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Earliest serving United States Representative

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This page contains a list of the individuals who, at the time of their deaths, had served at the earliest date in the United States House of Representatives among those current or former Representatives then living and a list of the earliest serving United States Representatives among those currently living (sitting or former). Of those living, the earliest-serving representative is Merwin Coad. He was sworn in as a representative on January 3, 1957.

Earliest serving Representatives (historic)[edit]

This is a list of the representatives who were, while in office or after, the earliest-serving living before they died.

Begin Date End Date Representative State 1st Entered House
March 4, 1789 August 24, 1833 Tie between the 59 original members of the
1st United States House of Representatives while alive.
March 4, 1789
August 24, 1833 August 29, 1837 John Brown Virginia
August 29, 1837 September 21, 1842 Jeremiah Smith New Hampshire March 4, 1791
September 21, 1842 March 6, 1844 Gabriel Duvall Maryland November 11, 1794
March 6, 1844 August 12, 1849 Albert Gallatin Pennsylvania March 4, 1795
August 12, 1849 November 1, 1849 Elizur Goodrich Connecticut March 4, 1799
November 1, 1849 May 6, 1860 Littleton Waller Tazewell Virginia November 26, 1800
May 6, 1860 July 18, 1872 Samuel Thatcher Massachusetts December 6, 1802
July 18, 1872 November 1, 1874 Enos T. Throop New York March 4, 1815
November 1, 1874 May 10, 1875 Willard Hall Delaware March 4, 1817
May 10, 1875 October 7, 1883 Mark Alexander Virginia March 4, 1819
October 7, 1883 December 18, 1885 Hiland Hall Vermont January 1, 1833
December 18, 1885 May 30, 1888 John James Pearson Pennsylvania December 5, 1836
May 30, 1888 May 11, 1889 Henry A. Foster New York March 4, 1837
May 6, 1890 Hiram Gray New York
May 13, 1890 Amasa J. Parker New York
January 11, 1892 Richard P. Marvin New York
June 11, 1894 John T. Andrews New York
June 11, 1894 November 16, 1894 Robert C. Winthrop Massachusetts November 9, 1840
November 16, 1894 February 9, 1900 Richard W. Thompson Indiana March 4, 1841
February 9, 1900 September 20, 1900 John A. McClernand Illinois March 4, 1843
April 22, 1903 Alexander Ramsey Pennsylvania
April 22, 1903 July 10, 1903 Ausburn Birdsall New York March 4, 1847
July 10, 1903 April 5, 1904 John H. Savage Tennessee March 4, 1849
May 19, 1907 Andrew J. Harlan Indiana
May 19, 1907 February 4, 1909 Addison White Kentucky March 4, 1851
February 4, 1909 January 30, 1912 James C. Allen Illinois March 4, 1853
January 30, 1912 May 26, 1912 John Jamison Pearce Pennsylvania March 4, 1855
May 26, 1912 May 3, 1914 Daniel Sickles New York March 4, 1857
March 12, 1916 George William Palmer New York
March 12, 1916 March 14, 1919 Roger A. Pryor Virginia December 7, 1859
March 14, 1919 November 3, 1924 Cornelius Cole California March 4, 1863
November 3, 1924 March 15, 1926 Jackson Orr Iowa March 4, 1871
March 15, 1926 November 12, 1926 Joseph Gurney Cannon Illinois March 4, 1873
December 6, 1926 Ira B. Hyde Missouri
August 14, 1928 William J. Purman Florida
September 4, 1930 Frederick G. Bromberg Alabama
May 22, 1931 Henry Otis Pratt Iowa
November 2, 1939 John R. Lynch Mississippi
November 2, 1939 May 25, 1947 Perry Belmont New York March 4, 1881
May 25, 1947 July 29, 1948 James E. Watson Indiana March 4, 1895
October 2, 1950 John F. Fitzgerald Massachusetts
October 22, 1954 Harrison H. Atwood Massachusetts
October 22, 1954 February 22, 1960 Townsend Scudder New York March 4, 1899
March 24, 1961 Mitchell May New York
March 24, 1961 November 7, 1967 John Nance Garner Texas March 4, 1903
November 7, 1967 April 9, 1972 James F. Byrnes South Carolina March 4, 1911
April 9, 1972 June 1, 1981 Carl Vinson Georgia November 3, 1914
June 1, 1981 January 18, 1991 Hamilton Fish III New York November 2, 1920
January 18, 1991 October 10, 1991 Victor Christgau Minnesota March 4, 1929
October 10, 1991 May 15, 1994 Robert T. Secrest Ohio March 4, 1933
May 8, 1998 Jennings Randolph West Virginia
May 8, 1998 January 24, 2000 Carl Curtis Nebraska January 3, 1939
January 24, 2000 October 18, 2004 Edwin Arthur Hall New York November 7, 1939
October 18, 2004 August 13, 2005 William Jennings Bryan Dorn South Carolina January 3, 1947
January 20, 2007 George Smathers Florida
January 20, 2007 April 17, 2007 Steven Derounian New York January 3, 1953
June 16, 2009 Paul A. Fino New York
March 6, 2010 Stuyvesant Wainwright New York
June 28, 2010 Robert Byrd West Virginia
May 23, 2011 Peter Frelinghuysen Jr. New Jersey
June 27, 2011 Richard H. Poff Virginia
August 20, 2011 Charles Gubser California
May 23, 2012 William C. Wampler Virginia
December 4, 2012 Jack Brooks Texas
April 3, 2016 Clarence Clifton Young Nevada
November 16, 2016 Melvin Laird Wisconsin
November 16, 2016 February 7, 2019 John Dingell Michigan December 13, 1955
February 7, 2019 February 20, 2019 William Broomfield Michigan January 3, 1957
January 16, 2020 Hal Haskell Delaware
present Merwin Coad Iowa

