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List of youngest members of the United States Congress

Left: Jon Ossoff (D-GA), currently the youngest U.S. senator
Right: Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), currently the youngest U.S. representative

The following are historical lists of the youngest members of the United States Congress, in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. These members would be the equivalent to the "Baby of the House" in the parliaments of Commonwealth countries; the U.S. Congress does not confer a similar title upon its youngest members.

The youngest U.S. congressman tends to be older than the youngest MPs in Commonwealth countries. This is partly because the minimum age requirements enumerated in Article One of the United States Constitution bar persons under the age of 25 years and 30 years from serving in the House and Senate, respectively. Additionally, the political culture of the United States encourages young politicians to gain experience in state and local offices before running for Congress. Although the vast majority of members of Congress gained state and local experience before being elected to Congress, members lacking state and local experience have increased recently.[1]

Maxwell Frost (D-FL) is the youngest member of the 118th Congress at age 27. He succeeded one-term representative Madison Cawthorn, who was the youngest person elected to the U.S. Congress since Jed Johnson Jr. in 1964.[2]

Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is the youngest sitting senator at 37,[3] replacing Josh Hawley, who at 41 was the youngest senator of the 116th Congress.[4] Ossoff is the youngest person elected to the U.S. Senate since Don Nickles in 1980.[5][6] The average age of senators is higher now than in the past.[7] In the 19th century, several state legislatures elected senators in their late twenties despite the Constitutional minimum age of 30, such as Henry Clay, who was sworn into office at age 29, and John Henry Eaton, the youngest U.S. senator in history, who took his oath of office when he was 28 years, 4 months and 29 days old.[8]

  1. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (November 11, 2010). "Many Political Newcomers Joining Congress". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "America's youngest Congressman: What Maxwell Frost is most looking forward to". MSNBC. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Thanawala, Sudhin (January 6, 2021). "Ossoff seals Democrats' sweep; will be youngest US senator". Associated Press. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Republican Josh Hawley unseats Democratic McCaskill in U.S. Senate battle. Fox News.
  5. ^ Rogers, Alex (November 7, 2018). "Democrats to take Senate as Ossoff wins runoff, CNN projects". CNN.
  6. ^ Bostock, Bill (January 6, 2021). "Jon Ossoff is the youngest Democrat elected to the Senate since Joe Biden in 1973". Business Insider India. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Palmer, Brian (January 2, 2013). "Democracy or Gerontocracy: Is Congress getting older?". Slate.
  8. ^ "Youngest Senator". United States Senate.