Currently, the average age of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives is 58. However, all of the House’s leaders, except for Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, are some of the oldest Congressmen and are featured on this list. Every single one of the Congressmen on this list is in their 80s!
Additionally, everyone on this list has been serving for several decades due to winning consecutive reelections.
As of February 2023, the information on this list is as accurate as possible and will be updated as needed.
10. Frederica Wilson (November 5, 1942 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 80 years, 3 months, 12 days
State: Florida’s 24th District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: January 3, 2011
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Frederica Wilson is the fourth-oldest women currently in the U.S. House of Representatives. Wilson has represented Florida’s 24th district since 2011.
Before becoming a politician, Wilson earned elementary education degrees from Fisk University and the University of Miami. She worked as a teacher and was later served as the principal of Skyway Elementary School in Miam.
Wilson left the school in 1992 to serve on the Miami-Dade County School Board. In 1998, Wilson became a member of the Florida House of Representatives and served until 2002. She was then elected to the Florida Senate.
Did You Know?
As the picture above shows, Frederica Wilson is known for her large and colorful hats. She has tried to push through efforts to get Congress to lift its ban on head coverings during House sessions, which dates to 1837.
9. John Carter (November 6, 1941 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 81 years, 3 months, 11 days
State: Texas’s 31st District
Party: Republican
Assumed Office: January 3, 2003
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
John Carter is the second-oldest Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives after Hal Rogers. Cater graduated with a history degree from Texas Tech University in 1964; he followed this up with a law degree the University of Texas School of Law in 1969.
After earning his law degree, Carter worked as the first general counsel to the Texas House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee. He eventually a private law practice. In 1981, Carter was appointed as judge of the 277th District Court of Williamson County; he was reelected to this position four times.
Cater retired as a judge in 2001 and decided to run for Congress. He has served as the representative for Texas’s 31st district since 2003.
Did You Know?
John Carter is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
8. Danny K. Davis (September 6, 1941 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 81 years, 5 months, 11 days
State: Illinois’s 7th District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: January 3, 1997
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Danny Davis has represented the 7th district of Illinois since 1997 — this district covers most of western Chicago, including the Loop. After earning various degrees, 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.
He first entered politics when he was elected to the Chicago City Council representing the 29th ward in 1979; he served in this role until 1990. Following his time on the Chicago City Council, Davis served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners between 1990 – 1997.
Did You Know?
Danny Davis has a reputation for taking several trips; he is the 15th most prolific traveler in Congress.
7. Jim Clyburn (July 21, 1940 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 82 years, 6 months, 27 days
State: South Carolina’s 6th District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: January 3, 1993
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Before becoming a Congressman, Clyburn graduated from what is now South Carolina State University with a degree in history. After college, Clyburn taught at C.A. Brown High School in Charleston and first became involved in politics during the 1969 Charleston hospital strike.
Clyburn then served as the advisor to Governor John C. West and was eventually appointed as South Carolina’s human affairs commissioner, a position he held until he was elected to Congress.
Did You Know?
Since the departure of John Spratt in 2011, Jim Clyburn has been the only Democrat in South Carolina’s house delegation.
6. Nancy Pelosi (March 26, 1940 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023):82 years, 10 months, 22 days
State: California’s 12th District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: June 2, 1987
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Nancy Pelosi is currently the highest-ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the the 52nd Speaker of the House. She is the only woman in American history to serve as Speaker. Pelosi also served as Speaker of the House from 2007 – 2011.
Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, Pelosi graduated from Trinity College with a degree in political science. Pelosi interned for Senator Daniel Brewster (D-Maryland) in the 1960s and continued to work her way up in Democratic politics. She was elected as a Democratic National Committee member in 1976, and she later served as the Chair of the California Democratic Party in the early 1980s.
Did You Know?
Under President Barack Obama’s administration, Nancy Pelosi was instrumental in passing many landmark bills, including the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the 2010 Tax Relief Act.
5. Steny Hoyer (June 14, 1939 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 83 years, 8 months, 3 days
State: Maryland’s 5th District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: May 19, 1981
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Steny Hoyer is a the long-serving member of the U.S .House of Representatives, who was first elected in 1981. Hoyer is also the current House Majority Leader, a position he has held since 2019. He was previously House Majority Leader from 2007 to 2011. Additionally, Hoyer is the Dean of the Maryland Congressional delegation and the most senior Democrat in the House.
Hoyer has spent pretty much his entire adult life in politics. In the early 1960s, Hoyer was a member of the staff of United States Senator Daniel Brewster. He was then elected to the Maryland State Senate. In 1975 he became the President of the Maryland State Senate, the youngest person ever to hold that position in state history.
Did You Know?
Steny Hoyer was the lead sponsor of the the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and has helped millions of disabled Americans enter the workforce, achieve independence, and go as far as their talents take them.
4. Maxine Waters (August 15, 1938 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 84 years, 6 months, 2 days
State: California’s 43rd District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: January 3, 1991
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Maxine Waters has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 30 years and currently represents California’s 43rd district. Congresswoman Waters has become known for her outspoken advocacy for women, children, people of color, and the poor.
She is the second most senior member of the California congressional delegation after Nancy Pelosi and holds a powerful position as Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee.
Before being elected to Congress in 1990, Waters was a member of the California State Assembly, a position she held from 1976 until her congressional election. After working in a garment factory, as a telephone operator, and an assistant teacher, Waters earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from what is now California State University, Los Angeles.
Did You Know?
Maxine Waters was on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2018 list.
3. Hal Rogers (December 31, 1937 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 85 years, 1 months, 17 days
State: Kentucky’s 5th District
Party: Republican
Assumed Office: January 3, 1981
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Hal Rogers has represented Kentucky’s 5th district since 1981, which amounts to 20 consecutive terms. Rogers is currently the Dean of the Kentucky congressional delegation. As a young man, Rogers received a law degree from the University of Kentucky of Lexington and went into private practice. He also served in the Kentucky and North Carolina Army National Guard.
As a lawyer, Rogers was elected serve as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Pulaski and Rockcastle counties in Kentucky, an office he held from 1969 until his election to Congress in 1980. From 2011 to 2016, Rogers served as the Chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Did You Know?
Hal Rogers has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee for more than 30 years, and has served on eight different subcommittees, including leadership roles as Chairman or Ranking Member of three.
2. Bill Pascrell (January 25, 1937 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 86 years, 23 days
State: New Jersey’s 9th District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: January 3, 1997
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Prior to joining the U.S. House of Representatives, Pascrell was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, as well as mayor of Paterson. Before his political career, Pascrell was a high school teacher and eventually became a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Pascrell was appointed to the Paterson Board of Education, and served as president of the board.
Did You Know?
Since 2007, Bill Pascrell has served on the powerful, tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, overseeing numerous economic issues including Social Security, taxes, Medicare, health policy, and international trade.
1. Grace Napolitano (December 4, 1936 – Present)
Current Age (as of February 2023): 86 years, 2 months, 13 days
State: California’s 32nd District
Party: Democratic
Assumed Office: January 3, 1999
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Grace Napolitano has represented California’s 32nd district since 2013, but has been in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999 — she previously represented California’s 38th and 34th districts. Napolitano is currently the oldest member of the U.S. House of Representatives at the age of 86.
Before becoming a Congresswoman, Napolitano served in the California State Assembly and Norwalk City Council.
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, which oversees EPA’s Clean Water Act and US Army Corps of Engineers water programs.
She is also a part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Medicare for All Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Arts Caucus, and several others.
Did You Know?
As the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, Grace Napolitano was active in securing mental health parity in the Affordable Care Act.
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