remainder of Dingell's term was won by his son, John Jr., who took his father's place in Congress on December 13, 1955. John Dingell Jr. retired from the House of Representatives as the longest-serving member of Congress in history at 59 years and 21 days and its longest serving Dean at 20 years on January 3, 2015, and his wife Debbie Dingell was elected to succeed him. As of 2023, the three Dingells had represented the southeastern Michigan area for 90 consecutive years. A hallmark of their service has been a proposal for a national health insurance system, first introduced by John Sr. in 1933 and re-introduced since at every Congress by the father and then the son. Dingell's grandson, Christopher D. Dingell, has also taken to politics, having been elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1986. See also List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99) References External links The Political Graveyard 1894 births 1955 deaths Politicians from Detroit American politicians of Polish descent People from Washington, D.C. Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan John 20th-century American politicians