List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives facts for kids

The speaker of the United States House of Representatives is a very important leader in the United States House of Representatives. Think of them as the main boss or leader of the House. This job was created way back in 1789 by the U.S. Constitution.

The Speaker is the top political and parliamentary leader of the House. They are also the leader of the political party that has the most members in the House. Plus, they manage how the House works every day. Even though they have many big jobs, the Speaker usually doesn't lead the debates themselves. Other members of their party do that. The Speaker also doesn't usually join in the regular debates.

Another super important role is that the Speaker is second in line to become president, right after the Vice President.

The House chooses a new Speaker with a special vote when a new two-year term begins. They also vote for a new Speaker if the current one leaves office. To become Speaker, a candidate needs more than half of the votes. If no one gets enough votes, they keep voting until someone does. The Constitution doesn't say the Speaker has to be a current member of the House, but so far, every Speaker has been. Overall, 56 different people from 24 states have served as Speaker of the House.

Who Has Been Speaker of the House?

The House has chosen a Speaker 128 times since 1789. This includes a new Speaker at the start of each of the 118 Congresses. It also includes 10 times when a Speaker left office early due to death, quitting, or being removed.

Out of the 56 people who have been Speaker, 32 served more than one term. Seven of them served terms that were not in a row. These include Frederick Muhlenberg, Henry Clay, John W. Taylor, Thomas Brackett Reed, Joseph W. Martin Jr., Sam Rayburn, and Nancy Pelosi. In total, a new Speaker has taken office 65 times. Every Speaker has belonged to a political party. Here's how many belonged to each party:

      Democratic – 22;       Republican – 18;       Democratic-Republican – 6;       Jacksonian – 3;       Whig – 3;       Federalist – 2;       Pro-Administration – 2;       National Republican – 1;       American – 1;       Anti-Administration – 1.

