Newly elected U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett reached out to his fellow House freshmen Thursday with a special request: that he get to work from one of the same offices that his great-grandfather did during his time in Congress.
Barrett — who flipped the Congressional seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who was elected to fill the seat vacated by the retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow — sent a letter to his fellow House freshmen on Thursday, before the office lottery took place. The lottery determines the order in which the Congressional newcomers get to choose their offices.
In that letter, which was shared on social media, Barrett detailed how his grandfather, Louis Rabaut, represented his Michigan district from 1935-1947 and 1949-1961, noted that Rabaut died in office in 1961 “long before I was born.”
“I never had the opportunity to meet him or ask him about his time in Congress, but his legacy is something my whole family is very proud of,” Barrett wrote in his letter. “In fact, my youngest son, Louis, is named after my great-grandfather.”
Rabaut worked out of three different offices in the Longworth building during his time in Washington, D.C., and Barrett shared his preferences in his letter:
“My first preference would be Longworth 1232, which he occupied when he sponsored his most memorable piece of legislation, which added “under God” to our Pledge of Allegiance in 1954,” Barrett wrote to his fellow freshmen. “If Longworth 1232 isn’t available, I would appreciate the opportunity to pick Longworth 1227, his first office he occupied after he was elected in 1934, followed by Longworth 1221, which he occupied for two terms from 1949–1952.”
A few hours after sending the letter, Barrett was able to get his first choice of Longworth 1232.
“We got it!” Barrett said. “I appreciate everyone who followed along and showed their support. Thank you to my Freshmen colleagues, Republicans AND Democrats, who were kind enough to allow me to select the office once occupied by my great grandfather.”
Michigan’s 7th Congressional District includes all of Livingston, Ingham, Clinton and Shiawassee counties, the state capital of Lansing, as well as a majority of Eaton County and small portions of Oakland and Genesee counties.
It’s been quite an orientation week for Barrett in Washington, D.C., who also discovered a White Castle vending machine.
