Hi, I’m Mr. Beat
Since 1789, there have been 1,984 U.S. Senators. Some have been terrific, some have
been horrible, most of them have been forgettable.
About a year ago, I released a video going over the ten worst, in my opinion, of course.
Well, the video promptly got demonetized and subsequently didn’t do well since some of
those Senators did some very bad things.
But this video will be monetized….hopefully...because now I’m positive. I'm looking at the best senators in
American history. Remember, Senators represent their entire state, and there are only 100
of them in Congress...2 for each state, and therefore often hold a lot of influence over
the direction of this country.
Like with my worst 10 senators list, I’ve excluded current Senators or Senators that recently
got out of office. So, based on my exhaustive research, here are the 10 best Senators in American
history. Again, this is just my opinion. My opinions are not facts...yet. Mwhahahahahaha
#10 Thomas P. Gore Senator representing Oklahoma from 1907 to
1921 and again from 1931 to 1937. The only blind U.S. Senator in history.
Oh, and a shout out to the channel E Pluribus Unum for bringing him to my attention. Be sure
to check out his Best Senators video after you're done watching this one.
Gore was entirely committed to Oklahoma, and actually helped it become a state and was
one of its two first Senators.
Gore first got into politics as part of the Populist Movement, and this quote by him sums
up why I like him so much: "I would rather be a humble private in the ranks of those
who struggle for justice and equality than to be a minion of plutocracy, though adorned
with purple and gold." He represented farmers better than most all other U.S. Senators in
history and consistently voted against railroad monopolies. He had such an anti-interventionist
foreign policy that his opponents called him a pacifist.
In the 1930s, he often was a supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, but also was fiscally
conservative who called out Roosevelt when his New Deal programs called for huge amounts
of new spending. Most importantly, Gore had integrity, and while he was ambitious, always had
the underdog in mind.
You know, I’m surprised this next dude doesn’t get more attention
#9 John P. Hale Senator representing New Hampshire from 1847
to 1853 and again from 1855 to 1865, he was one of the leading abolitionist voices in
Congress, even helping start the anti-slavery Free Soil Party (I have a video about that) and was the first
Senator to blatantly have an anti-slavery platform. He was one of the few Senators to vote against
the Fugitive Slave Act. He spoke out against the gag rule, which prevented Congress from
discussing certain topics. You know, like SLAVERY.
He was also an anti-imperialist, and the strongest opponent in the Senate to the Mexican American
War. Yep, he could see right through James Polk’s bull crap. He even got the U.S. Navy
to stop flogging, aka whipping sailors.
Overall, he was decidedly non-partisan and principled.
Oh, uh... And let’s all just pretend to forget that his daughter
Lucy was secretly supposed to get married to John Wilkes Booth, ok?
#8 Daniel Webster The legendary Senator from Massachusetts from
1827 to 1841 and again from 1845 to 1850, most historians agree he was one of the best.
Probably the only Senator to have more of an impact was
Henry Clay, and we’ll get to him in a bit. Webster also served as Secretary of State under
two different administrations and spent some time in the House of Representatives. He chaired
various committees, and was known as a compromiser much like Clay.
He was intelligent, and I’d argue he knew the Constitution better than any other member
of Congress in American history, dare I say. He was also a phenomenal speaker, so charismatic he could
keep the attention of diverse audiences for hours at a time. His Second Reply to Hayne
speech might be the best one ever delivered in Congress. He was courageous, defending
the (sing) Compromise of 1850 when he knew it would hurt his political ambitions. Even
though he was strongly against slavery himself, he spent his entire career trying to compromise
and work with slavery proponents, most famously with fellow Senator John Calhoun.
Overall, Webster contributed quite a great deal to American national identity, and because
of that influenced members of Congress for generations after his death in 1852.
#7 Nancy Kassebaum Call me biased, I don’t care, but Nancy
represented my home state of Kansas in the Senate from 1978 to 1997. Born in Topeka,
which is where I was born, went to Topeka High School, a great school, shout out to Topeka High School. Also went to the
University of Kansas, which is also where I went. I told you I was biased, ok?!?
By the way, her second husband, the late Howard Baker, was also a U.S. Senator representing
Tennessee. Yeah he didn’t make this list. Awkward.
Kassebaum was the epitome of bipartisanship, constantly forming coalitions, similar actually to
fellow Kansas Senator Bob Dole. Oh he didn’t make this list, either. Awkward. But he made
my honorable mentions list.
Anyway, after she first took office in 1978, Kassebaum was literally the only female in
the entire Senate. Later, she was the first woman to chair a major Senate committee. She
prioritized health care legislation, She co-sponsored the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act, aka HIPAA. She also spent much time focusing on shrinking the federal deficit, ending apartheid
in South Africa, and reducing of nuclear weapons.
Above all, Nancy had integrity and humility in the Senate and tended not to care what
political party her fellow Senators were from. She had an independent spirit, and she worked
with everyone, always having an open mind on all the issues.
#6 George Norris Senator from the great state of Nebraska from
1913 to 1943, and most historians agree with me that he was one of the best Senators in
American history, and yeah I also used to live in Nebraska...so you know...
