LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — U.S. Representative-elect Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) has secured an office in the Longworth House Office Building once used by his great-grandfather, the late U.S. Rep. Louis Rabaut (D-Detroit). Barrett announced the news on social media Nov. 21 after successfully working with colleagues to obtain Room 1232, an office with strong ties to his family’s political legacy.

A family legacy honored.

Barrett, who will represent Michigan’s 7th Congressional District in the new term, described the achievement as a personal milestone honoring his family’s political legacy.

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“My great-grandfather’s legacy is something my whole family is very proud of,” Barrett said in a letter to members of Congress while seeking support to secure the office.

Congressman Rabaut served two terms.

Rabaut held a seat in Congress during two periods, first from 1935 to 1947 and later from 1949 to 1961. One of his most significant contributions was sponsoring the 1954 bill that incorporated the phrase “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance.

Rabaut passed away in 1961, collapsing during a speech at a Knights of Columbus event in Hamtramck, according to the Detroit Free Press. He was attended by then-new Congressman John Dingell, who later became the longest-serving member of Congress.

A bipartisan effort.

Office assignments for newly elected members of Congress are determined by a lottery system, where each representative-elect selects their workspace in order of their randomly assigned number. Barrett, who drew the 14th pick, reached out to members with earlier picks, asking them to defer so he could claim Room 1232.

The effort required bipartisan cooperation and assistance from the room’s most recent occupant, Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa).

“We got it! I appreciate everyone who followed along and showed their support,” Barrett wrote in a tweet on X. “Thank you to my freshman colleagues, Republicans AND Democrats, who were kind enough to allow me to select the office once occupied by my great-grandfather.”

Barrett thanked his “gracious” colleagues.

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Barrett said his colleagues were accommodating and moved by his story. “They appreciated the family connection and were very gracious,” he said.

Barrett, a former Michigan state senator and U.S. Army veteran, won the 2024 election for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr., another former state senator. The seat became open after the incumbent, Democrat Elissa Slotkin, decided not to run for re-election, choosing instead to campaign for a U.S. Senate seat. 

Barrett will officially begin his term when he is sworn into office on Jan. 3.