Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
| Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| 100px Seal of the Speaker | |
| Style | Mister or Madam Speaker (Informal and within the House) The Honorable (Formal) |
| Appointer | Elected by the U.S. House of Representatives |
| Inaugural holder | Frederick Muhlenberg April 1, 1789 |
| Formation | U.S. Constitution March 4, 1789 |
| Succession | Second |
| Website | Speaker of the House |
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the leader of the United States House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the current members of the House. The person with the most votes becomes Speaker. The current Speaker is Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California.
Contents
Duties
The Speaker has always been a member of the majority party (the party with the most members) but does not have to be an elected member of the House (this has not happened yet). The job of the Speaker is to keep the House in order and to assign committee memberships and chairmanships. It is an important and powerful position in government.
Background
Sam Rayburn is the only person to have served as Speaker of the House for more than ten years.
Theodore M. Pomeroy served as Speaker of the House for one day after Speaker Schuyler Colfax resigned to become Vice President of the United States; Pomeroy's term as a Member of Congress ended the next day.
Sam Rayburn, Henry Clay, Thomas Brackett Reed, Joseph William Martin, Jr., Frederick Muhlenberg, John W. Taylor, and Nancy Pelosi are the only Speakers of the House to have ever served in non-consecutive Congresses (i.e. another Speaker served in between each tenure).
Order of succession
The Speaker of the House is third in line for the Presidency of the United States. If the President of the United States dies or steps down, the Vice President of the United States becomes President. If there is no vice president, the Speaker of the House automatically becomes acting president. This has never happened.
List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives
It includes the congressional district and political affiliation of each speaker as well as the number of their Congress and time they spent in the position.
| # | Speaker | Party | District | Congress | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100px Frederick Muhlenberg | Pro-Administration | Pennsylvania-AL | 1st | April 1, 1789 — March 4, 1791 |
| 2 | 100px Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | Pro-Administration | [[Connecticut's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Connecticut-4th]] | 2nd | October 24, 1791 — March 4, 1793 |
| 3 | 100px Frederick Muhlenberg | Anti-Administration | Pennsylvania-AL | 3rd | December 2, 1793 — March 4, 1795 |
| 4 | 100px Jonathan Dayton | Federalist | New Jersey-AL | 4th | December 7, 1795 — March 4, 1797 |
| 5th | May 15, 1797 — March 4, 1799 | ||||
| 5 | 100px Theodore Sedgwick | Federalist | [[Massachusetts's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Massachusetts-1]] | 6th | December 2, 1799 — March 4, 1801 |
| 6 | 100px Nathaniel Macon | Democratic-Republican | [[North Carolina's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|North Carolina-5]] | 7th | December 7, 1801 — March 4, 1803 |
| [[North Carolina's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|North Carolina-6]] | 8th | October 17, 1803 — March 4, 1805 | |||
| 9th | December 2, 1805 — March 4, 1807 | ||||
| 7 | 100px Joseph Bradley Varnum | Democratic-Republican | [[Massachusetts's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Massachusetts-4]] | 10th | October 26, 1807 — March 4, 1809 |
| 11th | May 22, 1809 — March 4, 1811 | ||||
| 8 | 100px Henry Clay | Democratic-Republican | [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-3]] | 12th | November 4, 1811 — March 4, 1813 |
| [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-2]] | 13th | May 24, 1813 — January 19, 1814 | |||
| 9 | 100px Langdon Cheves | Democratic-Republican | [[South Carolina's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|South Carolina-1]] | January 19, 1814 — March 4, 1815 | |
