The speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution. The speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House, and is simultaneously the body's presiding officer, the de facto leader of the body's majority party, and the institution's administrative head. Speakers also perform various administrative and procedural functions, all in addition to representing their own congressional district. Given these several roles and responsibilities, the speaker usually does not personally preside over debates. That duty is instead delegated to members of the House from the majority party. Neither does the speaker regularly participate in floor debates. Additionally, the speaker is second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president and ahead of the president pro tempore of the Senate.
The House elects a new speaker by roll call vote when it first convenes after a general election for its two-year term, or when a speaker dies, resigns or is removed from the position intra-term. A majority of votes cast (as opposed to a majority of the full membership of the House) is necessary to elect a speaker. If no candidate receives a majority vote, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected. The Constitution does not require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House, although every speaker thus far has been. Altogether, 56 individuals, from 24 states, have served as speaker of the House.
List of speakers The House has elected a speaker 128 times since 1789: at the start of each of the 118 congresses, plus on 10 occasions when a vacancy arose during a Congress via death, resignation, or motion to vacate. Of the 56 people who have served as speaker of the House over the past years, 32 served multiple terms; seven of them served nonconsecutive terms: Frederick Muhlenberg, Henry Clay, John W. Taylor, Thomas Brackett Reed, Joseph W. Martin Jr., Sam Rayburn, and Nancy Pelosi. Every speaker of the House has been a member of a political party or faction; the number affiliated with each is:
+ Congress Term Portrait Name Party District April 1, 1789–March 4, 1791 Pro-Administration October 24, 1791–March 4, 1793 December 2, 1793–March 4, 1795 Anti-Administration December 7, 1795–March 4, 1797 Federalist May 15, 1797–March 4, 1799 December 2, 1799–March 4, 1801 December 7, 1801–March 4, 1803 Democratic-Republican October 17, 1803–March 4, 1805 December 2, 1805–March 4, 1807 October 26, 1807–March 4, 1809 May 22, 1809–March 4, 1811 November 4, 1811–March 4, 1813 May 24, 1813–January 19, 1814 January 19, 1814–March 4, 1815 December 4, 1815–March 4, 1817 December 1, 1817–March 4, 1819 December 6, 1819–October 28, 1820 November 15, 1820–March 4, 1821 December 4, 1821–March 4, 1823 December 1, 1823–March 6, 1825 December 5, 1825–March 4, 1827 National Republican(Pro-Adams) December 3, 1827–March 4, 1829 Jacksonian December 7, 1829–March 4, 1831 December 5, 1831–March 4, 1833 December 2, 1833–June 2, 1834 June 2, 1834–March 4, 1835 December 7, 1835–March 4, 1837 September 4, 1837–March 4, 1839 Democratic December 16, 1839–March 4, 1841 Whig May 31, 1841–March 4, 1843 December 4, 1843–March 4, 1845 Democratic December 1, 1845–March 4, 1847 December 6, 1847–March 4, 1849 Whig December 22, 1849–March 4, 1851 Democratic December 1, 1851–March 4, 1853 December 5, 1853–March 4, 1855 February 2, 1856–March 4, 1857 American December 7, 1857–March 4, 1859 Democratic February 1, 1860–March 4, 1861 Republican July 4, 1861–March 4, 1863 December 7, 1863–March 4, 1865 December 4, 1865–March 4, 1867 March 4, 1867–March 3, 1869 March 3, 1869–March 4, 1869 March 4, 1869–March 4, 1871 March 4, 1871–March 4, 1873 March 4, 1873–March 4, 1875 December 6, 1875–August 19, 1876 Democratic December 4, 1876–March 4, 1877 October 15, 1877–March 4, 1879 March 18, 1879–March 4, 1881 December 5, 1881–March 4, 1883 Republican December 3, 1883–March 4, 1885 Democratic December 7, 1885–March 4, 1887 December 5, 1887–March 4, 1889 December 2, 1889–March 4, 1891 Republican December 8, 1891–March 4, 1893 Democratic August 7, 1893–March 4, 1895 December 2, 1895–March 4, 1897 Republican March 15, 1897–March 4, 1899 December 4, 1899–March 4, 1901 December 2, 1901–March 4, 1903 November 9, 1903–March 4, 1905 December 4, 1905–March 4, 1907 December 2, 1907–March 4, 1909 March 15, 1909–March 4, 1911 April 4, 1911–March 4, 1913 Democratic April 