Famous Congressional Representatives a to z

Bella Abzug was a leading liberal activist and politician in the 1960s and 1970s, especially known for her work for women’s rights.

John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States. He was also the eldest son of President John Adams, the second U.S. president.

Todd Akin is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 2nd District, best known for his controversial statement on abortion made during his 2012 senate bid.

James Mitchell Ashley was best known as a U.S. congressman and abolitionist who laid the foundation to pass the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery.

In 2011, Kelly Ayotte was elected to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate, after previously serving as the state's attorney general.

Michele Bachmann is a congresswoman best known for her conservative Tea Party politics, and her candidacy for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Tammy Baldwin is the first openly gay politician elected to the U.S. Senate. She is also Wisconsin's first congresswoman.

Edward Bates was a 19th century politician and lawyer who served as U.S. attorney general under President Abraham Lincoln.

John Bell was elected Tennessee senator in 1847, serving in the Senate until 1859. He was also a U.S. presidential nominee on the eve of the American Civil War.

Former Delaware Senator Joe Biden was elected the 47th U.S. vice president with President Barack Obama in 2008. He earned a second term as vice president when Obama was re-elected to the presidency in 2012.

Montgomery Blair was a 19th century lawyer and politician who represented Dred Scott and served as Abraham Lincoln's postmaster general.

John Boehner is best known as the Republican Speaker of the House, beginning in January 2011.

Musician and politician Sonny Bono was once wed to singer Cher and in 1994 was elected to U.S. Congress as a representative from California.

Republican Scott Brown was elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate in 2010.

Formerly enslaved, Blanche K. Bruce made history as the first African American to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate.

James Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States. He served from 1857 to 1861, during the build-up to the Civil War.

Aaron Burr was the third vice president of the United States, serving under President Thomas Jefferson. Burr fatally shot his rival, Alexander Hamilton, during a duel.

The 41st president of the United States, George H.W. Bush served as vice president under Ronald Reagan. He is the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd president.

John C. Calhoun was an American congressman, secretary of war, seventh vice president, senator and secretary of state. He championed states' rights and slavery.

Simon Cameron was a Pennsylvania senator who later served as President Abraham Lincoln's secretary of war.

As Secretary of the Treasury under Lincoln, Salmon P. Chase implemented the National Banking Act and was the sixth chief justice of the Supreme Court.

Samuel Chase was an associate Supreme Court justice until he was impeached. His political views gradually turned from support of states’ rights to Federalism.

Shirley Chisholm was the first black congresswoman, and the first African-American woman to make a bid for the U.S. Presidency.

Henry Clay was an American statesman. He promoted several major governmental compromises to balance the rights of free and slave states.

Gary Condit served in the U.S. House of Representatives and is considered a conservative Democrat. He was inconclusively linked to the disappearance of federal intern Chandra Levy.

Davy Crockett was a frontiersman, legendary folk hero and three-time Congressman. He fought in the War of 1812 and died at the Alamo in the Texas Revolution.

Tom Delay was Republican majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives who was convicted of money laundering charges in 2010.

A controversial figure, U.S. Congressman Martin Dies, Jr. led the Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities from 1937 to 1944, targeting alleged communists.

Bob Dole is a former member of the U.S. House (1961-69) and U.S. Senate (1969-96) from Kansas. In 1996, he was the Republican Party's candidate for the presidency.

Stephen A. Douglas was a 19th century U.S. senator known for the Freeport Doctrine and who ran for president against Abraham Lincoln.

Tammy Duckworth is the first Asian-American congresswoman for Illinois and the first disabled female veteran to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

John Edwards served in the U.S. Senate from 1998 to 2004. He was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in the 2004 election, and twice ran for president.

Charles W. Fairbanks was a U.S. attorney and senator who was the country’s 26th vice president under Theodore Roosevelt.

Dianne Feinstein is a United States senator from California and a former mayor of San Francisco.

