Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

The **Speaker of the United States House of Representatives** is the head of the United States House of Representatives.  The Speaker is elected by the current members of the House. A  with more than half of the votes becomes Speaker.

## Duties

- 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 of Representatives(although has always been one). The main roles of the Speaker are to keep the House in order and to assign committee memberships and chairmanships. It is an important and powerful position in government.

## Background

Sam Rayburn is the only person to have served as Speaker of the House for more than ten years.

Theodore M. Pomeroy served as Speaker of the House for one day after Speaker Schuyler Colfax resigned to become Vice President of the United States; Pomeroy's term as a Member of Congress ended the next day.

Sam Rayburn, Henry Clay, Thomas Brackett Reed, Joseph William Martin, Jr., Frederick Muhlenberg, John W. Taylor, and Nancy Pelosi are the only Speakers of the House to have ever served in non-consecutive Congresses (another Speaker served in between each tenure).

## Order of succession

The Speaker of the House is third in line for president of the United States. If the president dies or steps down, the vice president becomes President. If there is no vice president, the Speaker of the House automatically becomes acting president.

## List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives

This table includes the congressional district and political affiliation of each Speaker, as well as the number of their Congress and time that they spent in the position:

|#|Speaker|Party|District|Congress|Tenure||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|align=left nowrap|Frederick Muhlenberg||Pro-Administration||1st|nowrap|April 1, 1789 — March 4, 1791||
|align=left nowrap|Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.||Pro-Administration||2nd|nowrap|October 24, 1791 — March 4, 1793||
|align=left nowrap|Frederick Muhlenberg|Anti-Administration||3rd|nowrap|December 2, 1793 — March 4, 1795|||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Jonathan Dayton|rowspan=2|Federalist|rowspan=2||4th|nowrap|December 7, 1795 — March 4, 1797|
|5th|nowrap|May 15, 1797 — March 4, 1799|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Theodore Sedgwick||Federalist||6th|nowrap|December 2, 1799 — March 4, 1801||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Nathaniel Macon|rowspan=3|Democratic-Republican||7th|nowrap|December 7, 1801 — March 4, 1803||
|rowspan=2||8th|nowrap|October 17, 1803 — March 4, 1805|||||
|9th|nowrap|December 2, 1805 — March 4, 1807|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Joseph Bradley Varnum|rowspan=2|Democratic-Republican|rowspan=2||10th|nowrap|October 26, 1807 — March 4, 1809|
|11th|nowrap|May 22, 1809 — March 4, 1811|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Henry Clay|rowspan=2|Democratic-Republican||12th|nowrap|November 4, 1811 — March 4, 1813||
||rowspan=2|13th|nowrap|May 24, 1813 — January 19, 1814|||||
|align=left nowrap|Langdon Cheves||Democratic-Republican||nowrap|January 19, 1814 — March 4, 1815|||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Henry Clay|rowspan=3|Democratic-Republican|rowspan=3||14th|nowrap|December 4, 1815 — March 4, 1817|
|15th|nowrap|December 1, 1817 — March 4, 1819|||||||
|rowspan=2|16th|nowrap|December 6, 1819 — October 28, 1820||||||
|align=left nowrap|John W. Taylor||Democratic-Republican||nowrap|November 15, 1820 — March 4, 1821|||
|align=left nowrap|Philip Pendleton Barbour||Democratic-Republican||17th|nowrap|December 4, 1821 — March 4, 1823||
