List of historical longest-serving members of the United States Congress

Last updated June 27, 2025

This is a list of United States congressmen who have set records for longevity of service since the United States 1st Congress in 1789. It is divided up into several categories.

Uninterrupted time

Senate and House

Begin date	End date	Name	Party	State	Service	Length of service
March 4, 1789	March 3, 1807	John Brown	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	Virginia/Kentucky	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1805 (S, H)	5,842 dd
March 3, 1807	November 13, 1892	Nathaniel Macon	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	North Carolina	March 4, 1791 – November 14, 1828 (S, H)	13,769 dd
November 13, 1892	December 28, 1950	Justin Smith Morrill	Whig/Republican	Vermont	March 4, 1855 – December 28, 1898 (S, H)	16,005 dd
December 28, 1950	October 24, 1957	Adolph J. Sabath	Democratic	Illinois	March 4, 1907 – November 6, 1952 (H)	16,684 dd
October 24, 1957	November 18, 2009	Carl Hayden	Democratic	Arizona	February 19, 1912 – January 3, 1969 (S, H)	20,773 dd
November 18, 2009	June 6, 2013	Robert Byrd	Democratic	West Virginia	January 3, 1953 – June 28, 2010 (S, H)	20,995 dd
June 6, 2013		John Dingell	Democratic	Michigan	December 13, 1955 – January 3, 2015 (H)	21,571 dd

Senate

Begin date	End date	Name	Party	State	Service	Length of service
March 4, 1789	June 6, 1802	James Gunn	Anti-Administration/ Federalist	Georgia	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801	4,381 dd
March 4, 1789	June 6, 1802	John Langdon	Pro-Administration/ Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	New Hampshire	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801	4,381 dd
June 6, 1802	December 6, 1808	Theodore Foster	Pro-Administration/ Federalist/ Democratic-Republican	Rhode Island	June 7, 1790 – March 3, 1803	4,651 dd
December 6, 1808	December 25, 1811	James Hillhouse	Federalist	Connecticut	March 12, 1796 – June 10, 1810	5,202 dd
December 25, 1811	May 12, 1822	Joseph Anderson	Democratic-Republican	Tennessee	September 26, 1797 – March 3, 1815	6,366 dd
May 12, 1822	March 5, 1841	John Gaillard	Democratic-Republican	South Carolina	December 6, 1804 – February 26, 1826	7,752 dd
March 5, 1841	December 11, 1845	William R. King	Democratic-Republican/ Democratic	Alabama	December 14, 1819 – April 15, 1844	8,889 dd
December 11, 1845	September 24, 1896	Thomas Hart Benton	Democratic-Republican/ Democratic	Missouri	August 10, 1821 – March 3, 1851	10,797 dd
September 24, 1896	December 29, 1904	Justin Smith Morrill	Whig/ Republican	Vermont	March 4, 1867 – December 28, 1898	11,622 dd
December 29, 1904	August 3, 1944	William B. Allison	Republican	Iowa	March 4, 1873 – August 4, 1908	12,936 dd
August 3, 1944	November 17, 1952	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	South Carolina	March 4, 1909 – November 17, 1944	13,042 dd
November 17, 1952	January 3, 1963	Kenneth McKellar	Democratic	Tennessee	March 4, 1917 – January 3, 1953	13,089 dd
January 3, 1963	September 9, 1998	Carl Hayden	Democratic	Arizona	March 4, 1927 – January 3, 1969	15,281 dd
September 9, 1998	February 28, 2005	Strom Thurmond	Democratic/ Republican	South Carolina	November 7, 1956 – January 3, 2003	16,858 dd
February 28, 2005		Robert Byrd	Democratic	West Virginia	January 3, 1959 – June 28, 2010	18,804 dd

House

Begin date	End date	Name	Party	State	Service	Length of service
March 4, 1789	March 3, 1803	George Thatcher	Pro-Administration/ Federalist	Massachusetts	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801	4,381 dd
March 3, 1803	December 12, 1825	Nathaniel Macon	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	North Carolina	March 4, 1791 – December 13, 1815	9,049 dd
December 12, 1825	March 9, 1908	Thomas Newton, Jr.	Democratic-Republican	Virginia	March 4, 1801 – March 9, 1830	10,597 dd
March 9, 1908	March 21, 1940	Henry H. Bingham	Republican	Pennsylvania	March 4, 1879 – March 22, 1912	12,071 dd
March 21, 1940	October 24, 1957	Adolph J. Sabath	Democratic	Illinois	March 4, 1907 – November 6, 1952	16,684 dd
October 24, 1957	July 18, 1963	Sam Rayburn	Democratic	Texas	March 4, 1913 – November 16, 1961	17,789 dd
July 18, 1963	January 5, 1992	Carl Vinson	Democratic	Georgia	November 3, 1914 – January 3, 1965	18,324 dd
January 5, 1992	February 10, 2009	Jamie L. Whitten	Democratic	Mississippi	November 4, 1941 – January 3, 1995	19,418 dd
February 10, 2009		John Dingell	Democratic	Michigan	December 13, 1955 – January 3, 2015	21,571 dd

