Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate
Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAJ : Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate
The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences that hold the majority and the minority respectively. These leaders serve as the chief Senate spokesmen for their parties and manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate. By custom, the Presiding Officer gives the Majority Leader priority in obtaining recognition to speak on the floor of the Senate.
The Majority leader customarily serves as the chief representative and "face" of his or her party in Senate, and sometimes even in all of Congress if the House of Representatives and thus office of Speaker of the House is controlled by the opposition party.
Current floor leaders
The current floor leaders are
Republican Bill Frist of
Tennessee (Majority) and
Democrat Harry Reid of
Nevada (Minority).
History
The position is not designated in the
U.S. Constitution. It evolved into existence over time. It wasn't until the 1920s when the two parties formally began to call their leaders Majority and Minority Leader. The Democrats began this practice starting in 1920 while they were in the minority. In 1925 the majority (of the time) Republicans also adopted this language.
Senator Charles Curtis of Kansas became the first Majority Leader in 1925. From 1929-1933 Curtis served as Vice President of the United States under President Herbert Hoover.
The Constitution designates the Vice President of the United States as President of the Senate. The Constitution also calls for a President Pro Tempore to serve as the leader of the body when the President of the Senate (the Vice President) is absent. All of these roles still exist today, however, for practical purposes it is now the Majority Leader who runs the Senate.
In January 2003 Republican Bill Frist was elected Senate Majority Leader. He succeeded Trent Lott who resigned his leadership position in December 2002 due to controversial remarks he made claiming the United States would be a better place if Strom Thurmond, who campaigned on a platform of racial segregation, was elected President. However, Senator Frist announced his retirement before the 2006 midterm elections. Senator Frist's retirement would leave the majority leader position open. The majority leader position would then fall, most likely, to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
List of Floor Leaders in the United States Senate
The Democratic Party first selected a Senate floor leader in 1920. The Republican Party first formally designated a floor leader in 1925.
(Names in Bold indicate Majority Leaders)
| Congress
| Dates
| Democratic Leader
| State
| Republican Leader
| State
|
| 66th
| 1920-1921
| Oscar W. Underwood
| Alabama
| Henry Cabot Lodge (unofficial)
| Massachusetts
|
| 67th
| 1921-1923
|
| 68th
| 1923-November 9, 1924
| Joseph T. Robinson
| Arkansas
|
| March 5, 1925-1925
| Charles Curtis
| Kansas
|
| 69th
| 1925-1927
|
| 70th
| 1927-1929
|
| 71st
| 1929-1931
| James E. Watson
| Indiana
|
| 72nd
| 1931-1933
|
| 73rd
| 1933-1935
| Joseph T. Robinson
| Arkansas
| Charles L. McNary
| Oregon
|
| 74th
| 1935-1937
|
| 75th
| 1937-July 14, 1937
|
| July 22, 1937-1939
| Alben W. Barkley
| Kentucky
|
| 76th
| 1939
|
| 1940
| Warren Austin (acting)
| Vermont
|
| 77th
| 1941-1943
| Charles L. McNary
| Oregon
|
| 78th
| 1943-1945
| Wallace H. White Jr. (acting)
| Maine
|
| 79th
| 1945-1947
| Wallace H. White Jr.
| Maine
|
| 80th
| 1947-1949
| Alben W. Barkley
| Kentucky
| Wallace H. White Jr.
