is the longest continuously serving member of the House. The present Dean is
when he or she is elected. The Dean comes forward on the House Floor to administer the
to the Speaker-elect before the new Speaker then administers the oath to the other members. The Dean does not preside over the election of the Speaker, unlike the
Because of the other privileges associated with seniority, the Dean is usually allotted some of the most desirable office space, and is generally either chair or ranking minority member of an influential committee.
It is unclear when the position first achieved concrete recognition, though the seniority system and increasing lengths of service emerged in the early 20th century. As late as 1924,
was Dean, and also Speaker, before becoming a Senator; modern Deans move into their positions so late in their careers that a move to the Senate is highly unlikely.
became the first Representative elected to a 24th term, breaking the record of 23 terms first set by former Speaker
, whose service had been discontinuous whereas Sabath's was not. North Carolina's
had not contested that election, as he was retiring at the age of 89 years and two months (a House age record broken only in 1998 by
, who died early in his final term in 1989, holds the record for oldest winner of a House election). However, Sabath died before the new term began, and Doughton was Dean for the old term's final months, before Speaker
Years as Dean are followed by name, party, state, and start of service in Congress.
All the members of the First Congress had equal seniority (as defined for the purpose of this article), but Muhlenberg as the Speaker was the first member to be sworn in. Muhlenberg, Hartley and Thatcher were among the 13 members who attended the initial meeting of the House on March 4, 1789.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries some state delegations to the House were often not elected until after the term had begun. To avoid confusion this fact is ignored in the list below.
| Term as Dean | Dean | Party | State | Seniority date | Speaker(s) |
March 1789-
March 1797 |
Frederick MuhlenbergFrederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg was an American minister and politician who was the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A delegate and a member of the U.S...
|
Federalist The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1789
(also Speaker 1789-91 and 1793-95) |
Frederick Muhlenberg (PA-PA) - 1789
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. was an American politician who served as the second Speaker of the United States House of Representatives....
(PA-CT) - 1791
Frederick Muhlenberg (AA-PA) - 1793
Jonathan DaytonJonathan Dayton was an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and later the U.S. Senate...
(F-NJ) - 1795 |
March 1797-
December 1800 |
Thomas Hartley Thomas Hartley was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from York, Pennsylvania.He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and practiced law in York...
|
Federalist The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1789 |
Jonathan Dayton (F-NJ) - 1797
Theodore SedgwickTheodore Sedgwick was an attorney, politician and jurist, who served in elected state government and as a Delegate to the Continental Congress, a US Representative, and a United States Senator from Massachusetts. He served as the fifth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives...
(F-MA) - 1799 |
| George Thatcher George Thatcher was an American lawyer, jurist, and statesman from the Maine district of Massachusetts. His name sometimes appears as George Thacher. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress in 1787 and 1788...
|
Federalist The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|
Massachusetts |
December 1800-
March 1801 |
George Thatcher George Thatcher was an American lawyer, jurist, and statesman from the Maine district of Massachusetts. His name sometimes appears as George Thacher. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress in 1787 and 1788...
|
Federalist The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|
Massachusetts |
March 4, 1789 |
|
March 1801-
March 1803 |
Andrew Gregg |
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1791 |
Nathaniel Macon (DR-NC) - 1801 |
| William B. Grove |
Federalist The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|
North Carolina |
Nathaniel MaconNathaniel Macon was a spokesman for the Old Republican faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that wanted to strictly limit the United States federal government. Macon was born near Warrenton, North Carolina, and attended the College of New Jersey and served briefly in the American...
|
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
|
North Carolina |
March 1803-
March 1807 |
Andrew Gregg |
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1791 |
Nathaniel Macon (DR-NC) - 1803, 1805 |
Nathaniel MaconNathaniel Macon was a spokesman for the Old Republican faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that wanted to strictly limit the United States federal government. Macon was born near Warrenton, North Carolina, and attended the College of New Jersey and served briefly in the American...