| 10 | 100px Henry Clay | Democratic-Republican | [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-2]] | 14th | December 4, 1815 — March 4, 1817 |
| 15th | December 1, 1817 — March 4, 1819 | ||||
| 16th | December 6, 1819 — October 28, 1820 | ||||
| 11 | 100px John W. Taylor | Democratic-Republican | [[New York's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|New York-11]] | November 15, 1820 — March 4, 1821 | |
| 12 | 100px Philip Pendleton Barbour | Democratic-Republican | [[Virginia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Virginia-11]] | 17th | December 4, 1821 — March 4, 1823 |
| 13 | 100px Henry Clay | Democratic-Republican | [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-3]] | 18th | December 1, 1823 — March 4, 1825 |
| 14 | 100px John W. Taylor | National Republican | [[New York's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|New York-17]] | 19th | December 5, 1825 — March 4, 1827 |
| 15 | 100px Andrew Stevenson | Democratic | [[Virginia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Virginia-9]] | 20th | December 3, 1827 — March 4, 1829 |
| 21st | December 7, 1829 — March 4, 1831 | ||||
| 22nd | December 5, 1831 — March 4, 1833 | ||||
| [[Virginia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Virginia-11]] | 23rd | December 2, 1833 — June 2, 1834 | |||
| 16 | 100px John Bell | Whig | [[Tennessee's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Tennessee-7]] | 23rd | June 2, 1834 — March 4, 1835 |
| 17 | 100px James Polk | Democratic | [[Tennessee's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Tennessee-9]] | 24th | December 7, 1835 — March 4, 1837 |
| 25th | September 4, 1837 — March 4, 1839 | ||||
| 18 | 100px Robert M. T. Hunter | Whig | [[Virginia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Virginia-9]] | 26th | December 16, 1839 — March 4, 1841 |
| 19 | 100px John White | Whig | [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-9]] | 27th | May 31, 1841 — March 4, 1843 |
| 20 | 100px John Winston Jones | Democratic | [[Virginia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Virginia-6]] | 28th | December 4, 1843 — March 4, 1845 |
| 21 | 100px John Wesley Davis | Democratic | [[Indiana's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Indiana-6]] | 29th | December 1, 1845 — March 4, 1847 |
| 22 | 100px Robert Charles Winthrop | Whig | [[Massachusetts's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Massachusetts-1]] | 30th | December 6, 1847 — March 4, 1849 |
| 23 | 100px Howell Cobb | Democratic | [[Georgia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Georgia-6]] | 31st | December 22, 1849 — March 4, 1851 |
| 24 | 100px Linn Boyd | Democratic | [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-1]] | 32nd | December 1, 1851 — March 4, 1853 |
| 33rd | December 5, 1853 — March 4, 1855 | ||||
| 25 | 100px Nathaniel Prentice Banks | American/Republican* | [[Massachusetts's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Massachusetts-7]] | 34th | February 2, 1856 — March 4, 1857 |
| 26 | 100px James Lawrence Orr | Democratic | [[South Carolina's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|South Carolina-5]] | 35th | December 7, 1857 — March 4, 1859 |
| 27 | 100px William Pennington | Republican | [[New Jersey's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|New Jersey-5]] | 36th | February 1, 1860 — March 4, 1861 |
| 28 | 100px Galusha A. Grow | Republican | [[Pennsylvania's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Pennsylvania-14]] | 37th | July 4, 1861 — March 4, 1863 |
| 29 | 100px Schuyler Colfax | Republican | [[Indiana's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Indiana-9]] | 38th | December 7, 1863 — March 4, 1865 |
| 39th | December 4, 1865 — March 4, 1867 | ||||
| 40th | March 4, 1867 — March 3, 1869 | ||||
| 30 | 100px Theodore Medad Pomeroy | Republican | [[New York's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|New York-24]] | March 3, 1869 — March 4, 1869 | |
| 31 | 100px James G. Blaine | Republican | [[Maine's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Maine-3]] | 41st | March 4, 1869 — March 4, 1871 |
| 42nd | March 4, 1871 — March 4, 1873 | ||||