Norris was a leading figure during the Progessive Era, helping make the United States become
more democratic with his support of the 17th Amendment, the initiative, and the referendum.
In other words, he believed in the people, and wanted a bottom up government, not top
down. He also famously pushed for the unicameral, or one house, legislature, and is the reason
why Nebraska is the only state today in the country to actually have that.
Norris was also a leading anti-war voice during World War 1, helped pass lots of laws to protect
labor unions, and sponsored the Tennessee Valley Authority during the Great Depression.
He got the 20th Amendment passed. That was the lame duck one. You might want to Google
that one.
He also had an independent streak, a true maverick who had no problem switching political
parties when he had to. In fact, his final term was as an independent.
John F. Kennedy, a great Senator himself before he became President, wrote of Norris: “Nothing
could sway (George) from what he thought was right, from his determination to help all
the people, from his hope to save them from the twin tragedies of poverty and war.”
Simply put, Norris dedicated his freaking life to fighting for common people and against
the corrupt, special interests of Washington, DC.
#5 Henry Clay Yeah, if I didn’t have Clay on this list
I would straight up get scolded by internet folks. Clay is arguably the most
influential U.S. Senator of all time, serving in the Senate from 1806 to 1807, and then
again from 1810 to 1811, and again from 1831 to 1842, and again from 1849 until his death
in 1852. Whew. And oh yeah, of course he was also in the House of Representatives, serving
many years as Speaker of the House, he was Secretary of State in the John Quincy Adams
administration, and he ran for President like five times. The dude spent 26 years in Congress.
I could probably make a 90-minute documentary about Clay, but let’s just focus on his
time spent in the Senate. In his early years there, he mainly was known for getting his home state
of Kentucky federal goodies and being a war hawk. Like his buddy Daniel Webster, he knew
how to command attention due to being an excellent speaker.
But what I like the most about Clay is his ability to unite people when he returned to
the Senate years later. Google “The Great Compromiser.” Go ahead, I’ll wait. Did
you get Henry Clay? You probably did. He earned that nickname for a reason. He was the glue
that often held Congress, and the country for that matter, together. Even though he
and John Calhoun hated Andrew Jackson, he and Calhoun were able to draft the Tariff
of 1833, a big compromise that Jackson signed into law and ended the Nullification Crisis.
His (sing) Compromise of 1850 literally somehow kept the country together for 11 more years.
Overall, Clay began his time in the Senate dedicated to his home state of Kentucky, but
ended it consistently trying to do what was best for the entire country and working with
those he had little in common with.
#4 Lyndon Johnson You may know him as the 36th President of
the United States, but before that he was Vice President. Oh, and before that he was
a Senator representing Texas from 1949 to 1961.
Yeah, this one surprised me, too, but the more I learn about Lyndon Johnson, the more
I like him, especially as a Senator.
First of all, he was probably the hardest working Senator in American history. The guy
put in 20-hour days without a break. Johnson was basically a U.S. Senate historian who
owned biographies of all past Senators. He rose the ranks in the Senate quickly, becoming
Majority Whip in 1951, Minority Leader in 1953, and Majority Leader in 1954. A New Deal
Democrat himself, he often preferred to work with Republicans.
He was also one of the most ambitious Senators in American history, who was sometimes ruthless
in order to get laws passed. He commanded a room, so persuasive they called it “The
Johnson Treatment.”
He was a southerner who constantly fought for racial equality, although it wouldn’t
be until he was President that he got to sign the Civil Rights Act. However, one of his
biggest accomplishments as Senator was getting NASA established.
The biographer Robert Dallek writes of Johnson: “There was no more powerful majority leader
in American history.” And I agree. He got stuff done, and he was passionate. And
every piece of legislation he either wrote or helped get passed had the underdog
in mind.
#3 Charles Sumner Most famously known as the Senator who got
the crap beat out of him by a cane in the Senate chamber for trashing those who supported
slavery, Sumner served as Senator for Massachusetts from 1851 until his death in 1874. But oh
my stars, he ought to be remembered for so much more. Sumner was so far ahead of his time
he might as well have been from the 20th century, yo.
However, that caning did show how courageous he was, to confidently proclaim African Americans
deserved equality at a time when most were scared to say so. I do have a video about
that caning, by the way, so check it out and stuff. But because of it, he had severe pain
for the rest of his life. It didn’t matter, as soon as he recovered and was back in the
Senate, he picked up right where he left off talking trash about slavery. And after slavery
ended, he didn't stop there, he was the most vocal supporter in the Senate of the Freedom’s Bureau and the
14th and 15th Amendments to guarantee equal rights and equal opportunity for all. He also
wrote the Civil Rights Act of 1875. People don’t know this about Sumner, but he was
never actually hostile toward Southerners and was vocal about forgiving ex-Confederates
after the Civil War. Sumner also called out corruption in his own political party
He was an anti-imperialist before it was cool. He spent his career trying to remove the word
“white” from laws for immigrants trying to become American citizens.
Above all, Sumner deserves respect for his efforts as a champion for African American
rights.
