President of the Massachusetts Senate
Encyclopedia
The President of the Massachusetts Senate
is the presiding officer. In the United States Congress
, the Vice President of the United States
is the ex officio President of the United States Senate
. In Massachusetts
, however, the President of the Senate is elected from and by the Senators. The President, therefore, typically comes from the majority party, and the President is then the de facto
leader of that party.
The current President of the Massachusetts Senate
is Therese Murray
, a Democrat
. Democrats have had a majority in the Senate since 1959 .
A = American
, D = Democratic
, R = Republican
, W = Whig
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
is the presiding officer. In the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
is the ex officio President of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. In Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, however, the President of the Senate is elected from and by the Senators. The President, therefore, typically comes from the majority party, and the President is then the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
leader of that party.
The current President of the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
is Therese Murray
Therese Murray
Therese Murray is an American state legislator who has served as President of the Massachusetts Senate since March 2007. Murray, a Democrat, is the first woman to lead a house of the Massachusetts General Court...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Democrats have had a majority in the Senate since 1959 .
List of Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate
| President | Session | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Cushing Thomas Cushing Thomas Cushing III was an American lawyer and statesman from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a loyalist for Massachusetts in the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776, and the first Lt. Commander of the state from 1780 to 1788... |
1780-81 | |
| Jeremiah Powell | 1780-81 1781-82 |
|
| Samuel Adams Samuel Adams Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American... |
1781-82 1782-85 1785-86 1787-88 |
|
| Samuel Phillips Samuel Phillips, Jr. Samuel Phillips, Jr. . Merchant, manufacturer and patriot, Phillips is considered a pioneer in American education.Samuel Phillips Jr. was born in North Andover, Massachusetts... |
1785-87 1788-1801 1801-02 |
F Federalist Party (United States) The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801... |
| David Cobb David Cobb (Massachusetts) David Cobb was a Massachusetts physician, military officer, jurist, and politician who served as a U.S. Congressman for the At-large District of Massachusetts.-Biography:... |
1801-02 1802-05 |
F Federalist Party (United States) The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801... |
| Harrison Gray Otis Harrison Gray Otis (lawyer) Harrison Gray Otis , was a businessman, lawyer, and politician, becoming one of the most important leaders of the United States' first political party, the Federalists... |
1805-06 1808-11 |
F Federalist Party (United States) The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801... |
| John Bacon John Bacon (Massachusetts) John Bacon was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.John Bacon was born in Canterbury, Connecticut on April 5, 1738. Upon graduating from Princeton College he spent some time preaching in Somerset County, Maryland. On 25 September 1771 he and Mr... |
1806-07 | DR |
| Samuel Dana Samuel Dana Samuel Dana was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Groton on June 26, 1767, the son of the clergyman Samuel Dana. He attended the district school. He later studied law and was then admitted to the bar in 1789 and commenced practice in town... |
1807-08 1811-13 |
DR |
| John Phillips John Phillips (mayor) John Phillips was an American politician, serving as the first mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1822 to 1823. He was the father of abolitionist Wendell Phillips.-Biography:... |
1813-23 | |
| Nathaniel Silsbee Nathaniel Silsbee Nathanial Silsbee was an American politician from Massachusetts.Silsbee was born in Salem, Massachusetts to Capt. Nathanial Silsbee and Sarah Beckett... |
1823-26 | F Federalist Party (United States) The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801... |
| John Mills | 1826-28 | |
| Sherman Leland | 1828-29 | |
| Samuel Lathrop Samuel Lathrop Samuel Lathrop was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, Lathrop pursued classical studies and graduated from Yale College in 1792.He studied law.... |
1829-30 1830-31 |
F Federalist Party (United States) The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801... |
| James Fowler | 1830-31 | |
| Leverett Saltonstall Leverett Saltonstall I Leverett Saltonstall , was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts who also served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, President of the Massachusetts Senate, the first Mayor of Salem, Massachusetts and a Member of the Board of Overseers of... |
1831 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| William Thorndike | 1832 | |
| Benjamin T. Pickman Benjamin T. Pickman Benjamin Toppan Pickman , was a Massachusetts politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as a member and President of the Boston Common Council.... |
1833-35 | |
| George Bliss | 1835 | |