| 43rd | March 4, 1873 — May 13, 1874 | ||||
| 31.1 [1] [2] | 100px Joseph H. Rainey | Republican | [[South Carolina's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|South Carolina-1]] | May 13, 1874 | |
| 31 | 100px James G. Blaine | Republican | [[Maine's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Maine-3]] | May 14, 1874 — March 4, 1875 | |
| 32 | 100px Michael C. Kerr | Democratic | [[Indiana's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Indiana-3]] | 44th | December 6, 1875 — August 19, 1876 |
| 33 | 100px Samuel J. Randall | Democratic | [[Pennsylvania's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Pennsylvania-3]] | December 4, 1876 — March 4, 1877 | |
| 45th | October 15, 1877 — March 4, 1879 | ||||
| 46th | March 18, 1879 — March 4, 1881 | ||||
| 34 | 100px J. Warren Keifer | Republican | [[Ohio's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Ohio-8]] | 47th | December 5, 1881 — March 4, 1883 |
| 35 | 100px John Griffin Carlisle | Democratic | [[Kentucky's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Kentucky-6]] | 48th | December 3, 1883 — March 4, 1885 |
| 49th | December 7, 1885 — March 4, 1887 | ||||
| 50th | December 5, 1887 — March 4, 1889 | ||||
| 36 | 100px Thomas Brackett Reed | Republican | [[Maine's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Maine-1]] | 51st | December 2, 1889 — March 4, 1891 |
| 37 | 100px Charles Frederick Crisp | Democratic | [[Georgia's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Georgia-3]] | 52nd | December 8, 1891 — March 4, 1893 |
| 53rd | August 7, 1893 — March 4, 1895 | ||||
| 38 | 100px Thomas Brackett Reed | Republican | [[Maine's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Maine-1]] | 54th | December 2, 1895 — March 4, 1897 |
| 55th | March 15, 1897 — March 4, 1899 | ||||
| 39 | 100px David B. Henderson | Republican | [[Iowa's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Iowa-3]] | 56th | December 4, 1899 — March 4, 1901 |
| 57th | December 2, 1901 — March 4, 1903 | ||||
| 40 | 100px Joseph Gurney Cannon | Republican | [[Illinois's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Illinois-18]] | 58th | November 9, 1903 — March 4, 1905 |
| 59th | December 4, 1905 — March 4, 1907 | ||||
| 60th | December 2, 1907 — March 4, 1909 | ||||
| 61st | March 15, 1909 — March 4, 1911 | ||||
| 41 | 100px Champ Clark | Democratic | [[Missouri's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Missouri-9]] | 62nd | April 4, 1911 — March 4, 1913 |
| 63rd | April 7, 1913 — March 4, 1915 | ||||
| 64th | December 6, 1915 — March 4, 1917 | ||||
| 65th | April 2, 1917 — March 4, 1919 | ||||
| 42 | 100px Frederick Gillett | Republican | [[Massachusetts's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Massachusetts-2]] | 66th | May 19, 1919 — March 4, 1921 |
| 67th | April 11, 1921 — March 4, 1923 | ||||
| 68th | December 3, 1923 — March 4, 1925 | ||||
| 43 | 100px Nicholas Longworth | Republican | Ohio-1 | 69th | December 7, 1925 — March 4, 1927 |
| 70th | December 5, 1927 — March 4, 1929 | ||||
| 71st | April 15, 1929 — March 4, 1931 | ||||
| 44 | 100px John Nance Garner | Democratic | [[Texas's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Texas-15]] | 72nd | December 7, 1931 — March 4, 1933 |
| 45 | 100px Henry T. Rainey | Democratic | [[Illinois's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Illinois-20]] | 73rd | March 9, 1933 — August 19, 1934 |
| 46 | 100px Joseph Wellington Byrns | Democratic | [[Tennessee's Script error: No such module "Ordinal". congressional district|Tennessee-5]] | 74th | January 3, 1935 — June 4, 1936 |
| 47 | 100px William B. Bankhead | Democratic | Alabama-7 | June 4, 1936 — January 3, 1937 | |
| 75th | January 5, 1937 — January 3, 1939 | ||||
| 76th | January 3, 1939 — September 15, 1940 | ||||
| 48 | 100px Sam Rayburn | Democratic | Texas-4 | September 16, 1940 — January 3, 1941 | |
| 77th | January 3, 1941 — January 3, 1943 | ||||
| 78th | January 6, 1943 — January 3, 1945 | ||||
| 79th | January 3, 1945 — January 3, 1947 | ||||
| 49 | 100px Joseph W. Martin, Jr. | Republican | Massachusetts-14 | 80th | January 3, 1947 — January 3, 1949 |
