Resignation from the United States Senate


A member of the United States Senate can resign by writing a letter of resignation to the governor of the state that the senator represents. Under Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States, and under the Seventeenth Amendment, in case of a vacancy in the Senate resulting from resignation, the executive authority of the state can fill the vacancy by appointment unless the state legislature has provided for some other means of filling the vacancy, such as a special election. Whenever a senator needs to be appointed or elected, the Secretary of the Senate mails one of three forms to the state's governor to inform them of the proper wording to certify the appointment of a new Senator.
The first resignation from the Senate was that of William Paterson of New Jersey on November 13, 1790, who resigned in order to accept the office of Governor of New Jersey. His resignation was only the third time a person ceased to hold a seat in the Senate, which had first convened during the preceding year, 1789. The earlier ones resulted from the death of Senator William Grayson of Virginia, and the expiration of the term of the temporary senator John Walker of Virginia, who was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to hold that office until a successor could be elected in November.
Before 1796, eight senators resigned. Nine senators resigned during that year—a record-high number that stands to this day. Most resignations have been motivated either by declining health or a decision to accept another office. Sixteen persons have resigned from the Senate twice and two have resigned three times.

1789 to 1799

1800 to 1849

NameStateDate of resignationNotes
Samuel DexterMassachusettsMay 30, 1800Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of War
John LauranceNew YorkAugust 1, 1800
Benjamin GoodhueMassachusettsNovember 8, 1800
James LloydMarylandDecember 1, 1800
James SchuremanNew JerseyFebruary 16, 1801
Henry LatimerDelawareFebruary 28, 1801
Ray GreeneRhode IslandMarch 5, 1801
Charles PinckneySouth CarolinaJune 6, 1801
Samuel LivermoreNew HampshireJune 12, 1801
Elijah PaineVermontSeptember 1, 1801
John Armstrong, Jr.New YorkFebruary 5, 1802
James SheafeNew HampshireJune 14, 1802
Dwight FosterMassachusettsMarch 2, 1803
DeWitt ClintonNew YorkNovember 4, 1803
Theodorus BaileyNew YorkJanuary 16, 1804
John Armstrong, Jr.New YorkFebruary 23, 1804
Abraham B. VenableVirginiaJune 7, 1804
John Armstrong, Jr.New YorkJune 30, 1804
William H. WellsDelawareNovember 6, 1804
William GilesVirginiaDecember 3, 1804
Andrew MooreVirginiaDecember 3, 1804Resigned his Class 2 senatorship when elected to fill a vacant Class 1 senatorship
John BreckinridgeKentuckyAugust 7, 1805
Robert WrightMarylandNovember 12, 1806
John AdairKentuckyNovember 18, 1806
David StoneNorth CarolinaFebruary 17, 1807
James FennerRhode IslandSeptember ??, 1807
Israel SmithVermontOctober 1, 1807
John SmithOhioApril 25, 1808Resigned after being indicted but not expelled in a 19–10 vote
John Quincy AdamsMassachusettsJune 8, 1808
Samuel MaclayPennsylvaniaJanuary 4, 1809
Aaron KitchellNew JerseyMarch 3, 1809
Daniel SmithTennesseeMarch 31, 1809
John MilledgeGeorgiaNovember 14, 1809
Buckner ThrustonKentuckyDecember 18, 1809
Nahum ParkerNew HampshireJune 1, 1810
James HillhouseConnecticutJune 10, 1810
Return Meigs, Jr.OhioDecember 8, 1810
Thomas SumterSouth CarolinaDecember 16, 1810
Jenkin WhitesideTennesseeOctober 8, 1811
Christopher ChamplinRhode IslandOctober 12, 1811
Jean Noel DestréhanLouisianaOctober 1, 1812
James BayardDelawareMarch 3, 1813
Dudley ChaseVermontMarch 3, 1813
William CrawfordGeorgiaMarch 23, 1813
James LloydMassachusettsMay 1, 1813
Chauncey GoodrichConnecticutMay 13, 1813
George W. CampbellTennesseeFebruary 11, 1814
Michael LeibPennsylvaniaFebruary 14, 1814
George BibbKentuckyAugust 23, 1814
Thomas WorthingtonOhioDecember 1, 1814
Jesse BledsoeKentuckyDecember 24, 1814
David StoneNorth CarolinaDecember 24, 1814
