Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-09
Speakers of the National House
of Representatives.

A writer in the LOUISVILLE courier
Journal claims for Kentucky that she
is the "Mother of Speakers" and says
although but three of her sons have
ever filled that Office in the House Of
Representatives at Washington, yet
their united terms have covered Ion
ger period than is comprised in the
combined terms of the Speakers from
any other one State, even from Massa-
chusetts and Virginia, which are the
only States which have had four diff
ferent Speakers. Only one-Joseph B.
Varnum-of the four from Massachu-
setts had two terms, SO their united
years of service covered but ten years.
The four from Virginia covered, alto
gether, thirteen years, while Pennsyl-
vania's three covered eleven years and
Kentucky's three sixteen years in all.
Kentucky has not had a Speaker
since Linn Boyd's term closed, in 1866.
He had two terms, covering both ses-
sions of the Thirty-second and Thirty
third Congresses. The other two Ken
tuckians who have been Speakers are
John White, who had a single term
the Twenty-seventh Congress. 1S41 to
1S43-and Henry Clay, who was elect
ed speaker oftener than any other man
who has ever held that place. He was
elected first to the Twelfth Congress
1911 to 1913 then to the Thirteenth,
and resigned after its first session, in
1914, to become one of the Commission
ers 20 represent the United States at
the conference to be held at Gottingen
to adjust the conditions of peace with
England. He was again elected Speak
er when he returned, and took his place
in 1915 in the Fourteenth Congress, and
served through both sessions of that
and the Fifteenth Congress as Speaker,
and also through the first session of the
Sixteenth Congress, when he again re-
signed, this time to retire to private
life and to attend to his private busi-
ness in Kentucky. Thus he was elect
ed Speaker in five successive Congress
es, though, as has been shown, in two
of them he chose to resign after the
first session. He was again elected
Speaker OF the Eighteenth Congress,
after being in private life three years,
and he served through both sessions.
He was then elected, in spite of his
long retirement, on the first ballot. 1t
seemed only necessary for him to walk
into new Congress as member to be
at once elected to the highest office in
the gift of the House. Thus it will be
seen that twice he was elected Speaker
after some time had elapsed since the
expiration Of his last term, during
which others were elected to the place.
Between his last term and the preced-
ing one two different Speakers served
John W. Taylor, of New York, who
served during the second session Of the
Sixteenth Congress, Mr.. Clay having
been Speaker during the first long ses-
sion of that Congress, and Philip z.
Barbour, OF Virginia. who filled the Of
| flee during all of the Seventeenth Con-
gress. Only two other men were ever
reelected Speaker after Congress had
intervened since their first election.
One was the first Speaker, F. H. Muh-
lenberg, of Pennsylvania, who held that
place in the first Congress after the
adoption of the Constitution, from 1889
to 1871, and was succeeded in the Sec
ond Congress by Jonathan Trumbull,
of Connecticut, but was elected again
to be Speaker of the Third Congress- 4
He was one of the three Speakers Penn
sylvania has had, the others being
Galusha A. Grow, who was Speaker of
the Thirty-seventh Congress, from 1851
to 1868, and Samuel J. Randall, who
held the place during the second ses-
sion cf the Forty-fourth and through
out the Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth
Congresses. He is the only Pennsyl-
vanian who has ever held that place
through successive Congresses, and is
one of the very few Speakers who have
been elected three times successfully.
The only one who served in that ca
pacity throughout four consecutive
Congresses, with no other intervening,
was Andrew Stevenson. He was Speak
er from 1927 to 1884. Only one Speaker
Kerr, of Indiana, who was elected in
1875 and died in August, 1s76-has died
while holding the office. The other
two of the four Speakers from Virginia |
besides Barbour and Stevenson, were |
r. M. T. Hunter, who served from 1889 |
to 1S41, and John w. Jones, from 1S43
to 1916. Only one New Yorker, John
w. Taylor, has ever been elected Speak
er. He filled the Office during one ses-
sion of Sixteenth and throughout the
Seventeenth and Eighteenth Congress-
es. Mr.. Taylor is one of three who
have been reelected after an interreg-
mum of one or more Congresses, the
other two being, as stated above, Hen
ry Clay and f. III. Muhlenberg. Only
one Speaker-JamesK X. Polk-has ever
become President, and he was not
elected until six years after his second
and last term as Speaker expired. The
present incumbent, Speaker Keifer, is
the only one Ohio has ever had in that
position, and Blaine is the only Speak
er who has hailed from Maine. Henry
fNlay q nd A nd 1rnxxr g Sfn. n | .