| Maine
|
| 81st
| 1949-1951
| Scott W. Lucas
| Illinois
| Kenneth S. Wherry
| Nebraska
|
| 82nd
| 1951
| Ernest W. McFarland
| Arizona
|
| January 8, 1952-1953
| Styles Bridges
| New Hampshire
|
| 83rd
| 1953-August 4, 1953
| Lyndon Johnson
| Texas
| Robert A. Taft
| Ohio
|
| August 4, 1953-1955
| William F. Knowland
| California
|
| 84th
| 1955-1957
| Lyndon Johnson
| Texas
| William F. Knowland
| California
|
| 85th
| 1957-1959
|
| 86th
| 1959-1961
| Everett M. Dirksen
| Illinois
|
| 87th
| 1961-1963
| Mike Mansfield
| Montana
|
| 88th
| 1963-1965
|
| 89th
| 1965-1967
|
| 90th
| 1967-1969
|
| 91st
| 1969-September 7, 1969
|
| September 24 1969-1971
| Hugh Scott
| Pennsylvania
|
| 92nd
| 1971-1973
|
| 93rd
| 1973-1975
|
| 94th
| 1975-1977
|
| 95th
| 1977-1979
| Robert Byrd
| West Virginia
| Howard H. Baker Jr.
| Tennessee
|
| 96th
| 1979-1981
|
| 97th
| 1981-1983
| Robert Byrd
| West Virginia
| Howard H. Baker Jr.
| Tennessee
|
| 98th
| 1983-1985
|
| 99th
| 1985-1987
| Bob Dole
| Kansas
|
| 100th
| 1987-1989
| Robert Byrd
| West Virginia
| Bob Dole
| Kansas
|
| 101st
| 1989-1991
| George Mitchell
| Maine
|
| 102nd
| 1991-1993
|
| 103rd
| 1993-1995
|
| 104th
| December 2, 1994-June 12, 1996
| Tom Daschle
| South Dakota
| Bob Dole
| Kansas
|
| June 12, 1996-1997
| Trent Lott
| Mississippi
|
| 105th
| 1997-1999
|
| 106th
| 1999-2001
|
| 107th
| January 3, 2001-January 20, 2001
| Tom Daschle
| South Dakota
| Trent Lott
| Mississippi
|
| January 20, 2001-June 6, 2001
| Tom Daschle
| South Dakota
| Trent Lott
| Mississippi
|
| June 6, 2001-December 20, 2002
| Tom Daschle
| South Dakota
| Trent Lott
| Mississippi
|
| December 23, 2002-January 4 2003
| Bill Frist
| Tennessee
|
| 108th
| 2003-2005
| Tom Daschle
| South Dakota
| Bill Frist
| Tennessee
|
| 109th
| 2005-present
| Harry Reid
| Nevada
|
See also
| United States Congress — (House of Representatives, Senate)
|
| Members
| House: Current, Former, Districts | Senate: Current, Former, Current & Former by state
|
| Groups
| African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans list, Caucuses, Committees, Demographics
House: Committees | Senate: Committees, Women list
|
| Leaders
| House: Speaker, Majority leader, Minority leader, Dem. leader, Rep. leader, Majority whip, Minority whip, Dem. whip, Rep. whip, Dem. caucus, Rep. conference, Dean
Senate: President pro tempore (list), Majority and Minority leaders, Dem. Leader, Rep. Leader, Majority whip, Minority whip, Dem. Caucus (Chair, Secretary, Policy comm. chair), Rep. Conference (Chair, Secretary, Policy comm. chair), Dean
|
| Agencies & Employees
| Architect of the Capitol, Capitol guide service (board), Capitol police (board), Government Printing Office, Law Revision Counsel, Librarian of Congress, Poet laureate
House: Chaplain, Clerk, Doorkeeper, Historian, Page, Parliamentarian, Postmaster, Reading clerk, Sergeant at Arms
Senate: Chaplain, Curator, Page, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Sergeant at Arms
|
| Politics & Procedure
| Act of Congress (list), Caucuses, Committees, Joint session, Delegations' partisan mix
House: Committees | Senate: Committees, Filibuster, Traditions, Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes
|
| Buildings
| Capitol Complex, Capitol, Botanic Garden
House: Cannon, Ford, Longworth, O'Neill, Rayburn | Senate: Dirksen, Hart, Russell
|
| Research
| Biographical directory, Congressional Quarterly, Congressional Record, Congressional Research Service,
Federal depository library, Library of Congress, The Hill, Roll Call, THOMAS
|
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