Probably this is of little practical consequence, but there was a mildly interesting article from the Washington Post (appearing in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette) on whether Richard Lugar or Orrin Hatch is the most senior Republican in the U.S. Senate. The two were sworn into the Senate on the same day (January 3, 1977).
The answer as to who is the most senior has to do with which set of tie breaker rules you use. The Senate itself apparently awards seniority in such situations to whichever Senator represents the state with the greater population — under that scenario, Lugar wins. At the time the two were sworn in, however, the Republican caucus went with whichever Senator was first in alphabetical order. Under that rule, Hatch beats Lugar.
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