Charles Ernest Grassley
Republican senior Senator of Iowa
Representative
Iowa, district 3
January 14, 1975 - January 3, 1977
Representative
Iowa, district 3
January 4, 1977 - January 3, 1979
Representative
Iowa, district 3
January 15, 1979 - January 3, 1981
Senator
Iowa
January 5, 1981 - January 3, 1987
Senator
Iowa
January 6, 1987 - January 3, 1993
Senator
Iowa
January 5, 1993 - January 3, 1999
Senator
Iowa
January 6, 1999 - January 3, 2005
Senator
Iowa
January 4, 2005 - January 3, 2011
Senator
Iowa
January 5, 2011 - January 3, 2017
Senator
Iowa
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2023
Senator
Iowa
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029
25
Congresses Served
3
House Terms
8
Senate Terms
January 1, 1933 (91 years old)
Birthday
- Has been serving as the senior United States senator since 1981
- First elected to the Senate in 1980 and has been reelected seven times
- Longest-serving Republican in Congressional history
- Served in the Iowa House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives before becoming a senator
- Has chaired the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Narcotics Caucus, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Aging Committee
- Became the Senate’s most senior Republican and its president pro tempore upon Orrin Hatch’s retirement in 2019
- Became the most senior member of the Senate and the oldest sitting United States senator as of 2023
- Has a background in farming and education, having worked in factories and taught at Charles City College
- Has been involved in various legislative efforts, including tax reforms, health care, and investigations into government waste and abuse
- Known for holding public meetings in all of Iowa’s 99 counties each year
- Has expressed strong opinions on issues such as abortion, agriculture, antitrust, energy and environment, estate taxes, gun laws, health care, and marijuana legalization
- Has been involved in efforts to protect whistleblowers and investigate religious organizations and medical research practices
- Has received awards for his work and contributions to health policy and government oversight