Washington State Rep. Lilian Hale (R) became the youngest person ever to serve in a state legislature when she was sworn in Thursday as a temporary proxy on her 18th birthday.
Hale, a nursing student at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash., will serve in the stead of her stepfather, Rep. Joel McEntire (R), a Marine Corps reservist who was called up to serve active duty.
Washington State law allows a legislator on military service or in military training to tap a temporary successor. Hale will serve only one day — the legislature is scheduled to adjourn late Thursday — but she called the appointment an honor.
“To know you are a part of history and be a member of an institution not many people get to serve in is an incredible experience,” Hale said in a statement released by the House Republican Conference. The release noted that Hale has no plans to pursue a future in politics.
Hale has set a new benchmark for the youngest person ever to serve in a state legislature, unseating former West Virginia Del. Saira Blair (R), who took office in 2014 at the age of 18 years, 143 days.
Blair, who beat an incumbent state delegate when she was 17 and turned 18 before that November’s general election, also had a connection to politics: She was the daughter of Craig Blair, a longtime West Virginia senator who now serves as president of the chamber.
Hale also takes the crown of the youngest currently serving state legislator, this one from a New Hampshire colleague. State Rep. Valerie McDonnell (R) was sworn into office in December 2022, about six months after her 18th birthday.