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On July 13, 2015, Representative Phyllis Kahn and Representative Lyndon Carlson will surpass former Representative Willard Munger's record of 15,532 days as the longest serving House members in state history.  Both legislators began serving in the Minnesota House on January 2, 1973.

Three Minnesota legislators served even longer with a combination of House and Senate service.  Rep. Kahn and Rep. Carlson may surpass those records should they continue to serve into 2017.

Rep. Kahn and Rep. Senfronia Thompson of Texas are tied for the second-longest serving female state legislators in the nation, according to Katie Fischer Ziegler, Program Manager of the Women's Legislative Network of NCSL.  It'll be tough to beat the longest serving female legislator in the nation--Rep. Brynhild Haugland served for 52 years in the North Dakota House, from her election in 1938 until her retirement in 1990.  And even tougher to beat the longest serving state legislator--Senator Fred Risser has served in the Wisconsin Legislature for 58 years.

Thanks to Tom Olmscheid for the use of his photograph of the two legislators taken during the 2015 legislative session.