|
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
|
North Carolina |
March 1807-
December 1815 |
Nathaniel MaconNathaniel Macon was a spokesman for the Old Republican faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that wanted to strictly limit the United States federal government. Macon was born near Warrenton, North Carolina, and attended the College of New Jersey and served briefly in the American...
|
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
|
North Carolina |
March 4, 1791
(also Speaker 1801-1807) |
Joseph Bradley VarnumJoseph Bradley Varnum was a U.S. politician of the Democratic-Republican Party from Massachusetts.-Biography:...
(DR-MA) - 1807, 1809
Henry ClayHenry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
(DR-KY) - 1811, 1813
Langdon ChevesLangdon Cheves was an American politician and a president of the Second Bank of the United States.Cheves was born at Rocky River, South Carolina and died in Columbia, South Carolina. His father, Alexander, was a native of Scotland; his mother, Mary Langdon, was from Virginia...
(DR-SC) - 1814 |
December 1815-
April 1816 |
Richard Stanford Richard Stanford was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1797 and 1816.-Biography:...
|
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
|
North Carolina |
March 4, 1797 |
Henry Clay (DR-KY) - 1815 |
April 1816-
March 1817 |
John Davenport John Davenport was a United States Representative from Connecticut.-Biography:Born in Stamford, he pursued academic studies, and graduated from Yale College in 1770. He engaged in teaching there in 1773 and 1774; he also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1773, practicing in Stamford...
|
Federalist The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|
Connecticut |
March 4, 1799 |
|
March 1817-
March 1830 |
Thomas Newton, Jr. Thomas Newton, Jr. was an American politician. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia.Newton was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1796 to 1799. He served as a Democratic-Republican in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1801 to March 9, 1830.-External links:*...
|
Democratic-RepublicanThe Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
; AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
|
Virginia |
March 4, 1801 |
Henry Clay (DR-KY) - 1817, 1819
John W. TaylorJohn W. Taylor was an early 19th century U.S. politician from New York.-Life:He was born in 1784 in that part of the Town of Ballston, then in Albany County, New York, which was, upon the creation of Saratoga County in 1791, split off to form the Town of Charlton...
(DR-NY) - 1820
Philip Pendleton BarbourPhilip Pendleton Barbour was a U.S. Congressman from Virginia and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was also the brother of Virginia governor and U.S. Secretary of War James Barbour as well as the first cousin of John S. Barbour and first cousin, once removed of John S...
(DR-VA) - 1821
Henry Clay (DR-KY) - 1823
John W. Taylor (NR-NY) - 1825
Andrew StevensonAndrew Stevenson was a Democratic politician in the United States. Educated at the College of William and Mary, he married three times. His second wife, Sarah Coles, was a cousin of Dolley Madison and sister of Edward Coles, a governor of Illinois...
(D-VA) - 1827, 1829 |
March 1830-
March 1833 |
William McCoy |
Jacksonian |
Virginia |
March 4, 1811 |
Andrew Stevenson (D-VA) - 1831 |
March 1833-
February 1842 |
Lewis Williams For the Welsh rugby union player see Lewis Williams Lewis Williams was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1815 and 1842....
|
National Republican The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
; WhigThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
; DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
North Carolina |
March 4, 1815 |
Andrew Stevenson (D-VA) - 1833
John BellJohn Bell was a U.S. politician, attorney, and plantation owner. A wealthy slaveholder from Tennessee, Bell served in the United States Congress in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He began his career as a Democrat, he eventually fell out with Andrew Jackson and became a Whig...
(W-TN) - 1834
James K. PolkJames Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
(D-TN) - 1835, 1837
Robert M. T. Hunter (W-VA) - 1839
John WhiteJohn White was a prominent U.S. politician during the 1840s.White was a native of Kentucky and practiced law there. White was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1832...
