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List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service

 

List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service

This is a list of United States congresspersons by longevity of service. It includes those Representatives and Senators who have served at least 36 years. It is divided up into several categories.

In cases where there is a tie in time the following criteria will sort people higher:

  1. Achieved time uninterrupted (total tenure rank only)
  2. Achieved time first
  3. Senators over representatives (House and Senate list only)
  4. Senate or House seniority (Dan Rostenkowski versus Neal Edward Smith)

The lists include eleven currently serving members: Dave Obey, Nick Rahall, Ralph Regula, Paul Sarbanes, Neal Edward Smith, Pete Stark, and Henry Waxman.

Contents

  • Key 1
  • Combined House and Senate time 2
  • Senate time 3
  • House time 4
  • See also 5
  • References 6

Key

In gold Currently serving
H Served in House (only for House and Senate combined categories)
S Served in Senate (only for House and Senate combined categories)
I Interruptions in service (only for total tenure categories)

Combined House and Senate time

Total tenure
rank 		Uninterrupted
rank 		Name Party affiliation Total tenure time Uninterrupted time Reason for leaving
1 1 John Dingell (H) Democratic Party 59 years, 21 days 59 years, 21 days Retired
2 2 Robert Byrd (H,S) Democratic Party 57 years, 176 days 57 years, 176 days Died
3 3 Carl Hayden (H,S) Democratic Party 56 years, 319 days 56 years, 319 days Retired
4 4 Daniel Inouye (H,S) Democratic Party 53 years, 118 days 53 years, 118 days Died
5 5 Jamie L. Whitten (H) Democratic Party 53 years, 60 days 53 years, 60 days Retired
6 6 John Conyers (H) Democratic Party 352 days 352 days
7 7 Carl Vinson (H) Democratic Party 50 years, 61 days 50 years, 61 days Retired
8 8 Emanuel Celler (H) Democratic Party 49 years, 305 days 49 years, 305 days Lost renomination
9 9 Sam Rayburn (H) Democratic Party 48 years, 257 days 48 years, 257 days Died
10 999 Sidney R. Yates (H,I) Democratic Party 48 years, 0 days n/a Retired
11 12 Strom Thurmond (S,I) Republican Party 47 years, 159 days 46 years, 57 days Retired
12 10 Wright Patman (H) Democratic Party 47 years, 3 days 47 years, 3 days Died
13 11 Ted Kennedy (S) Democratic Party 46 years, 292 days 46 years, 292 days Died
14 999 Joseph Gurney Cannon (H,I) Republican Party 46 years, 0 days n/a Retired
15 13 Adolph J. Sabath (H) Democratic Party 45 years, 247 days 45 years, 247 days Died
16 14 J. Lister Hill (H,S) Democratic Party 45 years, 142 days 45 years, 142 days Retired
17 15 Charles B. Rangel (H) Democratic Party 352 days 352 days
18 16 George H. Mahon (H) Democratic Party 44 years, 0 days 44 years, 0 days Retired
19 17 Warren Magnuson (H,S) Democratic Party 44 years, 0 days 44 years, 0 days Defeated
20 18 Charles Edward Bennett (H) Democratic Party 44 years, 0 days 44 years, 0 days Retired
21 19 Justin Smith Morrill (H,S) Republican Party 43 years, 299 days 43 years, 299 days Died
22 999 William B. Allison (H,S,I) Republican Party 43 years, 152 days n/a Died
23 20 Charles Melvin Price (H) Democratic Party 43 years, 110 days 43 years, 110 days Died
24 21 Thad Cochran (H,S) Republican Party 352 days 352 days
25 22 Bill Young (H) Republican Party 42 years, 288 days 42 years, 288 days Died
26 23 Henry M. Jackson (H,S) Democratic Party 42 years, 241 days 42 years, 241 days Died
27 24 Don Young (H) Republican Party 290 days 290 days
28 999 Carter Glass (H,S,I) Democratic Party 42 years, 157 days n/a Died
29 25 John William McCormack (H) Democratic Party 42 years, 58 days 42 years, 58 days Retired
30 26 John Sparkman (H,S) Democratic Party 42 years, 0 days 42 years, 0 days Retired
31 27 William R. Poage (H) Democratic Party 42 years, 0 days 42 years, 0 days Retired
32 28 Jack Brooks (H) Democratic Party 42 years, 0 days 42 years, 0 days Defeated
33 29 Robert L. Doughton (H) Democratic Party 41 years, 305 days 41 years, 305 days Retired
34 30 Joseph William Martin, Jr. (H) Republican Party 41 years, 305 days 41 years, 305 days Lost renomination
35 31 Dave Obey (H) Democratic Party 41 years, 276 days 41 years, 276 days Retired
36 32 Clarence Cannon (H) Democratic Party 41 years, 69 days 41 years, 69 days Retired
37 33 John C. Stennis (S) Democratic Party 41 years, 59 days 41 years, 59 days Retired
38 34 Kenneth McKellar (H,S) Democratic Party 41 years, 30 days 41 years, 30 days Lost renomination
39 35 Patrick Leahy (S) Democratic Party 352 days 352 days
40 36 Chuck Grassley (H,S) Republican Party 352 days 352 days
41 37 William Huston Natcher (H) Democratic Party 40 years, 240 days 40 years, 240 days Died
42 999 Claude Pepper (H,S,I) Democratic Party 40 years, 207 days n/a Died
43 38 William P. Frye (H,S) Republican Party 40 years, 157 days 40 years, 157 days Died
44 39 Ted Stevens (S) Republican Party 40 years, 10 days 40 years, 10 days Defeated
45 40 Carl Curtis (H,S) Republican Party 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days Retired
