John Dingell: 20,997 Days in Congress, and Counting

A Thousand Days was the poignant title of historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s book about the brief administration of John F. Kennedy. If a historian were to write such a book about the never-ending congressional career of Rep. John D. Dingell of Michigan, the title might be a clunky but appropriate 20,997 Days...and Counting! At 12:01 AM Friday, Dingell became the longest-serving member in the history of the United States Congress. He was elected on December 13, 1955, to replace his father, who had died in office (and who had held the seat since 1933). While Dingell has not announced his intention to seek what would likely be another breezy re-election, he has not ruled it out, either. Dingell was once my congressman. I was a summer intern in his district office in Dearborn, Michigan in 1993, and in his Washington, D.C., office in 1994. The duties were the usual for interns -- answering phones, writing constituent letters, and running down to the...(Read Full Article)

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