The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ex officio president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, 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, since July 26, 2018, is Karen Spilka, a Democrat from Ashland. Democrats have had a majority in the Senate since 1959.Boston Globe, September 21, 1988 Notable former presidents of the Massachusetts Senate include U.S. president Calvin Coolidge.
List of presidents of the Massachusetts Senate # President Picture Term Party Notes1stThomas CushingOctober 25, 1780 – November 4, 1780Cushing was elected as the first president of the Massachusetts Senate, he resigned on November 4, 1780, because he was elected the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.2ndJeremiah PowellNovember 4, 1780 – 17823rdSamuel Adams1782–17854thSamuel Phillips1785–871788–18011801–02F5thSamuel Adams1787–17886thDavid Cobb1801–021802–05FServed as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's at-large congressional seat from March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1795.7thHarrison Gray Otis1805–06 F8thJohn Bacon1806–1807DR9thSamuel Dana1807–1808 DR10thHarrison Gray Otis1808–1811F11thSamuel Dana1811–1813DR12thJohn Phillips1813–1823Served as the first Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. 13thNathaniel Silsbee1823–1826F14thJohn Mills1826–182815thSherman Leland1828–182916thSamuel Lathrop1829–1831F17thJames Fowler1830–183118thLeverett Saltonstall1831W19thWilliam Thorndike183220thBenjamin T. Pickman1833–183521stGeorge Bliss183522ndHorace Mann1836–1837W23rdMyron Lawrence1838–1839W24thDaniel P. King1840–1841W25thJosiah Quincy Jr.1842W26th Phineas W. Leland1843D27thFrederick Robinson1843D28th Josiah Quincy Jr.1844W29thLevi Lincoln Jr.1845DR30th William B. Calhoun1846–1847W31st Zeno Scudder1848W32nd Joseph M. Bell 1849W33rd Marshall Pinckney Wilder1850W34thHenry Wilson1851–1852FSWas the 18th Vice President of the United States (1873–1875) and a Senator from Massachusetts (1855–1873). 35th Charles Henry Warren1853Whig36th Charles Edward Cook185437th Henry W. Benchley1855A38thElihu C. Baker1856A39th Charles W. Upham1857–1858WMember of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 6th district from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855.40th Charles Abner Phelps1859–1860RAlso served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1856.41stWilliam Claflin1861RAlso served as the 27th Governor of Massachusetts from 1869 to 1872, and as a member of the United States Congress from 1877 to 1881.42ndJohn Henry Clifford1862RAlso served as the Massachusetts Attorney General and, from 1853 to 1854, as the 21st Governor of Massachusetts.43rdJonathan E. Field1863–1865R44thJoseph Adams Pond1866 – October 28, 1867Died in office at age 40.45thGeorge O. Brastow1868–1869Also served as a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council, and as the first Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts.46thRobert Carter Pitman1869Resigned47thGeorge O. Brastow1869Also served as a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council, and as the first Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts.48thHorace Hopkins Coolidge1870–187249thGeorge B. Loring1873–1876R50thJohn B. D. Cogswell1877–1879R51stRobert R. Bishop1880–1882R52ndGeorge Glover Crocker1883R53rdGeorge A. Bruce1884RAlso served as the fourth Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts.54thAlbert E. Pillsbury1885–1886RServed as the Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1891 to 1894. Drafted original bylaws of the NAACP.55thHalsey J. Boardman1887–1888R56thHarris C. Hartwell1889R57thHenry H. Sprague1890–1891R 58thAlfred S. Pinkerton1892–1893R59thWilliam M. Butler1894–1895RAlso served as United States Senator from Massachusetts from November 13, 1924, to December 6, 1926, and was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1924 to 1928.60thGeorge P. Lawrence1896–1897R61stGeorge E. Smith1898–1900R62ndRufus A. Soule1901–1902R63rdGeorge R. Jones1903–1904R64thWilliam F. Dana1905–1906R65thWilliam D. Chapple1907–1908R66thAllen T. Treadway1909–1911RServed as a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1913, until January 3, 1945.67thLevi H. Greenwood1912–1913R68thCalvin Coolidge1914–1915RLater served as the 30th President of the United States (1923–1929).69thHenry Gordon Wells1916–1918R70thEdwin T. McKnight1919–1920R71stFrank G. Allen1921–1924RAlso was the 51st Governor of Massachusetts.72ndWellington Wells1925–1928R73rdGaspar G. Bacon1929–1932R74thErland F. Fish1933–1934R75thJames G. Moran1935–1936RElected by 19 Democrats and 1 Republican.76thSamuel H. Wragg 1937–1938R77thJoseph R. Cotton 1939–1940R78thAngier L. Goodwin 1941R79thJarvis Hunt 1942–1944R80thArthur W. Coolidge 1945–1946R81stDonald W. Nicholson1947R82ndHarris S. Richardson 1948R83rdChester A. Dolan Jr.1949DHarris S. Richardson 1950R84thRichard I. Furbush 1951–1956R85thNewland H. Holmes 1957–1958R86thJohn E. Powers1959–1964D87thMaurice A. Donahue1964–1971D88thKevin B. Harrington 1971–1978D89thWilliam Bulger1978–1996D90thTom Birmingham1996–2003D91stRobert Travaglini2003–2007D92ndTherese Murray 2007–2015D93rdStan Rosenberg2015–2017D94thHarriette L. Chandler2017–2018D95thKaren Spilka2018–D
A = American, D = Democratic, R = Republican, W = Whig
See also List of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives List of Massachusetts General Courts
Notes
Bibliography The Massachusetts State House, p. 141-42. Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Boston, 1953.
External links Senate Rules (rules 1-5B relate to the President)