The Presiding Officer of the House of Representatives

Speakers of the House (1789 to present)

Historical Highlight

Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states: "The Firm of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers..."

The Speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the Firm of Representatives. The Constitution mandates the office, simply since the early 19th century the Business firm and the private Speakers have continually redefined its contours. Rooted in British parliamentary do, the early Speakers limited their roles to presiding over the House and serving as its ceremonial head.

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About this object Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first Speaker of the House on April 1, 1789.

Over time, some Speakers aggressively pursued a policy calendar for the Business firm while others accept, in the words of Speaker Schuyler Colfax of Indiana, "come to this chair to administrate [the] rules, only not as a partisan." Regardless, the Speaker—who has always been (but is not required to be) a Business firm Fellow member with the aforementioned obligations to his or her constituents similar the other 434 Members—is at the levers of ability. The Speaker is simultaneously the House'south presiding officer, political party leader, and the institution's authoritative head, amidst other duties.

The Speaker is elected at the showtime of a new Congress by a bulk of the Representatives-elect from candidates separately chosen past the majority- and minority-party caucuses. These candidates are elected by their party members at the organizing caucuses held soon after the new Congress is elected. In cases of an unexpected vacancy during a Congress a new Speaker is elected past a majority of the House from candidates previously chosen by the two parties.

The Speaker of the Firm is by law second in line to succeed the President, after the Vice President, and 25th Amendment makes the Speaker a part of the process announcing presidential disability.

Information on the electric current Speaker, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, is bachelor at the web site of the Speaker of the House. Speaker Pelosi is the 52nd private to serve as Speaker of the House. In full, 54 Representatives have served as Speaker. Seven individuals take served non-consecutively: Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania, Henry Clay of Kentucky, John W. Taylor of New York, Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine, Sam Rayburn of Texas, Joseph Martin of Massachusetts, and Nancy Pelosi of California.

For further information, see the Speakers of the House Resources.

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Source: https://history.house.gov/People/Office/Speakers-Intro/