7, 1913–March 4, 1915 December 6, 1915–March 4, 1917 April 2, 1917–March 4, 1919 May 19, 1919–March 4, 1921 Republican April 11, 1921–March 4, 1923 December 5, 1923–March 4, 1925 December 7, 1925–March 4, 1927 December 5, 1927–March 4, 1929 April 15, 1929–March 4, 1931 December 7, 1931–March 4, 1933 Democratic March 9, 1933–August 19, 1934 January 3, 1935–June 4, 1936 June 4, 1936–January 3, 1937 January 5, 1937–January 3, 1939 January 3, 1939–September 15, 1940 September 16, 1940–January 3, 1941 January 3, 1941–January 3, 1943 January 6, 1943–January 3, 1945 January 3, 1945–January 3, 1947 January 3, 1947–January 3, 1949 Republican January 3, 1949–January 3, 1951 Democratic January 3, 1951–January 3, 1953 January 3, 1953–January 3, 1955 Republican January 3, 1955–January 3, 1957 Democratic January 3, 1957–January 3, 1959 January 7, 1959–January 3, 1961 January 3, 1961–November 16, 1961 January 10, 1962–January 3, 1963 January 9, 1963–January 3, 1965 January 4, 1965–January 3, 1967 January 10, 1967–January 3, 1969 January 3, 1969–January 3, 1971 January 21, 1971–January 3, 1973 January 3, 1973–January 3, 1975 January 14, 1975–January 3, 1977 January 4, 1977–January 3, 1979 January 15, 1979–January 3, 1981 January 5, 1981–January 3, 1983 January 3, 1983–January 3, 1985 January 3, 1985–January 3, 1987 January 6, 1987–January 3, 1989 January 3, 1989–June 6, 1989 June 6, 1989–January 3, 1991 January 3, 1991–January 3, 1993 January 5, 1993–January 3, 1995 January 4, 1995–January 3, 1997 Republican January 7, 1997–January 3, 1999 January 6, 1999–January 3, 2001 January 3, 2001–January 3, 2003 January 7, 2003–January 3, 2005 January 3, 2005–January 3, 2007 January 4, 2007–January 3, 2009 Democratic January 6, 2009–January 3, 2011 January 5, 2011–January 3, 2013 Republican January 3, 2013–January 3, 2015 January 6, 2015–October 29, 2015 October 29, 2015–January 3, 2017 January 3, 2017–January 3, 2019 January 3, 2019–January 3, 2021 Democratic January 3, 2021–January 3, 2023 January 7, 2023–October 3, 2023 Republican October 25, 2023– January 3, 2025 Louisiana 4 January 3, 2025–Incumbent References:
Speakers by time in office The durations mentioned below are calculated based on date differences; if one were to count by the number of calendar days, all the values would be one day longer.
Additionally, since many speakers held office for multiple terms, often with non-consecutive periods, the time listed for each speaker represents the total length of their time as speaker. The period between the adjournment of one Congress and the convening of the next Congress is not included in the calculations. For instance, Nathaniel Macon served as speaker during both the and Congresses, but the eight-month gap between the two Congresses is not included in his service duration. The exact dates of service for each individual speaker is shown in the Term of service column of the above table.
RankNameTime in officeTE117 years, 53 days; 1941; 1943; 1945; 1949; 1951; 1955; 1957; 1959; 1961210 years, 196 days; 1813; 1815; 1817; 1819; 182339 years, 364 days; 1979; 1981; 1983; 198548 years, 344 days; 1963; 1965; 1967; 196957 years, 364 days; 2009; 2019; 20216; 2001; 2003; 200577 years, 357 days; 1913; 1915; 191787 years, 286 days; 1905; 1907; 190995 years, 337 days; 1973; 197510; 1991; 1993115 years, 93 days; 1871; 1873124 years, 341 days; 1921; 1923134 years, 297 days; 2013; 2015144 years, 176 days; 1865; 1867154 years, 172 days; 1895; 1897164 years, 133 days; 1927; 192917; 1937; 1939184 years, 83 days; 1829; 1831; 1833194 years; 195320; 1997213 years, 317 days; 1803; 1805223 years, 267 days; 1885; 1887233 years, 215 days; 1877; 1879242015; 2017253 years, 64 days; 1793263 years, 49 days; 1809273 years, 14 days; 1797 28 ; 2025292 years, 295 days; 1893302 years, 268 days; 1837312 years, 182 days; 18532 years, 182 days; 190133; 19893435361 year, 198 days; 18253738394041424445464849505152535420235556
Timeline
Notes
See also List of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives elections Party leaders in the United States House of Representatives History of the United States House of Representatives List of current presidents of legislatures, presiding officers of legislative assemblies worldwide
References
Further reading
House Document 108–204 – The Cannon Centenary Conference: The Changing Nature of the Speakership
External links Official website