Whitten House Tenure Breaks Record

Rep. Jamie L. Whitten (D-Miss.) on Monday broke the record for serving the longest term in the House of Representatives.

Whitten, 81, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, as of Monday had been in the House 50 years, two months and 14 days--one day longer than the late Rep. Carl Vinson (D-Ga.) served.

Whitten is still six years away from being the longest-serving member of Congress.

The late Carl Hayden served the longest in the House and Senate combined. The Arizona Democrat was in the House and then the Senate from 1912 until 1969, a total of 56 years, 10 months and 28 days. To break Hayden’s record, Whitten will have to serve until Oct. 2, 1998.