(W-KY) - 1841 |
February 1842-
March 1843 |
Horace Everett Horace Everett was a United States Representative from Vermont. He was born in Foxboro, Massachusetts. His father was John Everett; his mother was Melatiah Ware. He was a descendant of Richard Everett and first cousin of Edward Everett. He graduated from Brown University, Providence, Rhode...
|
WhigThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
|
Vermont |
March 4, 1829 |
|
| Dixon H. Lewis |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Alabama |
March 1843-
April 1844 |
Dixon H. Lewis |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Alabama |
March 4, 1829 |
John Winston JonesJohn Winston Jones was an American politician and lawyer.Born 22 November 1791 in Amelia County, Virginia, he graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1813. He practiced law in Chesterfield County, Virginia before being appointed Prosecuting Attorney for Virginia's 5th Judicial Circuit...
(D-VA) - 1843 |
April 1844-
February 1848 |
John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
|
WhigThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
|
Massachusetts |
March 4, 1831 |
John Wesley DavisJohn Wesley Davis was a doctor and a prominent U.S. politician during the 1840s.-Early life and education:...
(D-IN) - 1845
Robert Charles WinthropRobert Charles Winthrop was an American lawyer and philanthropist and one time Speaker of the United States House of Representatives....
(W-MA) - 1847 |
| James I. McKay |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
North Carolina |
February 1848-
March 1849 |
James I. McKay |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
North Carolina |
|
March 1849-
March 1855 |
Linn BoydLinn Boyd was a prominent U.S. politician of the 1840s and 1850s, and served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1851 to 1855. Boyd was elected to the House as a Democrat from Kentucky from 1835 to 1837 and again from 1839 to 1855, serving seven terms in the House...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Kentucky |
March 4, 1839
(also Speaker from 1851) |
Howell Cobb Howell Cobb was an American political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the House from 1849 to 1851...
(D-GA) - 1849
Linn Boyd (D-KY) - 1851, 1853 |
March 1855-
March 1859 |
Joshua Reed Giddings Joshua Reed Giddings was an American statesman and a prominent opponent of slavery. He represented Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1838-59. He was at first a member of the Whig Party and was later a Republican.-Life:He was born at Tioga Point, now Athens, Bradford County,...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Ohio |
May 5, 1842 |
Nathaniel Prentice BanksNathaniel Prentice Banks was an American politician and soldier, served as the 24th Governor of Massachusetts, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Union general during the American Civil War....
(A-MA) - 1856
James Lawrence OrrJames Lawrence Orr was an American politician who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in the United States Congress...
(D-SC) - 1857 |
March 1859-
March 1863 |
John S. PhelpsJohn Smith Phelps was a politician, soldier during the American Civil War, and the 23rd Governor of Missouri.-Early life and career:...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Missouri |
March 4, 1845 |
William PenningtonWilliam Pennington was an American politician and lawyer, the Governor of New Jersey, and Speaker of the House during his one term in Congress....
(R-NJ) - 1860
Galusha A. GrowGalusha Aaron Grow was a prominent U.S. politician, lawyer, writer and businessman, and was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863. He was defeated for reelection in 1862...
(R-PA) - 1861 |
March 1863-
March 1869 |
Elihu B. WashburneElihu Benjamin Washburne was one of seven brothers who played a prominent role in the early formation of the United States Republican Party...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Illinois |
March 4, 1853 |
Schuyler ColfaxSchuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S...
(R-IN) - 1863, 1865, 1867
Theodore Medad PomeroyTheodore Medad Pomeroy was a United States politician. He served in the House of Representatives as a Republican from New York from 1861 to 1869. He also served as the Speaker of the House for about a day...
(R-NY) - 1869 |
March 1869-
March 1875 |
Henry L. DawesHenry Laurens Dawes was a Republican United States Senator and United States Representative, notable for the Dawes Act.-Biography:...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Massachusetts |
March 4, 1857 |
James G. BlaineJames Gillespie Blaine was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time Secretary of State...
