# List of speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives

The Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives is seventh (behind the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, and President of the Senate, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Illinois.

## List of speakers

This is a complete list of the Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives as of January 2021. Each was chosen since the Illinois General Assembly's first session in 1818.
The colors indicate the political party affiliation of each speaker.
* Party color key
* Democratic-Republican
* Democratic
* Republican
* Independent
| # | Speaker | Party | General Assembly | Date of election |
| 1 | John Messinger | Democratic-Republican | 1st | October 5, 1818 |
| 2 | John McLean | Democratic-Republican | 2nd | December 4, 1820 |
| 3 | William M. Alexander | Democratic-Republican | 3rd | December 2, 1822 |
| 4 | Thomas Mather | Democratic-Republican | 4th | November 15, 1824 |
| 5 | David Blackwell | Democratic | 4th | January 2, 1826 |
| 6 | John McLean | Democratic | 5th | December 4, 1826 |
| 6 | John McLean | Democratic | 6th | December 4, 1826 |
| 7 | William Lee D. Ewing | Democratic | 7th | December 6, 1830 |
| 8 | Alexander M. Jenkins | Democratic | 8th | December 6, 1832 |
| 9 | James Semple | Democratic | 9th | December 1, 1834 |
| 9 | James Semple | Democratic | 10th | December 1, 1834 |
| 10 | William Lee D. Ewing | Democratic | 11th | December 3, 1838 |
| 10 | William Lee D. Ewing | Democratic | 12th | December 3, 1838 |
| 11 | Samuel Hackleton | Democratic | 13th | December 5, 1842 |
| 12 | William Alexander Richardson | Democratic | 14th | December 2, 1844 |
| 13 | Newton Cloud | Democratic | 15th | December 7, 1846 |
| 14 | Zadok Casey | Democratic | 16th | January 1, 1849 |
| 15 | Sidney Breese | Democratic | 17th | January 6, 1851 |
| 16 | John Reynolds | Democratic | 18th | January 3, 1853 |
| 17 | Thomas J. Turner | Anti-Nebraska Democratic | 19th | January 1, 1855 |
| 18 | Samuel Holmes | Democratic | 20th | January 5, 1857 |
| 19 | William Ralls Morrison | Democratic | 21st | January 3, 1859 |
| 20 | Shelby Moore Cullom | Republican | 22nd | January 7, 1861 |
| 21 | Samuel A. Buckmaster | Democratic | 23rd | January 5, 1863 |
| 22 | Allen C. Fuller | Republican | 24th | January 2, 1865 |
| 23 | Franklin Corwin | Republican | 25th | January 7, 1867 |
| 23 | Franklin Corwin | Republican | 26th | January 7, 1867 |
| 24 | William M. Smith | Republican | 27th | January 4, 1871 |
| 25 | Shelby Moore Cullom | Republican | 28th | January 8, 1873 |
| 26 | Elijah M. Haines | Independent | 29th | January 6, 1875 |
| 27 | James Shaw | Republican | 30th | January 3, 1877 |
| 28 | William A. James | Republican | 31st | January 8, 1879 |
| 29 | Horace H. Thomas | Republican | 32nd | January 5, 1881 |
| 30 | Lorin C. Collins | Republican | 33rd | January 3, 1883 |
| 31 | Elijah M. Haines | Independent | 34th | January 29, 1885 |
| 32 | William F. Calhoun | Republican | 35th | January 5, 1887 |
| 33 | Asa C. Matthews | Republican | 36th | January 9, 1889 |
| 34 | James H. Miller | Republican | 36th | May 10, 1889 |
| 35 | William Granville Cochran | Republican | 36th | July 23, 1890 |
| 36 | Clayton E. Crafts | Democratic | 37th | January 7, 1891 |
| 36 | Clayton E. Crafts | Democratic | 38th | January 7, 1891 |
| 37 | John Meyer | Republican | 39th | January 9, 1895 |
| 38 | William Granville Cochran | Republican | 39th | July 10, 1895 |
| 39 | Edward C. Curtis | Republican | 40th | January 6, 1897 |
| 40 | Lawrence Y. Sherman | Republican | 41st | January 4, 1899 |
| 40 | Lawrence Y. Sherman | Republican | 42nd | January 4, 1899 |
| 41 | John Henry Miller | Republican | 43rd | January 7, 1903 |
| 42 | Edward D. Shurtleff | Republican | 44th | January 4, 1905 |
| 42 | Edward D. Shurtleff | Republican | 45th | January 4, 1905 |
| 42 | Edward D. Shurtleff | Republican | 46th | January 4, 1905 |
