Dean of the United States House of Representatives
Longest continuously serving member of the United States House of Representatives / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dean of the United States House of Representatives is the representative that has been in office the longest. The current Dean is Hal Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky.[1] He has served in the House since March 6th, 1973.[1] The Dean is a symbolic job whose only customary duty is to swear in a Speaker of the House when he or she is elected.[2] The Dean comes forward on the House Floor to administer (give) the oath to the Speaker-elect.[2] The new Speaker then administers the oath to the other members.[2] The Dean does not preside over the election of the Speaker, unlike the Father of the House in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and the Dean of the Canadian House of Commons.
Because of other privileges associated with seniority, the Dean is usually given some of the most desirable office space. The Dean is generally either chair or ranking minority member of an influential committee. Unlike the office of President pro tem, the Dean of the House of Representatives is not an official position.