Rep. John Dingell, 87, announces retirement

SOUTHGATE, Mich. – Rep. John Dingell, who played a key role in some of the biggest liberal legislative victories of the past 60 years, said Monday that he will not try to add to what is already the longest congressional career in history.

The Michigan Democrat, who was elected to his late father’s seat in 1955 and has held it ever since, announced his decision while addressing a chamber of commerce in Southgate, near Detroit. Afterward, he told reporters that he will not run for a 30th full term because he could not have lived up to his own standards.

“I don’t want people to be sorry for me. … I don’t want to be going out feet-first and I don’t want to do less than an adequate job,” said the 87-year-old Dingell, who cut a physically imposing figure in his prime but now uses a cane or motorized cart to get around the Capitol. He fueled speculation that his 60-year-old wife, Debbie Dingell might run for his seat, saying she would have his vote if she does.

After winning a special election for his father’s seat in 1955, Dingell gradually acquired seniority and clout, eventually becoming chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and earning a reputation for being one of Washington’s sharpest government watchdogs.

In June, Dingell broke the record for the longest serving member of Congress held by the late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, but his congressional experience goes back even further than his 1955 electoral win. As a congressional page in 1941, he watched firsthand as President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on Congress to declare war on Japan in his “Day of Infamy” address.

Dingell assembled a record that epitomized the power of the legislative branch of government. His longevity testifies to the formidable willpower of a man nicknamed “Big John” for his 6-foot-3 stature and his sometimes imperious demeanor.

“John is one of the giants in American history,” said Republican consultant and pollster Steve Mitchell. “There’s nothing like it.”

Counting Dingell’s time as a page, the only person who rivaled the longevity of Dingell’s involvement in federal affairs was President John Quincy Adams, Mitchell said.

Dingell said his “single most important” vote was for the 1964 Civil Rights Act that eliminated unequal voter registration requirements and outlawed racial segregation in schools, workplaces and public areas – a move he said almost cost him his seat. Dingell played a key role in the creation of the Medicare program in 1965 and wrote the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act and the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

Dingell had introduced a universal health care coverage bill in each of his terms, and he said one of his proudest moments was sitting next to Obama as he signed the law.