List of United States senators from Nebraska

Nebraska was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1867, and elects its United States senators to class 1 and class 2. George W. Norris was the state’s longest serving senator (served 1913–1943). Nebraska's current senators are Republicans Deb Fischer (since 2013) and Pete Ricketts (since 2023).[1]

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 2024 (special) and 2026.
# Senator Party Dates in office Electoral history T T Electoral history Dates in office Party Senator #
1  
Thomas Tipton
Republican Mar 1, 1867 –
Mar 3, 1875
Elected in 1867. 1 39th 1 Elected in 1867.
Lost re-election.
Mar 1, 1867 –
Mar 3, 1871
Republican  
John Thayer
1
40th
Re-elected in 1869.
[data missing]
2 41st
42nd 2 Elected in 1870.
Lost re-election.
Mar 4, 1871 –
Mar 3, 1877
Republican  
Phineas Hitchcock
2
43rd
2  
Algernon Paddock
Republican Mar 4, 1875 –
Mar 3, 1881
Elected in 1875.
Lost re-election.
3 44th
45th 3 Elected in 1877.
[data missing]
Mar 4, 1877 –
Mar 3, 1883
Republican  
Alvin Saunders
3
46th
3  
Charles Van Wyck
Republican Mar 4, 1881 –
Mar 3, 1887
Elected in 1880.
Lost re-election.
4 47th
48th 4 Elected in 1883. Mar 4, 1883 –
Mar 3, 1895
Republican  
Charles F. Manderson
4
49th
4  
Algernon Paddock
Republican Mar 4, 1887 –
Mar 3, 1893
Elected in 1886.
Retired.
5 50th
51st 5 Re-elected in 1888.
[data missing]
52nd
5  
William V. Allen
Populist Mar 4, 1893 –
Mar 3, 1899
Elected in 1893.
Lost re-election.
6 53rd
54th 6 Elected in 1895.
Retired.
Mar 4, 1895 –
Mar 3, 1901
Republican  
John M. Thurston
5
55th
Vacant Mar 4, 1899 –
Mar 8, 1899
Legislature failed to elect. 7 56th
6  
Monroe Hayward
Republican Mar 8, 1899 –
Dec 5, 1899
Elected late.
Died before qualifying.
Vacant Dec 5, 1899 –
Dec 13, 1899
 
7  
William V. Allen
Populist Dec 13, 1899 –
Mar 28, 1901
Appointed to continue Hayward's term.
Lost election to finish Hayward's term.
57th 7 Legislature failed to elect Mar 4, 1901 –
Mar 28, 1901
Vacant
8  
Charles H. Dietrich
Republican Mar 28, 1901 –
Mar 3, 1905
Elected in 1901 to finish Hayward's term.
Retired.
Elected in 1901 to finish vacant term.
Retired.
Mar 28, 1901 –
Mar 3, 1907
Republican  
Joseph Millard
6
58th
9  
Elmer Burkett
Republican Mar 4, 1905 –
Mar 3, 1911
Elected in 1905.
Lost renomination.
8 59th
60th 8 Elected in 1907.[2]
Lost renomination.
Mar 4, 1907 –
Mar 3, 1913
Republican  
Norris Brown
7
61st
10  
Gilbert Hitchcock
Democratic Mar 4, 1911 –
Mar 3, 1923
Elected in 1911. 9 62nd
63rd 9 Elected in 1913. Mar 4, 1913 –
Jan 3, 1937
Republican  
George W. Norris
8
64th
Re-elected in 1916.
Lost re-election.
10 65th
66th 10 Re-elected in 1918.
67th
11  
Robert B. Howell
Republican Mar 4, 1923 –
Mar 11, 1933
Elected in 1922. 11 68th
69th 11 Re-elected in 1924.
70th
Re-elected in 1928.
Died.
12 71st
72nd 12 Re-elected in 1930.
73rd
Vacant Mar 11, 1933 –
May 24, 1933
 