#2 Oliver Ellsworth A Founding Father, he was a big reason why
Connecticut ratified the Constitution, and was one of its two first Senators, serving
from 1789 to 1796. He literally helped Roger Sherman come up with the Great Compromise,
for crying out loud, that ultimately got EVERYONE on the board with the U.S. Constitution. And,
you know how I always bring up George Washington being so important because of how he set the
bar so high for all of those who followed? The same can be said about my boy Ellsworth in the Senate.
His influence was huge, and he basically was the Senate Majority Leader long before that
position was formalized. He was a Federalist and big ally of Alexander Hamilton. So he
advocated things like implied powers, national debt funding, and a national bank.
His greatest accomplishment was writing the Judiciary Act of 1789 and then getting it
passed. This law helped the Supreme Court become much stronger, giving it the power
to overturn state supreme court decisions that went against the Constitution, later
leading to the concept of judicial review. Oh by the way, after he got out of the Senate
he was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Ellsworth also convinced George Washington to send
John Jay to prevent another war with England. What resulted was the Jay Treaty. He was a
big reason why Congress approved the freaking Bill of Rights.
Ellsworth also was ahead of his time, calling for an end to slavery, and from everything
I’ve read about him he had strong moral character. And even though he was more low-key
than some of his contemporaries, he had a huge influence on both Congress and the Supreme
Court, and we should be forever thankful for his leadership in both.
#1 Robert La Follette That’s right! It’s once again Fighting
Bob, the Wisconsin Senator from 1906 until his death in 1925. Some of you may remember that Robert La Follette
also held the number one spot for my best governors video, but the more I think about it
I don’t think he'd be at the top of that list anymore because most of his impact was actually in
the U.S. Senate.
Teddy Roosevelt? Meh, Fighting Bob was the real trust buster, and he often called Teddy
out for not being progressive enough fighting giant corporations that were exploiting workers.
He first went after the railroad and coal monopolies. He got the 1907 Railway Hours
Act passed, which prevented railroad workers from working more than 16 hours at a time.
The next year, he was unable to prevent the corporate welfare Aldrich-Vreeland Act from
passing, but in his effort to prevent a vote on it, he gave a passionate, 19-hour speech
on the Senate floor, the longest filibuster in Senate history up to that point.
After that, he was the leading Progressive voice in Congress, and his endorsement of
a candidate often got them elected. Go to progressive.org. He started that. Well, no
not the website. I’m pretty sure the internet didn’t exist when he was alive. More specifically,
while he was Senator he and his wife Belle started the magazine that later became that
called La Follette’s Weekly Magazine, today called simply The Progressive.
During the William Howard Taft Administration, he fought vigorously against tariffs that
would further raise prices on consumers. During the Woodrow Wilson administration, he opposed
American entry into World War One and Wilson’s attacks on free speech. He condemned the Palmer
Raids and was the leading critic of the First Red Scare. He began investigations into the
Warren Harding administration that would ultimately lead to the Teapot Dome Scandal.
Overall, his main goals were to expand democracy, break up monopolies, get cheap credit for
farmers, get rid of imperialism, get rid of child labor, protect labor unions, and expand
protections for civil liberities. He was another one who was simply way, way ahead of his time. Basically, a real life Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
So there you have it, the 10 best Senators in American history, in my opinion.
Ok, so perhaps you have realized that this list wasn’t that surprising, that it's actually quite
conventional. Why? Well 3 of them are part of The Famous Five, the five picked
by a Senate Committee led by John F. Kennedy who they said were the five best Senators
ever. Those are my boy Henry Clay, John Calhoun, my boy Daniel Webster, Robert Taft, and my
boy Robert La Follette. The five are prominently featured in the United States Senate Reception
Room in the U.S. Capitol Building, which I’ve been standing in this entire time because
there's totally not a pandemic going on right now and it's totally open. Ok just kidding. Uh, this is a green screen and it's also why I haven't got a haircut in four months.
(knocking it). Anyway, actually The Famous Five are now The Famous Nine because since
Arthur Vandenberg, Robert Wagner, Roger Sherman, and my boy Oliver Ellsworth, have all joined
them in the Senate Reception Room.
So 4 of my 10 are in there (pointing). Wow I am kind of unoriginal.
Please let me know how unoriginal I am in the comments. And I do have an honorable
mention list in the description and pinned comment. Let me know any Senators you think I missed.
My list of honorable mentions is actually
very long. And a special shout out to Russ Feingold, who made my list, and was the only Senator to vote against
the PATRIOT Act.
Before I go, here is my monthly shout to Patreon supporters who donate at least $15 or more
to the channel. At the George Washington level, I've got Eric B.Wolman, Alicia Solberg, Andrew B., Austin Rudolph, Elcaspar, Matt Standish, Nik Everett, and Sean Conant.
And at the Grover Cleveland level, I've got Andrew Schneider, CJkavy, Demir Sarac, John Johnson, Kit Walker, Leigh Fortier, and Zachary F. Parker.
Thank you to all my Patreon supporters, especially during this really difficult time, and thank YOU for watching.