WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. John Dingell, Congress’ longest serving member, was hospitalized for observation on Friday and was resting comfortably, his spokesman said.
Spokesman Christopher Schuler did not say why the 88-year-old Dingell sought care. But the Michigan Democrat tweeted on Tuesday that he had fallen and injured his hip, though he showed up for House votes on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Turns out these old Polish bones of mine are stronger than ever & I didn’t break anything,” he tweeted.
Schuler said the lawmaker was admitted Friday morning to George Washington University Hospital in the nation’s capital.
Dingell’s 59 years in the House make him the longest-serving member of Congress. He was first elected in a special election in 1955 to replace his father, John Dingell Sr., who had died.
Dingell did not run for re-election this year and will be replaced by his wife, Debbie Dingell.
Dingell spent years as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He mixed liberal priorities like health care with a staunch defense of the automobile industry from emissions standards.
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