46 41 Peter W. Rodino (H) Democratic Party 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days Retired
47 42 Pete Stark (H) Democratic Party 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days Defeated
48 43 Tom Harkin (H,S) Democratic Party 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days Retired
49 44 George Miller (H) Democratic Party 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days Retired
50 45 Henry Waxman (H) Democratic Party 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days Retired
51 999 Jennings Randolph (H,S,I) Democratic Party 39 years, 364 days n/a Retired
52 999 Eugene Hale (H,S,I) Republican Party 39 years, 363 days n/a Retired
53 46 Leslie C. Arends (H) Republican Party 39 years, 362 days 39 years, 362 days Retired
54 47 Daniel A. Reed (H) Republican Party 39 years, 352 days 39 years, 352 days Died
55 48 George William Norris (H,S) Republican Party 39 years, 305 days 39 years, 305 days Defeated
56 49 John Taber (H) Republican Party 39 years, 305 days 39 years, 305 days Retired
57 50 William M. Colmer (H) Democratic Party 39 years, 305 days 39 years, 305 days Retired
58 51 Max Baucus (H,S) Democratic Party 39 years, 34 days 39 years, 34 days Appointed Ambassador to China
59 999 Samuel Smith (H,S,I) Democratic Party 39 years, 9 days n/a Retired
60 52 Ed Markey (H,S) Democratic Party 49 days 49 days
61 999 John Little McClellan (H,S,I) Democratic Party 38 years, 329 days n/a Died
62 53 Orrin Hatch (S) Republican Party 352 days 352 days
63 54 Barbara Mikulski (H,S) Democratic Party 352 days 352 days
64 55 Morris Sheppard (H,S) Democratic Party 38 years, 145 days 38 years, 145 days Died
65 56 Ernest Hollings (S) Democratic Party 38 years, 55 days 38 years, 55 days Retired
66 57 Richard Russell, Jr. (S) Democratic Party 38 years, 9 days 38 years, 9 days Died
67 999 John Sherman (H,S,I) Republican Party 38 years, 4 days n/a Appointed Secretary of the Treasury &
Appointed Secretary of State
68 58 Russell B. Long (S) Democratic Party 38 years, 3 days 38 years, 3 days Retired
69 59 Frederick H. Gillett (H,S) Republican Party 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days Retired
70 60 Wilbur Mills (H) Democratic Party 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days Retired
71 61 Dante Fascell (H) Democratic Party 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days Retired
72 62 Robert H. Michel (H) Republican Party 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days Retired
73 63 Nick Rahall (H) Democratic Party 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days Defeated
74 999 Robert Crosser (H,I) Democratic Party 37 years, 305 days n/a Lost renomination
75 999 Robert L. F. Sikes (H,I) Democratic Party 37 years, 290 days n/a Retired
76 64 Nathaniel Macon (H,S) Democratic-Republican Party 37 years, 255 days 37 years, 255 days Resigned
77 65 Henry Cabot Lodge (H,S) Republican Party 37 years, 250 days 37 years, 250 days Died
78 999 Alben W. Barkley (H,S,I) Democratic Party 37 years, 74 days n/a Elected Vice President and Died
79 66 Henry B. Gonzalez (H) Democratic Party 37 years, 60 days 37 years, 60 days Retired
80 999 Francis E. Warren (S,I) Republican Party 37 years, 6 days n/a Died
81 67 Richard Shelby (H,S) Republican Party 352 days 352 days
82 68 Jim Sensenbrenner (H) Republican Party 352 days 352 days
83 999 James Eastland (S,I) Democratic Party 36 years, 83 days n/a Resigned
84 69 Joe Biden (S) Democratic Party 36 years, 12 days 36 years, 12 days Elected Vice President
85 70 John Murtha (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 3 days 36 years, 3 days Died
86 71 Henry L. Dawes (H,S) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
87 72 Felix Edward Hébert (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
88 73 Edward Boland (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
89 74 William Broomfield (H) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
90 75 Dan Rostenkowski (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Defeated
91 76 Neal Edward Smith (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Defeated
92 77 Claiborne Pell (S) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
93 78 Joseph M. McDade (H) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
94 79 Paul Sarbanes (H,S) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
95 80 Pete Domenici (S) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
96 81 Ralph Regula (H) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
97 82 Christopher Dodd (H,S) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
98 83 Jim Oberstar (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Defeated
99 84 Richard Lugar (S) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Lost renomination
100 85 Daniel Akaka (H,S) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
101 86 Norm Dicks (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
102 87 Dale Kildee (H) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
103 88 Carl Levin (S) Democratic Party 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days Retired
104 999 Shelby Moore Cullom (H,S,I) Republican Party 36 years, 0 days n/a Retired

