Data Driven Insights
Maxwell Alejandro Frost made history on Tuesday night when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives at just 25 years of age, making him the first member of Generation Z elected to Congress.
Frost, who won the open seat for Florida’s 10th Congressional District, was born on January 17, 1997, meaning he will be two weeks shy of his 26th birthday when he is sworn into office on January 3, 2023.
While Frost will be the first Gen Z’er to serve in Congress and the youngest member of the 118th Congress, he is certainly not the youngest U.S. representative in history. Just recently, Madison Cawthorn edged out Frost by 195 days when he was elected just two years ago.
In fact, despite the minimum age requirement for the House of Representatives of 25 years (and 30 years for Senate), there have been representatives much younger than Frost and Cawthorn.
The Youngest Men to Ever Serve in Congress
William Charles Cole Claiborne is believed to be the youngest member to ever serve in Congress, although his exact age is up for debate. Born sometime between 1773 and 1775 and sworn into Congress in 1797, he was believed to be between the ages of 22 and 24 – his gravestone states he was 23.
- William Claiborne, born 1773-1775 – 22-24 years old when sworn into Congress
- Jesse Wharton, born July 29, 1782 – 24 years, 7 months, 3 days old when sworn into Congress
- David Dickinson, born June 10, 1808 – 24 years, 8 months, 22 days old when sworn into Congress
- William King, born, April 7, 1786 – 24 years, 10 months, 25 days old when sworn into Congress
- Daniel Cook, born 1794 – 24-25 years old when sworn into Congress
The Youngest Women to Ever Serve in Congress
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who took office in 2019 at the age of 29, is the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress. She was also the youngest member of the 116th Congress.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, born October 13, 1989 – 29 years, 2 months, 21 days old when sworn into Congress
- Abby Finkenauer, born December 27, 1988 – 30 years, 0 months, 7 days old when sworn into Congress
- Elise Stefanik, born July 2, 1984 – 30 years, 6 months, 1 day old when sworn into Congress
- Katie Hill, born August 25, 1987 – 31 years, 4 months, 9 days old when sworn into Congress
- Elizabeth Holtzman, born August 11, 1941 – 31 years, 4 months, 23 days old when sworn into Congress
The Youngest Male Currently in Congress
Maxwell Alejandro Frost will be the youngest member of the 118th Congress. When he is sworn in on January 3, 2023, he will be 25 years, 11 months, and 17 days old.
The Youngest Female Currently in Congress
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will remain the youngest woman in Congress when she starts her third term in 2023 at the age of 33.
The Youngest Male Senators in History
John Henry Eaton is the youngest senator in U.S. history, taking office when he was just 28 years, 4 months, and 29 days old in 1818 (considerably younger than the constitutionally required 30 years).
- John Eaton, born June 18, 1790 – 28 years, 4 months, 29 days old when sworn into Congress
- Armistead Mason, born August 4, 1787 – 28 years, 4 months, 30 days old when sworn into Congress
- John Crittenden, born September 10, 1787 – 29 years, 5 months, 22 days old when sworn into Congress
- Henry Clay, born April 12, 1777 – 29 years, 8 months, 17 days old when sworn into Congress
- Rush Holt, born June 19, 1905 – 30 years, 0 months, 2 days old when sworn into Congress
The Youngest Female Senators in History
Blanche Lambert Lincoln, a democrat from Arkansas, was the youngest female senator in U.S. history when she assumed office in 1999 at the age of 38.
- Blanche Lambert Lincoln, born September 30, 1960 – 38 years, 3 months, 4 days old when sworn into Congress
- Mary Landrieu, born November 23, 1955 – 41 years, 1 months, 11 days old when sworn into Congress
- Kirsten Gillibrand, born December 9, 1966 – 42 years, 1 months, 17 days old when sworn into Congress
- Maria Cantwell, born October 13, 1958 – 42 years, 2 months, 21 days old when sworn into Congress
- Patty Murray, born October 11, 1950 – 42 years, 2 months, 23 days old when sworn into Congress
The Youngest Current Male Senator
At 35 years of age, Jon Ossoff will be the youngest senator in the 118th Congress. He was 33 years, 11 months, and 4 days old when he assumed office in 2021.
The Youngest Current Female Senator
Katie Britt, Senator-elect from Alabama, will be the youngest female senator in the 118th Congress. Born February 2, 1982, she will be 40 years old when she assumes office, making her the youngest female Republican senator in history and the first female senator representing Alabama.
Comparing the Youngest and Oldest Members of Congress
Senator Dianne Feinstein of California is currently the oldest serving member of Congress, followed closely by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Both born in 1933, Feinstein and Grassley have lived much different lives than the youngest member of congress, incoming Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost.
To put it into perspective, Feinstein and Grassley were born in 1933, the same year that:
- Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany
- Prohibition ended
- Monopoly was invented
- The NFL hosted the first championship game
While Frost was born in 1997, the same year that:
- Bill Clinton was sworn in for his second presidential term
- The DVD format was released
- Princess Diana passed away in a car accident
- The google.com domain was registered