Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the oldest member of Congress at the time of her death Thursday night at age 90, but not by very much.
Several lawmakers on both.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the oldest member of Congress at the time of her death Thursday night at age 90, but not by very much.
Several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are well into their 80s — or even older in the case of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who turned 90 himself earlier this month.
According to a Pew Research study published in January, the median age of the current crop of senators is 65.3, while the House of Representatives median age is 57.9.
Despite these comparatively low averages, 14 lawmakers aged 80 or older currently serve in Congress. Some, like Feinstein, have suffered health scares, prompting debate about how old is too old to serve.
Below are the 10 oldest members of Congress.1. Sen. Chuck Grassley (90 years old)
Following Feinstein’s death, Grassley now holds the distinction of being the oldest sitting member of Congress. He was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1959, where he served eight terms before being elected to the US House in 1975. Grassley assumed his current role in the Senate in 1981, and is the longest-serving GOP senator in US history, surpassing the late Orrin Hatch’s record in January 2023. That same month, Grassley underwent surgery after injuring his hip.2. Rep. Grace Napolitano (86 years old)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), who will turn 87 in December, is the oldest member of the House of Representatives. She assumed her office in 1999, and announced she would not seek re-election at the end of her current term, which ends in January 2025.
