“A Chair Made Illustrious”: A Concise History of the U.S. House Speakership

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives was the first federal office created in the Constitution and has been at the forefront of America’s nation-building for more than two centuries. As the head of America’s popularly elected branch of government, the Office of the Speaker has shaped and has been shaped by the democratic forces coursing through the country. It is impossible to separate the Speakership from the people it serves and the history they share.

The Constitution says only that “the House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker.” The Framers made the Speakership independent of any other governmental authority and left it to the American people and their Representatives to determine the powers and prerogatives of the office.

The American Speakership was, and remains, an office in a constant state of evolution. Because the House reconstitutes itself every two years at the start of each new Congress, lawmakers have regularly molded the office to fit their needs and those of the voters to whom they are accountable. Each Speaker could only wield the power the House—by a majority vote—allowed them to have. As a result, no two Speakerships have been the same.

This booklet (PDF) is about the individuals who served as Speaker and the contours and rhythms of their office. It is a story about the constellation of political movements, lawmakers, aides, and everyday people who have shaped the Speakership in myriad ways. In large measure, the history of the Speakership is also a history of the U.S. House of Representatives. But it is ultimately a history of America and its experiment in democratic self-government.