Senator Paul S. Sarbanes

Paul S. Sarbanes served as a Senator from Maryland in the United States Congress from 1971 to 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Paul S. Sarbanes contributed to the legislative process during 8 terms in office.

Paul S. Sarbanes’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the Senate, Paul S. Sarbanes participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Paul Spyros Sarbanes (; February 3, 1933 – December 6, 2020) was an American politician and attorney from Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both chambers of the United States Congress as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and as a member of the United States Senate from 1977 to 2007. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in the history of Maryland until he was surpassed by Barbara Mikulski by a single day when her term ended on January 3, 2017. He was the first Greek American senator. Born in Salisbury, Maryland, Sarbanes was a graduate of Princeton University; Balliol College, Oxford; and Harvard Law School. Elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1966, he went on to serve two terms in the Maryland House from 1967 to 1971. In 1970 he won a seat in the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland’s 4th congressional district and later Maryland’s 3rd congressional district from 1971 to 1977. In 1976 he ran for the United States Senate, defeating Republican incumbent J. Glenn Beall Jr. with 59% of the vote. Sarbanes was re-elected four times, each time receiving no less than 59% of the vote. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin. Sarbanes was known for his low-key style, often shunning the limelight over his thirty-year Senate career. He was a coauthor of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, which is generally noted as his most noteworthy piece of legislation.