Senate time

The 90th Congress was notable because for a period of 10 days (December 24, 1968 – January 3, 1969), it contained within its Senate all 10 of the longest-serving Senators in history until January 7, 2013, when Patrick Leahy surpassed Russell B. Long as the 10th longest serving Senator in history. This period stretched from the installation of Ted Stevens of Alaska after his appointment to fill a vacancy to the retirement of Carl Hayden of Arizona early the next year.

The 96th Congress was the period in which most people from this list were serving together (all but Hayden, Russell jr., Warren and Eastland).

Total tenure
rank 		Uninterrupted
rank 		Name State represented Dates of service Total tenure time Uninterrupted time
1 1 Robert Byrd West Virginia January 3, 1959 – June 28, 2010 51 years, 176 days 51 years, 176 days
2 2 Daniel Inouye Hawaii January 3, 1963 – December 17, 2012 49 years, 349 days 49 years, 349 days
3 4 Strom Thurmond (I) South Carolina December 24, 1954 – April 7, 1956
November 7, 1956 – January 3, 2003 		47 years, 159 days 46 years, 57 days
4 3 Ted Kennedy Massachusetts November 7, 1962 – August 25, 2009 46 years, 292 days 46 years, 292 days
5 5 Carl Hayden Arizona March 4, 1927 – January 3, 1969 41 years, 305 days 41 years, 305 days
6 6 John C. Stennis Mississippi November 7, 1947 – January 3, 1989 41 years, 59 days 41 years, 59 days
7 7 Patrick Leahy Vermont Since January 3, 1975 352 days 352 days
8 8 Ted Stevens Alaska December 24, 1968 – January 3, 2009 40 years, 10 days 40 years, 10 days
9 9 Orrin Hatch Utah Since January 3, 1977 352 days 352 days
10 10 Ernest Hollings South Carolina November 8, 1966 – January 3, 2005 38 years, 55 days 38 years, 55 days
11 11 Richard Russell, Jr. Georgia January 12, 1933 – January 21, 1971 38 years, 9 days 38 years, 9 days
12 12 Russell B. Long Louisiana December 31, 1948 – January 3, 1987 38 years, 3 days 38 years, 3 days
13 999 Francis E. Warren (I) Wyoming November 18, 1890 – March 4, 1893
March 4, 1895 – November 24, 1929 		37 years, 6 days n/a
14 13 Thad Cochran Mississippi Since December 27, 1978 359 days 359 days
15 999 James Eastland (I) Mississippi June 30 – September 28, 1941
January 3, 1943 – December 27, 1978 		36 years, 83 days n/a
16 14 Warren Magnuson Washington December 14, 1944 – January 3, 1981 36 years, 20 days 36 years, 20 days
17 15 Joe Biden Delaware January 3, 1973 – January 15, 2009 36 years, 12 days 36 years, 12 days
18 16 Claiborne Pell Rhode Island January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1997 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
19 17 Pete Domenici New Mexico January 3, 1973 – January 3, 2009 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
20 18 Richard Lugar Indiana January 3, 1977 – January 3, 2013 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
21 19 Carl Levin Michigan January 3, 1979 – January 3, 2015 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days