List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives

Congress	Term	Portrait	Name	Party		District
1st	April 1, 1789 – March 4, 1791		Muhlenberg, FrederickFrederick Muhlenberg		Pro-Administration	Pennsylvania at-large
2nd	October 24, 1791 – March 4, 1793		Trumbull Jr., JonathanJonathan Trumbull Jr.			Connecticut at-large
3rd	December 2, 1793 – March 4, 1795		Muhlenberg, FrederickFrederick Muhlenberg		Anti-Administration	Pennsylvania at-large
4th	December 7, 1795 – March 4, 1797		Dayton, JonathanJonathan Dayton		Federalist	New Jersey at-large
5th	May 15, 1797 – March 4, 1799
6th	December 2, 1799 – March 4, 1801		Sedgwick, TheodoreTheodore Sedgwick			Massachusetts 1
7th	December 7, 1801 – March 4, 1803		Macon, NathanielNathaniel Macon		Democratic- Republican	North Carolina 5
8th	October 17, 1803 – March 4, 1805					North Carolina 6
9th	December 2, 1805 – March 4, 1807
10th	October 26, 1807 – March 4, 1809		Varnum, Joseph BradleyJoseph Bradley Varnum			Massachusetts 4
11th	May 22, 1809 – March 4, 1811
12th	November 4, 1811 – March 4, 1813		Clay, HenryHenry Clay			Kentucky 5
13th	May 24, 1813 – January 19, 1814					Kentucky 2
	January 19, 1814 – March 4, 1815		Cheves, LangdonLangdon Cheves			South Carolina 1
14th	December 4, 1815 – March 4, 1817		Clay, HenryHenry Clay			Kentucky 2
15th	December 1, 1817 – March 4, 1819
16th	December 6, 1819 – October 28, 1820
	November 15, 1820 – March 4, 1821		Taylor, John W.John W. Taylor			New York 11
17th	December 4, 1821 – March 4, 1823		Barbour, Philip P.Philip P. Barbour			Virginia 11
18th	December 1, 1823 – March 6, 1825		Clay, HenryHenry Clay			Kentucky 3
19th	December 5, 1825 – March 4, 1827		Taylor, John W.John W. Taylor		National Republican (Pro-Adams)	New York 17
20th	December 3, 1827 – March 4, 1829		Stevenson, AndrewAndrew Stevenson		Jacksonian	Virginia 9
21st	December 7, 1829 – March 4, 1831
22nd	December 5, 1831 – March 4, 1833
23rd	December 2, 1833 – June 2, 1834					Virginia 11
	June 2, 1834 – March 4, 1835		Bell, JohnJohn Bell			Tennessee 7
24th	December 7, 1835 – March 4, 1837		Polk, James K.James K. Polk			Tennessee 9
25th	September 4, 1837 – March 4, 1839				Democratic
26th	December 16, 1839 – March 4, 1841		Hunter, Robert M. T.Robert M. T. Hunter		Whig	Virginia 9
27th	May 31, 1841 – March 4, 1843		White, JohnJohn White			Kentucky 9
28th	December 4, 1843 – March 4, 1845		Jones, John WinstonJohn Winston Jones		Democratic	Virginia 6
29th	December 1, 1845 – March 4, 1847		Davis, John WesleyJohn Wesley Davis			Indiana 6
30th	December 6, 1847 – March 4, 1849		Winthrop, Robert CharlesRobert Charles Winthrop		Whig	Massachusetts 1
31st	December 22, 1849 – March 4, 1851		Cobb, HowellHowell Cobb		Democratic	Georgia 6
32nd	December 1, 1851 – March 4, 1853		Boyd, LinnLinn Boyd			Kentucky 1
33rd	December 5, 1853 – March 4, 1855
34th	February 2, 1856 – March 4, 1857		Banks, Nathaniel P.Nathaniel P. Banks		American	Massachusetts 7
35th	December 7, 1857 – March 4, 1859		Orr, James LawrenceJames Lawrence Orr		Democratic	South Carolina 5
36th	February 1, 1860 – March 4, 1861		Pennington, WilliamWilliam Pennington		Republican	New Jersey 5
37th	July 4, 1861 – March 4, 1863		Grow, Galusha A.Galusha A. Grow			Pennsylvania 14
38th	December 7, 1863 – March 4, 1865		Colfax, SchuylerSchuyler Colfax			Indiana 9
39th	December 4, 1865 – March 4, 1867
40th	March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869
	March 3, 1869 – March 4, 1869		Pomeroy, Theodore M.Theodore M. Pomeroy			New York 24
41st	March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1871		Blaine, James G.James G. Blaine			Maine 3
42nd	March 4, 1871 – March 4, 1873
43th	March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1875
44th	December 6, 1875 – August 19, 1876		Kerr, Michael C.Michael C. Kerr		Democratic	Indiana 3
	December 4, 1876 – March 4, 1877		Randall, Samuel J.Samuel J. Randall			Pennsylvania 3
45th	October 15, 1877 – March 4, 1879
46th	March 18, 1879 – March 4, 1881
47th	December 5, 1881 – March 4, 1883		Keifer, J. WarrenJ. Warren Keifer		Republican	Ohio 8
48th	December 3, 1883 – March 4, 1885		Carlisle, John G.John G. Carlisle		Democratic	Kentucky 6
49th	December 7, 1885 – March 4, 1887
50th	December 5, 1887 – March 4, 1889
51st	December 2, 1889 – March 4, 1891		Reed, Thomas BrackettThomas Brackett Reed		Republican	Maine 1
52nd	December 8, 1891 – March 4, 1893		Crisp, Charles FrederickCharles Frederick Crisp		Democratic	Georgia 3
53rd	August 7, 1893 – March 4, 1895
54th	December 2, 1895 – March 4, 1897		Reed, Thomas BrackettThomas Brackett Reed		Republican	Maine 1
55th	March 15, 1897 – March 4, 1899
56th	December 4, 1899 – March 4, 1901		Henderson, David B.David B. Henderson			Iowa 3
57th	December 2, 1901 – March 4, 1903
58th	November 9, 1903 – March 4, 1905		Cannon, Joseph GurneyJoseph Gurney Cannon			Illinois 18
59th	December 4, 1905 – March 4, 1907
60th	December 2, 1907 – March 4, 1909
61st	March 15, 1909 – March 4, 1911
62nd	April 4, 1911 – March 4, 1913		Clark, ChampChamp Clark		Democratic	Missouri 9
63rd	April 7, 1913 – March 4, 1915
64th	December 6, 1915 – March 4, 1917
65th	April 2, 1917 – March 4, 1919
