Civibus

Biography

Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from Iowa, a seat he has held since 1981. Since 2025, he has been the president pro tempore of the United States Senate, a position he also held from 2019 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party. Grassley was first elected to public office in 1958, serving in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1959 to 1975. In 1974, he was elected to represent Iowa's 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 and reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2016, and 2022. During his four decades in the Senate, Grassley has chaired the Finance Committee, the Narcotics Control Caucus, the Judiciary Committee, and the Aging Committee. When Orrin Hatch retired in 2019, Grassley became the Senate's most senior Republican and its president pro tempore. When Patrick Leahy retired in 2023, Grassley became the dean of the Senate. Grassley is one of the longest-serving elected politicians in U.S. history, having consistently held elected office since 1959. At 92 years, 9 months and 24 days old, he is the oldest sitting United States senator, the longest-serving Republican in congressional history, and the sixth-longest-serving U.S. senator in history. He served as president pro tempore emeritus of the Senate from 2021 to 2025 before returning as president pro tempore.

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