12  
William H. Thompson
Democratic May 24, 1933 –
Nov 6, 1934
Appointed to continue Howell's term.
Retired when successor qualified.
13  
Richard C. Hunter
Democratic Nov 7, 1934 –
Jan 3, 1935
Elected to finish Howell's term.
Retired.
14  
Edward R. Burke
Democratic Jan 3, 1935 –
Jan 3, 1941
Elected in 1934.
Lost renomination.
13 74th
75th 13 Re-elected in 1936.
Lost re-election.
Jan 3, 1937 –
Jan 3, 1943
Independent
76th
15  
Hugh A. Butler
Republican Jan 3, 1941 –
Jul 1, 1954
Elected in 1940. 14 77th
78th 14 Elected in 1942. Jan 3, 1943 –
Nov 29, 1951
Republican  
Kenneth S. Wherry
9
79th
Re-elected in 1946. 15 80th
81st 15 Re-elected in 1948.
Died.
82nd
  Nov 29, 1951 –
Dec 10, 1951
Vacant
Appointed to continue Wherry's term.
Retired when successor elected.
Dec 10, 1951 –
Nov 4, 1952
Republican  
Fred A. Seaton
10
Elected in 1952 to finish Wherry's term.
Died.
Nov 5, 1952 –
Apr 12, 1954
Republican  
Dwight Griswold
11
Re-elected in 1952.

Died.
16 83rd
  Apr 12, 1954 –
Apr 16, 1954
Vacant
Appointed to continue Wherry's term.
Retired when successor elected.
Apr 16, 1954 –
Nov 7, 1954
Republican  
Eva Bowring
12
Vacant Jul 1, 1954 –
Jul 3, 1954
 
Elected in 1954 to finish Wherry's term.
Resigned.
Nov 8, 1954 –
Dec 31, 1954
Republican  
Hazel Abel
13
16  
Samuel W. Reynolds
Republican Jul 3, 1954 –
Nov 7, 1954
Appointed to continue Butler's term.
Retired when successor qualified.
17  
Roman Hruska
Republican Nov 8, 1954 –
Dec 27, 1976
Elected in 1954 to finish Butler's term.
Appointed to finish Wherry's term, having already been elected to the next term. Jan 1, 1955 –
Jan 3, 1979
Republican  
Carl Curtis
14
84th 16 Elected in 1954.
85th
Re-elected in 1958. 17 86th
87th 17 Re-elected in 1960.
88th
Re-elected in 1964. 18 89th
90th 18 Re-elected in 1966.
91st
Re-elected in 1970.
Retired and resigned early.
18 92nd
93rd 19 Re-elected in 1972.
Retired.
94th
18  
Edward Zorinsky
Democratic Dec 28, 1976 –
Mar 6, 1987
Appointed to finish Hruska's term, having been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1976. 19 95th
96th 20 Elected in 1978. Jan 3, 1979 –
Jan 3, 1997
Democratic  
J. James Exon
15
97th
Re-elected in 1982.
Died.
20 98th
99th 21 Re-elected in 1984.
100th
Vacant Mar 6, 1987 –
Mar 11, 1987
 
19  
David Karnes
Republican Mar 11, 1987 –
Jan 3, 1989[3]
Appointed to finish Zorinsky's term.
Lost election to full term.
20  
Bob Kerrey
Democratic Jan 3, 1989 –
Jan 3, 2001
Elected in 1988. 21 101st
102nd 22 Re-elected in 1990.
Retired.
103rd
Re-elected in 1994.
Retired.
22 104th
105th 23 Elected in 1996. Jan 3, 1997 –
Jan 3, 2009
Republican  
Chuck Hagel
16
106th
21  
Ben Nelson
Democratic Jan 3, 2001 –
Jan 3, 2013
Elected in 2000. 24 107th
108th 24 Re-elected in 2002.
Retired.
109th
Re-elected in 2006.
Retired.
25 110th
111th 25 Elected in 2008.
Retired.
Jan 3, 2009 –
Jan 3, 2015
Republican  
Mike Johanns
17
112th
22  
Deb Fischer
Republican Jan 3, 2013 –
present
Elected in 2012. 26 113th
114th 26 Elected in 2014. Jan 3, 2015 –
Jan 8, 2023
Republican  
Ben Sasse
18
115th
Re-elected in 2018. 27 116th
117th 27 Re-elected in 2020.
Resigned to become President of the University of Florida.
118th
Jan 8, 2023 –
Jan 12, 2023
Vacant
Appointed to continue Sasse's term.
Elected in 2024 to finish Sasse's term.
Jan 12, 2023 –
present
Republican  
Pete Ricketts
19
Re-elected in 2024. 28 119th
120th 28 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. ^ "States in the Senate: Nebraska". United States Senate.
  2. ^ The Tribune Almanac and Political Register 1908. New York: The Tribune Association. 1908. p. 259.
  3. ^ "Nebraska Senators". United States Senate. Retrieved October 25, 2020.