Youngest and Oldest Members in History

The Constitution sets 25 for the House and 30 for the Senate, and those floors have been tested. William Charles Cole Claiborne of Tennessee, elected at 22 in 1796, was seated in the House despite being underage, and Rush Holt of West Virginia, elected to the Senate at 29, waited until he turned 30 to be sworn.

The oldest, Robert Byrd and Strom Thurmond, served past 90 and 100. Longevity records now cluster in an era when incumbency, safe seats, and modern medicine stretch careers to half a century..