North Carolina ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789, after the beginning of the 1st Congress. Its current senators are Republicans Thom Tillis and Ted Budd. Jesse Helms was North Carolina's longest-serving senator (1973–2003).
Class 2 |
C | Class 3 | ||||||||||
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# | Senator | Party | Dates in office | Electoral history | T | T | Electoral history | Dates in office | Party | Senator | # | |
Vacant | Nov 21, 1789 – Nov 27, 1789 |
North Carolina ratified the Constitution Nov 21, 1789 but didn't elect its senators until Nov 27, 1789. | 1 | 1st | 1 | North Carolina ratified the Constitution Nov 21, 1789 but didn't elect its senators until Nov 27, 1789. | Nov 21, 1789 – Nov 27, 1789 |
Vacant | ||||
1 | Samuel Johnston |
Pro- Admin. |
Nov 27, 1789 – Mar 3, 1793 |
Elected in 1789. |
Elected in 1789. |
Nov 27, 1789 – Mar 3, 1795 |
Pro- Admin. |
Benjamin Hawkins |
1 | |||
2nd | ||||||||||||
2 | Alexander Martin |
Anti- Admin. |
Mar 4, 1793 – Mar 3, 1799 |
Elected in 1792. |
2 | 3rd | Anti- Admin. | |||||
Democratic- Republican |
4th | 2 | Elected in 1795. |
Mar 4, 1795 – Mar 3, 1801 |
Democratic- Republican |
Timothy Bloodworth | 2 | |||||
5th | ||||||||||||
3 | Jesse Franklin | Democratic- Republican |
Mar 4, 1799 – Mar 3, 1805 |
Elected in 1799. |
3 | 6th | ||||||
7th | 3 | Elected in 1800. |
Mar 4, 1801 – Feb 17, 1807[1] |
Democratic- Republican |
David Stone |
3 | ||||||
8th | ||||||||||||
Vacant | Mar 4, 1805 – Dec 22, 1805 |
Montfort Stokes was elected in 1804 but refused the position. | 4 | 9th | ||||||||
4 | James Turner |
Democratic- Republican |
Dec 22, 1805 – Nov 21, 1816 |
Elected to finish the vacant term. | ||||||||
Feb 17, 1807[1] – Mar 3, 1807 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
10th | 4 | Elected in 1806. |
Mar 4, 1807 – Mar 3, 1813 |
Democratic- Republican |
Jesse Franklin | 4 | ||||||
11th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1810. |
5 | 12th | ||||||||||
13th | 5 | Elected in 1812. |
Mar 4, 1813 – Dec 24, 1814 |
Democratic- Republican |
David Stone |
5 | ||||||
Dec 24, 1814 – Dec 1814 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Stone's term. |
Dec 1814 – Dec 5, 1815 |
Democratic- Republican |
Francis Locke Jr. | 6 | ||||||||
14th | ||||||||||||
Dec 5, 1815 – Dec 13, 1815 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Stone's term. | Dec 13, 1815 – Nov 14, 1828 |
Democratic- Republican |
Nathaniel Macon |
7 | ||||||||
Vacant | Nov 21, 1816 – Dec 4, 1816 |
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5 | Montfort Stokes |
Democratic- Republican |
Dec 4, 1816 – Mar 3, 1823 |
Elected to finish Turner's term. | ||||||||
Elected in 1816. |
6 | 15th | ||||||||||
16th | 6 | Re-elected in 1818. | ||||||||||
17th | ||||||||||||
6 | John Branch |
Democratic-Republican | Mar 4, 1823 – Mar 9, 1829 |
Elected in 1822. | 7 | 18th | ||||||
Jacksonian | 19th | 7 | Re-elected in 1825. |
Jacksonian | ||||||||
20th | ||||||||||||
Nov 14, 1828 – Dec 15, 1828 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Macon's term. |
Dec 15, 1828 – Mar 3, 1831 |
Jacksonian | James Iredell Jr. |
