The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and specifies the election of officers. The role and responsibilities of the speaker are defined in the Assembly Rules, originally in Rule 1, and also, under the present rules, Rule 3.
Selection
The speaker is chosen by a majority vote of the Assembly members at the start of each session or whenever a vacancy occurs in the role during a session, as such, the speaker is almost always the de facto leader of the Assembly's majority party. A speaker pro tempore is elected concurrent with the election of the speaker, to carry out the speaker's duties in his or her absence. Unlike the United States House of Representatives, the rules of the Assembly require that the speaker and speaker pro tempore be elected from among the members of the Assembly.
Powers and duties
The speaker is empowered to make all Assembly committee assignments and office assignments for members, and supervises all officers of the Assembly. The speaker is required to authenticate all acts, orders, or proceedings from the Assembly, and, with the countersignature of the chief clerk, issues all subpoenas on behalf of the Assembly or its committees.
Current Speaker
The current Speaker of the Assembly for the 105th Wisconsin Legislature is Robin Vos of Burlington, Racine County, Wisconsin. He is the 79th speaker since the establishment of the State Assembly and the 75th person to hold the office. He is currently serving his fourth term as speaker, first elected to the role on January 7, 2013.
The Speaker pro tempore is Representative Tyler August of Lake Geneva, Walworth County, Wisconsin. This is his third full term in the role after being elected by the caucus in the October 2013.
List of speakers
Wisconsin Territory (1836–1848)
Assembly Session Speaker Party Residence Notes 1st 1st Session Peter H. Engle Democratic Dubuque 2nd Session Isaac Leffler Whig Des Moines Special Session William B. Sheldon Democratic Milwaukee 2nd 1st Session John Wilford Blackstone Sr. Whig Iowa County 2nd Session Lucius Israel Barber Whig Milwaukee 3rd Session Edward V. Whiton Whig Rock County 4th Session Nelson Dewey Democratic Grant County 3rd 1st Session David Newland Democratic Iowa County 2nd Session 4th 1st Session Albert Gallatin Ellis Democratic Portage 2nd Session George H. Walker Democratic Milwaukee 3rd Session 4th Session Mason C. Darling Democratic Fond du Lac 5th 1st Session William Shew Democratic Milwaukee Special Session Isaac P. Walker Democratic Milwaukee 2nd Session Timothy Burns Democratic Iowa County
Wisconsin State Assembly (1848–Present)
Order Legislature Speaker Party Residence Notes 1 1st Ninian E. Whiteside Democratic Belmont, Lafayette County 2 2nd Harrison Carroll Hobart Democratic Sheboygan, Sheboygan County 3 3rd Moses M. Strong Democratic Mineral Point, Iowa County 4 4th Frederick W. Horn Democratic Cedarburg, Washington County 5 5th James McMillan Shafter Whig Sheboygan, Sheboygan County 6 6th Henry L. Palmer Democratic Milwaukee, Milwaukee County 7 7th Frederick W. Horn Democratic Cedarburg, Ozaukee County 8 8th Charles C. Sholes Republican Kenosha, Kenosha County 9 9th William Hull Democratic Potosi, Grant County 10 10th Wyman Spooner Republican Elkhorn, Walworth County 11 11th Frederick S. Lovell Republican Kenosha, Kenosha County 12 12th William P. Lyon Republican Racine, Racine County 13th 13 14th Amasa Cobb Republican Mineral Point, Iowa County 14 15th Joseph W. Beardsley Union Democrat Prescott, Pierce County 15 16th J. Allen Barber Republican Lancaster, Grant County 16 17th William W. Field Union Fennimore, Grant County 18th 17 19th Henry D. Barron Republican St. Croix Falls, Polk County 18 20th Angus Cameron Republican La Crosse, La Crosse County 19 21st Alexander McDonald Thomson Republican Janesville, Rock County 22nd 20 23rd James M. Bingham Republican Palmyra, Jefferson County 21 24th William E. Smith Republican Fox Lake, Dodge