House time

Total tenure
rank 		Uninterrupted
rank 		Name Total tenure time Uninterrupted time
1 1 John Dingell 59 years, 21 days 59 years, 21 days
2 2 Jamie L. Whitten 53 years, 60 days 53 years, 60 days
3 3 John Conyers 352 days 352 days
4 4 Carl Vinson 50 years, 61 days 50 years, 61 days
5 5 Emanuel Celler 49 years, 305 days 49 years, 305 days
6 6 Sam Rayburn 48 years, 257 days 48 years, 257 days
7 999 Sidney R. Yates (I) 48 years, 0 days n/a
8 7 Wright Patman 47 years, 3 days 47 years, 3 days
9 999 Joseph Gurney Cannon (I) 46 years, 0 days n/a
10 8 Adolph J. Sabath 45 years, 247 days 45 years, 247 days
11 9 Charles B. Rangel 352 days 352 days
12 10 George H. Mahon 44 years, 0 days 44 years, 0 days
13 11 Charles Edward Bennett 44 years, 0 days 44 years, 0 days
14 12 Charles Melvin Price 43 years, 110 days 43 years, 110 days
15 13 Bill Young 42 years, 288 days 42 years, 288 days
16 14 Don Young 290 days 290 days
17 15 John William McCormack 42 years, 58 days 42 years, 58 days
18 16 William R. Poage 42 years, 0 days 42 years, 0 days
19 17 Jack Brooks 42 years, 0 days 42 years, 0 days
20 18 Robert L. Doughton 41 years, 305 days 41 years, 305 days
21 19 Joseph William Martin, Jr. 41 years, 305 days 41 years, 305 days
22 20 Dave Obey 41 years, 276 days 41 years, 276 days
23 21 Clarence Cannon 41 years, 69 days 41 years, 69 days
24 22 William Huston Natcher 40 years, 240 days 40 years, 240 days
25 23 Peter W. Rodino 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days
26 24 Pete Stark 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days
27 25 George Miller 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days
28 26 Henry Waxman 40 years, 0 days 40 years, 0 days
29 27 Leslie C. Arends 39 years, 362 days 39 years, 362 days
30 28 Daniel A. Reed 39 years, 352 days 39 years, 352 days
31 29 John Taber 39 years, 305 days 39 years, 305 days
32 30 William M. Colmer 39 years, 305 days 39 years, 305 days
33 31 Wilbur Mills 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days
34 32 Dante Fascell 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days
35 33 Robert H. Michel 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days
36 34 Nick Rahall 38 years, 0 days 38 years, 0 days
37 999 Robert Crosser (I) 37 years, 305 days n/a
38 999 Robert L. F. Sikes (I) 37 years, 290 days n/a
39 35 Henry B. Gonzalez 37 years, 60 days 37 years, 60 days
40 36 Jim Sensenbrenner 352 days 352 days
41 37 Ed Markey 36 years, 256 days 36 years, 256 days
42 38 John Murtha 36 years, 3 days 36 years, 3 days
43 39 Felix Edward Hébert 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
44 40 Edward Boland 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
45 41 William Broomfield 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
46 42 Dan Rostenkowski 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
47 43 Neal Edward Smith 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
48 44 Joseph M. McDade 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
49 45 Ralph Regula 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
50 46 Jim Oberstar 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
51 47 Norm Dicks 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days
52 48 Dale Kildee 36 years, 0 days 36 years, 0 days

See also

References

  • Members Who Have Served in the U.S. Congress 30 Years or More
Websites
House of Representatives
Senate
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