8 | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1828. |
8 | 21st | ||||||||||
Vacant | Mar 9, 1829 – Dec 9, 1829 |
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7 | Bedford Brown |
Jacksonian | Dec 9, 1829 – Nov 16, 1840 |
Elected to finish Branch's term. | ||||||||
22nd | 8 | Elected in 1830. |
Mar 4, 1831 – Mar 19, 1836 |
Jacksonian | Willie P. Mangum |
9 | ||||||
23rd | National Republican | |||||||||||
Re-elected in 1835. |
9 | 24th | ||||||||||
Mar 19, 1836 – Dec 5, 1836 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Mangum's term. | Dec 5, 1836 – Nov 16, 1840 |
Jacksonian | Robert Strange |
10 | ||||||||
Democratic | 25th | 9 | Elected to full term in 1836. |
Democratic | ||||||||
26th | ||||||||||||
Vacant | Nov 16, 1840 – Nov 25, 1840 |
Nov 16, 1840 – Nov 25, 1840 |
Vacant | |||||||||
8 | Willie P. Mangum |
Whig | Nov 25, 1840 – Mar 3, 1853 |
Elected to finish Brown's term. | Elected to finish Strange's term. |
Nov 25, 1840 – Mar 3, 1843 |
Whig | William Graham |
11 | |||
Elected in 1841. | 10 | 27th | ||||||||||
28th | 10 | Elected in 1843. |
Mar 4, 1843 – Jul 25, 1846 |
Democratic | William Henry Haywood Jr. |
12 | ||||||
29th | ||||||||||||
Jul 25, 1846 – Nov 25, 1846 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Elected to finish Haywood's term. | Nov 25, 1846 – Mar 3, 1855 |
Whig | George Badger |
13 | ||||||||
Re-elected in 1847. |
11 | 30th | ||||||||||
31st | 11 | Re-elected in 1849. | ||||||||||
32nd | ||||||||||||
Vacant | Mar 4, 1853 – Dec 6, 1854 |
Legislature failed to elect | 12 | 33rd | ||||||||
9 | David S. Reid | Democratic | Dec 6, 1854 – Mar 3, 1859 |
Elected to finish vacant term. | ||||||||
34th | 12 | Elected in 1855. |
Mar 4, 1855 – May 5, 1858 |
Democratic | Asa Biggs |
14 | ||||||
35th | ||||||||||||
May 5, 1858 – May 7, 1858 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Biggs's term. | May 7, 1858 – Mar 11, 1861 |
Democratic | Thomas L. Clingman |
15 | ||||||||
Elected Nov 23, 1858 to finish Biggs's term. | ||||||||||||
10 | Thomas Bragg |
Democratic | Mar 4, 1859 – Mar 8, 1861 |
Elected in 1858 or 1859. |
13 | 36th | ||||||
37th | 13 | Re-elected in 1861. | ||||||||||
Civil War and Reconstruction | Mar 11, 1861 – Jul 14, 1868 |
Vacant | ||||||||||
Vacant | Jul 11, 1861 – Jul 14, 1868 |
Civil War and Reconstruction | ||||||||||
38th | ||||||||||||
14 | 39th | |||||||||||
40th | 14 | |||||||||||
11 | Joseph C. Abbott |
Republican | Jul 14, 1868 – Mar 3, 1871 |
Elected in 1868 to finish vacant term. |
Elected in 1868 to finish vacant term. |
Jul 14, 1868 – Mar 3, 1873 |
Republican | John Pool |
16 | |||
41st | ||||||||||||
Vacant | Mar 4, 1871 – Jan 30, 1872 |
Legislature failed to elect | 15 | 42nd | ||||||||
12 | Matt W. Ransom |
Democratic | Jan 30, 1872 – Mar 3, 1895 |
Elected to finish vacant term. | ||||||||
43rd | 15 | Elected in 1872. |
Mar 4, 1873 – Mar 3, 1879 |
Democratic | Augustus S. Merrimon |
17 | ||||||
44th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1876. | 16 | 45th | ||||||||||
46th | 16 | Elected in 1879. | Mar 4, 1879 – Apr 14, 1894 |
Democratic | Zebulon Vance |
18 | ||||||
47th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1883. | 17 | 48th | ||||||||||