County 22 25th Daniel Hall Republican Watertown, Jefferson County 23 26th Henry D. Barron Republican St. Croix Falls, Polk County 24 27th Gabriel Bouck Democratic Oshkosh, Winnebago County 25 28th Frederick W. Horn Democratic Cedarburg, Ozaukee County 26 29th Sam S. Fifield Republican Ashland, Ashland County 27 30th John B. Cassoday Republican Janesville, Rock County 28 31st Augustus Barrows Greenbacker Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County 29 32nd David M. Kelly Republican Green Bay, Brown County 30 33rd Alexander A. Arnold Republican Galesville, Trempealeau County 31 34th Ira B. Bradford Republican Augusta, Eau Claire County 32 35th Franklin L. Gilson Republican Ellsworth, Pierce County 33 36th Earl P. Finch Democratic Oshkosh, Winnebago County 34 37th Hiram Orlando Fairchild Republican Marinette, Marinette County 35 38th Thomas Brooks Mills Republican Millston, Jackson County 39th 36 40th James J. Hogan Democratic La Crosse, La Crosse County 37 41st Edward Keogh Democratic Milwaukee, Milwaukee County 38 42nd George B. Burrows Republican Madison, Dane County 39 43rd George A. Buckstaff Republican Oshkosh, Winnebago County 40 44th George H. Ray Republican La Crosse, La Crosse County 45th 41 46th Irvine Lenroot Republican West Superior, Douglas County 47th 42 48th Herman L. Ekern Republican Whitehall, Trempealeau County 43 49th Levi H. Bancroft Republican Richland Center, Richland County 44 50th Charles A. Ingram Republican Durand, Pepin County 45 51st Merlin Hull Republican Black River Falls, Jackson County 46 52nd Lawrence C. Whittet Republican Edgerton, Rock County 53rd 47 54th Riley S. Young Republican Darien, Walworth County 55th 48 56th John L. Dahl Republican Rice Lake, Barron County 49 57th Herman W. Sachtjen Republican Madison, Dane County 50 George A. Nelson Republican Milltown, Polk County 51 58th John W. Eber Republican Milwaukee, Milwaukee County 52 59th Charles B. Perry Republican Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County 60th 53 61st Cornelius T. Young Democratic Milwaukee, Milwaukee County 54 62nd Jorge W. Carow Progressive Ladysmith, Rusk County 55 63rd Paul R. Alfonsi Progressive Pence, Iron County 56 64th Vernon Wallace Thomson Republican Richland Center, Richland County 65th 66th 57 67th Donald C. McDowell Republican Soldiers Grove, Crawford County 68th 58 69th Alex L. Nicol Republican Sparta, Monroe County 59 70th Ora R. Rice Republican Delavan, Walworth County 71st 60 72nd Mark Catlin, Jr. Republican Appleton, Outagamie County 61 73rd Robert G. Marotz Republican Shawano, Shawano County 62 74th George Molinaro Democratic Kenosha, Kenosha County 63 75th David J. Blanchard Republican Edgerton, Rock County 64 76th Robert D. Haase Republican Marinette, Marinette County 65 77th Robert T. Huber Democratic West Allis, Milwaukee County 66 78th Harold Vernon Froehlich Republican Appleton, Outagamie County 79th 67 80th Robert T. Huber Democratic West Allis, Milwaukee County 68 Norman C. Anderson Democratic Madison, Dane County 81st 82nd 69 83rd Edward G. Jackamonis Democratic Waukesha, Waukesha County 84th 85th 70 86th Thomas A. Loftus Democratic Sun Prairie, Dane County 87th 88th 89th 71 90th Walter Kunicki Democratic Milwaukee, Milwaukee County 91st 72 92nd David Prosser, Jr. Republican Appleton, Outagamie County 73 93rd Ben Brancel Republican Endeavor, Marquette County 74 Scott R. Jensen Republican Waukesha, Waukesha County 94th 95th 75 96th John Gard Republican Peshtigo, Marinette County 97th 76 98th Michael Huebsch Republican West Salem, La Crosse County 77 99th Michael J. Sheridan Democratic Janesville, Rock County 78 100th Jeff Fitzgerald Republican Horicon, Dodge County 79 101st Robin Vos Republican Burlington, Racine County Longest-serving speaker 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th
See also Constitution of Wisconsin Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin Legislature
References