Subjects – Speaker of the House
The first Speaker of the House, Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania
June 04, 1781
Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania—the House of Representatives’ first Speaker—died in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Speaker of the House John W. Taylor of New York
March 26, 1784
On this date, Speaker of the House John W. Taylor of New York was born in Charlton, New York.
The opening of the First Congress in New York City
March 04, 1789
The First Congress was scheduled to meet in New York City on this date, though it failed to achieve the quorum necessary to conduct business.
The Oath of Office bill
May 18, 1789
The Oath of Office Bill, the first legislative act of Congress, passed the House of Representatives on this date.
Speaker of the House Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. of Connecticut
October 24, 1791
On this date, the House chose Connecticut Representative Jonathan Trumbull, Jr., as Speaker of the House.
Speaker of the House John Bell of Tennessee
February 18, 1797
On this date, John Bell, the 23rd Speaker of the House was born near Nashville, Tennessee.
Speaker of the House John Wesley Davis of Indiana
April 16, 1799
On this date, Speaker of the House John Wesley Davis of Indiana was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Representative Henry Clay’s lesser-known special election in 1815
October 30, 1815
On this date, Henry Clay of Kentucky won a special election to occupy his own seat.
The 1824 “American System” speech by Speaker Henry Clay of Kentucky
March 30, 1824 – March 31, 1824
On this date, Speaker Henry Clay of Kentucky addressed the House from the well to support targeted protective tariffs and to proclaim his ideal of an “American system” of national development that would benefit all sections of the United States.
Speaker of the House Michael Kerr of Indiana
March 15, 1827
On this date, Speaker of the House Michael Kerr of Indiana was born. Before entering politics, Kerr taught and practiced law.
Speaker of the House John Carlisle of Kentucky
September 05, 1834
Born on this date in Campbell (now Kenton) County, Kentucky, Speaker of the House John Carlisle devoted his career to public service.
Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois
May 07, 1836
Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois was born in Guilford, North Carolina. “Uncle Joe” Cannon’s career in Congress spanned almost five decades.
The House of Representatives instituted the “gag rule”
May 18, 1836
On this date, during the 24th Congress (1835–1837), the House of Representatives instituted the “gag rule.”
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina
June 29, 1837
On this date, former Speaker of the House Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina died at “Buck Spring,” his home.
Speaker of the House John White of Kentucky
May 31, 1841
On this date in the 27th Congress (1841–1843), John White of Kentucky was elected to his only term as Speaker of the House.
Speaker of the House James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark of Missouri
March 07, 1850
James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark of Missouri, the 39th Speaker of the House (1911–1919), was born in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
The admission of California into the Union
September 07, 1850
On this date, the bill admitting California as a free state into the Union passed the House by a vote of 150 to 56.
The Opening of the 34th Congress
December 03, 1855
On this date, Representatives badly divided over the slavery issue convened in the Old House Chamber (present-day Statuary Hall) to commence the 34th Congress (1855–1857).
The longest and most contentious Speaker election in its history
February 02, 1856
At the conclusion of the longest and most contentious Speaker election in its history, the House elected Representative Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts as its presiding officer for the 34th Congress (1855–1857).
Speaker of the House Langdon Cheves of South Carolina
June 26, 1857
The eighth Speaker of the House, Langdon Cheves, died on this date.
Speaker of the House Henry Rainey of Illinois
August 20, 1860
On this date, Speaker of the House Henry Rainey of Illinois was born in Carrollton, Illinois.
Speaker of the House William Pennington of New Jersey, the first sitting Speaker to lose re-election
February 16, 1862
Speaker of the House William Pennington of New Jersey, the first sitting Speaker to lose re-election,died in Newark, New Jersey.
The shortest period of service for a Speaker on record
March 03, 1869
On the final day of the 40th Congress, Theodore Pomeroy of New York became Speaker of the House for one day—the shortest period of service for a Speaker on record.
The Crédit Mobilier scandal
September 04, 1872
On this date, the New York Sun exposed the Crédit Mobilier scandal.
The creation of the Congressional Record
March 05, 1873
The Government Printing Office (GPO) published the first issue of the Congressional Record, detailing House and Senate proceedings from the prior legislative day.
