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House History

Speakers of the House

“. . . I venture to say that, taken as a whole, the House is sound at heart; nowhere else will you find such a ready appreciation of merit and character, in few gatherings of equal size is there so little jealousy and envy. . . The men who have led the House, whose names have become a splendid tradition to their successors, have gained prominence not through luck or by mere accident. They had ability, at least in some degree; but more than that they have had character.”
Speaker Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois, (1903–1911)

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, after the Vice President. Information on the current Speaker, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of California, is available at the web site of the Speaker of the House.

More information and teaching resources regarding the Speaker of the House:

Current Speaker of the House

Speaker Pelosi

First elected to the Speakership on January 4, 2007, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of California serves as the 52nd Speaker of the House.
Image courtesy of the Office of the Speaker

Weekly Historical Highlights

Vice President Spiro Agnew’s impeachment request

September 26, 1973

Congress Speaker State Date Elected
1stFrederick A.C. MuhlenbergPennsylvaniaApr 01, 1789
2ndJonathan TrumbullConnecticutOct 24, 1791
3rdFrederick A.C. MuhlenbergPennsylvaniaDec 02, 1793
4thJonathan DaytonNew JerseyDec 07, 1795
5thJonathan DaytonNew JerseyMay 15, 1797
6thTheodore SedgwickMassachusettsDec 02, 1799
7thNathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaDec 07, 1801
8thNathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaOct 17, 1803
9thNathaniel MaconNorth CarolinaDec 02, 1805
10thJoseph B. VarnumMassachusettsOct 26, 1807
11thJoseph B. VarnumMassachusettsMay 22, 1809
12thHenry ClayKentuckyNov 04, 1811
13thHenry Clay 1KentuckyMay 24, 1813
13thLangdon ChevesSouth CarolinaJan 19, 1814
14thHenry ClayKentuckyDec 04, 1815
15thHenry ClayKentuckyDec 01, 1817
16thHenry Clay 2KentuckyDec 06, 1819
16thJohn W. TaylorNew YorkNov 15, 1820
17thPhilip P. BarbourVirginiaDec 04, 1821
18thHenry Clay 3KentuckyDec 01, 1823
19thJohn W. TaylorNew YorkDec 05, 1825
20thAndrew StevensonVirginiaDec 03, 1827
21stAndrew StevensonVirginiaDec 07, 1829
22ndAndrew StevensonVirginiaDec 05, 1831
23rdJohn BellTennesseeJun 02, 1834
24thJames K. PolkTennesseeDec 07, 1835
25thJames K. PolkTennesseeSep 04, 1837
26thRobert M.T. HunterVirginiaDec 16, 1839
27thJohn WhiteKentuckyMay 31, 1841
28thJohn W. JonesVirginiaDec 04, 1843
29thJohn W. DavisIndianaDec 01, 1845
30thRobert C. WinthropMassachusettsDec 06, 1847
31stHowell CobbGeorgiaDec 22, 1849
32ndLinn BoydKentuckyDec 01, 1851
33rdLinn BoydKentuckyDec 05, 1853
34thNathaniel P. BanksMassachusettsFeb 02, 1856
35thJames L. OrrSouth CarolinaDec 07, 1857
36thWilliam PenningtonNew JerseyFeb 01, 1860
37thGalusha A. GrowPennsylvaniaJul 04, 1861
38thSchuyler ColfaxIndianaDec 07, 1863
39thSchuyler ColfaxIndianaDec 04, 1865
40thSchuyler ColfaxIndianaMar 04, 1867
40thTheodore M. Pomeroy 4New YorkMar 03, 1869
41stJames G. BlaineMaineMar 04, 1869
42ndJames G. BlaineMaineMar 04, 1871
43rdJames G. BlaineMaineDec 01, 1873
44thMichael C. Kerr 5IndianaDec 06, 1875
44thSamuel J. RandallPennsylvaniaDec 04, 1876
