Baby of the House

Baby of the House is the unofficial title given to the youngest member of a Lower house or Upper house.

Australia

In Australia the term is rarely used, as most MPs and Senators are elected usually only in their thirties and later but some prominent MPs have been elected rather early in life including Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser and Paul Keating who were both elected at age 25 in 1955 and 1969 respectively. The current baby of the house is the 29 year old Amanda Rishworth (Labor, Kingston). The current baby of the senate is the 26 year old Sarah Hanson-Young (South Australia).

Canada

The youngest member of the Canadian House of Commons is Pierre Poilievre born on birth date and age | 1979|06|03 who was first elected in 2004 at the age of 24. Poilievre was re-elected in the 2006 general election, and since no younger MP was elected at that time, he remains Canada's youngest MP. In the past, MPs such as Andrew Scheer and Lorne Nystrom have also held the distinction.

Republic of Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland the term is rarely used, as most TDs and are elected usually only in their thirties and later. The current baby of the Dáil is the 28 year-old Fine Gael deputy Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South-East).

List of Babies of the Dáil

United Kingdom

Becoming the Baby of the House is regarded as something of an achievement, and for example, Jeffrey Archer incorrectly claimed to have been the youngest MP at the time of his election. However, some MPs who have held the position for a considerable period — Matthew Taylor was the Baby of the House for over ten years — have found it somewhat embarrassing, as it may suggest that they have a lack of experience, although a perusal of the list shows that many "babies" in fact went on to enjoy long, significant and distinguished parliamentary careers. From August 1999 to September 2001, all three of the leaders of the main political parties had been the youngest MPs in the party when they began their political career (William Hague, Tony Blair, Charles Kennedy).

Of those whose age can be verified, the youngest MP since the Reform Act 1832 [Prior to 1832 minors could be elected; precise information on those MPs is often unclear.] was Esmond Harmsworth, elected on 15 November 1919 from the Isle of Thanet aged 21 years 170 days. The youngest female MP was Bernadette Devlin, elected on 17 April 1969 from Mid Ulster aged 21 years 359 days.

In more recent times, the oldest Baby at first election is Sarah Teather, elected in 2003 aged 29 years 109 days.

List of Babies of the House of Commons

United States

Currently the "Baby of the House" in the United States House of Representatives is Patrick T. McHenry (R) who was born on birth date and age|1975|10|22. The "Baby of the House" before McHenry, who was elected at the age of 26 in 2000, was Adam H. Putnam (R), who was born on birth date and age|1974|07|31. Currently however the second youngest member of the House is André Carson (D) who was born on birth date and age | 1974|10|16.

Currently the "Baby of the Senate" in the United States Senate is John E. Sununu (R) who was born on birth date and age | 1964|09|10. The "Baby of the Senate" before Sununu, who was elected at the age of 38 in 1998, was Peter Fitzgerald (R), who was born on birth date and age|1960|10|20 but is no longer serving in the Senate and was succeeded by Barack Obama, the third youngest Senator as of 2008. Currently the second youngest member of the Senate is Mark Pryor (D) who was born on birth date and age|1963|01|10.

ee also

*Father of the House
*Dean of the House
*Dean of the Senate

Notes

References

* [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/youngmp.html Youngest Members of Parliament]