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House History

Republican Conference Chairmen

(1863-present)

The House Republican Conference Chairman presides over conference meetings, which are composed of all members of the Republican party. The chair is elected by the conference, and is limited to two consecutive full terms. A list of House Republican Conference Chairmen from 1863 to present is presented below.

The House Republican Conference serves as the organizational forum to elect party leaders at the outset of each new Congress. The conference meets on a weekly basis to discuss party policy, pending legislative issues, and other matters of mutual concern. Further information on the Conference's current activity is available on the House Republican Conference Web site.

Congress Name State Years of Service
38th-39thJustin S. MorrillVermont1863-18671
40thn/a2.........1867-1869
41stRobert C. SchenckOhio1869-18713
41stNathaniel P. BanksMassachusetts1869-18713
42ndAustin BlairMichigan1871-1873
43rdHorace MaynardTennessee1873-1875
44thGeorge W. McCraryIowa1875-1877
45thEugene HaleMaine1877-1879
46thWilliam P. FryeMaine1879-1881
47thGeorge M. RobesonNew Jersey1881-1883
48th-50thJoseph G. CannonIllinois1883-1889
51st-53rdThomas J. HendersonIllinois1889-1895
54th-55thCharles H. GrosvenorOhio1895-1899
56th-57thJoseph G. CannonIllinois1899-1903
58th-60thWilliam P. HepburnIowa1903-1909
61st-62ndFrank D. CurrierNew Hampshire1909-1913
63rd-65thWilliam S. GreeneMassachusetts1913-1919
66th-67thHorace M. TownerIowa1919-1923
68thSydney AndersonMinnesota1923-1925
69th-72ndWillis C. HawleyOregon1925-1933
73rdRobert LuceMassachusetts1933-1935
74thFrederick R. LehlbachNew Jersey1935-1937
75th-81stRoy O. WoodruffMichigan1937-1951
82nd-84thClifford R. HopeKansas1951-1957
85th-87thCharles HoevenIowa1957-1963
88thGerald R. FordMichigan1963-1965
89th-90thMelvin LairdWisconsin1965-1969
91st-95thJohn B. AndersonIllinois1969-1979
96thSamuel L. DevineOhio1979-1981
97th-99thJack KempNew York1981-19874
100thDick CheneyWyoming1987-19894
101st-102ndJerry LewisCalifornia1989-1993
103rdRichard K. ArmeyTexas1993-1995
104th-105thJohn A. BoehnerOhio1995-1999
106th-107thJ. C. Watts Jr.Oklahoma1999-2003
108th-109thDeborah PryceOhio2003-2007
110thAdam PutnamFlorida2007-2009
111thMike PenceIndiana2009-present

1 Representative Morrill is the first officially designated Republican Conference chairman. There exists no clear evidence of formal chairmanships of Republican organizations in earlier Congresses.

2 Conference minutes show three Members (Representative Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts, Luck Poland of Vermont, and Samuel Hooper of Massachusetts) chairing three separate meetings.

3 Conference minutes show Representative Schenck elected; chairman, but Representative Banks chairing two early meetings, possibly in Schenck's absence.

4 On June 4, 1987, Representative Cheney was elected Conference Chair to succeed Representative Kemp who resigned from the post.

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