| Horace Mann Horace Mann Horace Mann was an American education reformer, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827 to 1833. He served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1834 to 1837. In 1848, after serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education since its creation, he was... |
1836-37 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Myron Lawrence | 1838-39 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Daniel P. King Daniel P. King Daniel Putnam King was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in South Danvers, Massachusetts, now Peabody, Massachusetts King pursued classical studies and graduated from Harvard University in 1823.... |
1840-41 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Josiah Quincy, Jr. Josiah Quincy, Jr. Josiah Quincy, Jr. was mayor of Boston , as was his father Josiah Quincy III and grandson Josiah Quincy . He was the author of Figures in the Past . As a member of the Massachusetts State Legislature in 1837, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Massachusetts Board of Education... |
1842, 44 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Phineas W. Leland | 1843 | D |
| Frederick Robinson | 1843 | |
| Levi Lincoln, Jr. Levi Lincoln, Jr. Levi Lincoln, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the 13th Governor of Massachusetts and represented the state in the U.S. Congress... |
1845 | DR |
| William B. Calhoun William B. Calhoun William Barron Calhoun was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.-Early life:Calhoun, the eldest child of Andrew Calhoun and Martha Calhoun, was born on December 29, 1796 in Boston, Massachusetts... |
1846-47 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Zeno Scudder Zeno Scudder Zeno Scudder was the son of Deacon Josiah and Hannah Scudder. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. He was born in Osterville, Massachusetts on August 18, 1807. He wanted to follow the sea, but a paralysis of his right leg made that impossible... |
1848 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Joseph Bell | 1849 | |
| Marshall P. Wilder Marshall P. Wilder Marshall P. Wilder was a famous actor, monologist, humorist and sketch artist who was one of the first persons with a disability to become a celebrity on his own terms.-Early life:... |
1850 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Henry Wilson Henry Wilson Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts... |
1851-52 | FS Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership... |
| Charles H. Warren | 1853 | |
| Charles Edward Cook | 1854 | |
| Henry W. Benchley Henry Wetherby Benchley Henry Wetherby Benchley was an American politician. A state senator and lieutenant governor in Massachusetts, he helped found the Republican Party in the 1850s.... |
1855 | A |
| Elihu C. Baker | 1856 | A |
| Charles W. Upham Charles Wentworth Upham Charles Wentworth Upham was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. Upham was also a member, and President of the Massachusetts State Senate, the 7th Mayor of Salem, Massachusetts, and twice a member of the Massachusetts State House of Representatives... |
1857-58 | W Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic... |
| Charles A. Phelps | 1859-60 | |
| William Claflin William Claflin William Claflin was an industrialist and philanthropist who served as the 27th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1869–1872 and as a member of the United States Congress from 1877–1881.... |
1861 | R |
| John H. Clifford John H. Clifford John Henry Clifford , U.S. political figure, was the 21st Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a single term, from 1853 to 1854.... |
1862 | R |
| Jonathan E. Field | 1863-65 | R |
| Joseph A. Pond | 1866-October 24, 1867 | |
| George O. Brastow George O. Brastow George Oliver Brastow was a Massachusetts businessman and politician who served as a member and President of the Massachusetts Senate, as a member of the Governor's Council, and as the first Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts.-Military service:Before the American Civil War Brastow was the... |
1868, 69 | |
| Robert Carter Pitman Robert Carter Pitman Robert Carter Pitman was a Superior Court judge in Massachusetts, a temperance advocate, and a legislator in the Massachusetts General Court.... |
1869 | |
| Horace H. Coolidge | 1870-72 | |
| George B. Loring George B. Loring George Bailey Loring was a Member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.He attended Franklin Academy at Andover, Massachusetts and later briefly taught school. He graduated from Harvard University in 1838 and from the Harvard medical school in 1842. He practiced medicine... |
1873-76 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| John B. D. Cogswell | 1877-79 | R |
| Robert R. Bishop | 1880-82 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| George G. Crocker | 1883 | R |
| George A. Bruce George A. Bruce George Anson Bruce was a Massachusetts politician who served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives on the Board of Aldermen, and as the fourth Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts, and as a member and President of the Massachusetts Senate.-Early life:Bruce was born to Nathaniel... |
1884 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| Albert E. Pillsbury Albert E. Pillsbury Albert Enoch Pillsbury was a Boston lawyer who served in both houses of the Massachusetts legislature, President of the Massachusetts State Senate, and as the Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1891 to 1894... |