49th | 17 | Re-elected in 1884. | ||||||||||
50th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1889. |
18 | 51st | ||||||||||
52nd | 18 | Re-elected in 1890. | ||||||||||
53rd | ||||||||||||
Apr 14, 1894 – Apr 19, 1894 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Vance's term. |
Apr 19, 1894 – Jan 23, 1895 |
Democratic | Thomas J. Jarvis |
19 | ||||||||
Elected in 1894 to finish Vance's term. | Jan 23, 1895 – Mar 3, 1903 |
Republican | Jeter C. Pritchard |
20 | ||||||||
13 | Marion Butler |
Populist | Mar 4, 1895 – Mar 3, 1901 |
Elected in 1894. |
19 | 54th | ||||||
55th | 19 | Re-elected in 1897.[2] | ||||||||||
56th | ||||||||||||
14 | F. M. Simmons |
Democratic | Mar 4, 1901 – Mar 3, 1931 |
Elected in 1901.[3] | 20 | 57th | ||||||
58th | 20 | Elected in 1903. | Mar 4, 1903 – Dec 12, 1930 |
Democratic | Lee S. Overman |
21 | ||||||
59th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1907.[4] | 21 | 60th | ||||||||||
61st | 21 | Re-elected in 1909 | ||||||||||
62nd | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1913 | 22 | 63rd | ||||||||||
64th | 22 | Re-elected in 1914. | ||||||||||
65th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1918. | 23 | 66th | ||||||||||
67th | 23 | Re-elected in 1920. | ||||||||||
68th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1924. |
24 | 69th | ||||||||||
70th | 24 | Re-elected in 1926. | ||||||||||
71st | ||||||||||||
Appointed to continue Overman's term. |
Dec 13, 1930 – Dec 4, 1932 |
Democratic | Cameron A. Morrison |
22 | ||||||||
15 | Josiah Bailey |
Democratic | Mar 4, 1931 – Dec 15, 1946 |
Elected in 1930. | 25 | 72nd | ||||||
Elected to finish Overman's term. | Dec 5, 1932 – Jan 3, 1945 |
Democratic | Robert Reynolds |
23 | ||||||||
73rd | 25 | Elected to full term in 1932. | ||||||||||
74th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1936. | 26 | 75th | ||||||||||
76th | 26 | Re-elected in 1938. | ||||||||||
77th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1942. |
27 | 78th | ||||||||||
79th | 27 | Elected in 1944. | Jan 3, 1945 – May 12, 1954 |
Democratic | Clyde R. Hoey |
24 | ||||||
Vacant | Dec 15, 1946 – Dec 18, 1946 |
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16 | William B. Umstead |
Democratic | Dec 18, 1946 – Dec 30, 1948 |
Appointed to continue Bailey's term. | ||||||||
80th | ||||||||||||
17 | J. Melville Broughton |
Democratic | Dec 31, 1948 – Mar 6, 1949 |
Elected to finish Bailey's term. | ||||||||
Elected to full term in 1948. |
28 | 81st | ||||||||||
Vacant | Mar 6, 1949 – Mar 29, 1949 |
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18 | Frank Graham |
Democratic | Mar 29, 1949 – Nov 26, 1950 |
Appointed to continue Broughton's term. | ||||||||
19 | Willis Smith |
Democratic | Nov 27, 1950 – Jun 26, 1953 |
Elected to finish Broughton's term. | ||||||||
82nd | 28 | Re-elected in 1950. | ||||||||||
83rd | ||||||||||||
May 12, 1954 – Jun 5, 1954 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue Hoey's term. |
Jun 5, 1954 – Dec 31, 1974 |
Democratic | Sam Ervin |
25 | ||||||||
Vacant | Jun 26, 1953 – Jul 10, 1953 |
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20 | Alton Lennon |
