Oldest American Congressman Now on Twitter

Rep. Ralph Hall says social-networking site will be helpful in communicating with his constituents

The Texas congressman who is the oldest member of the House of Representatives in U.S. history has joined social-networking site Twitter.

Even at 89 years old, Rep. Ralph Hall is still trying to keep up with what all the kids are doing.

"First thing — the name fascinates me. Twitter — where did they get that?" he said.

The Texas congressman is the oldest serving member of the House of Representatives in recorded history.

"All I know is, I want to get to my people, reach my people, reach the young people," Hall said. "You can say an awful lot in two sentences to let people know how you voted or why you voted, how you voted or what you're going to do or where you're going to be next week. I think it will be helpful."

In his first tweet, Hall used the handle @RalphHallPress to reminisce about the past, wishing former President Ronald Reagan happy birthday on what would have been his 102nd birthday.

"I did work with him, and he was a great, great president," Hall said. "He was a great guy, and I was very fond of him."

Hall, who said keeping things at 140 characters or less is growing on him, said he plans to become an expert at tweeting.

Hall is the last member of the state's congressional delegation to join the social network. He represents Texas District 4, which includes parts of North Texas that include Rockwall, Sherman and Paris.

More: Ralph Hall on Twitter

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