|align=left nowrap|Henry Clay||Democratic-Republican||18th|nowrap|December 1, 1823 — March 4, 1825||
|align=left nowrap|John W. Taylor|National Republican||19th|nowrap|December 5, 1825 — March 4, 1827|||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=4|Andrew Stevenson|rowspan=4|Democratic|rowspan=3||20th|nowrap|December 3, 1827 — March 4, 1829|
|21st|nowrap|December 7, 1829 — March 4, 1831|||||||
|22nd|nowrap|December 5, 1831 — March 4, 1833|||||||
||23rd|nowrap|December 2, 1833 — June 2, 1834||||||
|align=left nowrap|John Bell||Whig||23rd|nowrap|June 2, 1834 — March 4, 1835||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|James Polk|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2||24th|nowrap|December 7, 1835 — March 4, 1837|
|25th|nowrap|September 4, 1837 — March 4, 1839|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Robert M. T. Hunter||Whig||26th|nowrap|December 16, 1839 — March 4, 1841||
|align=left nowrap|John White||Whig||27th|nowrap|May 31, 1841 — March 4, 1843||
|align=left nowrap|John Winston Jones||Democratic||28th|nowrap|December 4, 1843 — March 4, 1845||
|align=left nowrap|John Wesley Davis||Democratic||29th|nowrap|December 1, 1845 — March 4, 1847||
|align=left nowrap|Robert Charles Winthrop||Whig||30th|nowrap|December 6, 1847 — March 4, 1849||
|align=left nowrap|Howell Cobb||Democratic||31st|nowrap|December 22, 1849 — March 4, 1851||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Linn Boyd|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2||32nd|nowrap|December 1, 1851 — March 4, 1853|
|33rd|nowrap|December 5, 1853 — March 4, 1855|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Nathaniel Prentice Banks|American/Republican*****||34th|nowrap|February 2, 1856 — March 4, 1857|||
|align=left nowrap|James Lawrence Orr||Democratic||35th|nowrap|December 7, 1857 — March 4, 1859||
|align=left nowrap|William Pennington||Republican||36th|nowrap|February 1, 1860 — March 4, 1861||
|align=left nowrap|Galusha A. Grow||Republican||37th|nowrap|July 4, 1861 — March 4, 1863||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Schuyler Colfax|rowspan=3|Republican|rowspan=3||38th|nowrap|December 7, 1863 — March 4, 1865|
|39th|nowrap|December 4, 1865 — March 4, 1867|||||||
|rowspan=2|40th|nowrap|March 4, 1867 — March 3, 1869||||||
|align=left nowrap|Theodore Medad Pomeroy||Republican||nowrap|March 3, 1869 — March 4, 1869|||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|James G. Blaine|rowspan=3|Republican|rowspan=3||41st|nowrap|March 4, 1869 — March 4, 1871|
|42nd|nowrap|March 4, 1871 — March 4, 1873|||||||
|rowspan=3|43rd|nowrap|March 4, 1873 — May 13, 1874||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=1|Joseph H. Rainey|rowspan=1|Republican|rowspan=1||nowrap|May 13, 1874||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=1|James G. Blaine|rowspan=1|Republican|rowspan=1||nowrap|May 14, 1874 — March 4, 1875||
|align=left nowrap|Michael C. Kerr||Democratic||rowspan=2|44th|nowrap|December 6, 1875 — August 19, 1876|
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Samuel J. Randall|rowspan=3|Democratic|rowspan=3||nowrap|December 4, 1876 — March 4, 1877||
|45th|nowrap|October 15, 1877 — March 4, 1879|||||||
|46th|nowrap|March 18, 1879 — March 4, 1881|||||||
|align=left nowrap|J. Warren Keifer||Republican||47th|nowrap|December 5, 1881 — March 4, 1883||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|John Griffin Carlisle|rowspan=3|Democratic|rowspan=3||48th|nowrap|December 3, 1883 — March 4, 1885|
|49th|nowrap|December 7, 1885 — March 4, 1887|||||||
|50th|nowrap|December 5, 1887 — March 4, 1889|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Thomas Brackett Reed||Republican||51st|nowrap|December 2, 1889 — March 4, 1891||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Charles Frederick Crisp|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2||52nd|nowrap|December 8, 1891 — March 4, 1893|