Earliest serving members currently living[edit]

This is a list of the 30 earliest-serving living members of the House of Representatives, who first entered the House at least 20-50 years ago. Nonvoting delegates are included but not ranked.

Rank Member Date of birth Entered House Left House State Party Time since entry
1 Merwin Coad September 28, 1924 January 3, 1957 January 3, 1963 Iowa Democratic 67 years, 307 days
2 Lucien Nedzi May 28, 1925 November 7, 1961 January 3, 1981 Michigan Democratic 62 years, 364 days
3 Don Fuqua August 20, 1933 January 3, 1963 January 3, 1987 Florida Democratic 61 years, 307 days
Alec G. Olson September 11, 1930 January 3, 1967 Minnesota Democratic
5 William J. Green III June 24, 1938 April 28, 1964 January 3, 1977 Pennsylvania Democratic 60 years, 191 days
6 Lee Hamilton April 20, 1931 January 3, 1965 January 3, 1999 Indiana Democratic 59 years, 307 days
Richard Ottinger January 27, 1929 January 3, 1971[lower-alpha 1] New York Democratic
8 Edward G. Biester Jr. January 5, 1931 January 3, 1967 January 3, 1977 Pennsylvania Republican 57 years, 307 days
Benjamin B. Blackburn February 14, 1927 January 3, 1975 Georgia Republican
Jim Gardner April 8, 1933 January 3, 1969 North Carolina Republican
Donald Riegle February 4, 1938 December 30, 1976 Michigan Democratic
Philip Ruppe September 29, 1926 January 3, 1979 Michigan Republican
W. S. Stuckey Jr. May 25, 1935 January 3, 1977 Georgia Democratic
14 Bill Alexander January 16, 1934 January 3, 1969 January 3, 1993 Arkansas Democratic 55 years, 307 days
Bill Clay April 30, 1931 January 3, 2001 Missouri Democratic
James W. Symington September 28, 1927 January 3, 1977 Missouri Democratic
G. William Whitehurst March 12, 1925 January 3, 1987 Virginia Republican
18 Dave Obey October 3, 1938 April 1, 1969 January 3, 2011 Wisconsin Democratic 55 years, 218 days
19 Barry Goldwater Jr. July 15, 1938 April 29, 1969 January 3, 1983 California Republican 55 years, 190 days
20 Michael J. Harrington September 2, 1936 September 30, 1969 January 3, 1979 Massachusetts Democratic 55 years, 36 days
21 Robert H. Steele November 3, 1938 November 3, 1970 January 3, 1975 Connecticut Republican 54 years, 2 days
22 Bill Archer March 22, 1928 January 3, 1971 January 3, 2001 Texas Democratic
Republican
53 years, 307 days
Charles Rangel June 11, 1930 January 3, 2017 New York Democratic
N/A Walter Fauntroy February 6, 1933 March 23, 1971 January 3, 1991 District of Columbia Democratic 53 years, 227 days
24 John Breaux March 1, 1944 September 30, 1972 January 3, 1987 Louisiana Democratic 52 years, 36 days
25 David R. Bowen October 21, 1932 January 3, 1973 January 3, 1983 Mississippi Democratic 51 years, 307 days
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke October 5, 1932 January 3, 1979 California Democratic
William Cohen August 28, 1940 Maine Republican
Harold V. Froehlich May 12, 1932 January 3, 1975 Wisconsin Republican
Elizabeth Holtzman August 11, 1941 January 3, 1981 New York Democratic
James R. Jones May 5, 1939 January 3, 1987 Oklahoma Democratic
  1. Later served again from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1985.

See also[edit]


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