House History

Speakers of the House

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states: "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers." And when Congress first convened in 1789, the House chose Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg as its Speaker. The Speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several roles: the institutional role of presiding officer and administrative head of the House, the partisan role of leader of the majority party in the House, and the representative role of an elected Member of the House. The Speaker of the House is second in line to succeed the President. Information on the current Speaker is available at the web site of the Speaker of the House.

Congress Speaker State Date Elected
1stFrederick A.C. MuhlenbergPennsylvaniaApr. 1, 1789
2ndJonathan TrumbullConnecticutOct. 24, 1791
3rdFrederick A.C. MuhlenbergPennsylvaniaDec. 2, 1793
4thJonathan DaytonNew JerseyDec. 7, 1795
5thJonathan DaytonNew JerseyMay 15, 1797
6thTheodore SedgwickMassachusettsDec. 2, 1799
7thNathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaDec. 7, 1801
8thNathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaOct. 17, 1803
9thNathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaDec. 2, 1805
10thJoseph B. VarnumMassachusettsOct. 26, 1807
11thJoseph B. VarnumMassachusettsMay 22, 1809
12thHenry ClayKentuckyNov. 4, 1811
13thHenry Clay 1KentuckyMay 24, 1813
13thLangdon ChevesSouth CarolinaJan. 19, 1814
14thHenry ClayKentuckyDec. 4, 1815
15thHenry ClayKentuckyDec. 1, 1817
16thHenry Clay 2KentuckyDec. 6, 1819
16thJohn W. TaylorNew YorkNov. 15, 1820
17thPhilip P. BarbourVirginiaDec. 4, 1821
18thHenry Clay 3KentuckyDec. 1, 1823
19thJohn W. TaylorNew YorkDec. 5, 1825
20thAndrew StevensonVirginiaDec. 3, 1827
21stAndrew StevensonVirginiaDec. 7, 1829
22ndAndrew StevensonVirginiaDec. 5, 1831
23rdJohn BellTennesseeJune 2, 1834
24thJames K. PolkTennesseeDec. 7, 1835
25thJames K. PolkTennesseeSept. 4, 1837
26thRobert M.T. HunterVirginiaDec. 16, 1839
27thJohn WhiteKentuckyMay 31, 1841
28thJohn W. JonesVirginiaDec. 4, 1843
29thJohn W. DavisIndianaDec. 1, 1845
30thRobert C. WinthropMassachusettsDec. 6, 1847
31stHowell CobbGeorgiaDec. 22, 1849
32ndLinn BoydKentuckyDec. 1, 1851
33rdLinn BoydKentuckyDec. 5, 1853
34thNathaniel P. BanksMassachusettsFeb. 2, 1856
35thJames L. OrrSouth CarolinaDec. 7, 1857
36thWilliam PenningtonNew JerseyFeb. 1, 1860
37thGalusha A. GrowPennsylvaniaJuly 4, 1861
38thSchuyler ColfaxIndianaDec. 7, 1863
39thSchuyler ColfaxIndianaDec. 4, 1865
40thSchuyler ColfaxIndianaMar. 4, 1867
40thTheodore M. Pomeroy 4New YorkMar. 3, 1869
41stJames G. BlaineMaineMar. 4, 1869
42ndJames G. BlaineMaineMar. 4, 1871
43rdJames G. BlaineMaineDec. 1, 1873
44thMichael C. Kerr 5IndianaDec. 6, 1875
44thSamuel J. RandallPennsylvaniaDec. 4, 1876
45thSamuel J. RandallPennsylvaniaOct. 15, 1877
46thSamuel J. RandalPennsylvaniaMar. 18, 1879
47thJ. Warren KeiferOhioDec. 5, 1881
48thJohn G. CarlisleKentuckyDec. 3, 1883
49thJohn G. CarlisleKentuckyDec. 7, 1885
50thJohn G. CarlisleKentuckyDec. 5, 1887
51stThomas B. ReedMaineDec. 2, 1889
52ndCharles F. CrispGeorgiaDec. 8, 1891
53rdCharles F. CrispGeorgiaAug. 7, 1893
54thThomas B. ReedMaineDec. 2, 1895
55thThomas B. ReedMaineMar. 15, 1897
56thDavid B. HendersonIowaDec. 4, 1899