Speaker of the House Samuel Randall of Pennsylvania
October 15, 1877
On this date, Representative Samuel Randall of Pennsylvania was re-elected Speaker of the House by a 17-vote margin for the 45th Congress (1877–1879) over Representative James Garfield of Ohio.
Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas
January 06, 1882
Sam Rayburn of Texas, the longest serving Speaker in House history, was born in Kingston, Tennessee
Bay State Day in the House of Representatives
January 19, 1888
The State of Massachusetts presented, with much fanfare, portraits of four former Speakers of the House, transforming the House Chamber into a veritable picture gallery.
The portrait of Speaker of the House Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut
December 21, 1888
Connecticut Representative Jonathan Trumbull’s Speaker portrait was unveiled at the Capitol.
Speaker of the House Charles Crisp of Georgia
August 07, 1893
On this date, Charles Crisp of Georgia was elected Speaker of the House for a second term.
The historic 54th Congress
December 02, 1895
The 54th Congress convened a little more than a year after what proved to be a historic midterm election.
The life of former Speaker Charles Crisp of Georgia
October 23, 1896
On this date, former Speaker Charles Crisp of Georgia died at his home in Atlanta.
Speaker of the House Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine
September 04, 1899
After serving 11 terms in the House, Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine resigned on this date.
The adjournment of the Second Session of the 58th Congress
April 28, 1904
On this date, the second session of the 58th Congress (1903–1905) adjourned.
Speaker of the House Theodore Pomeroy of New York
March 23, 1905
Speaker Theodore Pomeroy of New York, who wielded the gavel for a single day in 1869, died on this date.
Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio married Alice Roosevelt
February 17, 1906
Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio married Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, in a White House ceremony.
The Speaker’s broken gavels
June 23, 1906
On this date, Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon of Illinois broke a gavel while putting the House into the Committee of the Whole for further consideration of a bill.
Speaker of the House Galusha Aaron Grow of Pennsylvania
March 31, 1907
Galusha Aaron Grow of Pennsylvania, Speaker of the House during the Civil War, died on this date.
A flight demonstration by the Wright brothers for Washington political luminaries including House Leaders
July 29, 1909
On this date, before a crowd of Washington political luminaries including House Speaker Joe Cannon of Illinois, Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted a test flight at Fort Myer outside of Washington, D.C.
The House’s all night session to break Speaker Joe Cannon’s power
March 17, 1910
The House of Representatives “stayed up all night” during a marathon session lasting 29 hours, debating the power of the Committee on Rules.
The resignation of Parliamentarian Asher Hinds
March 03, 1911
On this day, Parliamentarian Asher Hinds resigned his position to become a Representative from the State of Maine.
Doorkeeper of the House of Representatives Joe Sinnott
April 02, 1911
On this date, Joe Sinnott was elected Doorkeeper of the House of Representatives.
The origins of the Capitol Christmas tree
December 24, 1913
On this date, thousands of people flocked to the U.S. Capitol to celebrate Washington’s first “community Christmas.”
The “Comebacks” of the 64th Congress
December 05, 1915
As the 64th Congress (1915–1917) began to organize itself, the House of Representatives experienced a monumental return of former Members to the House as more than nearly one-third of its Membership had not served is the prior Congress.
“American’s Creed” by Clerk of the House William Tyler Page
April 03, 1918
On this date, the House of Representatives honored William Tyler Page, a longtime congressional employee and Clerk of the House, for his authorship of the “American’s Creed.”
The Capitol celebration of former Speaker of the House Joe Cannon of Illinois
May 07, 1920
On this date, “Uncle Joe” Cannon of Illinois celebrated his 84th birthday.
Hopi Indians from northern Arizona performed a series of sacred dances at the U.S. Capitol.
May 15, 1926
On this date, Hopi Indians from northern Arizona performed a series of sacred dances for the public and prominent U.S. government officials on the East Front of the Capitol.
A historic change in the Oath of Office
April 15, 1929
On this date, Speaker Nicholas Longworth of Ohio changed the tradition of swearing in new Members by state delegations to swearing in all Members simultaneously.
The opening of the 72nd Congress
December 07, 1931
On this date, the 72nd Congress (1931–1933) convened as Clerk William Tyler Page called the House to order at noon on opening day.
Speaker of the House Joseph Warren Keifer of Ohio
April 22, 1932
On this date, Speaker of the House Joseph Warren Keifer of Ohio passed away at his home in Springfield, Ohio.
