Members With 40 Years or More House Service
Blog Post
Last Updated August 1, 2016
Since Congress convened in 1789, 28 Members have served 40 years or longer in the House of Representatives.
In cases in which a Member's tenure is not consecutive, service dates are provided in the footnotes. This list does not include Members who served 40 years or longer in both the House and the Senate.
See also:
| Member Name | Party | State | Days in Office | Years in Office1 | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dingell, John, Jr. | Democrat | MI | 21,572 | 58.87 | December 13, 1955 |
| Whitten, Jamie L. | Democrat | MS | 19,419 | 53.17 | November 4, 1941 |
| Conyers, John, Jr.2 | Democrat | MI | 18,839 | 51.58 | January 3, 1965 |
| Vinson, Carl | Democrat | GA | 18,325 | 50.17 | November 3, 1914 |
| Celler, Emanuel | Democrat | NY | 18,204 | 49.84 | March 4, 1923 |
| Rayburn, Sam | Democrat | TX | 17,790 | 48.71 | March 4, 1913 |
| Yates, Sidney3 | Democrat | IL | 17,533 | 48.00 | January 3, 1949 |
| Patman, Wright | Democrat | TX | 17,171 | 47.01 | March 4, 1929 |
| Cannon, Joseph4 | Republican | IL | 16,800 | 46.00 | March 4, 1873 |
| Sabath, Adolph | Democrat | IL | 16,685 | 45.68 | March 4, 1907 |
| Rangel, Charles2 | Democrat | NY | 16,648 | 45.58 | January 3, 1971 |
| Bennett, Charles E. | Democrat | FL | 16,072 | 44.00 | January 3, 1949 |
| Mahon, George | Democrat | TX | 16,072 | 44.00 | January 3, 1935 |
| Young, Donald2 | Republican | AK | 15,855 | 43.41 | March 6, 1973 |
| Price, Melvin | Democrat | IL | 15,816 | 43.30 | January 3, 1945 |
| Young, C.W. (Bill) | Republican | FL | 15,630 | 42.79 | January 3, 1971 |
| McCormack, John | Democrat | MA | 15,399 | 42.16 | November 6, 1928 |
| Brooks, Jack | Democrat | TX | 15,341 | 42.00 | January 3, 1953 |
| Doughton, Robert | Democrat | NC | 15,282 | 41.84 | March 4, 1911 |
| Martin, Joseph W. | Republican | MA | 15,281 | 41.84 | March 4, 1925 |
| Obey, David | Democrat | WI | 15,253 | 41.76 | April 1, 1969 |
| Cannon, Clarence | Democrat | MO | 15,046 | 41.19 | March 4, 1923 |
| Poage, William | Democrat | TX | 14,976 | 41.00 | January 3, 1937 |
| Natcher, William | Democrat | KY | 14,851 | 40.66 | August 1, 1953 |
| Miller, George | Democrat | CA | 14,611 | 40.00 | January 3, 1975 |
| Rodino, Peter, Jr. | Democrat | NJ | 14,611 | 40.00 | January 3, 1949 |
| Stark, Fortney (Pete) | Democrat | CA | 14,611 | 40.00 | January 3, 1973 |
| Waxman, Henry A. | Democrat | CA | 14,611 | 40.00 | January 3, 1975 |
Footnotes
1Years are determined by using 365.2425 days per year, the average length of a year on the Gregorian calendar.
2Current Member
3Served in the 81st to 87th Congresses (January 3, 1949–January 3, 1963) and the 89th to 105th Congresses (January 3, 1965–January 3, 1999).
4Served in the 43rd to 51st Congresses (March 4, 1873–March 3, 1891), the 53rd to the 62nd Congresses (March 4, 1893–March 3, 1913), and the 64th to the 67th Congresses (March 4, 1915–March 3, 1923).