The Assistant Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate (commonly called Senate Majority and Minority Whips) are the second-ranking members of their parties in the United States Senate.
The main function of the Majority and Minority Whips is to gather votes on major issues. Because he or she is the second ranking member of the Senate, if there is no floor leader present, the whip may become acting floor leader.
Before 1969, the official titles were Majority Whip and Minority Whip.
The current Assistant Majority Leader is Democrat Richard Durbin of Illinois.
The current Assistant Minority Leader is Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona.
List of assistant leaders
(Names in Bold indicate Majority)
| Congress(es) |
Dates |
Democratic Whip |
State |
Republican Whip |
State |
| 63rd |
1913-1915 |
J. Hamilton Lewis |
Illinois |
None |
None |
| 64th |
1915 |
James Wadsworth, Jr. |
New York |
| 64th-65th |
1915-1919 |
Charles Curtis |
Kansas |
| 66th-68th |
1919-1924 |
Peter Gerry |
Rhode Island |
Charles Curtis |
Kansas |
| 68th-70th |
1924-1929 |
Wesley Jones |
Washington |
| 71st-72nd |
1929-1933 |
Morris Sheppard |
Texas |
Simeon Fess |
Ohio |
| 73rd |
1933-1935 |
J. Hamilton Lewis |
Illinois |
Felix Hebert |
Rhode Island |
| 74th-75th |
1935-1939 |
None1 |
| 76th |
1939-1941 |
Sherman Minton |
Indiana |
| 77th-78th |
1941-1944 |
Lister Hill |
Alabama |
| 78th-79th |
1944-1947 |
Kenneth Wherry |
Nebraska |
| 80th |
1947-1949 |
Scott Lucas |
Illinois |
Kenneth Wherry |
Nebraska |
| 81st |
1949-1951 |
Francis Myers |
Pennsylvania |
Leverett Saltonstall |
Massachusetts |
| 82nd |
1951-1953 |
Lyndon Johnson |
Texas |
| 83rd |
1953-1955 |
Earle Clements |
Kentucky |
Leverett Saltonstall |
Massachusetts |
| 84th |
1955-1957 |
Earle Clements |
Kentucky |
Leverett Saltonstall |
Massachusetts |
| 85th |
1957-1959 |
Michael Mansfield |
Montana |
Everett Dirksen |
Illinois |
| 86th |
1959-1961 |
Thomas Kuchel |
California |
| 87th-88th |
1961-1965 |
Hubert Humphrey |
Minnesota |
| 89th-90th |
1965-1969 |
Russell Long |
Louisiana |
| 91st |
1969 |
Hugh Scott |
Pennsylvania |
| 91st |
1969-1971 |
Ted Kennedy |
Massachusetts |
Robert Griffin |
Michigan |
| 92nd-94th |
1971-1977 |
Robert Byrd |
West Virginia |
| 95th-96th |
1977-1981 |
Alan Cranston |
California |
Ted Stevens |
Alaska |
| 97th-98th |
1981-1985 |
Alan Cranston |
California |
Ted Stevens |
Alaska |
| 99th |
1985-1987 |
Alan Simpson |
Wyoming |
| 100th-101st |
1987-1991 |
Alan Cranston |
California |
Alan Simpson |
Wyoming |
| 102nd-103rd |
1991-1995 |
Wendell Ford |
Kentucky |
| 104th |
1995-1996 |
Wendell Ford |
Kentucky |
Trent Lott |
Mississippi |
| 104th-105th |
1996-1999 |
Don Nickles |
Oklahoma |
| 106th |
1999-2001 |
Harry Reid |
Nevada |
| 107th |
January 3, 2001–
January 20, 2001 |
Harry Reid |
Nevada |
Don Nickles |
Oklahoma |
January 20, 2001–
June 6, 2001 |
Harry Reid |
Nevada |
Don Nickles |
Oklahoma |
June 6, 2001–
January 3, 2003 |
Harry Reid |
Nevada |
Don Nickles |
Oklahoma |
| 108th |
2003-2005 |
Harry Reid |
Nevada |
Mitch McConnell |
Kentucky |
| 109th |
2005-2007 |
Richard Durbin |
Illinois |
| 110th |
January 4, 2007-
December 18, 2007 |
Richard Durbin |
Illinois |
Trent Lott |
Mississippi |
December 19, 2007-
present |
Jon Kyl |
Arizona |
Notes
- ^ No Republican whips were appointed from 1935 to 1944 since only 17 Republicans were in the Senate following the landslide reelection of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. Accordingly, the minutes of the Republican Conference for the period state: "On motion of Senator Hastings, duly seconded and carried, it was agreed that no Assistant Leader or Whip be elected but that the chairman be authorized to appoint Senators from time to time to assist him in taking charge of the interests of the minority." A note attached to the conference minutes added: "The chairman of the conference, Senator McNary, apparently appointed Senator Austin of Vermont as assistant leader in 1943 and 1944, until the conference adopted Rules of Organization." Source: Party Whips, via Senate.gov
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United States Senate Majority Whips |
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