Interrupted time

Senate and House

Begin date	End date	Name	Party	State	Service	Length of service
March 4, 1789	March 3, 1807	John Brown	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	Virginia/Kentucky	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1805 (S, H)	5,842 dd
March 3, 1807	October 15, 1831	Nathaniel Macon	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	North Carolina	March 4, 1791 – November 14, 1828 (S, H)	13,769 dd
October 15, 1831	April 2, 1894	Samuel Smith	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	Maryland	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1815 January 31, 1816 – March 3, 1833 (S, H)	14,274 dd
April 2, 1894	December 31, 1920	Justin Smith Morrill	Whig/Republican	Vermont	March 4, 1855 – December 28, 1898 (S, H)	16,005 dd
December 31, 1920	February 14, 1958	Joseph G. Cannon	Republican	Illinois	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1891 March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913 March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923 (H)	16,797 dd
February 14, 1958	November 18, 2009	Carl Hayden	Democratic	Arizona	February 19, 1912 – January 3, 1969 (S, H)	20,773 dd
November 18, 2009	June 6, 2013	Robert Byrd	Democratic	West Virginia	January 3, 1953 – June 28, 2010 (S, H)	20,995 dd
June 6, 2013		John Dingell	Democratic	Michigan	December 13, 1955 – January 3, 2015 (H)	21,571 dd

Senate

Begin date	End date	Name	Party	State	Service	Length of service
March 4, 1789	June 6, 1802	James Gunn	Anti-Administration/ Federalist	Georgia	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801	4,381 dd
March 4, 1789	June 6, 1802	John Langdon	Pro-Administration/ Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	New Hampshire	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801	4,381 dd
June 6, 1802	December 6, 1808	Theodore Foster	Pro-Administration/ Federalist/ Democratic-Republican	Rhode Island	June 7, 1790 – March 3, 1803	4,651 dd
December 6, 1808	December 25, 1811	James Hillhouse	Federalist	Connecticut	March 12, 1796 – June 10, 1810	5,202 dd
December 25, 1811	May 12, 1822	Joseph Anderson	Democratic-Republican	Tennessee	September 26, 1797 – March 3, 1815	6,366 dd
May 12, 1822	March 8, 1832	John Gaillard	Democratic-Republican	South Carolina	December 6, 1804 – February 26, 1826	7,752 dd
March 8, 1832	February 28, 1842	Samuel Smith	Democratic-Republican	Maryland	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1815 December 16, 1822 – March 3, 1833	8,112 dd
February 28, 1842	December 11, 1845	William R. King	Democratic-Republican/ Democratic	Alabama	December 14, 1819 – April 15, 1844^[1]	8,889 dd
December 11, 1845	October 8, 1894	Thomas Hart Benton	Democratic-Republican/ Democratic	Missouri	August 10, 1821 – March 3, 1851	10,797 dd
October 8, 1894	February 20, 1905	John Sherman	Republican	Ohio	March 21, 1861 – March 8, 1877 March 4, 1881 – March 4, 1897	11,675 dd
February 20, 1905	April 20, 1928	William B. Allison	Republican	Iowa	March 4, 1873 – August 4, 1908	12,936 dd
April 20, 1928	March 8, 1964	Francis E. Warren	Republican	Wyoming	November 18, 1890 – March 3, 1893 March 4, 1895 – November 24, 1929	13,519 dd
March 8, 1964	May 30, 1997	Carl Hayden	Democratic	Arizona	March 4, 1927 – January 3, 1969	15,281 dd
May 30, 1997	June 10, 2006	Strom Thurmond	Democratic/ Republican	South Carolina	December 24, 1954 – April 4, 1956 November 7, 1956 – January 3, 2003	17,325 dd
June 10, 2006		Robert Byrd	Democratic	West Virginia	January 3, 1959 – June 28, 2010	18,804 dd

House

Begin date	End date	Name	Party	State	Service	Length of service
March 4, 1789	March 3, 1803	George Thatcher	Pro-Administration/ Federalist	Massachusetts	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1801	4,381 dd
March 3, 1803	December 12, 1825	Nathaniel Macon	Anti-Administration/ Democratic-Republican	North Carolina	March 4, 1791 – December 13, 1815	9,049 dd
December 12, 1825	March 11, 1904	Thomas Newton, Jr.	Democratic-Republican	Virginia	March 4, 1801 – March 9, 1830 March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833	11,327 dd
March 11, 1904	November 3, 1908	John H. Ketcham	Republican	New York	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873 March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1893 March 4, 1897 – November 4, 1906	12,295 dd
November 3, 1908	February 28, 1959	Joseph G. Cannon	Republican	Illinois	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1891 March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913 March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923	16,797 dd
February 28, 1959	July 18, 1963	Sam Rayburn	Democratic	Texas	March 4, 1913 – November 16, 1961	17,789 dd
July 18, 1963	January 5, 1992	Carl Vinson	Democratic	Georgia	November 3, 1914 – January 3, 1965	18,324 dd
January 5, 1992	February 10, 2009	Jamie L. Whitten	Democratic	Mississippi	November 4, 1941 – January 3, 1995	19,418 dd
February 10, 2009		John Dingell	Democratic	Michigan	December 13, 1955 – January 3, 2015	21,571 dd

References

↑ Also served from July 1, 1848 to December 20, 1852, but Benton surpassed his tenure in 1845.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Also served from July 1, 1848 to December 20, 1852, but Benton surpassed his tenure in 1845.

[1]

List of historical longest-serving members of the United States Congress

Contents

Uninterrupted time

Senate and House

Senate

House

Interrupted time

Senate and House

Senate

House

References