Delaware became a U.S. state in 1787, which allowed it to send congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives beginning with the 1st United States Congress in 1789. Voters in each state elect two senators to serve for six years, and members of the House to two-year terms. Before 1914 United States Senators were chosen by the Delaware General Assembly and before 1935 all congressional terms began March 4.

This is a chronological listing, in timeline format, of the congressional delegations from Delaware to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.

The dates for the various Congress represent the range of dates they could have been in session, rather than the actual dates of the sessions. Congressional terms began on March 4 through 1933. Since 1935 they have begun on January 3. The juxtaposition of the terms with the sessions is approximate; see the footnotes for actual dates of special appointments, elections, resignations or deaths.

Current delegation

Current U.S. senators from Delaware
Delaware

CPVI (2022):[1]
D+7
Class I senator Class II senator

Tom Carper
(Senior senator)
Chris Coons
(Junior senator)
Party Democratic Democratic
Incumbent since January 3, 2001 November 15, 2010

Delaware's current congressional delegation in the 118th Congress consists of its two senators and its sole representative, all of whom are Democrats.

The current dean of the Delaware's delegation is Senator Tom Carper, having served in the Senate since 2001, and previously served in the House from 1983 until 1993.

Current U.S. representatives from Delaware
District Member
(Residence)[2] 		Party Incumbent since CPVI
(2022)[3] 		District map
At-large
Lisa Blunt Rochester
(Wilmington) 		Democratic January 3, 2017 D+7

United States Senate

Main article: List of United States senators from Delaware

The alternating grey and white boxes indicate the duration of the six-year Senate terms.

Class I senator Congress Class II senator
George Read (PA) 1st (1789–1791) Richard Bassett (AA)
2nd (1791–1793) Richard Bassett (PA)
3rd (1793–1795) John Vining (PA)[4]
Henry Latimer (PA)
Henry Latimer (F) 4th (1795–1797)
5th (1797–1799)
Joshua Clayton (F)[5]
William H. Wells (F)[6]
6th (1799–1801)
Samuel White (F) 7th (1801–1803)
8th (1803–1805)
9th (1805–1807) James A. Bayard (F)
10th (1807–1809)
Outerbridge Horsey (F) 11th (1809–1811)
12th (1811–1813)
13th (1813–1815) William H. Wells (F)
14th (1815–1817)
15th (1817–1819) Nicholas Van Dyke (F)
16th (1819–1821)
vacant 17th (1821–1823)
Caesar A. Rodney (DR)
vacant
18th (1823–1825)
Thomas Clayton (F)
Thomas Clayton (NR) 19th (1825–1827) Daniel Rodney (NR)
Louis McLane (J) 20th (1827–1829) Henry M. Ridgely (J)
Arnold Naudain (NR) 21st (1829–1831) John M. Clayton (NR)
22nd (1831–1833)
23rd (1833–1835)
Richard H. Bayard (NR) 24th (1835–1837)
Thomas Clayton (NR)
Richard H. Bayard (W) 25th (1837–1839) Thomas Clayton (W)
26th (1839–1841)
vacant
Richard H. Bayard (W) 27th (1841–1843)
28th (1843–1845)
John M. Clayton (W) 29th (1845–1847)
30th (1847–1849) Presley Spruance (W)
John Wales (W) 31st (1849–1851)
James A. Bayard Jr. (D) 32nd (1851–1853)
33rd (1853–1855) John M. Clayton (W)
34th (1855–1857) Joseph P. Comegys (W)
35th (1857–1859) Martin W. Bates (D)
36th (1859–1861) Willard Saulsbury Sr. (D)
37th (1861–1863)
George R. Riddle (D) 38th (1863–1865)
39th (1865–1867)
James A. Bayard Jr. (D) 40th (1867–1869)
Thomas F. Bayard (D) 41st (1869–1871)
42nd (1871–1873) Eli Saulsbury (D)
43rd (1873–1875)
44th (1875–1877)
45th (1877–1879)
46th (1879–1881)
47th (1881–1883)
48th (1883–1885)
George Gray (D) 49th (1885–1887)
50th (1887–1889)
51st (1889–1891) Anthony Higgins (R)
52nd (1891–1893)
53rd (1893–1895)
54th (1895–1897) vacant
55th (1897–1899) Richard R. Kenney (D)
vacant 56th (1899–1901)
57th (1901–1903) vacant
L. Heisler Ball (R) 58th (1903–1905) J. Frank Allee (R)
vacant 59th (1905–1907)
Henry A. du Pont (R)
60th (1907–1909) Harry A. Richardson (R)
61st (1909–1911)
62nd (1911–1913)
63rd (1913–1915) Willard Saulsbury Jr. (D)
64th (1915–1917)
Josiah O. Wolcott (D) 65th (1917–1919)
66th (1919–1921) L. Heisler Ball (R)
T. Coleman du Pont (R) 67th (1921–1923)
Thomas F. Bayard Jr. (D) 68th (1923–1925)
69th (1925–1927) T. Coleman du Pont (R)
70th (1927–1929)
John G. Townsend Jr. (R) 71st (1929–1931) Daniel O. Hastings (R)
72nd (1931–1933)
73rd (1933–1935)
74th (1935–1937)
75th (1937–1939) James H. Hughes (D)
76th (1939–1941)
James M. Tunnell (D) 77th (1941–1943)
78th (1943–1945) C. Douglass Buck (R)
79th (1945–1947)
John J. Williams (R) 80th (1947–1949)
81st (1949–1951) J. Allen Frear Jr. (D)
82nd (1951–1953)
83rd (1953–1955)
84th (1955–1957)
85th (1957–1959)
86th (1959–1961)
87th (1961–1963) J. Caleb Boggs (R)
88th (1963–1965)
89th (1965–1967)
90th (1967–1969)
91st (1969–1971)
William Roth (R) 92nd (1971–1973)
93rd (1973–1975) Joe Biden (D)[7]
94th (1975–1977)
95th (1977–1979)
96th (1979–1981)
97th (1981–1983)
98th (1983–1985)
99th (1985–1987)
100th (1987–1989)
101st (1989–1991)
102nd (1991–1993)
103rd (1993–1995)
104th (1995–1997)
105th (1997–1999)
106th (1999–2001)
Tom Carper (D) 107th (2001–2003)
108th (2003–2005)
109th (2005–2007)
110th (2007–2009)
111th (2009–2011)
Ted Kaufman (D)
Chris Coons (D)
112th (2011–2013)
113th (2013–2015)
114th (2015–2017)
115th (2017–2019)
116th (2019–2021)
117th (2021–2023)
118th (2023–2025)

