Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-11-24
The Speakership.

speaker of the next house of repre-
sentatives he will be the 35th man
chosen as the regular presiding Off
Ger of the lower branch of congress
and the first ever elected from the
state of Missouri.
Representative Clark will also be
the second speaker to hail from west
Of the Mississippi river. Iowa has
the distinction of being the only
state west of the Mississippi that has
been honored up to the present time.
The late David r. Henderson of Iowa
served as speaker of the 46th and
47th congresses.
Massachusetts, Virginia and Ken
lucky are the states which have been
most highly favored in regard to the
speakership. Each has had four of
its representatives chosen to preside
over the house.
The four speakers from Massachu-
sets we're Theodore Sedgwick of the
of the early congresses; John White
sixth congress, Joseph b. Varnum of
the tenth and eleventh congresses,
Robert c. Winthrop of the 30th con-
gress and Nathaniel P. Banks of the
saith. When Mr.. Winthrop was
elected speaker of the 30th congress
it was by a majority of one vote,
which is the closest contest ever
known.
The Virginia speakers were Philip
Randall. who presided over the 18th
congress and afterward served in the
senate; Andrew Stevenson, who
served from 1927 to 1894; John w.
Jones, who was speaker of the 3Sth
congress and died soon after COM
pleting his service, and R. NJ. T.
Hunter, who was speaker of the 26th
congress and afqerward served IS
secretary of state of the Confederate
government.
The four Kentucky speakers were
Henry Clay, who presided over five
of the early congresses; John White.
of the 27th congress, Linn Boyd of
the 32nd and 33rd congresses, and
the late John G. Carlisle. VINO occu-
pied the speakers chair in the 4Sth,
49th and 50th sessions.
In Henry Clay the state of Ken
lucky holds the record for long ser
vice in the speakers chair. Mr..
Clay served nine and a half years as
speaker. though his service was not
continuous The next longest re-
cord is that of Mr.. Cannon, who viii
have served Aght years when he
yields up the gavel to his successor
next March.
Pennsylvania and Indiana have
each had three speakers Of the
house. Pennsylvania contributed
the speaker of the 1st congress,
hn
one of three brothers who immigrat
ed from Germany before the Revolu-
ton and all of whom rendered 80
tinguished services to the country OF
their adoption. The others speak
ers from the keystone state were
of later date. Galusha A. Grow. who
occupied the chair at the beginning
of the civil war. and Samuel J. Ran
dali. who presided over the house
from 1876 to 1881.
John w. Davis, known as Hon
est John" was the first speaker from
Indiana. He presided Ove- the 29th
congress and was afterward the gov
ernor of Oregon Tertiary. Schuyler
Colfax Of Indiana was chosen speak
er in 1863 and served until 1863,
when he became vice president. The
third speaker from Indiana was
Michael c. Kerr, who was elected in
1875 and died early in the following
year.
Maine, Georgia, New Jersey, South
Carolina and Tennessee have each
had two speakers. From Maine
came James G. Blaine, Thomas 3.
Reed. from Georgia Howell Cobb and
lima Langdon Cheves and James l..
Orr, and from Tennessee John Bell
and James X. Polk. The two speak
ers from New Jersey were Jonathan
Dayton of the 4th and 5th congress
es, and William Pennington. who
presided over the 36th congress.
The only speaker from Connecticut
was Jonathan Trumbull, who pre-
sided over the End congress. The
only sneaker from Ohio was General
!. Warren Keller. who presided dur
ing the 47th congress and who is
member CT the present house. From
North Carolina came Nathaniel Ma
con. who became speaker in 1901.
He served as a representative nearly
a quarter of a century and was
known as the father of the house.
John w. Taylor, who succeeded
Henry Clay in the / 6th congress, was
the only speaker from New York
with the exception of Theodore NJ.
Pomeroy, who served as speaker for
one day at the beginning of the 41st
congress, until Mr.. Blaine, who was
elected, could take his seat.
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