(R-ME) - 1869, 1871, 1873
Joseph H. Rainey (R-SC) - 1874
James G. Blaine (R-ME) - 1874 |
March 1875-
January 1890 |
William D. KelleyWilliam D. Kelley was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Kelley was a lifelong advocate of civil rights, social reform, and labor protection.-Early life:...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1861 |
Michael C. KerrMichael Crawford Kerr was an American legislator.He was born at Titusville, Pennsylvania and educated at the Erie Academy. He graduated from Louisville University's Law School in 1851...
(D-IN) - 1875
Samuel J. RandallSamuel Jackson Randall was a Pennsylvania politician, attorney, soldier, and a prominent Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives during the late 19th century. He served as the 33rd Speaker of the House and a contender for his party's nomination for the President of the...
(D-PA) - 1876, 1877, 1879
J. Warren KeiferJoseph Warren Keifer was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a prominent U.S. politician during the 1880s. He served in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from Ohio from 1877 to 1885 and from 1905 to 1911...
(R-OH) - 1881
John Griffin CarlisleJohn Griffin Carlisle was a prominent American politician in the Democratic Party during the last quarter of the 19th century. He served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1883 to 1889 and as United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1893 to 1897 during the Panic...
(D-KY) - 1883, 1885, 1887
Thomas Brackett ReedThomas Brackett Reed, , occasionally ridiculed as Czar Reed, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889–1891 and from 1895–1899...
(R-ME) - 1889 |
January 1890-
April 1890 |
Samuel J. RandallSamuel Jackson Randall was a Pennsylvania politician, attorney, soldier, and a prominent Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives during the late 19th century. He served as the 33rd Speaker of the House and a contender for his party's nomination for the President of the...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1863 |
|
April 1890-
March 1891 |
Joseph G. Cannon |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Illinois |
March 4, 1873 |
|
Roger Q. MillsRoger Quarles Mills was an American politician and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Background:...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Texas |
| James H. Blount |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Georgia |
| Richard P. Bland Richard Parks Bland , American school teacher, lawyer, and Democratic Congressman between 1873 and 1899, serving except from 1895 to 1897, when he returned to office....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Missouri |
March 1891-
March 1892 |
Roger Q. MillsRoger Quarles Mills was an American politician and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Background:...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Texas |
March 4, 1873 |
Charles Frederick CrispCharles Frederick Crisp was a United States political figure. A Democrat, he was elected as a Congressman from Georgia in 1882, and served until his death in 1896. From 1890 until his death, he was leader of the Democratic Party in the House, as either the House Minority Leader or the Speaker of...
(D-GA) - 1891 |
| James H. Blount |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Georgia |
| Richard P. Bland Richard Parks Bland , American school teacher, lawyer, and Democratic Congressman between 1873 and 1899, serving except from 1895 to 1897, when he returned to office....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Missouri |
March 1892-
March 1893 |
James H. Blount |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Georgia |
March 4, 1873 |
|
| Richard P. Bland Richard Parks Bland , American school teacher, lawyer, and Democratic Congressman between 1873 and 1899, serving except from 1895 to 1897, when he returned to office....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Missouri |
March 1893-
March 1895 |
Richard P. Bland Richard Parks Bland , American school teacher, lawyer, and Democratic Congressman between 1873 and 1899, serving except from 1895 to 1897, when he returned to office....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Missouri |
March 4, 1873 |
Charles Frederick Crisp (D-GA) - 1893 |
March 1895-
March 1897 |
David B. Culberson David Browning Culberson was a Confederate soldier, a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.-Early years:...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Texas |
March 4, 1875 |
Thomas Brackett Reed (R-ME) - 1895 |
March 1897-
September 1899 |
Thomas Brackett ReedThomas Brackett Reed, , occasionally ridiculed as Czar Reed, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889–1891 and from 1895–1899...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Maine |
March 4, 1877 |
Thomas Brackett Reed (R-ME) - 1897 |
September 1899-
March 1912 |
Henry H. Bingham Henry Harrison Bingham was a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, who received the United States Military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of the Wilderness....