66th	May 19, 1919 – March 4, 1921		Gillett, Frederick H.Frederick H. Gillett		Republican	Massachusetts 2
67th	April 11, 1921 – March 4, 1923
68th	December 5, 1923 – March 4, 1925
69th	December 7, 1925 – March 4, 1927		Longworth, NicholasNicholas Longworth			Ohio 1
70th	December 5, 1927 – March 4, 1929
71st	April 15, 1929 – March 4, 1931
72nd	December 7, 1931 – March 4, 1933		Garner, John NanceJohn Nance Garner		Democratic	Texas 15
73rd	March 9, 1933 – August 19, 1934		Rainey, Henry ThomasHenry Thomas Rainey			Illinois 20
74th	January 3, 1935 – June 4, 1936		Byrns, JoJo Byrns			Tennessee 5
	June 4, 1936 – January 3, 1937		Bankhead, William B.William B. Bankhead			Alabama 7
75th	January 5, 1937 – January 3, 1939
76th	January 3, 1939 – September 15, 1940
	September 16, 1940 – January 3, 1941		Rayburn, SamSam Rayburn			Texas 4
77th	January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1943
78th	January 6, 1943 – January 3, 1945
79th	January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947
80th	January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949		Martin Jr., Joseph W.Joseph W. Martin Jr.		Republican	Massachusetts 14
81st	January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951		Rayburn, SamSam Rayburn		Democratic	Texas 4
82nd	January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953
83rd	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955		Martin Jr., Joseph W.Joseph W. Martin Jr.		Republican	Massachusetts 14
84th	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1957		Rayburn, SamSam Rayburn		Democratic	Texas 4
85th	January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1959
86th	January 7, 1959 – January 3, 1961
87th	January 3, 1961 – November 16, 1961
	January 10, 1962 – January 3, 1963		McCormack, John W.John W. McCormack			Massachusetts 12
88th	January 9, 1963 – January 3, 1965					Massachusetts 9
89th	January 4, 1965 – January 3, 1967
90th	January 10, 1967 – January 3, 1969
91st	January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1971
92nd	January 21, 1971 – January 3, 1973		Albert, CarlCarl Albert			Oklahoma 3
93rd	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975
94th	January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1977
95th	January 4, 1977 – January 3, 1979		O'Neill, TipTip O'Neill			Massachusetts 8
96th	January 15, 1979 – January 3, 1981
97th	January 5, 1981 – January 3, 1983
98th	January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1985
99th	January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987
100th	January 6, 1987 – January 3, 1989		Wright, JimJim Wright			Texas 12
101st	January 3, 1989 – June 6, 1989
	June 6, 1989 – January 3, 1991		Foley, TomTom Foley			Washington 5
102nd	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1993
103rd	January 5, 1993 – January 3, 1995
104th	January 4, 1995 – January 3, 1997		Gingrich, NewtNewt Gingrich		Republican	Georgia 6
105th	January 7, 1997 – January 3, 1999
106th	January 6, 1999 – January 3, 2001		Hastert, DennisDennis Hastert			Illinois 14
107th	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2003
108th	January 7, 2003 – January 3, 2005
109th	January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
110th	January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2009		Pelosi, NancyNancy Pelosi		Democratic	California 8
111th	January 6, 2009 – January 3, 2011
112th	January 5, 2011 – January 3, 2013		Boehner, JohnJohn Boehner		Republican	Ohio 8
113th	January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015
114th	January 6, 2015 – October 29, 2015
	October 29, 2015 – January 3, 2017		Ryan, PaulPaul Ryan			Wisconsin 1
115th	January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
116th	January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021		Pelosi, NancyNancy Pelosi		Democratic	California 12
117th	January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
118th	January 7, 2023 – October 3, 2023		McCarthy, KevinKevin McCarthy		Republican	California 20
	October 25, 2023 – Incumbent		Johnson, MikeMike Johnson			Louisiana 4
References:

How Long Speakers Have Served

The times listed below show how long each Speaker was in office. These times are figured out by counting the days between when they started and when they finished. If a Speaker served more than one term, even if they weren't in office continuously, all their time is added up.

It's important to know that the time between one Congress ending and the next one starting is not counted. For example, Nathaniel Macon was Speaker for two Congresses, but the eight months between those terms are not included in his total time. You can see the exact dates for each Speaker in the table above.

Official seal of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

Sam Rayburn, who served the longest as Speaker of the House, for over 17 years.

Tip O'Neill, who served the longest time without any breaks, for almost 10 years.

Theodore M. Pomeroy, who served the shortest time as Speaker, for only 1 day.

Timeline of Speakers

See Also

In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos para niños