history T C T Electoral history Years in office Party Senator #
Class 1 Class 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, ed. (1904). "The Province and the States: A History of the Province of Louisiana Under France and Spain, And of the Territories and States of the United States Formed Therefrom" (Vol. VI ed.). Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association. p. 457.
  2. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Paris Gibson". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  3. ^ "Gibson, Paris, (1830 - 1920)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  4. ^ The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906. New York: The Press Publishing Co. New York World. 1905. p. 108.
  5. ^ The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1908. New York: The Tribune Association. 1908. p. 259.
  6. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. Thomas J. Walsh". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. James E. Murray". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  8. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Mike Mansfield". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  9. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. Lee Metcalf". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  10. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Sen. Max Baucus". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2011.