William GilesVirginiaMarch 3, 1815
Francis Locke Jr.North CarolinaDecember 5, 1815
William T. BarryKentuckyMay 1, 1816
Christopher GoreMassachusettsMay 30, 1816
John TaylorSouth CarolinaNovember ??, 1816
Wyatt BibbGeorgiaNovember 9, 1816
James TurnerNorth CarolinaNovember 21, 1816
Goodloe HarperMarylandDecember 6, 1816
Jeremiah MasonNew HampshireJune 16, 1817
James FiskVermontJanuary 8, 1818
George W. CampbellTennesseeApril 20, 1818
Eli AshmunMassachusettsMay 10, 1818
George TroupGeorgiaSeptember 23, 1818
John ForsythGeorgiaFebruary 17, 1819
John J. CrittendenKentuckyMarch 3, 1819
John Wayles EppesVirginiaDecember 4, 1819
Prentiss MellenMassachusettsMay 15, 1820
Walter LeakeMississippiMay 15, 1820
William LoganKentuckyMay 28, 1820
James WilsonNew JerseyJanuary 8, 1821
Freeman WalkerGeorgiaAugust 6, 1821
Harrison Gray OtisMassachusettsMay 30, 1822
John Williams WalkerAlabamaDecember 12, 1822
James PleasantsVirginiaDecember 15, 1822
Caesar Augustus RodneyDelawareJanuary 29, 1823
Samuel SouthardNew JerseyMarch 3, 1823
James BrownLouisianaDecember 10, 1823
Ninian EdwardsIllinoisMarch 3, 1824
Henry JohnsonLouisianaMay 27, 1824
James BarbourVirginiaMarch 7, 1825
David HolmesMississippiSeptember 25, 1825
Andrew JacksonTennesseeOctober 14, 1825
James DeWolfRhode IslandOctober 31, 1825
Edward LloydMarylandJanuary 14, 1826
James LloydMassachusettsMay 23, 1826
Henry HarrisonOhioMay 20, 1828
Albion ParrisMaineAugust 26, 1828
Thomas CobbGeorgiaNovember 7, 1828
Nathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaDecember 14, 1828
Ephraim BatemanNew JerseyJanuary 12, 1829
Mahlon DickersonNew JerseyJanuary 30, 1829
John BerrienGeorgiaMarch 9, 1829
John BranchNorth CarolinaMarch 9, 1829
John EatonTennesseeMarch 9, 1829
Louis McLaneDelawareApril 16, 1829
Edward LivingstonLouisianaMay 24, 1831
Issac BarnardPennsylvaniaDecember 6, 1831
Powhatan EllisMississippiJuly 16, 1832
Littleton TazewellVirginiaJuly 16, 1832
Robert HayneSouth CarolinaDecember 13, 1832
William MarcyNew YorkJanuary 1, 1833
George TroupGeorgiaNovember 8, 1833
William RivesVirginiaFebruary 22, 1834
John ForsythGeorgiaJune 27, 1834
Ezekiel ChambersMarylandDecember 20, 1834
Peleg SpragueMaineJanuary 1, 1835
Charles GayarréLouisianaJanuary ??, 1836
John TylerVirginiaFebruary 29, 1836
Ether ShepleyMaineMarch 3, 1836
Willie MangumNorth CarolinaMarch 19, 1836
Isaac HillNew HampshireMay 30, 1836
Arnold NaudainDelawareJune 16, 1836
Benjamin LeighVirginiaJuly 4, 1836
John ClaytonDelawareDecember 29, 1836
Alexander PorterLouisianaJanuary 5, 1837
Richard ParkerVirginiaMarch 13, 1837
John McKinleyAlabamaApril 22, 1837
Pendleton KingGeorgiaNovember 1, 1837
John BlackMississippiJanuary 22, 1838
Felix GrundyTennesseeJuly 4, 1838
James F. TrotterMississippiJuly 10, 1838
Ephraim FosterTennesseeMarch 3, 1839
Richard BayardDelawareSeptember 19, 1839
Lawson WhiteTennesseeJanuary 13, 1840
Robert StrangeNorth CarolinaNovember 16, 1840
Bedford BrownNorth CarolinaNovember 16, 1840
John DavisMassachusettsJanuary 5, 1841
Daniel WebsterMassachusettsFebruary 22, 1841Resigned to become United States Secretary of State
Comer ClayAlabamaNovember 15, 1841
Franklin PierceNew HampshireFebruary 28, 1842
Alexander MoutonLouisianaMarch 1, 1842
Henry ClayKentuckyMarch 31, 1842
Samuel PrentissVermontApril 11, 1842
Samuel SouthardNew JerseyJune 26, 1842
Reuel WilliamsMaineFebruary 15, 1843
John CalhounSouth CarolinaMarch 3, 1843
William SpragueRhode IslandJanuary 17, 1844
William KingAlabamaApril 15, 1844
Nathaniel TallmadgeNew YorkJune 17, 1844
Silas Wright, Jr.New YorkNovember 26, 1844
John BerrienGeorgiaMarch 1, 1845
Elliot HugerSouth CarolinaMarch 3, 1845
Levi WoodburyNew HampshireSeptember 20, 1845
William Haywood, Jr.North CarolinaJuly 25, 1846
Walter ColquittGeorgiaFebruary 4, 1848
Ambrose SevierArkansasMarch 15, 1848
Lewis CassMichiganMay 29, 1848
John CrittendenKentuckyJune 12, 1848
Arthur BagbyAlabamaJune 16, 1848
John ClaytonDelawareFebruary 2, 1849
Reverdy JohnsonMarylandMarch 7, 1849