United States House of Representatives

Main article: List of United States representatives from Delaware

In Delaware all representatives have been elected statewide at-large, rather than by district. Delaware has always had one seat apportioned to it, except for the 13th through 17th Congresses (1813–1823), when it was apportioned two seats per 1810 census.

Congress At-large
1st (1789–1791) John Vining (PA)
2nd (1791–1793)
3rd (1793–1795) John Patten (AA)[8]
Henry Latimer (F)[9]
4th (1795–1797) John Patten (DR)
5th (1797–1799) James A. Bayard (F)
6th (1799–1801)
7th (1801–1803)
8th (1803–1805) Caesar Rodney (DR)
9th (1805–1807) James M. Broom (F)[10]
10th (1807–1809) Nicholas Van Dyke (F)[11]
11th (1809–1811)
12th (1811–1813) Henry M. Ridgely (F)
13th (1813–1815) At-large seat 2
Thomas Cooper (F)
14th (1815–1817) Thomas Clayton (F)
15th (1817–1819) Louis McLane (F) Willard Hall (DR)[12]
16th (1819–1821)
17th (1821–1823) Caesar A. Rodney (DR)[13]
Daniel Rodney (F)[14]
18th (1823–1825)
19th (1825–1827) Louis McLane (J)
20th (1827–1829) Kensey Johns Jr. (NR)[15]
21st (1829–1831)
22nd (1831–1833) John J. Milligan (NR)
23rd (1833–1835)
24th (1835–1837)
25th (1837–1839) John J. Milligan (W)
26th (1839–1841) Thomas Robinson Jr. (D)
27th (1841–1843) George B. Rodney (W)
28th (1843–1845)
29th (1845–1847) John W. Houston (W)
30th (1847–1849)
31st (1849–1851)
32nd (1851–1853) George R. Riddle (D)
33rd (1853–1855)
34th (1855–1857) Elisha D. Cullen (KN)
35th (1857–1859) William G. Whiteley (D)
36th (1859–1861)
37th (1861–1863) George P. Fisher (U)
38th (1863–1865) William Temple (D)[16]
Nathaniel B. Smithers (UU)[17]
39th (1865–1867) John A. Nicholson (D)
40th (1867–1869)
41st (1869–1871) Benjamin T. Biggs (D)
42nd (1871–1873)
43rd (1873–1875) James R. Lofland (R)
44th (1875–1877) James Williams (D)
45th (1877–1879)
46th (1879–1881) Edward L. Martin (D)
47th (1881–1883)
48th (1883–1885) Charles B. Lore (D)
49th (1885–1887)
50th (1887–1889) John B. Penington (D)
51st (1889–1891)
52nd (1891–1893) John W. Causey (D)
53rd (1893–1895)
54th (1895–1897) Jonathan S. Willis (R)
55th (1897–1899) L. Irving Handy (D)
56th (1899–1901) John H. Hoffecker (R)[18]
Walter O. Hoffecker (R)[19]
57th (1901–1903) L. Heisler Ball (R)[20]
58th (1903–1905) Henry A. Houston (D)
59th (1905–1907) Hiram R. Burton (R)
60th (1907–1909)
61st (1909–1911) William H. Heald (R)
62nd (1911–1913)
63rd (1913–1915) Franklin Brockson (D)
64th (1915–1917) Thomas W. Miller (R)
65th (1917–1919) Albert F. Polk (D)
66th (1919–1921) Caleb R. Layton (R)
67th (1921–1923)
68th (1923–1925) William H. Boyce (D)
69th (1925–1927) Robert G. Houston (R)
70th (1927–1929)
71st (1929–1931)
72nd (1931–1933)
73rd (1933–1935) Wilbur L. Adams (D)
74th (1935–1937) J. George Stewart (R)
75th (1937–1939) William F. Allen (D)
76th (1939–1941) George S. Williams (R)
77th (1941–1943) Philip A. Traynor (D)
78th (1943–1945) Earle D. Willey (R)
