John Dingell
John David Dingell, Jr. (born July 8, 1926) is an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from December 13, 1955, until January 3, 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He represented Michigan throughout his congressional tenure and most recently served as the representative for Michigan's 12th congressional district. Having served for over 59 years, he has the longest uninterrupted Congressional tenure in U.S. history. He was also the longest-serving Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Dean of the Michigan congressional delegation. Dingell is one of the final two World War II veterans to have served in Congress; the other is Texas Congressman Ralph Hall, who also left Congress in 2015. Dingell was a long-time member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chaired the committee over multiple Congresses. Dingell announced on February 24, 2014 that he would not seek re-election to a 30th term in Congress. His wife, Debbie Dingell, indicated that she planned to run to succeed her husband. She won the November 4, 2014, general election, defeating Republican Terry Bowman, and succeeded him in the 114th Congress. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014.