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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.
Members of the U.S. Congress tend to be older than parliamentarians elsewhere in the English-speaking world. This is likely a result of two factors. One is the minimum ages written into Article One of the United States Constitution, which bar persons under the age of 25 from serving in the House and persons under the age of 30 from serving in the Senate. The other is that, in the political culture of the United States, the U.S. House of Representatives is not an entry-level political position; most Members of Congress have experience in state and local politics prior to their election to the federal Congress in Washington, D.C. Furthermore, US culture often requires that politicians first gain experience in the private sector before running for office.
In the 113th Congress, which began on January 3, 2013, the youngest member of the United States House of Representatives is Patrick Murphy (D-Florida 18) who was born on (1983-03-30) March 30, 1983 and was elected in 2012. He replaces Aaron Schock (R-Illinois 18), who was the youngest member of the 111th and 112th Congresses, and now the second-youngest member of the 113th. Elise Stefanik (R-New York 21), born on July 2, 1984, will be the youngest member of the 114th Congress, and at age 30 the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
The youngest U.S. senator is 41-year-old Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), who was elected in 2012. He replaces Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) who was appointed in December 2012, just a week before Murphy took office, and is now the second-youngest senator. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), at age 37, will be the youngest member of the Senate in the 114th Congress.
The average age of Senators is now higher than in the past. In the 19th century, several state legislatures elected Senators in their late twenties in violation of the Constitutional minimum age of 30; Henry Clay, elected at age 29 in 1806, is the most notable example.
Sources: Congressional Biographical Directory and House Document No. 108-222, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 – 2005
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