Qualifications to Be a Member of the House of Representatives

Constitutional Qualifications

"No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Denizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."
— U.S. Constitution, Commodity I, section 2, clause 2

/tiles/non-collection/i/i_origins_constitutional_qualifications_aoc.xml Scene at the Signing of the Constitution, Howard Chandler Christy, 1940, paradigm courtesy of the Builder of the Capitol

The Constitution placed notably few hurdles between ordinary citizens and becoming a Member of the U.Due south. House of Representatives. The founders wanted the House to be the legislative sleeping accommodation closest to the people—the least restrictive on historic period, citizenship, and the but federal part at the time subject to frequent popular election. The Constitution requires that Members of the Firm be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they correspond (though not necessarily the same commune). And Article VI, clause 3 requires that all Members have an adjuration to back up the Constitution before they exercise the duties of their function. In Federalist 52, James Madison of Virginia wrote that, "Nether these reasonable limitations, the door of this office of the federal government is open up to merit of every description, whether native or adoptive, whether immature or old, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any item profession of religious religion."

Origins

The constitutional qualifications for office originate in British law. Members of the Firm of Eatables had to live in the shires or boroughs they represented, although that was rarely done in practice. The founders used that example to motivate the requirement that Members of the House live in the state they represent. This would increase the likelihood that they would be familiar with the people's interests there, just there was no mention during the debates about living in the same commune. The district system emerged later every bit states dealt with how to fairly organize their congressional delegations.

Citizenship

At the time the U.Southward. Constitution was written, the British prevented anyone born exterior England or its Empire from serving in the Eatables, even if the individual had subsequently become a citizen. By mandating that an individual be a citizen for at least 7 years, the founders attempted to strike a rest between preventing strange interference in domestic politics and keeping the Firm of Representatives close to the people. The founders also did not want to discourage immigration to the new country past shutting off the authorities to new arrivals.

Age

The founders initially set 21, the voting age, as the minimum age to serve in the House. During the Federal Ramble Convention, though, George Mason of Virginia moved to brand the age 25. Stonemason said that there should be a period between being free to manage ane's ain diplomacy and managing the "diplomacy of a great nation." Convention Delegate James Wilson of Pennsylvania objected to the suggestion that whatsoever 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 minister in British history at the age of 24. Nevertheless, Stonemason's amendment passed 7 states to three.

The House and Its Members

Commodity I, section v of the Constitution provides the House with the say-so to make up one's mind whether Members-elect are qualified to exist seated. For case, William Claiborne of Tennessee became the youngest person to ever serve in the Firm when he was elected and seated in 1797 at the historic period of 22. The House besides seated Claiborne at the age of 24, when he won re-ballot. The Business firm, withal, has not always been and so lenient. Representative John Young Chocolate-brown of Kentucky was first elected to the House in the 36th Congress (1859–1861) when he was 24, just the House refused to administer the adjuration of office to him until he was 25—afterwards the first session of the Congress was over.

For Farther 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 Us. 3 vols. Boston, 1833.

ortizhaddry50.blogspot.com

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