| 43 | Charles A. Adkins | Republican | 47th | January 4, 1911 |
| 44 | William Michael McKinley | Democratic | 48th | January 29, 1913 |
| 45 | David E. Shanahan | Republican | 49th | February 17, 1915 |
| 45 | David E. Shanahan | Republican | 50th | February 17, 1915 |
| 45 | David E. Shanahan | Republican | 51st | February 17, 1915 |
| 46 | Gotthard A. Dahlberg | Republican | 52nd | January 5, 1921 |
| 47 | David E. Shanahan | Republican | 53rd | January 3, 1923 |
| 48 | Robert Scholes | Republican | 54th | January 7, 1925 |
| 48 | Robert Scholes | Republican | 55th | January 7, 1925 |
| 49 | David E. Shanahan | Republican | 56th | January 9, 1929 |
| 49 | David E. Shanahan | Republican | 57th | January 9, 1929 |
| 50 | Arthur Roe | Democratic | 58th | January 4, 1933 |
| 51 | John P. Devine | Democratic | 59th | January 9, 1935 |
| 52 | Louie E. Lewis | Democratic | 60th | January 6, 1937 |
| 53 | Hugh W. Cross | Republican | 61st | January 3, 1939 |
| 54 | Elmer Jacob Schnackenberg | Republican | 62nd | January 8, 1941 |
| 54 | Elmer Jacob Schnackenberg | Republican | 63rd | January 8, 1941 |
| 55 | Hugh Green | Republican | 64th | January 3, 1945 |
| 55 | Hugh Green | Republican | 65th | January 3, 1945 |
| 56 | Paul Powell | Democratic | 66th | January 10, 1949 |
| 57 | Warren L. Wood | Republican | 67th | January 8, 1951 |
| 57 | Warren L. Wood | Republican | 68th | January 8, 1951 |
| 57 | Warren L. Wood | Republican | 69th | January 8, 1951 |
| 57 | Warren L. Wood | Republican | 70th | January 8, 1951 |
| 58 | Paul Powell | Democratic | 71st | January 7, 1959 |
| 58 | Paul Powell | Democratic | 72nd | January 7, 1959 |
| 59 | John W. Lewis, Jr. | Republican | 73rd | January 9, 1963 |
| 60 | John Touhy | Democratic | 74th | January 6, 1965 |
| 61 | Ralph T. Smith | Republican | 75th | January 4, 1967 |
| 61 | Ralph T. Smith | Republican | 76th | January 4, 1967 |
| 62 | Jack E. Walker | Republican | 76th | October 14, 1969 |
| 63 | W. Robert Blair | Republican | 77th | January 6, 1971 |
| 63 | W. Robert Blair | Republican | 78th | January 6, 1971 |
| 64 | William A. Redmond | Democratic | 79th | January 21, 1975 |
| 64 | William A. Redmond | Democratic | 80th | January 21, 1975 |
| 64 | William A. Redmond | Democratic | 81st | January 21, 1975 |
| 65 | George H. Ryan | Republican | 82nd | January 14, 1981 |
| 66 | Arthur A. Telcser | Republican | 82nd | January 10, 1983 |
| 67 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 83rd | January 12, 1983 |
| 67 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 84th | January 12, 1983 |
| 67 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 85th | January 12, 1983 |
| 67 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 86th | January 12, 1983 |
| 67 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 87th | January 12, 1983 |
| 67 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 88th | January 12, 1983 |
| 68 | Lee A. Daniels | Republican | 89th | January 9, 1995 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 90th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 91st | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 92nd | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 93rd | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 94th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 95th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 96th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 97th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 98th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 99th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 100th | January 8, 1997 |
| 69 | Michael J. Madigan | Democratic | 101st | January 8, 1997 |
| 70 | Emanuel Chris Welch | Democratic | 102nd | January 13, 2021 |
| 70 | Emanuel Chris Welch | Democratic | 103rd | January 13, 2021 |
| 70 | Emanuel Chris Welch | Democratic | 104th | January 13, 2021 |