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1879 |
David B. HendersonDavid Bremner Henderson , a ten-term Republican Congressman from Dubuque, Iowa, was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1899 to 1903...
(R-IA) - 1899, 1901
Joseph Gurney CannonJoseph Gurney Cannon was a United States politician from Illinois and leader of the Republican Party. Cannon served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1911, and historians generally consider him to be the most dominant Speaker in United States history, with such...
(R-IL) - 1903, 1905, 1907, 1909
Champ Clark (D-MO) - 1911 |
March 1912-
December 1914 |
Sereno E. PayneSereno Elisha Payne was a United States Representative from New York and the first House Majority Leader, holding the office from 1899 to 1911. He was a Republican Congressman from 1883 to 1887 and then from 1889 to his death in 1914. He was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for 12...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
|
New York |
March 4, 1889 |
Champ Clark (D-MO) - 1913 |
December 1914-
April 1918 |
William A. JonesWilliam Atkinson Jones was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1891 to 1918.Jones was born in Warsaw, Virginia, and graduated from the law department of the University of Virginia in 1870...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
|
Virginia |
March 4, 1891 |
Champ Clark (D-MO) - 1915, 1917 |
April 1918-
March 1919 |
Henry Allen Cooper |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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Wisconsin |
March 4, 1893 |
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Frederick H. GillettFrederick Huntington Gillett was an American politician during the early 20th century. Frederick H. Gillett was born in Westfield, Massachusetts to Edward Bates Gillett and Lucy Fowler Gillett . He graduated from Amherst College in 1874 and Harvard Law School in 1877. He began the practice of...
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RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
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March 1919-
March 1925 |
Frederick H. GillettFrederick Huntington Gillett was an American politician during the early 20th century. Frederick H. Gillett was born in Westfield, Massachusetts to Edward Bates Gillett and Lucy Fowler Gillett . He graduated from Amherst College in 1874 and Harvard Law School in 1877. He began the practice of...
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RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
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March 4, 1893
(also Speaker) |
Frederick H. Gillett (R-MA) - 1919, 1921, 1923 |
March 1925-
May 1928 |
Thomas S. ButlerThomas Stalker Butler was a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, serving from March 4, 1897 until his death, having been elected to the House sixteen times. Thomas S. Butler was also the father of the famous Marine Corps General Smedley D...
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RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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Pennsylvania |
March 4, 1897 |
Nicholas LongworthNicholas Longworth IV was a prominent American politician in the Republican Party during the first few decades of the 20th century...
(R-OH) - 1925, 1927 |
May 1928-
March 1933 |
Gilbert N. Haugen Gilbert Nelson Haugen was a seventeen-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in northeastern Iowa. For nearly five years, he was the longest-serving member of the House...
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RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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Iowa |
March 4, 1899 |
Nicholas Longworth (R-OH) - 1929
John Nance GarnerJohn Nance Garner, IV , was the 32nd Vice President of the United States and the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives .- Early life and family :...
(D-TX) - 1931 |
March 1933-
April 1934 |
Edward W. Pou Edward William Pou , was an American politician, serving in the United States Congress.Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, September 9, 1863, he moved to North Carolina with his parents in 1867, where he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied law...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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North Carolina |
March 4, 1901 |
Henry T. RaineyHenry Thomas Rainey was a prominent U.S. politician during the first third of the 20th century. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1921 and from 1923 to his death as a Democrat from Illinois, and was its Speaker during the famous Hundred days of Franklin D...
