An election for speaker of the United States House of Representatives is held when the House first convenes after a general election for its two-year term, or when a sitting speaker dies, resigns, or is removed from the position. The speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House, and is simultaneously the body's presiding officer, the de facto leader of the body's majority party, and the institution's administrative head.
A speaker election is generally held at least every two years; the House has elected a Speaker 129 times since the office was created in 1789. Traditionally, each political party's caucus/conference selects a candidate for speaker from among its senior leaders prior to the vote, and the majority party's nominee is elected. Prior to 1839, the House elected its speaker by paper ballot, but since, on all but three occasions, has done so by roll call vote. A majority of votes cast (as opposed to a majority of the full membership of the House) is necessary to elect a speaker. By House precedents, votes of present are not to be included in the official vote total, only votes cast for a person by name are; even so, they have been counted on several occasions.
If no candidate receives a majority vote, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected. Multiple rounds of voting have been necessary 16 times since 1789, almost all before the American Civil War. In the 20th century only one election went to multiple ballots (in 1923). In the 21st century, it has happened twice in the same year, in January and in October 2023.
Representatives are not restricted to voting for the candidate nominated by their party, but generally do. Additionally, as the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly state that the speaker must be an incumbent member of the House, it is permissible for representatives to vote for someone who is not a member of the House at the time, and non-members have received a few votes in various speaker elections over the past several years. Nevertheless, every person elected speaker has been a member.
Altogether, 56 people have served as speaker over the past 237 years; 32 of them served multiple terms and seven of those served nonconsecutive terms. Sam Rayburn holds the record for electoral victories, with 10. He led the House from September 1940 to January 1947, January 1949 to January 1953, and January 1955 to November 1961 (a tenure totaling 17 years).
Elections from 1789 to 1799
April 1789
The first-ever election for speaker of the House took place on April 1, 1789, at the start of the 1st Congress, following the 1788–89 elections in which candidates who supported the new Constitution won a majority of the seats. Frederick Muhlenberg, who had promoted the ratification of the Constitution, received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker. Though political parties did not yet exist, political factions, from which they evolved, formed almost immediately after Congress began its work. Those who supported the Washington administration were referred to as "Pro-Administration", while those in opposition were known as "Anti-Administration".
October 1791
An election for speaker took place on October 24, 1791, at the start of the 2nd Congress, following the 1790–91 elections in which Pro-Administration candidates won a majority of the seats. Jonathan Trumbull Jr. received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
December 1793
An election for speaker took place on December 2, 1793, at the start of the 3rd Congress, following the 1792–93 elections, in which anti-administration candidates won a majority of the seats. The faction was unable, however, to turn this numerical advantage into victory in the election for speaker, as several of them were not in attendance for the vote. Consequently, several Anti-Administration members voted strategically for former speaker Frederick Muhlenberg, a Pro-Administration moderate, who received a majority of the votes cast in the 3rd ballot and was elected speaker. This was the first speaker of the House election to be contested primarily on a partisan basis.
December 1795
An election for speaker took place on December 7, 1795, at the start of the 4th Congress, following the 1794–95 elections. During the preceding Congress, the Pro-Administration faction coalesced into the Federalist Party, and the Anti-Administration faction into the Democratic-Republican Party. Though Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats in these elections, several joined with the Federalists to elect Jonathan Dayton speaker on the first ballot.
May 1797
An election for speaker took place on May 15, 1797, at the start of the 5th Congress, following the 1796–97 elections in which Federalists won a majority of the seats. In a near-unanimous vote, Jonathan Dayton was re-elected speaker.
December 1799
An election for speaker took place on December 2, 1799, at the start of the 6th Congress, following the 1798–99 elections in which Federalists won a majority of the seats. Theodore Sedgwick received a majority of the votes cast in the 2nd ballot and was elected speaker.
Elections from 1801 to 1899
December 1801
An election for speaker took place on December 7, 1801, at the start of the 7th Congress, following the 1800–01 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Nathaniel Macon received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
October 1803
An election for speaker took place on October 17, 1803, at the start of the 8th Congress, following the 1802–03 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Nathaniel Macon received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker.
December 1805
An election for speaker took place on December 2, 1805, at the start of the 9th Congress, following the 1804–05 elections in which the Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Nathaniel Macon received a majority of the votes cast in the 3rd ballot and was re-elected speaker. A number of Democratic-Republicans did not support Macon's bid for a third term as he had broken ranks with President Jefferson and aligned himself with the splinter Quids faction.
October 1807
An election for speaker took place on October 26, 1807, at the start of the 10th Congress, following the 1806–07 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Joseph B. Varnum received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
May 1809
An election for speaker took place on May 22, 1809, at the start of the 11th Congress, following the 1808–09 elections in which the Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. On the first ballot, Joseph Varnum received 60 of the 118 votes cast for individuals. In addition to these, two ballots were returned blank. The question arose over whether or not the blank ballots counted. If they were, then the total number of votes cast would be 120, making the threshold for election 61. If they were not, then the threshold would be 60 (of 118), thus making Varnum the winner. After a brief debate a motion to proceed with a second ballot was approved. Varnum received a majority of the votes cast in the 2nd ballot and was re-elected speaker.