Democratic | Jul 10, 1953 – Nov 28, 1954 |
Appointed to continue Broughton's term. | ||||||||
21 | W. Kerr Scott |
Democratic | Nov 29, 1954 – Apr 16, 1958 |
Elected in 1954 to finish Broughton's term. | ||||||||
Elected to full term in 1954. |
29 | 84th | ||||||||||
85th | 29 | Re-elected in 1956. | ||||||||||
Vacant | Apr 16, 1958 – Apr 19, 1958 |
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22 | B. Everett Jordan |
Democratic | Apr 19, 1958 – Jan 3, 1973 |
Appointed to continue Scott's term. | ||||||||
86th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1960. | 30 | 87th | ||||||||||
88th | 30 | Re-elected in 1962. | ||||||||||
89th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1966. |
31 | 90th | ||||||||||
91st | 31 | Re-elected in 1968. | ||||||||||
92nd | ||||||||||||
23 | Jesse Helms |
Republican | Jan 3, 1973 – Jan 3, 2003 |
Elected in 1972. | 32 | 93rd | ||||||
Dec 31, 1974 – Jan 3, 1975 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
94th | 32 | Elected in 1974. |
Jan 3, 1975 – Jan 3, 1981 |
Democratic | Robert Morgan |
26 | ||||||
95th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1978. | 33 | 96th | ||||||||||
97th | 33 | Elected in 1980. |
Jan 3, 1981 – Jun 29, 1986 |
Republican | John East |
27 | ||||||
98th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1984. | 34 | 99th | ||||||||||
Jun 29, 1986 – Jul 14, 1986 |
Vacant | |||||||||||
Appointed to continue East's term. |
Jul 14, 1986 – Nov 4, 1986 |
Republican | Jim Broyhill |
28 | ||||||||
Elected to finish East's term. | Nov 5, 1986 – Jan 3, 1993 |
Democratic | Terry Sanford |
29 | ||||||||
100th | 34 | Elected to full term in 1986. | ||||||||||
101st | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1990. | 35 | 102nd | ||||||||||
103rd | 35 | Elected in 1992. |
Jan 3, 1993 – Jan 3, 1999 |
Republican | Lauch Faircloth |
30 | ||||||
104th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 1996. |
36 | 105th | ||||||||||
106th | 36 | Elected in 1998. |
Jan 3, 1999 – Jan 3, 2005 |
Democratic | John Edwards |
31 | ||||||
107th | ||||||||||||
24 | Elizabeth Dole |
Republican | Jan 3, 2003 – Jan 3, 2009 |
Elected in 2002. |
37 | 108th | ||||||
109th | 37 | Elected in 2004. | Jan 3, 2005 – Jan 3, 2023 |
Republican | Richard Burr |
32 | ||||||
110th | ||||||||||||
25 | Kay Hagan |
Democratic | Jan 3, 2009 – Jan 3, 2015 |
Elected in 2008. |
38 | 111th | ||||||
112th | 38 | Re-elected in 2010. | ||||||||||
113th | ||||||||||||
26 | Thom Tillis |
Republican | Jan 3, 2015 – present |
Elected in 2014. | 39 | 114th | ||||||
115th | 39 | Re-elected in 2016. | ||||||||||
116th | ||||||||||||
Re-elected in 2020. | 40 | 117th | ||||||||||
118th | 40 | Elected in 2022. | Jan 3, 2023 – present |
Republican | Ted Budd |
33 | ||||||
119th | ||||||||||||
To be determined in the 2026 election. | 41 | 120th | ||||||||||
121st | 41 | 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 2 | Class 3 |
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Senators |
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Representatives (ordered by district) |
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