Who Is the Head of House of Representatives

Speakers of the Business firm (1789 to present)

Historical Highlight

Article I, Department ii of the Constitution states: "The House 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 on 19th century the Business firm and the individual Speakers accept continually redefined its contours. Rooted in British parliamentary do, the early on Speakers express their roles to presiding over the House and serving as its formalism head.

/tiles/non-collection/h/hh_1789_03_04_muhlenberg_hc.xml Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives
About this object Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the starting time Speaker of the House on April i, 1789.

Over time, some Speakers aggressively pursued a policy agenda for the House while others have, in the words of Speaker Schuyler Colfax of Indiana, "come to this chair to administrate [the] rules, merely not as a partisan." Regardless, the Speaker—who has always been (but is not required to be) a House Fellow member with the same obligations to his or her constituents like the other 434 Members—is at the levers of power. The Speaker is simultaneously the House'due south presiding officer, party leader, and the establishment's administrative caput, amidst other duties.

The Speaker is elected at the start of a new Congress by a bulk of the Representatives-elect from candidates separately called by the majority- and minority-party caucuses. These candidates are elected by their party members at the organizing caucuses held before long later the new Congress is elected. In cases of an unexpected vacancy during a Congress a new Speaker is elected by a majority of the House from candidates previously chosen past the 2 parties.

The Speaker of the House is by law 2d in line to succeed the President, subsequently the Vice President, and 25th Amendment makes the Speaker a part of the process announcing presidential disability.

Information on the current Speaker, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, is bachelor at the web site of the Speaker of the Firm. Speaker Pelosi is the 52nd individual to serve every bit Speaker of the House. In total, 54 Representatives accept served as Speaker. Seven individuals have 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 Resource.

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