|53rd|nowrap|August 7, 1893 — March 4, 1895|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Thomas Brackett Reed|rowspan=2|Republican|rowspan=2||54th|nowrap|December 2, 1895 — March 4, 1897|
|55th|nowrap|March 15, 1897 — March 4, 1899|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|David B. Henderson|rowspan=2|Republican|rowspan=2||56th|nowrap|December 4, 1899 — March 4, 1901|
|57th|nowrap|December 2, 1901 — March 4, 1903|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=4|Joseph Gurney Cannon|rowspan=4|Republican|rowspan=4||58th|nowrap|November 9, 1903 — March 4, 1905|
|59th|nowrap|December 4, 1905 — March 4, 1907|||||||
|60th|nowrap|December 2, 1907 — March 4, 1909|||||||
|61st|nowrap|March 15, 1909 — March 4, 1911|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=4|Champ Clark|rowspan=4|Democratic|rowspan=4||62nd|nowrap|April 4, 1911 — March 4, 1913|
|63rd|nowrap|April 7, 1913 — March 4, 1915|||||||
|64th|nowrap|December 6, 1915 — March 4, 1917|||||||
|65th|nowrap|April 2, 1917 — March 4, 1919|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Frederick Gillett|rowspan=3|Republican|rowspan=3||66th|nowrap|May 19, 1919 — March 4, 1921|
|67th|nowrap|April 11, 1921 — March 4, 1923|||||||
|68th|nowrap|December 3, 1923 — March 4, 1925|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Nicholas Longworth|rowspan=3|Republican|rowspan=3|Ohio-1|69th|nowrap|December 7, 1925 — March 4, 1927|
|70th|nowrap|December 5, 1927 — March 4, 1929|||||||
|71st|nowrap|April 15, 1929 — March 4, 1931|||||||
|align=left nowrap|John Nance Garner||Democratic||72nd|nowrap|December 7, 1931 — March 4, 1933||
|align=left nowrap|Henry T. Rainey||Democratic||73rd|nowrap|March 9, 1933 — August 19, 1934||
|align=left nowrap|Joseph Wellington Byrns||Democratic||rowspan=2|74th|nowrap|January 3, 1935 — June 4, 1936|
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|William B. Bankhead|rowspan=3|Democratic|rowspan=3|Alabama-7|nowrap|June 4, 1936 — January 3, 1937||
|75th|nowrap|January 5, 1937 — January 3, 1939|||||||
|rowspan=2|76th|nowrap|January 3, 1939 — September 15, 1940||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=4|Sam Rayburn|rowspan=4|Democratic|rowspan=4|Texas-4|nowrap|September 16, 1940 — January 3, 1941||
|77th|nowrap|January 3, 1941 — January 3, 1943|||||||
|78th|nowrap|January 6, 1943 — January 3, 1945|||||||
|79th|nowrap|January 3, 1945 — January 3, 1947|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Joseph W. Martin, Jr.||Republican|Massachusetts-14|80th|nowrap|January 3, 1947 — January 3, 1949||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Sam Rayburn|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2|Texas-4|81st|nowrap|January 3, 1949 — January 3, 1951|
|82nd|nowrap|January 3, 1951 — January 3, 1953|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Joseph W. Martin, Jr.||Republican|Massachusetts-14|83rd|nowrap|January 3, 1953 — January 3, 1955||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=4|Sam Rayburn|rowspan=4|Democratic|rowspan=4|Texas-4|84th|nowrap|January 3, 1955 — January 3, 1957|
|85th|nowrap|January 3, 1957 — January 3, 1959|||||||
|86th|nowrap|January 7, 1959 — January 3, 1961|||||||
|rowspan=2|87th|nowrap|January 3, 1961 — November 16, 1961||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=5|John W. McCormack|rowspan=5|Democratic|Massachusetts-12|nowrap|January 10, 1962 — January 3, 1963|||
|rowspan=4|Massachusetts-9|88th|nowrap|January 9, 1963 — January 3, 1965|||||
|89th|nowrap|January 4, 1965 — January 3, 1967|||||||
|90th|nowrap|January 10, 1967 — January 3, 1969|||||||
