Antique Desk House of Representatives Label Age Origin

Constitutional Qualifications

"No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the historic period of xx five Years, and been 7 Years a Citizen of the Us, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."
— U.Due south. Constitution, Article I, section 2, clause 2

/tiles/not-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 betwixt ordinary citizens and becoming a Member of the U.S. Business firm of Representatives. The founders wanted the House to be the legislative chamber closest to the people—the to the lowest degree restrictive on age, citizenship, and the just federal office at the fourth dimension subject to frequent popular election. The Constitution requires that Members of the House be at to the lowest degree 25 years onetime, have been a U.S. denizen for at least 7 years, and live in the state they correspond (though non necessarily the aforementioned district). And Commodity Half dozen, clause iii requires that all Members have an oath to support the Constitution before they exercise the duties of their office. In Federalist 52, James Madison of Virginia wrote that, "Under these reasonable limitations, the door of this function of the federal government is open up to merit of every description, whether native or adoptive, whether young or old, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any item profession of religious faith."

Origins

The constitutional qualifications for part originate in British law. Members of the House of Commons had to live in the shires or boroughs they represented, although that was rarely washed in practice. The founders used that example to motivate the requirement that Members of the Firm alive in the country they represent. This would increase the likelihood that they would be familiar with the people's interests in that location, but there was no mention during the debates about living in the same district. The district arrangement 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 exterior England or its Empire from serving in the Commons, even if the private had subsequently become a citizen. By mandating that an private be a citizen for at least 7 years, the founders attempted to strike a balance between preventing foreign interference in domestic politics and keeping the Business firm of Representatives close to the people. The founders likewise did not want to discourage immigration to the new country past shutting off the government to new arrivals.

Age

The founders initially ready 21, the voting age, every bit 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 in that location should be a menses between being costless to manage one's own diplomacy and managing the "diplomacy of a great nation." Convention Delegate James Wilson of Pennsylvania objected to the suggestion that any further restrictions be placed on Business firm membership, and cited the service of William Pitt as a counterexample. Pitt, who held office at the time of the Convention, was the youngest prime government minister in British history at the age of 24. Still, Bricklayer's amendment passed 7 states to 3.

The Firm and Its Members

Article I, department 5 of the Constitution provides the House with the authorization to make up one's mind whether Members-elect are qualified to be seated. For instance, William Claiborne of Tennessee became the youngest person to e'er serve in the House when he was elected and seated in 1797 at the age of 22. The House as well seated Claiborne at the historic period of 24, when he won re-ballot. The House, however, has not e'er been so lenient. Representative John Young Brown of Kentucky was first elected to the Firm in the 36th Congress (1859–1861) when he was 24, but the Firm refused to administer the adjuration of function to him until he was 25—after the beginning session of the Congress was over.

For Further Reading

Farrand, Max, ed. The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Rev. ed. four vols. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 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 of america. 3 vols. Boston, 1833.

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Source: https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Constitutional-Qualifications/