Speaker of the House Joseph Byrns of Tennessee
June 04, 1936
Speaker of the House Joseph Byrns of Tennessee died on this date.
Speaker of the House William Bankhead of Alabama
June 04, 1936
On this date, the House elected Majority Leader William Bankhead of Alabama as Speaker of the House following the unexpected death of Speaker Joseph Byrns of Tennessee earlier that morning.
The 75th Congress and the legislative program of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
August 21, 1937
On this date, the first session of the 75th Congress (1937–1939) adjourned sine die. Under the leadership of Speaker of the House William Bankhead of Alabama, the Democratic majority was tasked with fulfilling the legislative program of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The first major radio broadcast of a Joint Meeting
March 04, 1939
On this date, more than 400 radio broadcasters from the United States and Canada covered the proceedings in the House Chamber marking the 150th anniversary of the first meeting of Congress.
The opening of the House Radio Gallery
July 24, 1939
On this date, the House and Senate radio galleries formally opened.
The Speaker election of Sam Rayburn of Texas
September 16, 1940
On this date the House of Representatives selected Sam Rayburn of Texas to serve as Speaker of the House in the 76th Congress (1939–1941).
The temporary appointment of North Carolina Representative Lindsay Warren as Majority Leader
September 19, 1940
On this date, newly elected Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas named Lindsay Warren of North Carolina temporary House Majority Leader.
A Joint Session to honor President Franklin D. Roosevelt
July 01, 1946
On this date, Congress held a Joint Session to honor the memory of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The 1946 House elections
November 05, 1946
Riding widespread discontent with the postwar economic policies of the Harry Truman administration, Republicans on this date recaptured majority control of the House from Democrats for the first time in 15 years.
The first live televised House proceedings
January 03, 1947
The first live television broadcast from the House Chamber occurred during the opening session of the 80th Congress (1947–1949).
A visitor asks the Speaker for a moment to lecture the House
January 13, 1955
Grace Jackson Clark, an unemployed stenographer from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, walked uninvited onto the House Floor to ask Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas for time to address the chamber.
Texas Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn’s bold move to increase the size of the Committee on Rules
January 31, 1961
The House voted in favor of a resolution to increase the Committee on Rules’ membership from 12 to 15.
The naming of the House Office Buildings
May 21, 1962
On this date, the House Office Buildings were named to honor three famous Speakers of the House: Joseph Cannon of Illinois, Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, and Sam Rayburn of Texas.
Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn’s portrait leaves the “Board of Education”
June 19, 1962
The House moved the portrait of Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas from its longtime home to the Speaker’s Lobby.
An extraordinary Joint Session of Congress to support a landmark voting rights bill of 1965
March 15, 1965
On this date, in response to a brutal assault by local officials against civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson held an extraordinary Joint Session of Congress to garner support for a landmark voting rights bill.
The Apollo 11 crew members appear before a Joint Meeting of Congress
September 16, 1969
When Speaker John McCormack of Massachusetts introduced the Apollo 11 crew members before a Joint Meeting of Congress on this date, the moment marked the culmination of a determined American effort to defeat the Soviet Union in a “space race” that began with the launch of Sputnik by the Soviets in 1957.
The first professional woman photographer for the U.S. House of Representatives
April 01, 1972
On this date, Dolly Seelmeyer became the first woman photographer for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Vice President Spiro Agnew’s impeachment request
September 26, 1973
On this date, Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma denied Vice President Spiro Agnew’s request to commence an impeachment investigation into charges that he had received bribes from construction companies while serving as Governor of Maryland and as Vice President.
The origins of the St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon
March 17, 1983
Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill of Massachusetts hosted the first St. Patrick’s Day lunch.
Congressional override of a veto by President Ronald Reagan
March 22, 1988
On this date, by a vote of 292 to 133, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in overriding President Ronald Reagan’s veto of S. 557.
Speaker of the House Carl Albert of Oklahoma
February 04, 2000
On this date, former Speaker of the House Carl Albert died in his home state of Oklahoma.
The House returning from its summer recess to provide funding to the victims of Hurricane Katrina
September 02, 2005
The House and Senate returned to Washington early from their summer recess to provide financial aid to the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Longtime House employee Helen Sewell
July 18, 2006
On this date, Helen Sewell, the longtime manager of the Republican Cloakroom lunch and snack bar, died.