Nick Rahall

Nick Rahall
Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byJohn Mica
Succeeded byPeter DeFazio
Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byRichard Pombo
Succeeded byDoc Hastings
Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee
In office
January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byGeorge Miller
Succeeded byDon Young
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from West Virginia
In office
January 3, 1977 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byKen Hechler
Succeeded byEvan Jenkins
Constituency4th district (1977–1993)
3rd district (1993–2015)
Personal details
Born
Nicholas Joseph Rahall II

(1949-05-20) May 20, 1949 (age 75)
Beckley, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMelinda Rahall (Second wife)
EducationDuke University (BA)
George Washington University

Nicholas Joseph Rahall II (/rˈhɑːl/ RAY-hall; born May 20, 1949) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the state of West Virginia.

He began his political service in the early 1970s working in the cloak room of the U.S. Senate, as a staff member in the Senate Office of the Majority Whip from 1971–1974, and as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1972 and 1976. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 to represent the now-defunct 4th congressional district. He became the representative for the 3rd congressional district when reapportionment was completed following the 1990 census. He was re-elected for nineteen terms, serving from January 3, 1977 to January 3, 2015.

His district included the southern, coal-dominated portion of the state,[1] including Huntington, Bluefield, and Beckley. Rahall was the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Rahall lost re-election in 2014 to Evan Jenkins.[2][3][4] As of 2024, he is the last Democrat to have represented West Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives.

  1. ^ Nathan L. Gonzales (January 15, 2013). "West Virginia Senate: Democrats Look for Winner". The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  2. ^ Timothy Cama (November 5, 2014). "Dem Rahall loses House seat after 38 years". The Hill.
  3. ^ "Mooney wins crowded GOP House primary; Capito, Tennant to face off in W.Va. Senate race". Fox News. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  4. ^ Kyle Balluck (April 6, 2014). "Report: Rep. Nick Rahall considered retirement". The Hill. Retrieved October 2, 2014.