AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Former Rep. Ralph Hall, the oldest-ever member of the U.S. House, has died at age 95.

  

Hall's longtime strategist, Ed Valentine, says the Texas Republican died at his home Thursday morning.

  

Hall became the oldest member of the U.S. House in 2012, breaking North Carolina Rep. Charles Manly Stedman's record. Stedman died in office at age 89. Hall was 91 when he left office in 2014.

  

Hall was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1980 to represent a district near Dallas. He became a Republican in 2004, backed by his friend, George W. Bush.

  

Hall won the 2012 Republican primary despite a tea party challenge. But he lost in a primary upset in 2014.