The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-12-30
YEARS IN CONGRESS.
Curious Statistics Concerning the
Speakers Of the House.

Speakers Of the House.
The Speakers of the House have gener-
| ally been comparatively young men, says
| The New Orleans Times-Democrat OF
the thirty-four Representatives who have
! welded the gaveI since the origin of the
House in 1883, William Pennington, of
New Jersey, is the oldest He was 6
when chosen as the compromise candi-
| date in the great deadlock of 1859 over the
| Speakership Of the thirty-sixth House.
John Sherman. then So years old and
serving his third term, was the choice OF
the Republicans. who lacked a clear ma
| tority OF the House. They persistently
balloted for him for two months. when
| he peremptorily withdrew. perceiving that
| the struggle was hopeless, although he
| was within three or four votes of the
| necessary majority most of the time.
Since the first Congress Clay and PEN
nington have the distinction Of being the
only men ever chosen Speaker in their
first term in the House 1t thus fell out
in Pennington's case because he was the
only Republican who could command one
| or two ant-slayery Know Nothing votes
in that House necessary to decide the
tremendous contest.
The Oldest Speaker after Mr.. Penning-
ton is the incumbent Mr.. Henderson. who
was 50 when chosen. Only six of the
post when elected Speaker viz. Messrs.
TrumbulL Sedgwick. Boyd, Pennington,
Reed and Henderson. Eighteen of the
Speakers had not passed 40 when called.
OF these seven ranged from SO down to 80.
The youngest Speaker the House ever
had was r. NJ. T. Hunter of Virginia,
who was only 80 and in his second term
when chosen. Speakers Clay and Cobb
were a. Dayton and Orr IS. Taylor and
White IS. Bell 81. Cheves. Barbour. Jones'
Winthrow and Grow S. Muhlenburg
Banks and Blaine 80. Polk and Colfax 40
Stevenson IS, Macon. A. Keifer IS. Davis
and Crisp IS. varnum. Kerr. Randall and
Carlisle 49, Reed 81. Boyd and TrumbuIl
ST. and Sedgwick SO when called to pre-
side over the House.
In tenure, prior to his elevation to the
Chair sixteen years. Mr.. Henderson leads
all the Speakers. Linn Boyd served four
teen years. Randall thirteen. Reed twelve.
Macon, varnum and Grow ten. Colfax and
Crisp eight. Blaine and Carlisle six. Ste
venson four and TrimbuL. Hunter and
Banks only two years before reaching the
Speakers chair.
In view of these interesting data the
probable elected Of Mr.. Cannon to the
speakership for the Fffty-eighth Con-
gress may he classed as a remarkable
eveutuality. He will not only be the
member OF longest service prior 10 the
event, but the oldest man ever chosen
Speaker OF the House. The fruitinn OF
his splendid parliamentary career has
certainly long been deferred. He was
first elected to Congress in November,
1877 the year General Grant defeated
Horace Greeley for the Presidency.
Up to date the late William S. Holman,
Of Indiana. holds the record for longest
service in the House-thirty years. But
at the close OF the present Congress, on
the 4th of March next, the tenure Of the
Hon John H. Ketcham OF New York.
will tie that of Mr.. Holman precisely.
Mr.. Ketcham was elected to Congress in
the fall of 1854 thirty-eight years ago.
Like the Holman record. however, the
Ketcham tenure has not been continuous.
He missed the Forty-third and Forty