79th (1945–1947) Philip A. Traynor (D)
80th (1947–1949) J. Caleb Boggs (R)
81st (1949–1951)
82nd (1951–1953)
83rd (1953–1955) Herbert Warburton (R)
84th (1955–1957) Harris McDowell (D)
85th (1957–1959) Hal Haskell (R)
86th (1959–1961) Harris McDowell (D)
87th (1961–1963)
88th (1963–1965)
89th (1965–1967)
90th (1967–1969) William Roth (R)[21]
91st (1969–1971)
92nd (1971–1973) Pete du Pont (R)
93rd (1973–1975)
94th (1975–1977)
95th (1977–1979) Thomas Evans (R)
96th (1979–1981)
97th (1981–1983)
98th (1983–1985) Tom Carper (D)
99th (1985–1987)
100th (1987–1989)
101st (1989–1991)
102nd (1991–1993)
103rd (1993–1995) Mike Castle (R)
104th (1995–1997)
105th (1997–1999)
106th (1999–2001)
107th (2001–2003)
108th (2003–2005)
109th (2005–2007)
110th (2007–2009)
111th (2009–2011)
112th (2011–2013) John Carney (D)
113th (2013–2015)
114th (2015–2017)
115th (2017–2019) Lisa Blunt Rochester (D)
116th (2019–2021)
117th (2021–2023)
118th (2023–2025)

Key

Anti-Administration (AA)
Democratic (D)
Democratic-Republican (DR)
Federalist (F)
Pro-Administration (PA)
Jacksonian (J)
Know Nothing (KN)
National Republican (NR)
Republican (R)
Unionist (U)
Unconditional Unionist (UU)
Whig (W)

See also

References

  1. ^ "2022 Cook PVI: State Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  2. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  3. ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  4. ^ Resigned January 19, 1798
  5. ^ Elected to fill vacancy left by Vining's resignation, died August 11, 1798
  6. ^ Elected to fill vacancy left by Clayton's death
  7. ^ Resigned upon being elected Vice-President
  8. ^ Contested election, served until February 14, 1794, when a successor was selected.
  9. ^ Successfully contested election of John Patten, seated February 14, 1794; resigned February 7, 1795 to become U.S. Senator.
  10. ^ Resigned October 6, 1807, before Tenth Congress assembled.
  11. ^ Elected to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of James M. Broom, seated December 2, 1807.
  12. ^ Resigned January 22, 1821.
  13. ^ Resigned January 24, 1822 to become U.S. Senator.
  14. ^ Elected to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Caesar A. Rodney, seated December 2, 1822.
  15. ^ Elected to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Louis McLane in the preceding Congress, seated December 3, 1827.
  16. ^ Died May 28, 1863, before Congress assembled.
  17. ^ Elected to fill vacancy caused by the death of William Temple, seated December 7, 1863.
  18. ^ Died June 16, 1900.
  19. ^ Elected to fill vacancy caused by the death of John H. Hoffecker, seated December 3, 1900.
  20. ^ Resigned March 3, 1903, to become U.S. Senator.
  21. ^ Resigned December 31, 1970 to become U.S. Senator.

External links

Delaware's current delegation to the United States Congress
Government of Delaware
State of Delaware
Lists of United States congressional delegations
Categories