Would Joe Sestak be the highest-ranking military officer ever to serve in the Senate?

[kentuck]

...if he is elected?

That is really something. A 3-star Admiral running against a two-bit lobbyist-politician? I think the choice is pretty clear for the people of PA. Of course, Toomey has all that money, from overseas and elsewhere, and most of it not accounted for.

Do the people of Pennsylvania realize what is going on in this race?

[Alexander]

1. He's already in Congress.

And the answer is yes, he is the highest-ranking former military officer in Congress.

[kentuck]

3. Right! I meant Senate.

corrected.

[hughee99]

2. John Quincy Adams?

I guess technically, he was CiC.

[Uben]

4. Not even close

There have been two presidents, commanders-in-chief, to return to congress after being president, so they would be the top military officers to serve in congress. John Quincy Adams (house of representatives)and Andrew Johnson (senate).

[kentuck]

5. Thanks for that answer.

:-)

[FBaggins]

6. The CIC is not really a "military officer" in our system. n/t

[old mark]

8. The CIC is a civillian, by design...nt

[Brother Buzz]

7. Beats Barry Goldwater's two stars

[AlinPA]

9. Andrew Jackson?

[FBaggins]

10. Sestak has one and a half stars on Jackson.

One because a Major General has two stars... the other half because Navy has beaten Army eight years in a row. :)

[wmbrew0206]

11. Sestak is a two star, not a three star. He did not hold the position of a three star long enough to

retire at the rank and thus reverted to a two star.

That is just an FYI.

[hughee99]

12. Excluding former presidents, Thomas Hart was a Senator and 4 star Admiral

That was the highest I could find in a brief search. At least he held the rank of 4 star Admiral for a period of time. I'm not sure what he retired at.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_C._Hart

[S_E_Fudd]

13. James A. Garfield was a Major-General in the Civil War...

But he served in the House

William Henry Harrison a Major-General in the War of 1812 before entering the Senate....

[bornskeptic]

14. Yes and no. He would be the only one of three star rank, but

Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison were both Major Generals (two stars) and subsequently served in the Senate. At that time two star rank was the highest awarded in the US military. Other than George Washington, nobody got three stars until Winfield Scott was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1855. Currently there are over 60 four-star officers, so it's a little hard to compare across eras.

On edit, as another poster points out, Thomas Hart was a four star Admiral who served in the Senate.

[wmbrew0206]

17. See post #11. He is a two star.

[AngryAmish]

15. Heck, no. And I don't know if he could warn us about traps.

[hughee99]

16. They're all just lucky this guy didn't run for office.