What Are the Requirements for the House of Representatives
Constitutional Qualifications
"No Person shall exist a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that Land in which he shall be called."
— U.S. Constitution, Commodity I, department 2, clause 2
/tiles/non-collection/i/i_origins_constitutional_qualifications_aoc.xml Scene at the Signing of the Constitution, Howard Chandler Christy, 1940, image courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol
The Constitution placed notably few hurdles between ordinary citizens and becoming a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The founders wanted the House to be the legislative sleeping room closest to the people—the least restrictive on historic period, citizenship, and the simply federal office at the time subject to frequent popular ballot. The Constitution requires that Members of the House exist at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. denizen for at to the lowest degree seven years, and live in the state they represent (though not necessarily the same district). And Article Vi, clause 3 requires that all Members take an adjuration to support the Constitution before they practice the duties of their role. In Federalist 52, James Madison of Virginia wrote that, "Under these reasonable limitations, the door of this part of the federal government is open to merit of every description, whether native or adoptive, whether young or former, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any particular profession of religious organized religion."
Origins
The ramble qualifications for office originate in British law. Members of the Business firm of Eatables had to live in the shires or boroughs they represented, although that was rarely done in do. The founders used that case to motivate the requirement that Members of the House live in the state they represent. This would increment the likelihood that they would be familiar with the people'due south interests there, but there was no mention during the debates about living in the same district. The district system emerged later as states dealt with how to fairly organize their congressional delegations.
Citizenship
At the time the U.S. Constitution was written, the British prevented anyone born exterior England or its Empire from serving in the Eatables, even if the individual had later on get a citizen. By mandating that an individual be a citizen for at least vii years, the founders attempted to strike a residuum between preventing strange interference in domestic politics and keeping the House of Representatives close to the people. The founders also did non want to discourage clearing to the new land by shutting off the government to new arrivals.
Age
The founders initially gear up 21, the voting age, as the minimum historic period to serve in the House. During the Federal Ramble Convention, though, George Mason of Virginia moved to make the age 25. Mason said that there should exist a menses between being gratuitous to manage one'southward own affairs and managing the "diplomacy of a not bad nation." Convention Delegate James Wilson of Pennsylvania objected to the suggestion that whatever farther restrictions exist placed on House 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 historic period of 24. Nevertheless, Mason's subpoena passed seven states to three.
The House and Its Members
Article I, section 5 of the Constitution provides the House with the authority to determine whether Members-elect are qualified to exist seated. For instance, William Claiborne of Tennessee became the youngest person to e'er serve in the House when he was elected and seated in 1797 at the age of 22. The House besides seated Claiborne at the age of 24, when he won re-election. The House, nevertheless, has not always been so lenient. Representative John Immature Brown of Kentucky was outset elected to the Business firm in the 36th Congress (1859–1861) when he was 24, simply the House refused to administer the adjuration of office to him until he was 25—after the beginning session of the Congress was over.
For Further Reading
Farrand, Max, ed. The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Rev. ed. 4 vols. New Oasis 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 The states. 3 vols. Boston, 1833.
Source: https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Constitutional-Qualifications/
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