Geraldine A. Ferraro was a member of Congress and the first woman to run for the U.S. vice presidency on a major party platform.

William Findley's long political career began after the Revolutionary War. He believed in limiting the power of government in order to protect people's rights.

When Carly Fiorina was hired as Hewlett-Packard's CEO, she was the first woman to take control of a Fortune 100 company.

Gerald Ford became the 38th president of the United States following Richard Nixon's resignation, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal.

Barney Frank is the first U.S. Congressman to voluntarily announce his homosexuality. He is also known for his work on the 2008 American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act.

Al Franken is the junior senator of Minnesota who first gained notice as a comedian and political satirist during his long tenure on Saturday Night Live.

James Garfield is best known as the 20th president of the United States. He was assassinated after only a few months in office.

Gabrielle Giffords was an Arizona congresswoman. She made headlines when she became the victim of an assassination attempt, from which she later recovered.

Kirsten Gillibrand is a U.S. lawyer and politician from New York who's served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

With his "Contract with America," former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich established his position as the head of the anti-Clinton Republican wave in 1994.

Rudy Giuliani is a former major of New York City who served during the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001.

John Glenn was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth, completing three orbits in 1962. He has also served as an Ohio senator.

Barry Goldwater was an American politician best known as a senator from Arizona and the Republican candidate for president in 1964.

Fred Grandy played Gopher on the 1970s television show The Love Boat. He was also an Iowa congressman and the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries.

Mike Gravel is a former U.S. senator from Alaska, known for his efforts to end the draft during the Vietnam War and for releasing the Pentagon Papers.

Chuck Hagel cofounded Vanguard Cellular Systems, is a former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, and was nominated for U.S. secretary of defense by Barack Obama.

Hannibal Hamlin was a 19th century U.S. senator who became the country’s 15th vice president, serving under Abraham Lincoln.

John Hancock was an 18th century U.S. merchant who was president of the Continental Congress and the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Warren G. Harding was elected the 29th U.S. president on his birthday, and served from 1921 to 1923. His term followed World War I and a campaign promising a "return to normalcy."

William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States (1841) and the first to die in office.

Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president of the United States and oversaw the end of the rebuilding efforts of the Reconstruction.

Republican, Jesse Helms was a United States Senator from North Carolina who served for five terms (1973-2003). He was known for his right-wing politics and opposition to civil rights legislation.

Patrick Henry was a brilliant orator and a major figure of the American Revolution, perhaps best known for his words "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Mazie Hirono is the first Asian-American female, Buddhist and Japan-born U.S. senator.

Hubert H. Humphrey was an assistant majority leader of the Senate who became the 38th U.S. vice president under Lyndon B. Johnson.

Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter was first elected to represent the San Diego area in 1980. He failed to gain his party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He is known for founding the Democratic Party and for his support of individual liberty.

Jesse Jackson Jr. is the son of the famous Reverend Jesse Jackson. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2012.

Barbara Jordan was a U.S. congressional representative from Texas and was the first African American congresswoman to come from the Deep South.

John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. president, negotiated the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and initiated the Alliance for Progress. He was assassinated in 1963.

A part of the famed American political dynasty, Joseph P. Kennedy became the latest member of his family to win public office in 2012. He won a seat to the U.S. House of Representatives, taking over for the retiring Barney Frank.

Known as the “Lion of the Senate,” Democrat Ted Kennedy was a staunch liberal who was elected to Congress 9 times, spearheading many legislative reforms.

Senator John Kerry has supported free trade, expansive foreign and military policy and education spending. In 2004, he was a democratic presidential nominee.

Rufus King was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts best known as one of the framers and signers of the constitution.

Tom Lantos was a 14-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of California, as well as the first and only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress.

Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia who made the motion for independence from Great Britain at the Second Continental Congress.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He preserved the Union during the U.S. Civil War and brought about the emancipation of slaves.

Henry Cabot Lodge was an American politician from Massachusetts and the first U.S. Senate majority leader.