List of United States senators from California

California elects United States senators to class 1 and class 3. The state has been represented by 47 people in the Senate since it was admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850. Its U.S. senators are Democrats Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler. Dianne Feinstein was the state's longest serving senator, served from 1992 until her death in 2023.

Current delegation
Padilla
Alex Padilla (D)
Butler
Laphonza Butler (D)

List of senators

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 3

Class 3 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2004, 2010, and 2016, and 2022. The next election will be in 2028.

# Senator Party Dates in office Electoral history T T Electoral history Dates in office Party Senator #
1
John C. Frémont		 Democratic Sep 9, 1850 –
Mar 3, 1851		 Elected in 1849. 1 31st 1 Elected in 1849. Sep 9, 1850 –
Mar 2, 1855		 Democratic
William M. Gwin		 1
Vacant Mar 4, 1851 –
Jan 29, 1852		 Legislature failed to elect. 2 32nd
2
John B. Weller		 Democratic Jan 30, 1852 –
Mar 3, 1857		 Elected late in 1852.
Lost re-election.
33rd
34th 2 Legislature failed to elect. Mar 3, 1855 –
Jan 13, 1857		 Vacant
Elected late in 1857. Jan 14, 1857 –
Mar 3, 1861		 Democratic
William M. Gwin
3
David C. Broderick		 Democratic Mar 4, 1857 –
Sep 16, 1859		 Elected in 1856.
Died.		 3 35th
36th
Vacant Sep 17, 1859 –
Nov 2, 1859		  
4
Henry P. Haun		 Democratic Nov 3, 1859 –
Mar 4, 1860		 Appointed to continue Broderick's term.
Lost election to finish Broderick's term.
5
Milton Latham		 Democratic Mar 5, 1860 –
Mar 3, 1863		 Elected in 1860 to finish Broderick's term.
Lost re-election.
37th 3 Elected in 1860.
Retired.		 Mar 4, 1861 –
Mar 3, 1867		 Democratic
James A. McDougall		 2
6
John Conness		 Republican Mar 4, 1863 –
Mar 3, 1869		 Elected during the 1862/63 cycle.[lower-alpha 1] 4 38th
39th
40th 4 Elected during the 1866/1867 cycle. Mar 4, 1867 –
Mar 3, 1873		 Republican
Cornelius Cole		 3
7
Eugene Casserly		 Democratic Mar 4, 1869 –
Nov 29, 1873		 Elected in 1868.
Resigned.		 5 41st
42nd
43rd 5 Elected in 1872 or 1873.
Retired.		 Mar 4, 1873 –
Mar 3, 1879		 Republican
Aaron A. Sargent		 4
Vacant Nov 30, 1873 –
Dec 22, 1873		  
8
John S. Hager		 Democratic Dec 23, 1873 –
Mar 3, 1875		 Elected in 1873 to finish Casserly's term.
Retired.
9
Newton Booth		 Anti-Monopoly Mar 4, 1875 –
Mar 3, 1881		 Elected early in 1873.
Retired.		 6 44th
45th
46th 6 Elected in 1878.
Retired.		 Mar 4, 1879 –
Mar 3, 1885		 Democratic
James T. Farley		 5
10
John Franklin Miller		 Republican Mar 4, 1881 –
Mar 8, 1886		 Elected in 1880.
Died.		 7 47th
48th
49th 7 Elected in 1885. Mar 4, 1885 –
Jun 21, 1893		 Republican
Leland Stanford		 6
Vacant Mar 9, 1886 –
Mar 22, 1886		  
11
George Hearst		 Democratic Mar 23, 1886 –
Aug 3, 1886		 Appointed to continue Miller's term.
Successor elected.
12
Abram Williams		 Republican Aug 4, 1886 –
Mar 3, 1887		 Elected in 1886 to finish Miller's term.
Retired.
13
George Hearst		 Democratic Mar 4, 1887 –
Feb 28, 1891		 Elected in 1887.
Died.		 8 50th
51st
Vacant Mar 1, 1891 –
Mar 18, 1891		  
52nd 8 Re-elected in 1891.
Died.
14
Charles N. Felton		 Republican Mar 19, 1891 –
Mar 3, 1893		 Elected in 1891 to finish Hearst's term.
Retired.
15
Stephen M. White		 Democratic Mar 4, 1893 –
Mar 3, 1899		 Elected in 1893.
Retired.		 9 53rd
  Jun 22, 1893 –
Jul 25, 1893		 Vacant
Appointed to continue Stanford's term.
Elected in 1895 to finish Stanford's term.[1]		 Jul 26, 1893 –
Mar 3, 1915		 Republican
George C. Perkins		 7
54th
55th 9 Re-elected in 1897.[2]
Vacant Mar 4, 1899 –
Feb 6, 1900		   10 56th
16
Thomas R. Bard		 Republican Feb 7, 1900 –
Mar 3, 1905		 Elected late in 1900.
Lost re-election.
57th
58th 10 Re-elected in 1903.[3]
17
Frank P. Flint		 Republican Mar 4, 1905 –
Mar 3, 1911		 Elected in 1905.[4]
Retired.		 11 59th
60th
61st 11 Re-elected in 1909.[5]
Retired.
18
John D. Works		 Republican Mar 4, 1911 –
Mar 3, 1917		 Elected in 1911.
Retired.		 12 62nd
63rd
64th 12 Elected in 1914.
Lost re-election.		 Mar 4, 1915 –
Mar 3, 1921		 Democratic
James D. Phelan		 8
19
Hiram Johnson		 Republican Mar 4, 1917 –
Aug 6, 1945		 Elected in 1916.
Not seated until March 16 in order to remain Governor of California.		 13 65th
66th
67th 13 Elected in 1920. Mar 4, 1921 –
Mar 3, 1933		 Republican
Samuel M. Shortridge		 9
Re-elected in 1922. 14 68th
69th
70th 14 Re-elected in 1926.
Lost renomination.
Re-elected in 1928. 15 71st
72nd
73rd 15 Elected in 1932.
Lost renomination, then resigned.		 Mar 4, 1933 –
Nov 8, 1938		 Democratic
William Gibbs McAdoo		 10
