US Senate timeline
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The United States Senate Ratifies The Louisiana Purchase Treaty
On October 20, 1803, the Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty by a vote of twenty-four to seven. The agreement, which provided for the... Read more
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The U.S. Senate censures Jackson for his action in removing U.S. funds from the Bank of The United States
The U.S. Senate censured Jackson on March 28, 1834, for his action in removing U.S. funds from the Bank of the United States. When the Jacksonians... Read more
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Douglas Joins the U.S. Senate
After three years in the House of Representatives, Douglas was eager to move on to the Senate. By 1846, his base in the Illinois state legislature... Read more
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Davis Delivers Last Speech before the U.S. Senate
His renewed service in the Senate was interrupted by an illness that threatened him with the loss of his left eye. Still nominally serving in the... Read more
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Hiram Revels Becomes the First African American Elected to US Senate
At the time, the state legislature elected US senators. Revels was elected by a vote of 81 to 15 in the Mississippi State Senate to finish the term... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd is Born as Cornelius Calvin Sale, Jr
Byrd was born Cornelius Calvin Sale, Jr. in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on November 20, 1917. When he was one year old, his mother, Ada Mae... Read more
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Lyndon B. Johnson Wins Texas Senate Seat
Johnson defeats Republican candidate Jack Porter in the general election to win the Senate seat vacated by Senator W. Lee “Pappy” O'Daniel. During... Read more
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John F. Kennedy is Elected to the U.S. Senate
When he returned home, Jack was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage. With the war finally coming to an end, it... Read more
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Jimmy Carter Wins Election to the Georgia Senate
1962 October 1: Carter tells Rosalynn he plans to run for the state senate. October 16: Carter loses the primary by 139 votes to Homer Moore,... Read more
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Joe Biden wins US Senate election in Delaware
In 1969, Biden began practicing law in Wilmington, Delaware, first as a public defender and then with his own firm, Biden and Walsh. But corporate... Read more
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Joe Biden chairs US Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Biden was a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and on which he served as ranking... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Elected as Minority Leader
Senator Byrd rose from the hardscrabble hollows of West Virginia to spend 12 years as Senate Democratic leader. He was majority leader from 1977 to... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Becomes Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Byrd was the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee when the Democrats were in power from 1989 to January 6, 2009, when he stepped down... Read more
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US Congress Authorizes the Use of Force to Expel Iraqi Troops from Kuwait
On 12 January 1991 the United States Congress authorized the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait. The votes were 52-47 in the US... Read more
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Sonia Sotomayor is Confirmed to the US Court of Appeals
With complete Democratic support, and support from 25 Republican senators including Judiciary chair Orrin Hatch, Sotomayor was confirmed on October... Read more
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Hillary Rodham Clinton elected to US Senate from New York
The long-serving United States Senator from New York, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, announced his retirement in November 1998. Several prominent... Read more
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Joe Biden chairs US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Biden was also a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. In 1997, he became the ranking minority member and chaired the... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Becomes First Senator to Cast 17,000 Roll Call Votes
A new milestone was reached Thursday in the U.S. Senate, when Sen. Robert Byrd -- already the record holder for casting the most ballots in the... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Becomes Longest Serving Senator in History
On June 12, 2006, Byrd became the longest-serving member ever in the U.S. Senate - serving 47 years, five months and nine days. Read more
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Hillary Rodham Clinton re-elected to US Senate from New York
In November 2004, Clinton announced that she would seek a second Senate term. The early frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Westchester... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Admitted to Hospital After Falling at Home
On February 26, 2008, Byrd was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for observation following a fall at his home the day before. Byrd... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Readmitted to Hospital Due to Reaction from Antibiotics
On March 5, he was readmitted because of his reactions to antibiotics and the need for tests to determine a different course of medication, a... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Hospitalized due to High Temperature
Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in history, was released from the hospital today after doctors treated him for a mild infection, his... Read more
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Senator Robert Byrd Steps Down as Appropriations Committee Chairman
U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd announced today that he will step down as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee as of Jan. 6. First elected... Read more
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Governor Rod Blagojevich names Roland Burris to fill Obama's Senate Seat
I've enjoyed the limelight the past couple of days Read more