Please read the following table in Markdown format and then answer the question according to the table. Table cells in one row are seperated by '|', and different rows are seperated by '
'.

Table:
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Missouri 2 | Robert A. Young | Democratic | 1976.0 | Re-elected | Robert A. Young (D) 56.4% Bob Chase (R) 43.6% |
| Missouri 3 | Dick Gephardt | Democratic | 1976.0 | Re-elected | Dick Gephardt (D) 81.9% Lee Buchschacher (R) 18.1% |
| Missouri 4 | Ike Skelton | Democratic | 1976.0 | Re-elected | Ike Skelton (D) 72.8% Bill Baker (R) 27.2% |
| Missouri 7 | Gene Taylor | Republican | 1972.0 | Re-elected | Gene Taylor (R) 61.2% Jim Thomas (D) 38.8% |
| Missouri 9 | Harold Volkmer | Democratic | 1976.0 | Re-elected | Harold Volkmer (D) 74.7% Jerry Dent (R) 25.3% |
Question:
When was the earliest first election?
Answer:
1972.0