Re-elected in 1934. 16 74th
75th
Appointed to finish McAdoo's term.
Retired.		 Nov 9, 1938 –
Jan 3, 1939		 Democratic
Thomas M. Storke		 11
76th 16 Elected in 1938. Jan 3, 1939 –
Nov 30, 1950		 Democratic
Sheridan Downey		 12
Re-elected in 1940.
Died.		 17 77th
78th
79th 17 Re-elected in 1944.
Ran for re-election, but dropped out of renomination race due to ill health.
Resigned early due to ill health.
Vacant Aug 7, 1945 –
Aug 25, 1945		  
20
William Knowland		 Republican Aug 26, 1945 –
Jan 3, 1959		 Appointed to continue Johnson's term.
Elected in 1946 to finish Johnson's term.
Re-elected to full term in 1946. 18 80th
81st
Appointed to finish Downey's term,
having been elected to the next term.		 Dec 1, 1950 –
Jan 1, 1953		 Republican
Richard Nixon		 13
82nd 18 Elected in 1950.
Resigned to become U.S. Vice President.
Appointed to continue Nixon's term.
Elected in 1954 to finish Nixon's term.[1]		 Jan 2, 1953 –
Jan 3, 1969		 Republican
Thomas Kuchel		 14
Re-elected in 1952.
Retired to run for Governor of California.		 19 83rd
84th
85th 19 Re-elected in 1956.
21
Clair Engle		 Democratic Jan 3, 1959 –
Jul 30, 1964		 Elected in 1958.
Died.		 20 86th
87th
88th 20 Re-elected in 1962.
Lost renomination.
Vacant Jul 31, 1964 –
Aug 3, 1964		  
22
Pierre Salinger		 Democratic Aug 4, 1964 –
Dec 31, 1964		 Appointed to continue Engle's term.
Lost election to full term, resigned early to give successor preferential seniority.
23
George Murphy		 Republican Jan 1, 1965 –
Jan 1, 1971		 Appointed early to finish Engle's term, having been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1964.
Lost re-election, resigned early to give successor preferential seniority.		 21 89th
90th
91st 21 Elected in 1968. Jan 3, 1969 –
Jan 3, 1993		 Democratic
Alan Cranston		 15
24
John V. Tunney		 Democratic Jan 2, 1971 –
Jan 1, 1977		 Appointed to finish Murphy's term, having been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1970.
Lost re-election, resigned early to give successor preferential seniority.		 22 92nd
93rd
94th 22 Re-elected in 1974.
25
S. I. Hayakawa		 Republican Jan 2, 1977 –
Jan 3, 1983		 Appointed to finish Tunney's term, having been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1976.
Retired.		 23 95th
96th
97th 23 Re-elected in 1980.
26
Pete Wilson		 Republican Jan 3, 1983 –
Jan 7, 1991		 Elected in 1982. 24 98th
99th
100th 24 Re-elected in 1986.
Retired.
Re-elected in 1988.
Resigned to become Governor of California.		 25 101st
102nd
27
John Seymour		 Republican Jan 7, 1991 –
Nov 3, 1992		 Appointed to continue Wilson's term.
Lost election to finish Wilson's term.
28
Dianne Feinstein		 Democratic Nov 4, 1992 –
Sep 29, 2023		 Elected in 1992 to finish Wilson's term.
103rd 25 Elected in 1992. Jan 3, 1993 –
Jan 3, 2017		 Democratic
Barbara Boxer		 16
Re-elected in 1994. 26 104th
105th
106th 26 Re-elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000. 27 107th
108th
109th 27 Re-elected in 2004.
Re-elected in 2006. 28 110th
111th
112th 28 Re-elected in 2010.
Retired.
Re-elected in 2012. 29 113th
114th
115th 29 Elected in 2016.
Resigned to become U.S. Vice President.[6]		 Jan 3, 2017 –
Jan 18, 2021		 Democratic
Kamala Harris		 17
Re-elected in 2018.
Died, having planned to retire at the end of term.		 30 116th
117th
Appointed to continue Harris's term.
Elected in 2022 to finish Harris's term.		 Jan 18, 2021 –
present		 Democratic
Alex Padilla		 18
118th 30 Elected to full term in 2022.
Vacant Sep 29, 2023 –
Oct 1, 2023		  
29
Laphonza Butler		 Democratic Oct 1, 2023 –
present		 Appointed to continue Feinstein's term.
Retiring when her successor will be elected.
To be determined in the 2024 special election.
To be determined in the 2024 election. 31 119th
120th
121st 31 To be determined in the 2028 election.
# Senator Party Years in office Electoral history T C T Electoral history Years in office Party Senator #
Class 1 Class 3

See also

Notes
  1. John Conness was elected as a Democrat, but changed party to Republican after the election.

References
  1. Byrd, p. 83.
  2. "Perkins Re-elected in California". The New York Times. January 14, 1897. p. 12.
  3. "Perkins of California Re-elected". The New York Times. January 14, 1903. p. 12.
  4. The World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1906. 1905. p. 108.
  5. "Perkins of California Re-elected". The New York Times. January 13, 1909. p. 5.
  6. Bowman, Bridget (November 7, 2020). "Win by Biden and Harris opens up California Senate seat". Roll Call. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
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