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Rep. John Dingell, 'dean of the House,' to retire at end of term

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the longest-serving member in congressional history, announced Monday he would not seek a 30th term in Congress.

Dingell, 87, known as the "dean of the House," said he didn't believe he could meet his personal standard to represent the district.

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"Around this time every two years, my wife Deborah and I confer on the question of whether I will seek re-election," Dingell said in his State of the District speech. "My standards are high for this job. I put myself to the test and have always known that when the time came that I felt I could not live up to my own personal standard for a member of Congress, it would be time to step aside for someone else to represent this district."

"That time has come," he said.

There has been "no "greater privilege" than a life of public service, "and I know how fortunate I have been to spend my life as a member of Congress," Dingell said in his speech posted on his website.

"I have done my best for the people who live here -- my neighbors, my friends, those who supported me, and those who didn't," he said. The fabric of Michigan is the fabric of my life, and it has never frayed.

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Public service gets a bad rap now, he said, "I can understand that when I look at what our Congress has become."

"I am hopeful that this fever breaks at some point, and Congress goes back to what it should be: the House of the People, standing up for the average man and woman," Dingell said. "That's how I've always defined the job, and it's a damn good definition."

Dingell was 29 years old when he was first sworn into office Jan. 3, 1955, winning the seat after the death of his father.

"John risked his seat to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964, fought to pass Medicare in 1965, and penned legislation like the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act that have kept millions of Americans healthy and preserved our natural beauty for future generations," President Obama said in a statement.

"But of all John's accomplishments, perhaps the most remarkable has been his tireless fight to guarantee quality, affordable healthcare for every American," Obama said. "Decades after his father first introduced a bill for comprehensive health reform, John continued to introduce healthcare legislation at the beginning of every session.

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On June 7, 2013, he reached 20,997 days of membership, surpassing the late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., as the longest-serving member of Congress in history.

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