legislators with many nonconsecutive terms?

[Bacon King]

I just found this Federalist from North Carolina with an amusing electoral history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Culpepper

He served in the US House for the following periods of time:

March 4, 1807 – January 2, 1808
February 23, 1808 – March 3, 1809
March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1817
March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821
March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825
March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1829

Served in the US House on six different occasions. Is there anyone who beats that record, and was elected more times as a nonincumbent?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

John Sherman Cooper has served three non-consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate (representing Kentucky). And each time it was the same seat.

1946-1949
1952-1955
1956-1973

[kcguy]

Not exactly the question asked, but I have a few favorites:

Slade Gorton was a U.S. Senator from Washington State (1981-1987, 1989-2001).  He was not only elected to both of the state's senate seats, but he was also defeated for re-election in both of the state's senate seats.  I don't know if he's the only one who did this, but there can't be many.

Jeannette Rankin was U.S. Representative from Montana, who served two terms in the House.  In her first term, she voted against entering WWI.  In her second term, she voted against entering WWII.

Cecil Underwood was a two-term Governor of West Virginia.  He holds the distinction of being both the state's youngest and oldest governor.

[Bacon King]

Not exactly the question asked, but I have a few favorites:

Slade Gorton was a U.S. Senator from Washington State (1981-1987, 1989-2001).  He was not only elected to both of the state's senate seats, but he was also defeated for re-election in both of the state's senate seats.  I don't know if he's the only one who did this, but there can't be many.

Jeannette Rankin was U.S. Representative from Montana, who served two terms in the House.  In her first term, she voted against entering WWI.  In her second term, she voted against entering WWII.

Cecil Underwood was a two-term Governor of West Virginia.  He holds the distinction of being both the state's youngest and oldest governor.

I like these!

Somewhat along the same theme here, I like Sam Houston's electoral history:

U.S. Representative, 7th District of Tennessee: March 4, 1823 – March 4, 1827
Governor of Tennessee: October 1, 1827 – April 16, 1829
President of the Republic of Texas: October 22, 1836 – December 10, 1838
President of the Republic of Texas: December 21, 1841 – December 9, 1844
U.S. Senator from Texas: February 26, 1846 – March 5, 1859
Governor of Texas: December 31, 1859 – March 28, 1861

Congressman and Governor from a state, then twice served as the President of an independent nation, then Senator and Governor from a second state!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Hard to beat Old Sam.

Speaking of Governors with nonconsecutive terms, there are many with two terms, but few with more:

George Wallace (D-Alabama)
1963-1967
1971-1979
1983-1987

Edwin Edwards (D-Louisiana)
1972-1980
1984-1988
1992-1996

George Hunt (D-Arizona)
1911-1919
1923-1929
1931-1933

Bruce King (D-New Mexico)
1971-1975
1979-1983
1991-1995

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

John C. Calhoun (SC)

Representative (1811–1817)
Senator (1832–1843)
Senator (1845–1850)

J. Hamilton Lewis

Representative from Washington (1897–1899)
Senator from Illinois (1913–1919)
Senator from Illinois (1931–1939)

Daniel Webster

Representative from New Hampshire (1813-1817)
Representative from Massachusetts (1823–1827)
Senator from Massachusetts (1827–1841)
Senator from Massachusetts (1845–1850)

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Well, now we've another real badass

HENRY F**KING CLAY!

Senator from Kentucky:

1806-1807
1810-1811
1831-1842
1849-1851

Congressman from Kentucky:

1811-1814
1815-1821
1823-1825

[kcguy]

I'm surprised I didn't think about Ron Paul, who was a U.S. House member three times:
April 1976-January 1977, January 1979-January 1985, and January 1997-January 2013.


On the flip side, we have Kent Conrad, who consecutively held both of his state's U.S. Senate seats.  He was elected to the Senate in 1986 on a pledge not to seek re-election to his seat if the budget deficit were not reduced.  In 1992, he did not seek re-election to his seat.

Then in September 1992, the state's other senator died, and Conrad ran for that seat in November and won.

He served in the Class 3 seat from January 3, 1987, to December 14, 1992, and the Class 1 seat from December 14, 1992, to January 3, 2013.

[Vosem]

Cecil Underwood was a two-term Governor of West Virginia.  He holds the distinction of being both the state's youngest and oldest governor.

Along the same lines, I believe Donald Rumsfeld is both the youngest and oldest SecDef ever.

[Bacon King]

Well, now we've another real badass

HENRY F**KING CLAY!

Senator from Kentucky:

1806-1807
1810-1811
1831-1842
1849-1851

Congressman from Kentucky:

1811-1814
1815-1821
1823-1825

my favorite fun facts about Clay:

1. He started serving in the Senate three months before he was old enough to serve in the Senate
2. He was elected Speaker of the House on the first day of his first session

[Nichlemn]

John Sherman Cooper has served three non-consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate (representing Kentucky). And each time it was the same seat.

1946-1949
1952-1955
1956-1973

He's got one heck of a long Wikipedia article for a relatively minor Senator.

[kcguy]

I found another example, and I figured it was easier to bump an old thread.  A candidate in 9 elections, he won #2, #4, #6, and #8.


CARLETON riding -- 1962
Dick Bell (PC)  52%
Lloyd Francis (L)  42%

same -- 1963
Lloyd Francis (L)  48%
Dick Bell (PC)  46%

same -- 1965
Dick Bell (PC)  44%
Lloyd Francis (L)  43%

OTTAWA WEST riding -- 1968
Lloyd Francis (L)  53%
Dick Bell (PC)  36%

same -- 1972
Peter Reilly (PC)  41%
Lloyd Francis (L)  34%

same -- 1974
Lloyd Francis (L)  45%
Peter Reilly (PC)  41%

same -- 1979
Ken Binks (PC)  45%
Lloyd Francis (L)  42%

same -- 1980
Lloyd Francis (L)  44%
Ken Binks (PC)  43%

same -- 1984
David Daubney (PC)  49%
Lloyd Francis (L)  35%