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Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Politics and government

   The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the
   presiding officer of the lower house of Congress, the House of
   Representatives. The current Speaker is Dennis Hastert, a Republican
   Congressman from Illinois, whose term will expire at the end of the
   109th Congress on January 3, 2007. On November 16, Nancy Pelosi, the
   House Democratic leader, was nominated by her party to be Speaker of
   the House for the 110th Congress; she would then be the first woman to
   hold the office. The formal election for Speaker of the House will
   occur when the new Congress convenes in January 2007. Since Democrats
   control the chamber, this election is merely a formality.

   The office of Speaker was created by the Constitution of the United
   States. The Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives, and is
   its highest-ranking officer. Although the Constitution does not require
   the Speaker to also be a member of the House, the Speaker has always
   been a Representative. In practice, the Speaker is always a member of
   the majority party, and is that party's leader, outranking the House
   Majority Leader. In the Presidential Line of Succession, the Speaker is
   second in the line, after the Vice President of the United States and
   before the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate.

   The Speaker of the House does not normally personally preside over
   debates, instead delegating the duty to other members of Congress.
   Aside from duties relating to heading the House and the majority
   political party, the Speaker also performs administrative and
   procedural functions, and remains the Representative of his or her
   congressional district.

History

   The office of Speaker is specifically created by the written text of
   the Constitution of the United States ( Article I, Section 2). The
   first Speaker was Frederick Muhlenberg, who was elected when the House
   first assembled in 1789. The position of Speaker was not a very
   influential one, however, until the tenure of Henry Clay (1811–1814,
   1815–1820, and 1823–1825). In contrast with many of his predecessors,
   Clay participated in several debates, and used his influence to procure
   the passage of measures he supported (for instance, the declaration of
   the War of 1812, and various laws relating to Clay's " American
   System"). Furthermore, when no candidate received an Electoral College
   majority in the 1824 presidential election, Speaker Clay threw his
   support to John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson, thereby
   ensuring the former's victory.
   Henry Clay used his influence as Speaker to ensure the passage of
   measures he favored.
   Enlarge
   Henry Clay used his influence as Speaker to ensure the passage of
   measures he favored.

   After Clay's retirement in 1825, the power of the Speakership once
   again began to decline; at the same time, however, Speakership
   elections became increasingly bitter. As the Civil War approached,
   several sectional factions nominated their own candidates, often making
   it difficult for any candidate to attain a majority. In 1855 and again
   in 1859, for example, the Speakership contest lasted for two months
   before the House achieved a result. Speakers tended to have very short
   tenures; for example, from 1839 to 1863 there were eleven Speakers, and
   only one of whom served for more than one term.

   Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the office of Speaker began
   to develop into a very powerful one. One of the most important sources
   of the Speaker's power was his position as Chairman of the Committee on
   Rules, which, after the reorganization of the committee system in 1880,
   became one of the most powerful standing committees of the House.
   Furthermore, several Speakers became leading figures in their political
   parties; examples include Democrats Samuel J. Randall, John Griffin
   Carlisle, and Charles F. Crisp, and Republicans James G. Blaine, Thomas
   Brackett Reed, and Joseph Gurney Cannon.

   The power of the Speaker was greatly augmented during the tenure of the
   Republican Thomas Brackett Reed (1889–1891 and 1895–1899). "Czar Reed,"
   as he was called by his opponents, sought to end the obstruction of
   bills by the minority, in particular by countering the tactic known as
   the " disappearing quorum". By refusing to vote on a motion, the
   minority could ensure that a quorum would not be achieved, and that the
   result would be invalid. Reed, however, declared that members who were
   in the chamber but refused to vote would still count for the purposes
   of determining a quorum. Through these and other rulings, Reed ensured
   that the Democrats could not block the Republican agenda.
   Joseph Gurney Cannon is often considered the most powerful Speaker in
   the history of the House.
   Enlarge
   Joseph Gurney Cannon is often considered the most powerful Speaker in
   the history of the House.

   The Speakership reached its apogee during the term of Republican Joseph
   Gurney Cannon (1903–1911). Cannon exercised extraordinary control over
   the legislative process; he determined the agenda of the House,
   appointed the members of all committees, chose committee chairmen,
   headed the Rules Committee, and determined which committee heard each
   bill. He vigorously used his powers to ensure that the proposals of the
   Republican Party were passed by the House. In 1910, however, Democrats
   and several dissatisfied Republicans joined together to strip the
   Speaker of many of his powers, including the ability to name committee
   members and chairmanship of the Rules Committee. Much—but not all—of
   the lost influence of the position was restored over fifteen years
   later by Speaker Nicholas Longworth.

   The middle of the twentieth century saw the service of one of the most
   influential Speakers in history, Democrat Sam Rayburn. Rayburn was the
   longest serving Speaker in history, holding office from 1940 to 1947,
   1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. He helped shape many bills, working
   quietly in the background with House committees. He also helped ensure
   the passage of several domestic measures and foreign assistance
   programs advocated by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry
   Truman. Rayburn's successor, Democrat John William McCormack (served
   1962–1971), was a somewhat less influential Speaker, particularly due
   to dissent from younger members of the Democratic Party.

