One of America's oldest senators is retiring. Let's hope he's not the last.

Patrick Leahy.
(Image credit: Illustrated | AP Images, Getty Images, iStock)

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Monday announced he'll retire at the end of his term next year. Elected in 1974 in the wake of Watergate, he's the chamber's longest-serving Democrat, and, in most businesses, the retirement of an 81-year old after nearly five decades in his job would be big news.

In politics, it's an increasingly rare exception. Amazingly, Leahy is only the fifth-oldest sitting senator. A further 23 of his colleagues are in their 70s, while just one is under 40.

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Samuel Goldman

Samuel Goldman is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate professor of political science at George Washington University, where he is executive director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and director of the Politics & Values Program. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard and was a postdoctoral fellow in Religion, Ethics, & Politics at Princeton University. His books include God's Country: Christian Zionism in America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018) and After Nationalism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). In addition to academic research, Goldman's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.