1885-86 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| Halsey J. Boardman | 1887-88 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| Harris C. Hartwell | 1889 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| Henry H. Sprague | 1890-91 | R |
| Alfred S. Pinkerton | 1892-93 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| William M. Butler William M. Butler William Morgan Butler was a lawyer and legislator for the State of Massachusetts, and a United States Senator.... |
1894-95 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| George P. Lawrence George P. Lawrence George Pelton Lawrence was a United States Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Adams, Massachusetts, Lawrence graduated from Drury Academy in 1876 and from Amherst College in 1880. He studied law at the Columbia Law School, was admitted to the bar in 1883 and commenced practice in North Adams... |
1896-97 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| George E. Smith | 1898–1900 | R |
| Rufus A. Soule | 1901-02 | R Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
| George R. Jones | 1903-04 | R |
| William F. Dana | 1905-06 | R |
| William D. Chapple | 1907-08 | R |
| Allen T. Treadway Allen T. Treadway Allen Towner Treadway was a Massachusetts Republican who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as a member, and President of, the Massachusetts Senate and a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1913 until January 3, 1945... |
1909-11 | R |
| Levi H. Greenwood Levi H. Greenwood Levi Heywood Greenwood was a businessman and Republican politician from Massachusetts in the and early 20th century. He was the father of former Fitchburg Mayor Robert E. Greenwood.-Early years:... |
1912-13 | R |
| Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
1914-15 | R |
| Henry Gordon Wells Henry Gordon Wells Henry Gordon Wells was a lawyer and a Republican politician in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.Wells was born on October 12, 1879 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to George Henry and Hannah Ada Wells. He attended Haverhill, Massachusetts public schools... |
1916-18 | R |
| Edwin T. McKnight | 1919-20 | R |
| Frank G. Allen Frank G. Allen Frank G. Allen was a Governor of Massachusetts.Allen was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on October 6, 1874. A businessman and executive with the Winslow Brothers & Smith Company from 1893, he rose to become the company's president from 1912 to 1929, and was married to Clara Winslow in 1897.He entered... |
1921-24 | R |
| Wellington Wells Wellington Wells Wellington Wells was a Massachusetts politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1925 to 1928.... |
1925-28 | R |
| Gaspar G. Bacon Gaspar G. Bacon Gaspar Griswold Bacon, Sr. was on the board of Harvard University, President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1929 to 1932 and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1933 to 1935.-Biography:... |
1929-32 | R |
| Erland F. Fish | 1933-34 | R |
| James G. Moran | 1935-36 | R |
| Samuel H. Wragg | 1937-38 | R |
| Joseph R. Cotton | 1939-40 | R |
| Angier L. Goodwin | 1941 | R |
| Jarvis Hunt | 1942-44 | R |
| Arthur W. Coolidge Arthur W. Coolidge Arthur William Coolidge was a Massachusetts politician who served multiple positions within the state government.... |
1945-46 | R |
| Donald W. Nicholson Donald W. Nicholson Donald William Nicholson was a 20th century American politician from the state of Massachusetts. Born in Wareham, Massachusetts, he attended the public schools and took college extension courses. He first worked as a salesman, then during the First World War served overseas in the United States... |
1947 | R |
| Harris S. Richardson | 1948, 50 | R |
| Chester A. Dolan, Jr. | 1949 | D |
| Richard I. Furbush | 1951-56 | R |
| Newland H. Holmes Newland H. Holmes Newland H. Holmes was a Massachusetts politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1957 to 1958. He was born in Brockton, Massachusetts.... |
1957-58 | R |
| John E. Powers John E. Powers John E. Powers was an American politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1959 to 1964.... |
1959-64 | D |
| Maurice A. Donahue Maurice A. Donahue Maurice A. Donahue is an American politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1964 to 1971.... |
1964-71 | D |
| Kevin B. Harrington Kevin B. Harrington Kevin Brian Harrington was an American politician who served as President of the Massachusetts State Senate.... |
1971-78 | D |
| William M. Bulger William M. Bulger William Michael "Billy" Bulger is a retired American Democratic Party politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts, who for many years was President of the Massachusetts Senate and president of the University of Massachusetts... |
1978-96 | D |
| Thomas Birmingham | 1996–2003 | D |
| Robert Travaglini Robert Travaglini Robert E. Travaglini is a former President of the Massachusetts Senate. He represented the First Middlesex and Suffolk senatorial district, encompassing portions of Boston, Revere, Winthrop and Cambridge.... |
2003-07 | D |
| Therese Murray Therese Murray Therese Murray is an American state legislator who has served as President of the Massachusetts Senate since March 2007. Murray, a Democrat, is the first woman to lead a house of the Massachusetts General Court... |
2007- | D |
A = American
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
, D = Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, R = Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, W = Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
External links
- Senate Rules (rules 1-5B relate to the President)