Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both houses of Congress have an age requirement: at least 25 years for the House and at least 30 years for the Senate. While these age requirements are generally low, most members of Congress are nearly senior citizens.
This list contains current members of Congress in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have previously covered the Oldest Senators Ever and the Oldest U.S. Congressmen (House of Representatives) ever. Some of the people on this list are also on those lists.
As of February 2023, this list is as accurate as possible and will be updated as needed.
9. Danny K. Davis
Date of Birth: September 6, 1941
Current Age (as of November 2023): 82 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democrat
State: Illinois
Years in Office: January 3, 1997 – Present
photo source: Bright Spot
Danny Davis has been a congressman since 1997. He represents Illinois’s 7th district, which includes most of Western Chicago.
Before getting into politics, Davis worked as a government clerk, a high school teacher, executive director of the Greater Lawndale Conservation Commission, director of training at the Martin L. King Neighborhood Health Center, and executive director of the Westside Health Center.
Davis became a member of the Chicago City Council in 1979 and served in that position until 1990. He then became a Cook County Board of Commissioners member from 1990 until he was elected to Congress.
Did You Know?
Danny Davis is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
8. Jim Clyburn
Date of Birth: July 21, 1940
Current Age (as of November 2023): 83 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democrat
State: South Carolina
Years in Office: January 3, 1993 – Present
photo source: NAACP
Jim Clyburn is another member of Congress who is currently in their 80s. Clyburn has served as the Representative of South Carolina’s 6th District since 1993.
Clyburn initially became involved in politics during the 1969 Charleston Hospital Strike — a two-month movement that fought the unfair and unequal treatment of Black hospital workers.
He later served as a member of Governor John C. West’s staff. After the 1968 Orangeburg massacre, when police killed three protesting students at South Carolina State, West appointed Clyburn as the state’s human affairs commissioner. Clyburn served in this position until he was elected to Congress.
Did You Know?
Jim Clyburn has held many notable House positions, including Vice Chair and Chair of the House Democratic Conference and House Majority Whip.
7. Nancy Pelosi
Date of Birth: March 26, 1940
Current Age (as of November 2023): 83 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democrat
State: California
Years in Office: June 2, 1987 – Present
Nancy Pelosi is a long-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives; she has been in office since 1987. Pelosi served as the 52nd Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. She was the first woman ever elected as Speaker and the first woman to lead a major political party in Congress.
Pelosi got started in politics when she interned for Senator Daniel Brewster in the 1960s after graduating from Trinity College with a political science degree.
She later became the Chair of the California Democratic Party in the early 1980s.
Congresswoman Sarla Burton picked Pelosi as her successor after she could not run for reelection in 1988 after she fell ill with cancer. This guaranteed that Pelosi would have support from Burton’s supporters. Pelosi won the special election to replace Burton.
Did You Know?
Nancy Pelosi also served as the House Minority Leader and is the first woman to hold both positions (Minority and Majority Leader) in either chamber of Congress.
6. Steny Hoyer
Date of Birth: June 14, 1939
Current Age (as of November 2023): 84 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democrat
State: Maryland
Years in Office: May 19, 1981 – Present
photo source: Politico
Steny Hoyer has been the U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 5th congressional district since 1981. Hoyer has served as the House Majority Leader since 2019. Additionally, Hoyer is the Dean of the Maryland congressional delegation and the most senior Democrat in the House.
Since 2003, Hoyer has been the second-ranking Democrat in the House behind Nancy Pelosi and he has held several leadership positions. This is his second time as House Majority Leader.
Like many politicians, Hoyer studied law. After he graduated, Hoyer worked as a staff member for United States Senator Daniel Brewster — Nancy Pelosi was also part of Brewster’s staff.
In 1996, Hoyer was elected to the Maryland State Senate and served in that seat until 1978. He was then appointed to the Maryland Board of Higher Education and stayed in that position until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Did You Know?
Steny Hoyer served as the first vice president of the Young Democrats of America from 1969 to 1971.
5. Maxine Waters
Date of Birth: August 15, 1938
Current Age (as of November 2023): 85 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democrat
State: California
Years in Office: January 3, 1991 – Present
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Maxine Waters is currently one of the most prominent Democratic politicians in either chamber of Congress. Waters is the most senior of the 12 black women in Congress and she is the Chair of House Financial Services Committee.
