Heath Shuler Would Be Greenest (and Youngest) Floor Leader in U.S. House History

If elected, Shuler would become the first majority or minority leader with less than five terms of service in the U.S. House and the first elected below the age of 45

With the defeat of dozens of conservative and moderate House Democrats earlier this month, Heath Shuler’s (NC-11) bold challenge for Nancy Pelosi’s position of Minority Leader is – as Shuler admits – a long shot.

But it is not simply the Democratic caucus being depleted of its conservative and moderate wing that makes Shuler’s bid a difficult one – it is also his experience.

A Smart Politics analysis finds that Shuler – who is entering his 3rd term in Congress – would be by far the youngest and least experienced legislator among the 35 individuals who have served in the majority or minority leadership positions since their creation in the late 1800s.

The average length of service in the U.S. House for past minority or majority leaders at the beginning of their floor leadership tenure is 9.7 terms (10.3 terms for Democrats), with no such leader getting elected with less than five terms in office.

The low water mark for experience was set when Missouri Republican Roy Blunt became Acting Majority Leader during his fifth term after Tom Delay’s departure from the post in September 2005.

Only two other leaders came to their position beginning their sixth term in the House: Democratic Minority Leader John Sharp Williams in 1903 and Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey in 1995.

Nearly half of minority or majority leaders were in their 10th term or longer when they were first elected to their floor leadership positions (16 of 35 leaders).

Rising to the leadership of their party after 14 terms in the chamber were Democratic Minority Leader John Garner of Texas (in 1929), Democratic Majority Leader Henry Rainey of Illinois (in 1931), Democratic Majority Leader Hale Boggs of Louisiana (in 1971), and Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland (in 2007).

If elected, Shuler would also become the youngest member of Congress to hold a floor leadership post.

The average age of those first elected to the positions of majority or minority leader is 55.3 years old – or approximately 17 years older than Shuler, 38.

The youngest member to be elected majority or minority leader was North Carolina Democrat Claude Kitchin who became majority leader in 1915 at the age of 45.

Only six other representatives were elected to these top leadership posts before the age of 50: Charles Halleck of Indiana at age 46 (GOP Majority Leader in 1947), Finis Garrett of Tennessee at age 47 (Democratic Minority Leader in 1923), Dick Gephardt of Missouri at age 47 (Democratic Majority Leader in 1989), John Sharp Williams of Mississippi at age 48 (Democratic Minority Leader in 1903), Oscar Underwood of Alabama at age 48 (Democratic Majority Leader in 1911), and John McCormack of Massachusetts at age 48 (Democratic Majority Leader in 1940).

Twenty other leaders were elected when in their 50s, seven more in their 60s, and one (Henry Rainey of Illinois) at the age of 70.

Age and Term of U.S. Representatives When First Elected to Majority or Minority Leadership Post

Representative	State	Party	Leader	Year	Terms	Age
Sereno Payne	NY	GOP	Majority	1899	8	55
James Richardson	TN	DEM	Minority	1899	8	55
John Sharp Williams	MS	DEM	Minority	1903	6	48
James Beauchamp Clark	MO	DEM	Minority	1908	7	57
Oscar Underwood	AL	DEM	Majority	1911	9	48
James Mann	IL	GOP	Minority	1911	8	54
Claude Kitchin	NC	DEM	Majority	1915	8	45
Frank Mondell	WY	GOP	Majority	1919	12	58
Nicholas Longworth	OH	GOP	Majority	1923	10	53
Finis Garrett	TN	DEM	Minority	1923	10	47
John Tilson	CT	GOP	Majority	1925	8	58
John Garner	TX	DEM	Minority	1929	14	60
Henry Rainey	IL	DEM	Majority	1931	14	70
Bertrand Snell	NY	GOP	Minority	1931	9	60
Joseph Byrns	TN	DEM	Majority	1933	13	63
William Bankhead	AL	DEM	Majority	1935	10	60
Sam Rayburn	TX	DEM	Majority	1937	13	55
Joseph Martin	MA	GOP	Minority	1939	8	54
John McCormack	MA	DEM	Majority	1940	7	48
Charles Halleck	IN	GOP	Majority	1947	7	46
Carl Albert	OK	DEM	Majority	1962	8	53
Gerald Ford	MI	GOP	Minority	1965	9	51
Hale Boggs	LA	DEM	Majority	1971	14	57
Tip O’Neill	MA	DEM	Majority	1973	11	60
John Rhodes	AZ	GOP	Minority	1973	11	56
James Wright, Jr.	TX	DEM	Majority	1977	12	54
Robert Michel	IL	GOP	Minority	1981	13	57
Thomas Foley	WA	DEM	Majority	1987	12	57
Richard Gephardt	MO	DEM	Majority	1989	7	47
Dick Armey	TX	GOP	Majority	1995	6	54
Tom Delay	TX	GOP	Majority	2003	10	55
Nancy Pelosi	CA	DEM	Minority	2003	9	62
Roy Blunt	MO	GOP	Majority	2005	5	54
John Boehner	OH	GOP	Majority	2006	8	56
Steny Hoyer	MD	DEM	Majority	2007	14	67

Data compiled by Smart Politics.

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