John Dingell

Michigan's Dean of the House whose 59 years stand as the longest service in congressional history.

Overview

Succeeding his father in 1955 at 29, Dingell served until 2015, the longest tenure ever. He sat at the desk where the Medicare bill was signed, in the seat passed to his wife Debbie. He shepherded the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, the Endangered Species Act, and automobile safety law, and as Energy and Commerce chairman he brought the Affordable Care Act to the floor in 2010 using a gavel his father once held. His daily constitutional reminder, introducing a national health insurance bill every session from 1955, made him Medicare's and universal coverage's legislative godfather.