The fifth of 13 children and raised by a single mother, Waters took an unconventional route to becoming a politician. She had a few odd jobs before she was hired as an assistant teacher in 1966. A few years later, Waters attended Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles) and graduated with a sociology degree in 1971.
Afterwards, Waters worked as chief deputy to City Councilman David S. Cunningham, Jr. in 1973. Then, in 1976, Waters was elected to the California State Assembly. Waters held that position until 1990, when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Over the years, Waters has been an outspoken politician who isn’t afraid to criticize the presidents – including George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Did You Know?
Maxine Waters was included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2018.
4. Hal Rogers
Date of Birth: December 31, 1937
Current Age (as of November 2023): 85 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Republican
State: Kentucky
Years in Office: January 3, 1981 – Present
photo source: ABC News
Hal Rogers is another long-serving congressman who is currently in his 80s. Rogers has represented Kentucky’s 5th congressional district since 1981.
Before entering politics, Rogers worked as a lawyer, and in 1969, he became the Commonwealth Attorney of Pulaski and Rockcastle Counties. He held that position until he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1981.
Rogers is now the longest-serving Kentucky Republican ever to hold higher office. From 2011 to 2016, Rogers was the Chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Following Congressman Don Young’s death in 2022, Rogers became the Dean of the House of Representatives.
Did You Know?
As a young man, Hal Rogers served in the Kentucky Army National Guard and North Carolina Army National Guard.
3. Bill Pascrell
Date of Birth: January 25, 1937
Current Age (as of November 2023): 86 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democratic
State: New Jersey
Years in Office: January 3, 1997 – Present
photo source: New Jersey Glob
Bill Pascrell has represented New Jersey’s 8th congressional district from January 1997 until the redistricting of January 2013; he is now the representative of the 9th district.
Pascrell was born and raised in New Jersey; his district even includes his hometown of Paterson.
Before first entering politics in 1988, Pascrell taught for 12 years. In 1988, Pascrell became a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and served in this position until 1997. He was also mayor of Paterson from 1990 – 1997.
Did You Know?
Bill Pascrell has become passionate about researching traumatic brain injuries that happen in sports. In October 2008, Pascrell introduced the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act (the ConTACT Act), which has received the endorsements of the National Football League, the National Football League Players Association, and the Brain Injury Association of America.
2. Grace Napolitano
Date of Birth: December 4, 1936
Current Age (as of November 2023): 86 years
Current House: House of Representatives
Political Party: Democratic
State: California
Years in Office: January 3, 1999 – Present
photo source: Times
Grace Napolitano, unrelated to former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for California for over 20 years. Napolitano had worked for the Ford Motor Company for 21 years before retiring and starting a career in politics in 1992.
That year, Napolitano was elected to the California Assembly and became a leader in international trade, environmental protection, transportation, and immigration.
In her personal life, Napolitano was married to Frank Napolitano, a retired restaurateur and community activist, from the early 1980s until he passed away in late 2017. Napolitano has five children, fourteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Did You Know?
Grace Napolitano is the highest-ranking California member and Hispanic member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, where she currently serves as Chairwoman on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
1. Chuck Grassley
Date of Birth: September 17, 1933
Current Age (as of November 2023): 90 years
Current House: Senate (previously in the House of Representatives)
Political Party: Republican
State: Iowa
Years in Office: January 3, 1981 – Present; January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 (House of Representatives Iowa 3rd District)
photo source: NPR
Chuck Grassley is one of the longest-serving members of Congress and has had an even longer political career. Grassley was a farmer and sheet metal shearer before he joined the Iowa Legislature in 1958. In 1974, Grassley was elected to the House of Representatives and served on the House until 1981. Since then, Grassley has been a Senator in Iowa.
Grassley has served on many committees over the years, including the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Committee on Finance; Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary; Committee on the Budget; Joint Committee on Taxation; Chairman of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control; and Co-Chair of the Caucus on Foster Youth.
Did You Know?
Chuck Grassley is currently the president pro tempore of the Senate, making him the third in the presidential line of succession after the vice president and Speaker of the House.
Conclusion
Age is just a number, they say. But jobs like theirs require more life experience. These Oldest members of the current United States Congress had decades of experience that can be valuable for the betterment of the country.
Most of them were born around the 2nd world war, and that must be proof enough to know the gravity of experience they have.
It is a big deal to be working in your 80s and 90s. Chuck Grassely turned 90 recently. I am curious to know who else will catch up with him to be in their 90s and still working. I hope you are too!
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