The United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary, also called the Caucus Secretary, is a ranking leadership position within the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 in the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. It was previously considered the number-three position, behind the party's floor leader and the party's whip, until in 2006, when Democratic leader Harry Reid

Harry Reid

Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...

 created the new position of Vice-Chairman of the caucus. Now, the secretary is the fourth-highest ranking position. The conference secretary is responsible for taking notes and aiding the party leadership when senators of the party meet or caucus together.

The first conference secretary was Sen. Edward W. Carmack

Edward W. Carmack

Edward Ward Carmack was an attorney, newspaperman, and political figure who served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1901 to 1907....

 of Tennessee, who was elected in March 1903.

The current conference secretary is Sen. Patty Murray

Patty Murray

Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...

 of Washington.

List of Conference Secretaries

Conference Secretary	State	Term
Edward W. Carmack Edward W. Carmack Edward Ward Carmack was an attorney, newspaperman, and political figure who served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1901 to 1907....	Tennessee	1903-1907
Robert L. Owen Robert L. Owen Robert Latham Owen, Jr. was one of the first two U.S. senators from Oklahoma. He served in the Senate between 1907 and 1925...	Oklahoma	1907-1911
William E. Chilton William E. Chilton William Edwin Chilton was a United States Senator from West Virginia. Born in Colesmouth, Virginia , he attended public and private schools and graduated from Shelton College in St. Albans. He taught school, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1880, commencing practice in Charleston, West...	West Va.	1911-1913
Willard Saulsbury, Jr. Willard Saulsbury, Jr. Willard Saulsbury, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party who served as U.S. Senator from Delaware and President pro tempore of the U.S...	Delaware	1913-1916
Key Pittman Key Pittman Key Denson Pittman was a United States Senator from Nevada. He was a Democrat.Pittman was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1872 and was educated by private tutors and at the Southwestern Presbyterian University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He studied law, then later became a lawyer...	Nevada	1916-1917 (act.)
William H. King William H. King William Henry King was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Salt Lake City, Utah. A Democrat, he represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1917 until 1941.-Life:...	Utah	1917-1927
Hugo Black Hugo Black Hugo Lafayette Black was an American politician and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party, Black represented Alabama in the United States Senate from 1927 to 1937, and served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 to 1971. Black was nominated to the Supreme...	Alabama	1927-1937
Joshua B. Lee Joshua B. Lee Joshua Bryan Lee was a United States Representative and Senator from Oklahoma.-Early life:Born in Childersburg, Alabama, he moved with his parents to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma , and then to Kiowa County, near Hobart, in 1901...	Oklahoma	1937-1942
Francis T. Maloney Francis T. Maloney Francis Thomas Maloney was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1933 to 1935 and a U.S. Senator from Connecticut from 1935 to 1945. He was a Democrat.-Early life:...	Connecticut	1943-1945
Brien McMahon Brien McMahon Brien McMahon, born James O'Brien McMahon was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States Senate from 1945 to 1952...	Connecticut	1945-1952
Thomas Hennings	Missouri	1953-1960
George Smathers George Smathers George Armistead Smathers was an American lawyer and politician who represented the state of Florida in the United States Senate for eighteen years, from 1951 until 1969, as a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...	Florida	1960-1966
Robert C. Byrd	West Va.	1967-1971
Frank Moss	Utah	1971-1976
Daniel Inouye Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...	Hawaii	1977-1989
David Pryor David Pryor David Hampton Pryor is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966...	Arkansas	1989-1995
Barbara A. Mikulski	Maryland	1995-2005
Debbie Stabenow Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Greer "Debbie" Stabenow is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001...	Michigan	2005-2007
Patty Murray Patty Murray Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...	Washington	2007-present

External links

• Senate History: Conference Secretaries