| 50 | 100px Sam Rayburn | Democratic | Texas-4 | 81st | January 3, 1949 — January 3, 1951 |
| 82nd | January 3, 1951 — January 3, 1953 | ||||
| 51 | 100px Joseph W. Martin, Jr. | Republican | Massachusetts-14 | 83rd | January 3, 1953 — January 3, 1955 |
| 52 | 100px Sam Rayburn | Democratic | Texas-4 | 84th | January 3, 1955 — January 3, 1957 |
| 85th | January 3, 1957 — January 3, 1959 | ||||
| 86th | January 7, 1959 — January 3, 1961 | ||||
| 87th | January 3, 1961 — November 16, 1961 | ||||
| 53 | 100px John W. McCormack | Democratic | Massachusetts-12 | January 10, 1962 — January 3, 1963 | |
| Massachusetts-9 | 88th | January 9, 1963 — January 3, 1965 | |||
| 89th | January 4, 1965 — January 3, 1967 | ||||
| 90th | January 10, 1967 — January 3, 1969 | ||||
| 91st | January 3, 1969 — January 3, 1971 | ||||
| 54 | 100px Carl Albert | Democratic | Oklahoma-3 | 92nd | January 21, 1971 — January 3, 1973 |
| 93rd | January 3, 1973 — January 3, 1975 | ||||
| 94th | January 14, 1975 — January 3, 1977 | ||||
| 55 | 100px Tip O'Neill | Democratic | Massachusetts-8 | 95th | January 4, 1977 — January 3, 1979 |
| 96th | January 15, 1979 — January 3, 1981 | ||||
| 97th | January 5, 1981 — January 3, 1983 | ||||
| 98th | January 3, 1983 — January 3, 1985 | ||||
| 99th | January 3, 1985 — January 3, 1987 | ||||
| 56 | 100px Jim Wright | Democratic | Texas-12 | 100th | January 6, 1987 — January 3, 1989 |
| 101st | January 3, 1989 — June 6, 1989 | ||||
| 57 | 100px Tom Foley | Democratic | Washington-5 | June 6, 1989 — January 3, 1991 | |
| 102nd | January 3, 1991 — January 3, 1993 | ||||
| 103rd | January 5, 1993 — January 3, 1995 | ||||
| 58 | 100px Newt Gingrich | Republican | Georgia-6 | 104th | January 4, 1995 — January 3, 1997 |
| 105th | January 7, 1997 — January 3, 1999 | ||||
| 59 | 100px Dennis Hastert | Republican | Illinois-14 | 106th | January 6, 1999 — January 3, 2001 |
| 107th | January 3, 2001 — January 3, 2003 | ||||
| 108th | January 7, 2003 — January 3, 2005 | ||||
| 109th | January 3, 2005 — January 3, 2007 | ||||
| 60 | 100px Nancy Pelosi | Democratic | California-8 | 110th | January 4, 2007 — January 3, 2009 |
| 111th | January 6, 2009 — January 3, 2011 | ||||
| 61 | 100px John Boehner | Republican | Ohio-8 | 112th | January 5, 2011 — January 3, 2013 |
| 113th | January 3, 2013 — January 3, 2015 | ||||
| 114th | January 6, 2015 — October 29, 2015 | ||||
| 62 | 100px Paul Ryan | Republican | Wisconsin-1 | 114th | October 29, 2015 — January 3, 2017 |
| 115th | January 3, 2017 — January 3, 2019 | ||||
| 63 | 100px Nancy Pelosi | Democratic | California-8 | 116th | January 3, 2019 — Present |
List of living former Speakers
Since Nancy Pelosi became Speaker on January 3, 2019 there are four former living speakers.
| Speaker | Years in office | File:Up-arrow-14.png Date of birth (and age) |
|---|---|---|
| Newt Gingrich | 1995–1999 | June 17, 1943 |
| Dennis Hastert | 1999–2007 | January 2, 1942 |
| John Boehner | 2011–2015 | November 17, 1949 |
| Paul Ryan | 2015–2019 | January 29, 1970 |
References
- ↑ 11.Congressional Globe, House, 42nd Cong., 2nd sess. (13 May 1872): 3383.
- ↑ 12.The date Joseph Rainey was Speaker pro tempore is not known. Most sources claim Representative Rainey presided over the House during an Indian appropriations debate in May 1874. See, for example, an early secondary work, Samuel Denny Smith, The Negro in Congress: 1870–1901 (Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, Inc., 1940): 47–48. Most subsequent sources cite Smith. Yet the New York Herald published an article reporting that Rainey served as Speaker pro tempore on April 29; see “A Liberated Slave in the Speaker’s Chair,” 30 April 1874, New York Herald: 9. Similar accounts exist in the Baltimore Sun, the Charleston News and Courier, and the African-American newspaper The New National Era, though these reports cite April 29 and April 30. There is no mention of Rainey’s presiding in the Congressional Record or the House Journal for either date: Congressional Record, House, 43rd Cong., 1st sess. (29–30 April 1874): 3457–3476, 3490–3507; House Journal, 43rd Cong., 1st sess. (29–30 April 1874): 877–885.
