Fitness routine for eldest House member: pushups and two-mile runs

At 89, the oldest House member is still more active than many folks half his age. 

Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas) took the title of eldest House lawmaker on Christmas Day. Former Rep. Charles Manly Stedman (D-N.C.), who was 89 years, 7 months and 25 days old when he died in 1930, previously held the record.

Hall's colleague Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) tells The Associated Press of his fellow Texan: “He gets up and does 50 pushups every day and runs two miles.”

Hall’s chief of staff, Janet Perry Poppleton, said of her boss, who turns 90 in May, “He says the good Lord gives him stamina. He takes care of himself, exercises. He has a full agenda every day.”

The ex-Democratic congressman, who switched political parties in 2004, is also the oldest person to be elected to a House term. 

“I’m not what I used to be, and I’m more than I used to be somewhat,” says Hall.

The 16-term lawmaker adds, “I have my grandchildren. Those are the ones that I think about as we pass legislation. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

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