57thDavid B. HendersonIowaDec. 2, 1901
58thJoseph G. CannonIllinoisNov. 9, 1903
59thJoseph G. CannonIllinoisDec. 4, 1905
60thJoseph G. CannonIllinoisDec. 2, 1907
61stJoseph G. CannonIllinoisMar. 15, 1909
62ndJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriApr. 4, 1911
63rdJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriApr. 7, 1913
64thJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriDec. 6, 1915
65thJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriApr. 2, 1917
66thFrederick H. GillettMassachusettsMay 19, 1919
67thFrederick H. GillettMassachusettsApr. 11, 1921
68thFrederick H. GillettMassachusettsDec. 3, 1923
69thNicholas LongworthOhioDec. 7, 1925
70thNicholas LongworthOhioDec. 5, 1927
71stNicholas LongworthOhioApr. 15, 1929
72ndJohn N. GarnerTexasDec. 7, 1931
73rdHenry T. Rainey 6IllinoisMar. 9, 1933
74thJoseph W. Byrns 7TennesseeJan. 3, 1935
74thWilliam B. BankheadAlabamaJun. 4, 1936
75thWilliam B. BankheadAlabamaJan. 5, 1937
76thWilliam B. Bankhead 8AlabamaJan. 3, 1939
76thSam RayburnTexasSept. 16, 1940
77thSam RayburnTexasJan. 3, 1941
78thSam RayburnTexasJan. 6, 1943
79thSam RayburnTexasJan. 3, 1945
80thJoseph W. Martin, Jr.MassachusettsJan. 3, 1947
81stSam RayburnTexasJan. 3, 1949
82ndSam RayburnTexasJan. 3, 1951
83rdJoseph W. Martin, Jr.MassachusettsJan. 3, 1953
84thSam RayburnTexasJan. 5, 1955
85thSam RayburnTexasJan. 3, 1957
86thSam RayburnTexasJan. 7, 1959
87thSam Rayburn 9TexasJan. 3, 1961
87thJohn W. McCormack Massachusetts Jan. 10, 1962
88thJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan. 9, 1963
89thJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan. 4, 1965
90thJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan. 10, 1967
91stJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan. 3, 1969
92ndCarl B. AlbertOklahomaJan. 21, 1971
93rdCarl B. AlbertOklahomaJan. 3, 1973
94thCarl B. AlbertOklahomaJan. 14, 1975
95thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan. 4, 1977
96thThomas P. O’Neill, Jr. MassachusettsJan. 15, 1979
97thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan. 5, 1981
98thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan. 3, 1983
99thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan. 3, 1985
100thJames C. Wright, Jr.TexasJan. 6, 1987
101stJames C. Wright, Jr. 10TexasJan. 3, 1989
101stThomas S. Foley WashingtonJun. 6, 1989
102ndThomas S. FoleyWashingtonJan. 3, 1991
103rdThomas S. FoleyWashingtonJan. 5, 1993
104thNewt GingrichGeorgiaJan. 4, 1995
105thNewt GingrichGeorgiaJan. 7, 1997
106thJ. Dennis Hastert IllinoisJan. 6, 1999
107thJ. Dennis HastertIllinoisJan. 3, 2001
108thJ. Dennis Hastert IllinoisJan. 7, 2003
109thJ. Dennis Hastert IllinoisJan. 4, 2005
110thNancy PelosiCaliforniaJan. 4, 2007

Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, Congressional Research Service

1 Resigned from the House of Representatives, January 19, 1814.2 Resigned on October 28, 1820.3 Resigned from the House of Representatives, March 6, 1825.4 Elected Speaker, March 3, 1869, and served one day.5 Died in office, August 19, 1876.6 Died in office, August 19, 1934.7 Died in office June 4, 1936.8 Died in office, September 15, 1940.9  Died November 16, 1961.10 Resigned from the House of Representatives, June 6, 1989.

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