List of United States senators from South Dakota explained

South Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, and elects U.S. senators to class 2 and class 3. Its current U.S. senators are Republicans John Thune (since 2005) and Mike Rounds (since 2015). Karl E. Mundt is South Dakota's longest-serving senator (1948–1973). South Dakota is one of fifteen states alongside Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Utah to have a younger senior senator and an older junior senator.

List of senators

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=6 | 1| rowspan=6 align=left |
Richard Pettigrew| rowspan=4 | Republican| rowspan=6 nowrap | Nov 2, 1889 –
Mar 3, 1901| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1889.| rowspan=3 | 1| | 1| Elected in 1889.Lost re-election.| nowrap | Nov 2, 1889 –
Mar 3, 1891| | Republican| align=right |
Gideon C. Moody! 1

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 2| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1891.^[1]

| rowspan=6 nowrap | Mar 4, 1891 –
Jul 1, 1901| | Independent| rowspan=6 align=right |
James H. Kyle! rowspan=6 | 2

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=4 | Populist

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1894.Lost re-election.| rowspan=3 | 2|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=2 | Silver
Republican| | rowspan=5 | 3| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1897.^[2] Died.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=8 | 2| rowspan=8 align=left |
Robert J. Gamble| rowspan=8 | Republican| rowspan=8 nowrap | Mar 4, 1901 –
Mar 3, 1913| rowspan=5 | Elected in 1901.^[3] | rowspan=5 | 3| | | Republican

|- style="height:2em"|  | nowrap | Jul 1, 1901 –
Jul 11, 1901| colspan=3 | Vacant

|- style="height:2em"| Appointed to continue Kyle's term.Elected in 1903 to finish Kyle's term.^[4] | rowspan=4 nowrap | Jul 11, 1901 –
Mar 3, 1909| rowspan=4 | Republican| rowspan=4 align=right |
Alfred B. Kittredge! rowspan=4 | 3

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 4| rowspan=3 | Elected to a full term in 1903.^[5] Lost renomination.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1907.Lost renomination.| rowspan=3 | 4|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 5| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1909.Lost renomination.| rowspan=3 nowrap | Mar 4, 1909 –
Mar 3, 1915| rowspan=3 | Republican| rowspan=3 align=right |
Coe Crawford! rowspan=3 | 4

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=6 | 3| rowspan=6 align=left |
Thomas Sterling| rowspan=6 | Republican| rowspan=6 nowrap | Mar 4, 1913 –
Mar 3, 1925| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1913.| rowspan=3 | 5|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 6| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1914.Retired.| rowspan=3 nowrap | Mar 4, 1915 –
Mar 3, 1921| rowspan=3 | Democratic| rowspan=3 align=right |
Edwin S. Johnson! rowspan=3 | 5

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1918.Lost renomination.| rowspan=3 | 6|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 7| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1920.| rowspan=8 nowrap | Mar 4, 1921 –
Dec 20, 1936| rowspan=8 | Republican| rowspan=8 align=right |
Peter Norbeck! rowspan=8 | 6

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=3 | 4| rowspan=3 align=left |
William McMaster| rowspan=3 | Republican| rowspan=3 nowrap | Mar 4, 1925 –
Mar 3, 1931| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1924.Lost re-election.| rowspan=3 | 7|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 8| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1926.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=9 | 5| rowspan=9 align=left |
William J. Bulow| rowspan=9 | Democratic| rowspan=9 nowrap | Mar 4, 1931 –
Jan 3, 1943| rowspan=5 | Elected in 1930.| rowspan=5 | 8|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=6 | 9| rowspan=2 | Re-elected in 1932.Died.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"|  | nowrap | Dec 20, 1936 –
Dec 29, 1936| colspan=3 | Vacant

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=2 | Appointed to continue Norbeck's term.Lost nomination to a full term.| rowspan=2 nowrap | Dec 29, 1936 –
Nov 8, 1938| rowspan=2 | Democratic| rowspan=2 align=right |
Herbert Hitchcock! rowspan=2 | 7

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=4 | Re-elected in 1936.Lost renomination.| rowspan=4 | 9|

|- style="height:2em"| Elected to finish Norbeck's term.Retired.| nowrap | Nov 9, 1938 –
Jan 3, 1939| | Republican| align=right |
Gladys Pyle! 8

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 10| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1938.| rowspan=10 nowrap | Jan 3, 1939 –
Jan 3, 1951| rowspan=10 | Republican| rowspan=10 align=right |
Chan Gurney! rowspan=10 | 9