November 1811
An election for speaker took place on November 4, 1811, at the start of the 12th Congress, following the 1810–11 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Henry Clay, a freshman congressman, received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker. This marks the only time in American History a Speaker of the House was elected on their first ever day on its floor.
May 1813
An election for speaker took place on May 24, 1813, at the start of the 13th Congress, following the 1812–13 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Henry Clay received a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker.
January 1814
On January 19, 1814, during the second session of the 13th Congress, Henry Clay resigned as speaker to accept a commission from President James Madison to serve as a negotiator for a peace agreement to end the War of 1812. Later that day, an intra-term election for a new speaker was held. Langdon Cheves received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
December 1815
An election for speaker took place on December 4, 1815, at the start of the 14th Congress following the 1814–15 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Elected again to the House, former speaker Henry Clay received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
December 1817
An election for speaker took place on December 1, 1817, at the start of the 15th Congress following the 1816–17 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. In a near-unanimous vote, Henry Clay was re-elected speaker.
December 1819
An election for speaker took place on December 6, 1819, at the start of the 16th Congress following the 1818–19 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. In a near-unanimous vote, Henry Clay was re-elected speaker.
November 1820
In October 1820, between the first and the second session of the 16th Congress, Henry Clay resigned as speaker so he could return to his private law practice; he kept his House seat however, until his term ended the following March (he had not run for re-election in 1820). Consequently, an intra-term election for a new speaker was held on November 13–15, 1820. Coming as it did less than a year after the rancorous Missouri statehood debate, the choice of Clay's successor became mired in the continuing national debate between Northerners and Southerners over the expansion of slavery into territories and future states. The chief candidate of Northern antislavery members, John W. Taylor of New York, finally received a majority of the votes cast in the 22nd ballot and was elected speaker. In addition to discord over slavery, Taylor's path to victory was made even more difficult by a division within that state's congressional delegation between supporters of Governor DeWitt Clinton and those who opposed him (known as the Bucktails).
December 1821
An election for speaker took place December 3–4, 1821, at the start of the 17th Congress, following the 1820–21 elections in which the Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Philip P. Barbour received a majority of the votes cast in the 12th ballot and was elected speaker.
December 1823
An election for speaker took place on December 1, 1823, at the start of the 18th Congress following the 1822–23 elections in which Democratic-Republicans won a majority of the seats. Elected again to the House, former speaker Henry Clay received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
December 1825
An election for speaker took place on December 5, 1825, at the start of the 19th Congress, following the 1824–25 elections and the 1825 presidential contingent election. In the aftermath of these elections, the Democratic-Republican Party rapidly splintered between those who supported the new president, John Quincy Adams, and those who supported Andrew Jackson. Representatives who supported Adams held a slim majority in the House. Former speaker John W. Taylor received a majority of the votes cast in the 2nd ballot and was elected speaker.
December 1827
An election for speaker took place on December 3, 1827, at the start of the 20th Congress following the 1826–27 elections in which Jacksonians, candidates supporting Andrew Jackson in opposition to President John Quincy Adams won a majority of the seats. Andrew Stevenson won a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
December 1829
An election for speaker took place on December 7, 1829, at the start of the 21st Congress following the 1828–29 elections in which Jacksonians, candidates supporting now-President Andrew Jackson won a majority of the seats. Andrew Stevenson won a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker.
December 1831
An election for speaker took place on December 5, 1831, at the start of the 22nd Congress following the 1830–31 elections in which Jacksonians won a majority of the seats. Andrew Stevenson won a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker.
December 1833
An election for speaker took place on December 2, 1833, at the start of the 23rd Congress following the 1832–33 elections in which Jacksonians won a majority of the seats. Andrew Stevenson won a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker.
June 1834
In June 1834, Andrew Stevenson resigned as speaker of the House and from Congress to accept President Andrew Jackson's nomination as the U.S. minister to the United Kingdom. Consequently, an intra-term election for a new speaker was held on June 2, 1834, during the 23rd Congress. The president favored James K. Polk for the post, but when members of his "Kitchen Cabinet" went to Capitol Hill and lobbied on Polk's behalf, they were rebuffed. Perceived as an encroachment upon a constitutional prerogative of the House, the effort to influence the vote splintered Jacksonian party unity and energized the opposition. John Bell ultimately received a majority of the votes cast in the 10th ballot and was elected speaker.
December 1835
An election for speaker took place on December 7, 1835, at the start of the 24th Congress, following the 1834–35 elections in which Jacksonians won a majority of the seats. James K. Polk won a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.
September 1837
An election for speaker took place on September 4, 1837, at the start of the 25th Congress, following the 1836–37 elections in which Democrats won a majority of the seats. James K. Polk won a majority of the votes cast and was re-elected speaker.
December 1839
An election for speaker took place December 14–16, 1839, at the start of the 26th Congress, following the 1838–39 elections in which the Democrats won a slim majority of the seats. Balloting was delayed for two weeks as Democrats and Whigs contested the seating of five representatives-elect from New Jersey, commencing only after the House resolved not to seat either delegation immediately. Once underway, the narrowly divided House was unable to make a quick choice. Finally, on the 11th ballot, Robert M. T. Hunter received a majority of the votes cast and was elected speaker.