1850 to 1899

NameStatePartyDate of resignationNotes
Daniel WebsterMassachusettsWhigJuly 22, 1850Resigned again to again take office as United States Secretary of State
Jefferson DavisMississippiDemocraticSeptember 23, 1851Resigned to run for Governor of Mississippi
Robert RhettSouth CarolinaDemocraticMay 7, 1852
John BerrienGeorgiaWhigMay 28, 1852
William R. KingAlabamaDemocraticDecember 20, 1852Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Robert StocktonNew JerseyDemocraticJanuary 10, 1853Resigned to serve as president of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company
Solon BorlandArkansasDemocraticApril 11, 1853Resigned on being appointed as United States Minister to Nicaragua
Pierre SouléLouisianaDemocraticApril 11, 1853Resigned on being appointed as United States Minister to Spain
Edward EverettMassachusettsWhigJune 1, 1854Resigned due to ill health
Augustus C. DodgeIowaDemocraticFebruary 22, 1855Resigned on being appointed as United States Minister to Spain
Hannibal HamlinMaineRepublicanJanuary 7, 1857Resigned to take office as Governor of Maine
Asa BiggsNorth CarolinaDemocraticMay 5, 1858Resigned to take office as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of North Carolina
Thomas Lanier ClingmanNorth CarolinaDemocraticMay 7, 1858
Hannibal HamlinMaineRepublicanJanuary 17, 1861Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Jefferson DavisMississippiDemocraticJanuary 21, 1861
John SlidellLouisianaDemocraticFebruary 4, 1861
Thomas BraggNorth CarolinaDemocraticMarch 6, 1861
Salmon P. ChaseOhioRepublicanMarch 6, 1861Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Andrew JohnsonTennesseeDemocraticMarch 4, 1862Resigned to take office as Military Governor of Tennessee
James F. SimmonsRhode IslandRepublicanAugust 15, 1862Resigned after a case for expulsion for corruption was declined
Waitman T. WilleyVirginiaUnionistMarch 3, 1863
James A. Bayard, Jr.DelawareDemocraticJanuary 29, 1864Resigned in protest of new Senate Loyalty Oath
William P. FessendenMaineRepublicanJuly 1, 1864Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
James HarlanIowaRepublicanMay 15, 1865Resigned to take office as the United States Secretary of the Interior
Daniel ClarkNew HampshireRepublicanJuly 27, 1866Resigned to take office as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
James GurthrieKentuckyDemocraticFebruary 7, 1868Resigned due to ill health
Reverdy JohnsonMarylandDemocraticJuly 10, 1868
James W. GrimesIowaRepublicanDecember 6, 1869Resigned due to ill health
Charles D. DrakeMissouriRepublicanDecember 19, 1870Resigned to take office as Chief Justice of the United States Court of Claims
William Pitt KelloggLouisianaRepublicanNovember 1, 1872Resigned to take office as Governor of Louisiana
Henry WilsonMassachusettsRepublicanMarch 3, 1873Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Alexander CaldwellKansasRepublicanMarch 24, 1873Resigned before a vote could be taken on his expulsion for corruption
Eugene CasserlyCaliforniaDemocraticNovember 29, 1873
Adelbert AmesMississippiRepublicanJanuary 4, 1874Resigned to take office as Governor of Mississippi
Lot M. MorrillMaineRepublicanJuly 7, 1876Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
John ShermanOhioRepublicanMarch 8, 1877Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Isaac P. ChristiancyMichiganRepublicanFebruary 10, 1879Resigned due to ill health
John Brown GordonGeorgiaDemocraticMay 26, 1880
James G. BlaineMaineRepublicanMarch 5, 1881Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Samuel J. KirkwoodIowaRepublicanMarch 7, 1881Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Interior
William WindomMinnesotaRepublicanMarch 7, 1881Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Roscoe ConklingNew YorkRepublicanMay 16, 1881Resigned in protest of the appointment of a New York City customs collector by President James A. Garfield
Thomas PlattNew YorkRepublicanMay 16, 1881Resigned in support of fellow Senator Conkling's protest
Henry M. TellerColoradoRepublicanApril 17, 1882Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Interior
Augustus Hill GarlandArkansasDemocraticMarch 6, 1885Resigned to take office as United States Attorney General
Thomas F. BayardDelawareDemocraticMarch 6, 1885Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Howell Edmunds JacksonTennesseeDemocraticApril 14, 1886Resigned to take office as a judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit
Jonathan ChaceRhode IslandRepublicanApril 9, 1889
John Henninger ReaganTexasDemocraticJune 10, 1891Resigned to take office as the chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas
John CarlisleKentuckyDemocraticFebruary 4, 1893Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Treasury
Edward Douglass WhiteLouisianaDemocraticMarch 12, 1894Resigned to take office as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
John ShermanOhioRepublicanMarch 4, 1897Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State