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=3 | 6| rowspan=3 align=left |
Harlan J. Bushfield| rowspan=3 | Republican| rowspan=3 nowrap | Jan 3, 1943 –
Sep 27, 1948| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1942.Died.| rowspan=7 | 10|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=7 | 11| rowspan=7 | Re-elected in 1944.Lost renomination.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| colspan=3 | Vacant| nowrap | Sep 27, 1948 –
Oct 6, 1948|  

|- style="height:2em"! 7| align=left |
Vera C. Bushfield| | Republican| nowrap | Oct 6, 1948 –
Dec 26, 1948| Appointed to finish her husband's term.Resigned when successor appointed.

|- style="height:2em"| colspan=3 | Vacant| nowrap | Dec 26, 1948 –
Dec 31, 1948|  

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=15 | 8| rowspan=15 align=left |
Karl Mundt| rowspan=15 | Republican| rowspan=15 nowrap | Dec 31, 1948 –
Jan 3, 1973| Appointed to finish Bushfield's term, having been elected to the next term.

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1948| rowspan=3 | 11|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 12| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1950.| rowspan=6 nowrap | Jan 3, 1951 –
Jun 22, 1962| rowspan=6 | Republican| rowspan=6 align=right |
Francis Case! rowspan=6 | 10

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1954.| rowspan=3 | 12|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=5 | 13| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1956.Died.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=5 | Re-elected in 1960.| rowspan=5 | 13|

|- style="height:2em"|  | nowrap | Jun 22, 1962 –
Jul 9, 1962| colspan=3 | Vacant

|- style="height:2em"| Appointed to finish Case's term.Lost election to full term.| nowrap | Jul 9, 1962 –
Jan 3, 1963| | Republican| align=right |
Joe Bottum! 11

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 14| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1962.| rowspan=9 nowrap | Jan 3, 1963 –
Jan 3, 1981| rowspan=9 | Democratic| rowspan=9 align=right |
George McGovern! rowspan=9 | 12

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1966.Retired.| rowspan=3 | 14|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 15| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1968.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=3 | 9| rowspan=3 align=left |
James Abourezk| rowspan=3 | Democratic| rowspan=3 nowrap | Jan 3, 1973 –
Jan 3, 1979| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1972.Retired.| rowspan=3 | 15|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 16| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1974.Lost re-election.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=9 | 10| rowspan=9 align=left |
Larry Pressler| rowspan=9 | Republican| rowspan=9 nowrap | Jan 3, 1979 –
Jan 3, 1997| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1978.| rowspan=3 | 16|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 17| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1980.Lost re-election.| rowspan=3 nowrap | Jan 3, 1981 –
Jan 3, 1987| rowspan=3 | Republican| rowspan=3 align=right |
James Abdnor! rowspan=3 | 13

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1984.| rowspan=3 | 17|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 18| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1986.| rowspan=9 nowrap | Jan 3, 1987 –
Jan 3, 2005| rowspan=9 | Democratic| rowspan=9 align=right |
Tom Daschle! rowspan=9 | 14

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1990.Lost re-election.| rowspan=3 | 18|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 19| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1992.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=9 | 11| rowspan=9 align=left |
Tim Johnson| rowspan=9 | Democratic| rowspan=9 nowrap | Jan 3, 1997 –
Jan 3, 2015| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1996.| rowspan=3 | 19|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 20| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 1998.Lost re-election.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 2002.| rowspan=3 | 20|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 21| rowspan=3 | Elected in 2004.| rowspan=12 nowrap | Jan 3, 2005 –
present| rowspan=12 | Republican| rowspan=12 align=right |
John Thune! rowspan=12 | 15

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 2008.Retired.| rowspan=3 | 21|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 22| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 2010.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"! rowspan=6 | 12| rowspan=6 align=left |
Mike Rounds| rowspan=6 | Republican| rowspan=6 nowrap | Jan 3, 2015 –
present| rowspan=3 | Elected in 2014.| rowspan=3 | 22|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3 | 23| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 2016.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 2020.| rowspan=3 | 23|

|- style="height:2em"| | rowspan=3|24| rowspan=3 | Re-elected in 2022.

|- style="height:2em"|

|- style="height:2em"| rowspan=2 colspan=5 | To be determined in the 2026 election.| rowspan=2| 24|

|- style="height:2em"| | 25| colspan=5 | To be determined in the 2028 election.

See also

• United States congressional delegations from South Dakota
• List of United States representatives from South Dakota
• Elections in South Dakota

Notes and References

1. News: . February 17, 1891 . SENATOR JAMES H. KYLE. . 5 .
2. News: . February 19, 1897 . SENATOR KYLE RE-ELECTED. . 3 .
3. News: . January 23, 1901 . R.J. Gamble Succeeds Pettigrew . 5.
4. Book: Journal of the Senate of the South Dakota Legislature Commencing January 6, 1903, Eighth Session . . 1903 . 298.
5. Book: Journal of the Senate of the South Dakota Legislature Commencing January 6, 1903, Eighth Session . . 1903 . 299.