45thSamuel J. RandallPennsylvaniaDec 04, 1876
46thSamuel J. RandallPennsylvaniaMar 18, 1879
47thJ. Warren KeiferOhioDec 05, 1881
48thJohn G. CarlisleKentuckyDec 03, 1883
49thJohn G. CarlisleKentuckyDec 07, 1885
50thJohn G. CarlisleKentuckyDec 05, 1887
51stThomas B. ReedMaineDec 02, 1889
52ndCharles F. CrispGeorgiaDec 08, 1891
53rdCharles F. CrispGeorgiaAug 07, 1893
54thThomas B. ReedMaineDec 02, 1895
55thThomas B. ReedMaineMar 15, 1897
56thDavid B. HendersonIowaDec 04, 1899
57thDavid B. HendersonIowaDec 02, 1901
58thJoseph G. CannonIllinoisNov 09, 1903
59thJoseph G. CannonIllinoisDec 04, 1905
60thJoseph G. CannonIllinoisDec 02, 1907
61stJoseph G. CannonIllinoisMar 15, 1909
62ndJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriApr 04, 1911
63rdJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriApr 07, 1913
64thJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriDec 06, 1915
65thJames Beauchamp ClarkMissouriApr 02, 1917
66thFrederick H. GillettMassachusettsMay 19, 1919
67thFrederick H. GillettMassachusettsApr 11, 1921
68thFrederick H. GillettMassachusettsDec 03, 1923
69thNicholas LongworthOhioDec 07, 1925
70thNicholas LongworthOhioDec 05, 1927
71stNicholas LongworthOhioApr 15, 1929
72ndJohn N. GarnerTexasDec 07, 1931
73rdHenry T. Rainey 6IllinoisMar 09, 1933
74thJoseph W. Byrns 7TennesseeJan 03, 1935
74thWilliam B. BankheadAlabamaJun 04, 1936
75thWilliam B. BankheadAlabamaJan 05, 1937
76thWilliam B. Bankhead 8AlabamaJan 03, 1939
76thSam RayburnTexasSep 16, 1940
77thSam RayburnTexasJan 03, 1941
78thSam RayburnTexasJan 06, 1943
79thSam RayburnTexasJan 03, 1945
80thJoseph W. Martin, Jr.MassachusettsJan 03, 1947
81stSam RayburnTexasJan 03, 1949
82ndSam RayburnTexasJan 03, 1951
83rdJoseph W. Martin, Jr.MassachusettsJan 03, 1953
84thSam RayburnTexasJan 05, 1955
85thSam RayburnTexasJan 03, 1957
86thSam RayburnTexasJan 07, 1959
87thSam Rayburn 9TexasJan 03, 1961
87thJohn W. McCormack MassachusettsJan 10, 1962
88thJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan 09, 1963
89thJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan 04, 1965
90thJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan 10, 1967
91stJohn W. McCormackMassachusettsJan 03, 1969
92ndCarl B. AlbertOklahomaJan 21, 1971
93rdCarl B. AlbertOklahomaJan 03, 1973
94thCarl B. AlbertOklahomaJan 14, 1975
95thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan 04, 1977
96thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan 15, 1979
97thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan 05, 1981
98thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan 03, 1983
99thThomas P. O'Neill, Jr.MassachusettsJan 03, 1985
100thJames C. Wright, Jr.TexasJan 06, 1987
101stJames C. Wright, Jr. 10TexasJan 03, 1989
101stThomas S. FoleyWashingtonJun 06, 1989
102ndThomas S. FoleyWashingtonJan 03, 1991
103rdThomas S. FoleyWashingtonJan 05, 1993
104thNewt GingrichGeorgiaJan 04, 1995
105thNewt GingrichGeorgiaJan 07, 1997
106thJ. Dennis HastertIllinoisJan 06, 1999
107thJ. Dennis HastertIllinoisJan 03, 2001
108thJ. Dennis HastertIllinoisJan 07, 2003
109thJ. Dennis HastertIllinoisJan 04, 2005
110thNancy PelosiCaliforniaJan 04, 2007
111thNancy PelosiCaliforniaJan 06, 2009

Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

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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