(D-IL) - 1933 |
April 1934-
November 1952 |
Adolph Joachim Sabath |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Illinois |
March 4, 1907 |
Joseph W. Byrns (D-TN) - 1935
William B. BankheadWilliam Brockman Bankhead was an American politician from Alabama who served as U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House. He was a Democrat. Bankhead was a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other southern...
(D-AL) - 1936, 1937, 1939
Sam RayburnSamuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
(D-TX) - 1940, 1941, 1943, 1945
Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (R-MA) - 1947
Sam Rayburn (D-TX) - 1949, 1951 |
November 1952-
January 1953 |
Robert L. Doughton Robert Lee "Bob" Doughton , of Alleghany County, North Carolina, sometimes known as "Farmer Bob," was a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina for 42 consecutive years...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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North Carolina |
March 4, 1911 |
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January 1953-
November 1961 |
Sam RayburnSamuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Texas |
March 4, 1913
(also Speaker from 1955) |
Joseph W. Martin, Jr. (R-MA) - 1953
Sam Rayburn (D-TX) - 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 |
November 1961-
January 1965 |
Carl VinsonCarl Vinson was a United States Representative from Georgia. He was a Democrat and the first person to serve for more than 50 years in the United States House of Representatives...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Georgia |
November 3, 1914 |
John W. McCormack (D-MA) - 1962, 1963 |
January 1965-
January 1973 |
Emanuel Celler Emanuel Celler was an American politician from New York who served in the United States House of Representatives for almost 50 years, from March 1923 to January 1973. He was a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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New York |
March 4, 1923 |
John W. McCormack (D-MA) - 1965, 1967, 1969
Carl AlbertCarl Bert Albert was a lawyer and a Democratic American politician from Oklahoma.Albert represented the southeastern portion of Oklahoma as a Democrat for 30 years, starting in 1947. He is best known for his service as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977...
(D-OK) - 1971 |
January 1973-
March 1976 |
Wright Patman John William Wright Patman was a U.S. Congressman from Texas in Texas's 1st congressional district and chair of the United States House Committee on Banking and Currency .-Early life:...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Texas |
March 4, 1929 |
Carl Albert (D-OK) - 1973, 1975 |
March 1976-
January 1979 |
George H. Mahon George Herman Mahon was a Texas politician who served twenty-two consecutive terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from the Lubbock-based 19th congressional district....
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Texas |
January 3, 1935 |
Tip O'NeillThomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. was an American politician. O'Neill was an outspoken liberal Democrat and influential member of the U.S. Congress, serving in the House of Representatives for 34 years and representing two congressional districts in Massachusetts...
(D-MA) - 1977 |
January 1979-
January 1995 |
Jamie L. Whitten Jamie Lloyd Whitten was a United States Representative from Mississippi, who was of English and Swedish descent. He is the second-longest serving U.S. Representative ever and the fourth longest serving U.S. member of Congress ever.-Early life:Jamie Whitten was born in Cascilla, Mississippi...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Mississippi |
November 4, 1941 |
Tip O'Neill (D-MA) - 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985
Jim WrightJames Claude Wright, Jr. , usually known as Jim Wright, is a former Democratic U.S. Congressman from Texas who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the Speaker of the House from 1987 to 1989.-Early life:...
(D-TX) - 1987, 1989
Tom FoleyThomas Stephen Foley was the 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1989 to 1995. He represented Washington's 5th congressional district for 30 years as a Democratic member from 1965 to 1995....
(D-WA) - 1989, 1991, 1993 |
January 1995-
present |
John DingellJohn David Dingell, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1955 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
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Democratic The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
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Michigan |
December 13, 1955 |
Newt GingrichNewton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
(R-GA) - 1995, 1997
Dennis HastertJohn Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the 59th Speaker of the House serving from 1999 to 2007. He represented as a Republican for twenty years, 1987 to 2007.He is the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history...
(R-IL) - 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005
Nancy PelosiNancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
(D-CA) - 2007, 2009
John BoehnerJohn Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991...
(R-OH) - 2011 |