Table Of Content

He vigorously used his powers to ensure that Republican proposals were passed by the House. The Speaker has always been a member of the majority party (the party with the most members) but does not have to be an elected member of the House (this has not happened yet). The job of the Speaker is to keep the House in order and to assign committee memberships and chairmanships. On January 5, 2011, the first convening of the United States House of Representatives during the 112th United States Congress, and two months after the 2010 U.S.
Order of succession[change change source]
The individual in this office is second in the line of presidential succession, following the vice president. An election for speaker took place on November 4, 1811, at the start[c] of the 12th Congress, following the 1810–11 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Henry Clay, a freshman congressman, received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.[16] This marks the only time in American History a Speaker of the House was elected on their first ever day on its floor. On the floor of the House, the presiding officer is always addressed as "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker", even if that person is serving as speaker pro tempore.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been ousted. Here are some possible successors. - NBC News
Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been ousted. Here are some possible successors..
Posted: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Speaker pro tempore
A majority of votes cast (as opposed to a majority of the full membership of the House) is necessary to elect a speaker. [1] If no candidate receives a majority vote, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected. [3] The Constitution does not require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House, although every speaker thus far has been. [4] Altogether, 56 individuals, from 24 states, have served as speaker of the House. An election for speaker took place on January 4, 2007, on the opening day of the 110th Congress, two months after the 2006 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats.
Elections from 1801 to 1899
Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson elected House speaker: Highlights - NBC News
Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson elected House speaker: Highlights.
Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. By custom and House rules, the speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House and is simultaneously its presiding officer, de facto leader of the body's majority party, and the institution's administrative head. Speakers also perform various other administrative and procedural functions. 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—nor regularly participate in floor debates. At other times, more junior members may be assigned to preside to give them experience with the rules and procedures of the House. The speaker may also designate, with approval of the House, a speaker pro tempore for special purposes, such as designating a representative whose district is near Washington, D.C.
An election for speaker took place on January 3, 1989, on the opening day of the 101st Congress, two months after the 1988 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. Jim Wright received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on January 6, 1987, on the opening day of the 100th Congress, two months after the 1986 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on January 3, 1985, on the opening day of the 99th Congress, two months after the 1984 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. Tip O'Neill received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on January 3, 1983, on the opening day of the 98th Congress, two months after the 1982 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats.
Black Americans in Congress

Schuyler Colfax received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on December 4, 1865, at the start of the 39th Congress, following the 1864–65 elections in which Republicans won a majority of the seats. Schuyler Colfax received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on December 7, 1857, at the start of the 35th Congress, following the 1856–57 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on December 5, 1853, at the start of the 33rd Congress following the 1852–53 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats.
October 1791
8Theodore Pomeroy was elected Speaker on March 3, 1869, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Speaker Colfax, and served one day. 7Speaker Schuyler Colfax was not a candidate for renomination to the House of Representatives in 1868, having become the Republican nominee for Vice President and was successfully elected to that office. He resigned from the House on March 3, 1869, the final day of the 40th Congress. Taylor was elected Speaker on the third day of the second session of the 16th Congress (1819–1821) on November 15, 1820, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Speaker Clay. 3The first session of the 16th Congress (1819–1821) adjourned on May 15, 1820. Speaker Henry Clay resigned as Speaker of the House of Representatives on October 28, 1820.
October 1877
However, Gingrich refused since that would have required a new election for speaker, which could have led to Democrats along with dissenting Republicans voting for Democrat Dick Gephardt (then minority leader) as speaker. After the 1998 midterm elections where the Republicans lost seats, Gingrich did not stand for re-election. The next two figures in the House Republican leadership hierarchy, Majority Leader Richard Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay chose not to run for the office.
House elections, the incoming House members held an election for its speaker. Since House Republicans had gained the previously-Democrat-held majority in the 2010 elections, Republican House Leader John Boehner unseated Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi as speaker. The 1790–91 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between April 27, 1790, and October 11, 1791. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 2nd United States Congress convened on October 24, 1791. This was the first midterm election cycle, which took place in the middle of President George Washington's first term.
James G. Blaine received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on March 4, 1871, at the start of the 42nd Congress, following the 1870–71 elections in which Republicans won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on March 4, 1869, at the start of the 41st Congress, following the 1868–69 elections in which Republicans won a majority of the seats. James G. Blaine received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on March 4, 1867, at the start of the 40th Congress, following the 1866–67 elections in which Republicans won a majority of the seats.
Dennis Hastert received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker. An election for speaker took place on January 7, 2003, on the opening day of the 108th Congress, two months after the 2002 elections in which Republicans won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on January 3, 2001, on the opening day of the 107th Congress, two months after the 2000 elections in which Republicans won a majority of the seats.
An election for speaker took place on January 5, 1981, on the opening day of the 97th Congress, two months after the 1980 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on January 15, 1979, on the opening day of the 96th Congress, two months after the 1978 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on January 4, 1977, on the opening day of the 95th Congress, two months after the 1976 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. An election for speaker took place on January 14, 1975, on the opening day of the 94th Congress, two months after the 1974 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats.
In this election, the Pro-Administration faction maintained control of the Senate, but lost its majority in the House. The 1886–87 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1886 and 1887, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber.
On the other hand, when the speaker and the president belong to opposite parties, the public role and influence of the speaker tend to increase. As the highest-ranking member of the opposition party (and de facto leader of the opposition), the speaker is normally the chief public opponent of the president's agenda. In this scenario, the speaker is known for undercutting the president's agenda by blocking measures by the minority party or rejecting bills by the Senate. 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.
24Mike Johnson was elected Speaker on October 25, 2023, to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of Speaker McCarthy from the Speakership pursuant to H. 16Samuel Rayburn was elected Speaker on September 16, 1940, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Speaker William Bankhead. 14William Bankhead was elected Speaker on June 4, 1936, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Speaker Byrns.