Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2021 March 7

= March 7 =

How to send letter to former U.S. Senator?
How does one send letters to former senators? I found the small city and subdivision he lives in and used that address assuming the post office would know where a well known former senator lives. But, the letter came back marked Insufficient address. I can understand them not wanting to be public with where they live, but then how can you send them a letter? -- Wiki name (talk) 02:03, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Have you looked online for a postal/mailing address? Note a key point here, I'm not saying to look for the address of where they live. If that's what you looked for, perhaps it's not surprising you failed to find anything for the aforementioned privacy reasons and potentially also security ones. The former senator may have a postal address that's a PO Box or office address (for their current job) or similar where they receive correspondence. If you can't find any physical contact address, have you looked for an online one e.g. an email address, Facebook account, Twitter account, other social media account, whatever? Even if you really want to contact them by physical mail, you can try asking via these other contacts for a mailing address. And likewise it's fine if the senator doesn't personally run these accounts. If you use social media, make sure they're able to send private messages to you. Of course, it's easily possible and you may find this if you ask, the simple answer to your basic question is you can't for this particular senator. At least not without some existing relationship or other reason why they'll let you. If they're a former US Senator, especially if they're now completely out of politics, they may have no interest in receiving letters from random people and they're no expectation let alone a legal requirement that they should. Nil Einne (talk) 04:21, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * If none of that works, and I mean you can't find any contact rather than you do but are told the senator isn't receiving unsolicited mail any more (or whatever) sorry, you could try contacting the current US Senate. Either the general senate or maybe a current senator (either one of your senators if you live in the US or are a US citizen, or the current senator for the state the senator is from) [//www.senate.gov/general/contacting.htm]. Your chances of success are probably not that high if it's just random correspondence although it probably increases if it's the sort of thing the former senator may like to receive e.g. a letter thanking them for something or a request for them to come to speak to your closeish school. On that token, it may help if you include the letter and say it's okay if whoever is reading your request to forwards it on reads it, rather than providing no information or including a letter but saying not to open it because it's private. Nil Einne (talk) 05:15, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * On the other hand, if you're looking for information that isn't confidential but you just haven't found it yet, then you might see if you can talk to a political reporter in the appropriate geographical area, explain what you want, and see if they can help you. --142.112.149.107 (talk) 09:36, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the suggestions. I have tried contacting current senators and get no replies.  I didn't realize there was a way to contact the "general senate".  I'll look for that.  And, I'll try some more googling.  -- Wiki name (talk) 13:49, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * If you let us know which former senator, perhaps we can help you dig it up? -- Jayron 32 12:06, 8 March 2021 (UTC)
 * If he's talking about Texas, there are 3 listed in List of United States senators from Texas. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:59, 8 March 2021 (UTC)
 * I should clarify I'm not certain you can contact the Senate generally. I sort of figure if you send a letter to United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510, it will reach someone. What they will do with it, I have no idea. Possibly, they'll decide based on either the content or the return address to send it on to a senator, so it won't help much. Or maybe they'll just send a generic reply telling you you need to contact an individual senator. I just figured there's a possibility it will end up being read and considered by someone that isn't obvious from their website who may be able to help. Some other thoughts are if the senator is a published author, especially if their book is still in print, you could try writing to their publisher. BTW, BB's example of Texas is interesting. I actually looked into Bob Krueger earlier just to see what I could find. Considering his history, I'm not surprised it may be difficult or impossible to find his physical address. However he did go on to do some teaching. While that's a long time ago now, it's possible someone from the university/ies? involved know how to contact him. That's probably another method to try if you're getting desperate, a long term employer or others that may maintain contact. 142's suggestion of a reporter is also good. Krueger again published this somewhat recently [//www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Bob-Krueger-reflects-on-the-mercurial-nature-of-12523347.php] for example, and I expect it can't be that hard for a decent reporter to find a way to contact a former senator. If they have children, or grand children, you could probably contact them if you find some contact provided you're reasonable about it and have a decent reason. (They're maybe more likely to have social media accounts etc.) Nil Einne (talk) 18:27, 8 March 2021 (UTC)


 * I'd have expected that contacting a sitting senator's office would generate at least some form of reply, such as an acknowledgement of having received the enquiry. Perhaps the Office of the Senate Historian can help: . --Lambiam 09:04, 9 March 2021 (UTC)

Longest parental lifespan questions
I've got two questions about the longest parental lifespan:

1. Which person had biological parents who cumulatively lived for the longest period of time?

2. What is the maximum age that BOTH of a person's parents have EVER reached?

Futurist110 (talk) 07:39, 7 March 2021 (UTC)


 * All the days of were, reportedly, nine hundred sixty and nine years, and before he died he begat . So he – and his brethren and sisters — are candidates for question 1. Unfortunately, the genealogies of Genesis do not reveal the maternal lifespans, and the records may be presumed to have been lost in the Great Flood.


 * Serious answers only, please! Futurist110 (talk) 19:11, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * So the 2000 Year Old Man is out ("I have over 1500 children and not one of them ever comes to visit!")? Clarityfiend (talk) 19:50, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Fittingly, that joke is just about that old. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:52, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * The longest-lived married couple (they had children), according to Guinness, are 105-year-old Waldramina Quinteros and 110-year-old César Mora (the latter deceased). As for people born out of wedlock, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Clarityfiend (talk) 19:35, 7 March 2021 (UTC)