1900 to 1949

NameStatePartyDate of resignationNotes
William A. ClarkMontanaDemocraticMay 15, 1900Resigned before a Senate vote on declaring his election void due to bribery
Charles W. FairbanksIndianaRepublicanMarch 3, 1905Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Joseph BurtonKansasRepublicanJune 4, 1906Resigned following corruption charges
John Coit SpoonerWisconsinRepublicanApril 30, 1907
Philander C. KnoxPennsylvaniaRepublicanMarch 4, 1909Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Fountain L. ThompsonNorth DakotaDemocraticJanuary 31, 1910
Joseph M. TerrellGeorgiaDemocraticJuly 14, 1911Resigned for health reasons
Joseph Weldon BaileyTexasDemocraticJanuary 3, 1913
Warren G. HardingOhioRepublicanJanuary 13, 1921First President of the United States to be elected during his term as a Senator
John F. NugentIdahoDemocraticJanuary 14, 1921Resigned to take office as a member of the Federal Trade Commission
Albert B. FallNew MexicoRepublicanMarch 4, 1921Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Interior
Josiah O. WolcottDelawareDemocraticJuly 2, 1921Resigned to take office as Chancellor of Delaware
William KenyonIowaRepublicanFebruary 24, 1922Resigned to take office as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
Truman NewberryMichiganRepublicanNovember 18, 1922Resigned after being condemned for violating campaign financing rules
Frank L. SmithIllinoisRepublicanFebruary 9, 1928Resigned after the Senate voted to refuse to seat him due to fraud and corruption
T. Coleman du PontDelawareRepublicanDecember 8, 1928Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Charles CurtisKansasRepublicanMarch 3, 1929Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Evans EdgeNew JerseyRepublicanNovember 21, 1929Resigned to take office as United States Ambassador to France
Frederic M. SackettKentuckyRepublicanJanuary 9, 1930Resigned to take office as United States Ambassador to Germany
Cordell HullTennesseeDemocraticMarch 3, 1933Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of State
Claude A. SwansonVirginiaDemocraticMarch 3, 1933Resigned to take office as United States Secretary of the Navy
Sam G. BrattonNew MexicoDemocraticJune 24, 1933Resigned to take office as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
Hugo BlackAlabamaDemocraticAugust 19, 1937Resigned to take office as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Dixie Bibb GravesAlabamaDemocraticJanuary 10, 1938
Harry MooreNew JerseyDemocraticJanuary 17, 1938Resigned to take office as Governor of New Jersey
Frederick SteiwerOregonRepublicanJanuary 31, 1938
William Gibbs McAdooCaliforniaDemocraticNovember 8, 1938
Matthew M. NeelyWest VirginiaDemocraticJanuary 12, 1941Resigned to take office as Governor of West Virginia
John E. MillerArkansasDemocraticMarch 31, 1941Resigned to take office as a federal judge on the District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
James ByrnesSouth CarolinaDemocraticJuly 8, 1941Resigned to take office as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.MassachusettsRepublicanFebruary 3, 1944Resigned to return to active duty in the United States Army during the Second World War
Homer BoneWashingtonDemocraticNovember 13, 1944Resigned to take office as Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Sinclair WeeksMassachusettsRepublicanDecember 19, 1944
Monrad WallgrenWashingtonDemocraticJanuary 9, 1945Resigned to take office as Governor of Washington
Harry TrumanMissouriDemocraticJanuary 17, 1945Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Harold BurtonOhioRepublicanSeptember 30, 1945Resigned to take office as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court
Happy ChandlerKentuckyDemocraticNovember 1, 1945Resigned to become Commissioner of Baseball
Warren AustinVermontRepublicanAugust 2, 1946Resigned to take office as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Hugh MitchellWashingtonDemocraticDecember 25, 1946Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Vera BushfieldSouth DakotaRepublicanDecember 26, 1948Resigned to allow early appointment of successor
Alben BarkleyKentuckyDemocraticJanuary 19, 1949Resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States
Robert WagnerNew YorkDemocraticJune 28, 1949Resigned due to health reasons
Howard McGrathRhode IslandDemocraticAugust 23, 1949Resigned to take office as United States Attorney General
Raymond BaldwinConnecticutRepublicanDecember 16, 1949Resigned to take office as an associate justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors

1950 to 1999

2000 to present