Justin Schicker
EDT 180B
From 1789 to the present day
– The Speaker of the House of Representatives is outline in the Constitution: Article I, Section 2, Part Five – It is modeled after the Speaker of the House of Commons in the Great British Parliament – The Speaker’s role was/is to report to the monarch of the goings on in the House, to keep order of it, and to direct the discussion of it
Party Leader
Ceremonial Leader
– Because the majority party elects the Speaker, they are usually the Leader of the Party
– The Speaker acts as a nonpartisan Leader that dictates legislative discussion of the House Floor
– The Speaker controls what legislation is discussed: a powerful ability
– They control both sides of the aisle, ensuring all members have equal say and standing in the Chamber
Inaugural holder:
He was first elected to House leadership on April 1, 1789, the same day of the first session of the first Congress. He was elected by many different parties, including Pro-Administration, AntiAdministration, and Republican.
James K. Polk Only Speaker to serve as President of the United States
Thomas “Tip” O’Neill First Speaker to allow television feed of the House Floor
Samuel Rayburn Longest serving Speaker (17 years)
Nancy Pelosi First woman Speaker
All images under Creative Commons license. Some Rights Reserved. – https://2.bp.blogspot.com/ad1kX_fhzAI/Vv67eAmTlFI/AAAAAAAAKqE/9c7jdWTYQDcFTfHXooTfH97l3GfWv eUNQ/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/800px-Frederick_Muhlenberg.jpg – https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/James_K._Polk_portrai t.png – https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Samuel_Taliaferro_Ray burn.jpg – https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Speaker_Nancy _Pelosi.jpg/220px-Speaker_Nancy_Pelosi.jpg