Republican Conference Chairman of the United States Senate

The Republican conference of the United States Senate chooses a conference chairperson. The office was created in the mid-19th century with the founding of the Republican party. The office of "party floor leader" was not created until 1925, and for twenty years, the Senate's Republican conference chairman was also the floor leader.

In recent years, the conference chair has come to be regarded as the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, behind the floor leader and whip. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The conference chairman manages the private meetings to elect floor leaders, handles distribution of committee assignments and helps set legislative priorities. The modern version drives the conference’s message, with broadcast studios for television and radio." [1]

List of Republican Conference Chairmen and Chairwomen in the United States Senate

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Dates Name State Notes
-1862 John P. Hale New Hampshire  
1862-1884 Henry B. Anthony Rhode Island  
1884-1885 John Sherman Ohio  
1885-1891 George Edmunds Vermont  
1891-1897 John Sherman Ohio  
1897-1908 William B. Allison Iowa  
1908-1911 Eugene Hale Maine  
1911-1913 Shelby Cullom Illinois  
1913-1918 Jacob H. Gallinger New Hampshire  
1918-1924 Henry Cabot Lodge I Massachusetts  
1924-1929 Charles Curtis Kansas Also Republican floor leader from 1925
1929-1933 James E. Watson Indiana Also Republican floor leader
1933-1944 Charles L. McNary Oregon Also Republican floor leader
1945-1946 Arthur H. Vandenberg Michigan  
1947-1956 Eugene D. Millikin Colorado  
1957-1966 Leverett Saltonstall Massachusetts  
1967-1972 Margaret Chase Smith Maine  
1973-1974 Norris Cotton New Hampshire  
1975-1978 Carl T. Curtis Nebraska  
1979-1980 Bob Packwood Oregon  
1981-1984 James A. McClure Idaho  
1985-1990 John Chafee Rhode Island  
1991-1996 Thad Cochran Mississippi  
1997-2001 Connie Mack III Florida  
2001-2007 Rick Santorum Pennsylvania  
2007 Jon L. Kyl Arizona  
2007-2011 Lamar Alexander Tennessee  
2012- John Thune South Dakota  

See also

References