What Is the Age Requirement for the House of Representatives
Ramble Qualifications
"No Person shall be a Representative who shall not take attained to the age of twenty v Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be called."
— U.Southward. Constitution, Article I, department ii, clause 2
/tiles/non-collection/i/i_origins_constitutional_qualifications_aoc.xml Scene at the Signing of the Constitution, Howard Chandler Christy, 1940, image courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol
The Constitution placed notably few hurdles between ordinary citizens and condign a Member of the U.S. Firm of Representatives. The founders wanted the House to be the legislative chamber closest to the people—the least restrictive on age, citizenship, and the simply federal office at the fourth dimension discipline to frequent popular election. The Constitution requires that Members of the Firm be at least 25 years one-time, take been a U.S. citizen for at to the lowest degree seven years, and alive in the land they correspond (though not necessarily the same commune). And Article VI, clause iii requires that all Members take an oath to support the Constitution earlier they practise the duties of their function. In Federalist 52, James Madison of Virginia wrote that, "Nether these reasonable limitations, the door of this part of the federal government is open to merit of every clarification, whether native or adoptive, whether young or old, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any particular profession of religious religion."
Origins
The ramble qualifications for function originate in British police force. Members of the House of Eatables had to alive in the shires or boroughs they represented, although that was rarely done in practice. The founders used that example to motivate the requirement that Members of the House alive in the state they represent. This would increase the likelihood that they would be familiar with the people's interests there, but in that location was no mention during the debates most living in the aforementioned district. The district system emerged later as states dealt with how to fairly organize their congressional delegations.
Citizenship
At the time the U.S. Constitution was written, the British prevented anyone born outside England or its Empire from serving in the Commons, even if the individual had subsequently become a denizen. Past mandating that an individual exist a citizen for at least seven years, the founders attempted to strike a balance betwixt preventing foreign interference in domestic politics and keeping the House of Representatives shut to the people. The founders as well did not want to discourage immigration to the new country by shutting off the government to new arrivals.
Age
The founders initially gear up 21, the voting age, as the minimum age to serve in the House. During the Federal Constitutional Convention, though, George Mason of Virginia moved to make the age 25. Mason said that there should exist a menses between existence free to manage one's own affairs and managing the "affairs of a great nation." Convention Delegate James Wilson of Pennsylvania objected to the suggestion that any farther restrictions be placed on Firm membership, and cited the service of William Pitt equally a counterexample. Pitt, who held office at the time of the Convention, was the youngest prime minister in British history at the age of 24. Nevertheless, Mason'south amendment passed seven states to three.
The House and Its Members
Article I, section 5 of the Constitution provides the House with the dominance to determine whether Members-elect are qualified to be seated. For instance, William Claiborne of Tennessee became the youngest person to always serve in the Business firm when he was elected and seated in 1797 at the historic period of 22. The House also seated Claiborne at the historic period of 24, when he won re-election. The House, notwithstanding, has not always been and then lenient. Representative John Young Brown of Kentucky was showtime elected to the House in the 36th Congress (1859–1861) when he was 24, simply the House refused to administer the oath of office to him until he was 25—after the first session of the Congress was over.
For Farther Reading
Farrand, Max, ed. The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Rev. ed. iv vols. New Oasis and London: Yale University Printing, 1937.
Madison, James, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay. The Federalist Papers. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.
Story, Joseph. Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States. 3 vols. Boston, 1833.
Source: https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Constitutional-Qualifications/
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