No Spring Chickens: Who Are The Ten Oldest Members Of Congress?

Spring is a celebration of fertility and rebirth... a time when youngsters are groomed to eventually replace previous generations. However, in a seniority system, the aged cling on to their positions well into their 80s. In the U.S., the typical retirement age is 63. Not so in Congress... where the octogenarian caucus is the largest it's been. The median age of the 117th Congress is 60 years old. Let's take a look at the ten eldest members of Congress. Do you recognize any of them???

10. Rep. Maxine Waters

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons / Via creativecommons.org

Rep. Maxine Waters from California has been in Congress since 1991. That's more than 30 years ago. Waters turns 83 years old in August 2021.

9. Rep. Hal Rogers

Gage Skidmore via flickr

Hal Rogers of Kentucky has been occupying the same office since 1981. That means, he has blocked the seat for more than 40 years! Rogers is 83 years old.

8. Rep. Bill Pascrell

public domain / Via pascrell.house.gov

Bill Pascrell of New Jersey has been in office since 1997. While not as long as some of the others in Congress, he's been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 24 years. He is 84 years old.

7. Rep. Grace Napolitano

California National Guard, CC BY 2.0 / Via upload.wikimedia.org

Grace Napolitano has been a representative of California since 1999. At 84 years old, she's been in the Congress for twenty-two years.

6. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson

Lexey Swall/GRAIN / Via texastribune.org

Elected in 1992, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas is 85 years old. She has been in office for twenty-nine years.

5. Sen. Jim Inhofe

public domain / Via inhofe.senate.gov

Jim Inhofe has been a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma for more than 27 years. He was first elected to the position in 1994. He was just reelected so his term ends in 2027 at which time he will be 92! Before becoming a senator, Inhofe was a U.S. Representative since 1986. That means he has been in Congress for 35 years!

4. Sen. Richard Shelby

Chief National Guard Bureau from USA, CC BY 2.0 / Via upload.wikimedia.org

Richard Shelby assumed office of U.S. Senator representing Alabama in 1987. Prior to that, he was in the U.S. House since 1979. That totals 42 years! His current term ends in 2022 at which time he has already announced he will retire at age 88.

3. Sen. Chuck Grassley

Greg Nash/Pool via AP / Via kwqc.com

Sen. Chuck Grassley has been in Congress since 1975. He's been in office for 46 years. He he won his seventh term with more than 60% of the vote in 2016. When his term ends, he will be 94 years old!

2. Sen. Dianne Feinstein

SDMC/CREATIVE COMMONS

Senator Feinstein has been in Congress since 1992. Her current term ends in 2025, at which time she has already announced she will not be seeking reelection. She will retire from office at age 92 after serving 33 years in the U.S. Senate.

1. Don Young

United States Congress, Office of Don Young, Public domain / Via upload.wikimedia.org

Don Young wins the prize as the eldest member of Congress by a couple of weeks. He has been representative from Alaska since 1973. That's 48 years if you're counting! In 2021 he won reelection which means he'll be 89 when his current term ends. As you know, there are no term limits in Congress so he just may decide to run again!

The record for oldest member serving in Congress was set by Ralph Hall of Texas who served until he was almost 92!

Term limits would prevent those of all ages from staying in office too long. Find out more and sign the petition at termlimits.com.