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Dean of the United States House of Representatives

Encyclopedia : D : DE : DEA : Dean of the United States House of Representatives

The Dean of the United States House of Representatives is the longest-serving (in consecutive terms) member of the United States House of Representatives. The present Dean is John Dingell, a Democrat of Michigan.

The only duty customarily associated with this position is to swear in a Speaker of the House when he is elected; unlike the Father of the House in the United Kingdom House of Commons, he does not preside over the election but comes forward on the floor to administer the oath to the Speaker-elect before the new Speaker then administers the oath to the other members.

Seniority having other privileges attached, the Dean is usually allotted some of the most desirable office space, and (though a party caucus occasionally deems otherwise) either the chairmanship of an influential committee (if a member of the majority party), or the position of ranking minority member of one.

It is unclear when the position first achieved concrete recognition, though the seniority system and increasing lengths of service emerged in the early 20th century. The first two six-term members of the United States Senate, Ellison DuRant Smith and Kenneth McKellar, were first elected in 1908 and 1916 respectively. As late as 1924, Frederick H. Gillett was Dean, and also Speaker, before becoming a Senator himself; modern Deans move into their positions so late in their careers that a move to the Senate is highly unlikely.

The Deanship can change hands unexpectedly; in the 1952 election, Adolph J. Sabath became the first Representative elected to a 24th term, breaking the record of 23 terms first set by former Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon, whose service had been discontinuous whereas Sabath's was not. North Carolina's Robert L. Doughton had not contested that election, as he was retiring at the age of 89 years and two months (a House age record broken only in 1998 by Sidney R. Yates, though Claude Pepper, who died early in his final term in 1989, holds the record for oldest winner of a House election). However, Sabath died before the new term began, and Doughton was Dean for the old term's final months, before Speaker Sam Rayburn became Dean in the new Congress.

More recently, Texas Democrat Jack Brooks was defeated for reelection in the year he was expected to succeed Jamie L. Whitten as Dean.

List of Deans of the House since 1850

Years as Dean are followed by name, party, state, and start of service in Congress. Kelley, Randall, Bingham, Payne, Jones, Cooper, Butler, Pou, Sabath, Rayburn, and Patman died in office.

Vinson, Whitten, and Dingell entered the House to fill unexpired terms.

United States Congress — (House of Representatives, Senate)
Members House: Current, Former, Districts | Senate: Current, Former, Current & Former by state
Groups African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans list, Caucuses, Committees, Demographics
House: Committees  | Senate: Committees, Women list
Leaders House: Speaker, Majority leader, Minority leader, Dem. leader, Rep. leader, Majority whip, Minority whip, Dem. whip, Rep. whip, Dem. caucus, Rep. conference, Dean
Senate: President pro tempore (list), Majority and Minority leaders, Dem. Leader, Rep. Leader, Majority whip, Minority whip, Dem. Caucus (Chair, Secretary, Policy comm. chair), Rep. Conference (Chair, Secretary, Policy comm. chair), Dean
Agencies & Employees Architect of the Capitol, Capitol guide service (board), Capitol police (board), Government Printing Office, Law Revision Counsel, Librarian of Congress, Poet laureate
House: Chaplain, Clerk, Doorkeeper, Historian, Page, Parliamentarian, Postmaster, Reading clerk, Sergeant at Arms
Senate: Chaplain, Curator, Page, Parliamentarian, Secretary, Sergeant at Arms
Politics & Procedure Act of Congress (list), Caucuses, Committees, Joint session, Delegations' partisan mix
House: Committees  | Senate: Committees, Filibuster, Traditions, Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes
Buildings Capitol Complex, Capitol, Botanic Garden
House: Cannon, Ford, Longworth, O'Neill, Rayburn | Senate: Dirksen, Hart, Russell
Research Biographical directory, Congressional Quarterly, Congressional Record, Congressional Research Service,
Federal depository library, Library of Congress, The Hill, Roll Call, THOMAS

 

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