|91st|nowrap|January 3, 1969 — January 3, 1971|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Carl Albert|rowspan=3|Democratic|rowspan=3|Oklahoma-3|92nd|nowrap|January 21, 1971 — January 3, 1973|
|93rd|nowrap|January 3, 1973 — January 3, 1975|||||||
|94th|nowrap|January 14, 1975 — January 3, 1977|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=5|Tip O'Neill|rowspan=5|Democratic|rowspan=5|Massachusetts-8|95th|nowrap|January 4, 1977 — January 3, 1979|
|96th|nowrap|January 15, 1979 — January 3, 1981|||||||
|97th|nowrap|January 5, 1981 — January 3, 1983|||||||
|98th|nowrap|January 3, 1983 — January 3, 1985|||||||
|99th|nowrap|January 3, 1985 — January 3, 1987|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Jim Wright|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2|Texas-12|100th|nowrap|January 6, 1987 — January 3, 1989|
|rowspan=2|101st|nowrap|January 3, 1989 — June 6, 1989||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|Tom Foley|rowspan=3|Democratic|rowspan=3|Washington-5|nowrap|June 6, 1989 — January 3, 1991||
|102nd|nowrap|January 3, 1991 — January 3, 1993|||||||
|103rd|nowrap|January 5, 1993 — January 3, 1995|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Newt Gingrich|rowspan=2|Republican|rowspan=2|Georgia-6|104th|nowrap|January 4, 1995 — January 3, 1997|
|105th|nowrap|January 7, 1997 — January 3, 1999|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=4|Dennis Hastert|rowspan=4|Republican|rowspan=4|Illinois-14|106th|nowrap|January 6, 1999 — January 3, 2001|
|107th|nowrap|January 3, 2001 — January 3, 2003|||||||
|108th|nowrap|January 7, 2003 — January 3, 2005|||||||
|109th|nowrap|January 3, 2005 — January 3, 2007|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Nancy Pelosi|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2|California-8|110th|nowrap|January 4, 2007 — January 3, 2009|
|111th|nowrap|January 6, 2009 — January 3, 2011|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=3|John Boehner|rowspan=3|Republican|rowspan=3|Ohio-8|112th|nowrap|January 5, 2011 — January 3, 2013|
|113th|nowrap|January 3, 2013 — January 3, 2015|||||||
|114th|nowrap|January 6, 2015 — October 29, 2015|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Paul Ryan|rowspan=2|Republican|rowspan=2|Wisconsin-1|114th|nowrap|October 29, 2015 — January 3, 2017|
|115th|nowrap|January 3, 2017 — January 3, 2019|||||||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Nancy Pelosi|rowspan=2|Democratic|rowspan=2|California-12|116th|nowrap|January 3, 2019 — January 3, 2021|
|117th|nowrap|January 3, 2021 — January 3, 2023|||||||
|align=left nowrap|Kevin McCarthy||Republican|California-32|118th|nowrap|January 7, 2023 — October 3, 2023||
|align=left nowrap rowspan=2|Mike Johnson|rowspan=2|Republican|rowspan=2|Louisiana-4|118th|nowrap|October 25, 2023 — January 3, 2025|
|119th|nowrap|January 3, 2025 — Present|||||||

## Infobox (political post)

- **body**: the United States House of Representatives
- **post**: Speaker
- **insignia**: Seal of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives.svg
- **insigniasize**: 100px
- **insigniacaption**: Seal of the Speaker
- **image**: Speaker Mike Johnson Official Portrait.jpg
- **incumbent**: Mike Johnson
- **incumbentsince**: October 25, 2023
- **style**: Mister or Madam Speaker
<small>(Informal and within the House)</small>
The Honorable
<small>(Formal)</small>
- **appointer**: Elected by the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives
- **formation**: Constitution of the United States, U.S. Constitution
March 4, 1789
- **succession**: United States presidential line of succession, Second
- **inaugural**: Frederick Muhlenberg
April 1, 1789
- **website**: [http://www.speaker.gov/ Speaker of the House]