Skip to content

Friday, Jul. 5, 2024

Did Wisconsin US Rep. Derrick Van Orden serve active duty in the military longer than any member of Congress who enlisted?


yes

Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents western Wisconsin, served 26 years of active duty in the Navy.

That’s longer than any current or former member of the House or Senate, said Colgate University professor Danielle Lupton, who is doing ongoing research.

Official House and Senate historians said they don’t track military service.

On the House floor June 14, 2024, Van Orden called himself “the longest serving enlisted member of the military in the history of Congress.”

At least six current and former members of Congress, all Republicans, who enlisted served longer when reserve duty is included:

Rep. Steve Womack, 30 years, National Guard; Sen. Dan Sullivan, 30 years, Marines and Marine Reserve.

Former senators with longer total military service include: John Tower, 46 years, Navy-Naval Reserve; Scott Brown, 32 years, National Guard; Robert Stafford, 29 years, Navy-Navy Reserve; Slade Gorton, 28 years, Army, Air Force, Air Force Reserve.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.