[thechat] House of Lords (was: US Elections)

[Jonathon Isaac Swiderski]

Today, the cows mooved Paul Cowan to write:

> Erik wrote:
> > Trying to answer my own question ... Lord Shawcross was born in
> > April, 1902? Christ.
>
> Well, the USA has Strom thurmond (http://thurmond.senate.gov/),
> a 99-year old senator (he turns 100 next month). As I understand
> it, he's retiring in the just-finished lot of elections, but I
> think he remains a senator until the new one is sworn in (someone
> who actually lives in the US feel free to correct me here), so
> maybe he'll make the ton before he leaves?

Yup.  The new Congress are sworn on 3d January ([1]). As noted, Thurmond
was born 5th December 1902. As well as the oldest, Thurmond is currently
the longest-serving Senator (ever -- over 46 years), and one of nearly 20
to serve more than 35 years. [2]

> They are more like (again, correct me if I'm wrong), the US senate.

In fact, the Senate is modelled on Lords.  Since the US doesn't have a
peerage or a State church (<joke> just lots of State churches... </joke>),
Senators were originally appointed by elected by their state's Legislature
([3]), until the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified 1912 ([4]).
(Slightly more readable versions at the National Archives, [5] and [6]
respectively.)

[1] http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxx.html
[2] http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/longest_service_senators.htm
[3] http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlei.html#section3
[4] http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxvii.html
[5] http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/constitution/amendments_11-27.html#17
[6] http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/constitution/constitution_transcription.html#1.3

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Jonathon Isaac Swiderski \\ dangercat-20 at dangercat.net
cs.oberlin.edu/~jswiders  \\  www.dangercat.net/?id=mt

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