Joe Barton: “I want to thank the Congressman from Chicago, the Reverend Bobby Rush, for recognizing me. Mr. Speaker, we always in…”

“I want to thank the Congressman from Chicago, the Reverend Bobby Rush, for recognizing me. Mr. Speaker, we always in Texas refer to the former Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn who served for 48 years as ``Man of the House.'' In fact, there have been books written about Rayburn with that title, ``The Man of the House.'' I am a six-generation native Texan, so I certainly would be considered to be somewhat Texas-centric. In all honesty, I would have to say that the ultimate and true man of the House is the Honorable John Dingell of Michigan. His father served before him, elected, I believe, while President Roosevelt was President of the United States, and John Dingell literally grew up in the House of Representatives. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt, I believe, the very next day, December 8, addressed a joint session of Congress in his famous Day of Infamy speech. John Dingell was on the floor to hear that speech in person, not as a Congressman, but as the son of a Congressman. He got elected to replace his father when his father passed away in 1955 and, as has been mentioned, has served longer than any other Member of Congress in the history of this Nation. If you count not only his service in Congress, but the time he spent as a child when his father was in Congress, he has literally been in the House for almost a third of its existence as an institution.…”