   During the mid-1970s, the power of the Speakership once again grew
   under Democrat Carl Albert. The Committee on Rules ceased to be a
   semi-independent panel, as it had been since the Revolt of 1910;
   instead, it once again became an arm of the party leadership. Moreover,
   in 1975, the Speaker was granted the authority to appoint a majority of
   the members of the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the power of committee
   chairmen was curtailed, further increasing the relative influence of
   the Speaker.

   Albert's successor, Democrat Tip O'Neill, was a prominent Speaker due
   to his public opposition to the policies of President Ronald Reagan. He
   challenged Reagan on domestic programs and on defense expenditures.
   Republicans made O'Neill the target of their election campaigns in 1980
   and 1982; nevertheless, Democrats managed to retain their majorities in
   both years. The roles of the parties were reversed in 1994, when the
   Republicans regained control of the House after spending forty years in
   the minority. Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich regularly clashed with
   Democratic President Bill Clinton; in particular, Gingrich's " Contract
   with America" was a source of contention. Gingrich was ousted in 1998
   when the Republican Party fared poorly in the congressional elections
   (although retaining a small majority); his successor, Dennis Hastert,
   has played a much less prominent role.

   In the General Election of 2006, the Democrats won majority of the
   House. It is all but certain that Nancy Pelosi, the current House
   Minority Leader, will become the Speaker when the 110th Congress
   convenes on January 3, 2007, making her the first female Speaker in the
   history of the United States.

Election

   Article One of the United States Constitution provides, "The House of
   Representatives shall chuse [ sic] their Speaker and other Officers..."
   The Speaker has always been a member of the House of Representatives.
   The text of the Constitution does not make this a requirement, however,
   and some legal writers have wondered if the House could elect a
   nonmember as Speaker. (Occasional votes have been cast for persons
   other than sitting Representatives in speakership elections, and they
   were counted, though this is not a meaningful precedent since whether
   these votes were counted would not have affected the result.) Speakers
   are elected following each biennial general election and serve two-year
   terms. A new Speaker is also elected if the Speakership becomes vacant
   during a Congress due to death or resignation.

   At the beginning of each new term of Congress (January in each
   odd-numbered year), the Clerk of the House of Representatives presides
   over the election of a Speaker. Before the election, the congressional
   conference of each major party (Democratic or Republican) nominates a
   candidate; the conference chairman delivers a nomination speech on the
   day of the election. Thereafter, the Clerk calls the roll of the House;
   when a member's name is called, the member verbally announces his or
   her vote. (Originally, the Speaker was elected by secret ballot; in
   1839, however, it was decided to adopt the voice vote.) Members are not
   required to vote for one of the nominees; they may vote for an
   individual who was not previously nominated, if they please. However, a
   member who does not vote for his or her party's nominee may be punished
   by the party leadership, possibly losing committee assignments.
   Therefore, members very rarely fail to vote for the candidates
   nominated by their parties.

   Once all members have cast their votes, the Clerk announces the result.
   In order to be elected, a candidate must receive a simple majority of
   those voting (not necessarily a simple majority of the total membership
   of the House). If no candidate receives the requisite majority, the
   House repeats the procedure until a Speaker is elected. Normally, a
   single call of the roll suffices, and the election is completed on the
   first day of the session. After announcing the result, the Clerk
   appoints a committee of members to formally escort the Speaker to the
   presiding officer's chair. The Speaker is then sworn in by the Dean of
   the House (the most senior member). The same procedure for election is
   used if a Speaker dies or resigns.

Notable elections

   Historically, there have been several controversial elections to the
   Speakership, such as the contest of 1839. In that case, even though the
   House convened on December 2, it could not begin the Speakership
   election until December 14 because of an election dispute in New Jersey
   known as the " Broad Seal War". Two rival delegations—one Whig and
   another Democratic—had been certified as elected by different branches
   of the New Jersey government. The problem was compounded because the
   result of the dispute would determine whether the Whigs or the
   Democrats held the majority. Neither party agreed to permit a
   Speakership election with the opposite party's delegation
   participating. Finally, it was agreed to exclude both delegations from
   the election; a Speaker was finally chosen on December 17.

   Another, more prolonged fight occurred in 1855. The two primary
   candidates were the Republican Nathaniel Prentiss Banks and the
   Democrat William Aiken. However, there were nineteen other candidates;
   thus, neither of the main candidates could achieve a majority. The
   House remained deadlocked for two months, before it adopted a special
   resolution allowing a speaker to be chosen by a plurality, instead of
   an absolute majority. Hence, Banks was finally elected on the 133rd
   vote.

   The House found itself in the same dilemma in 1859, again enduring an
   election that lasted for two months. Throughout, voting was
   interspersed with speeches by the members, and the Clerk proved
   unwilling to interfere. On the 54th ballot, the House finally agreed to
   elect the dark horse candidate William Pennington. Ironically,
   Pennington had been the New Jersey governor who certified the disputed
   Whig candidates during the earlier Broad Seal War controversy.

   The last Speakership election in which the House had to vote more than
   once occurred in 1923. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic
   candidate could muster a majority because many members of the
   Progressive Party (a minor third party) voted for other candidates. The
   Republican leadership agreed to a number of procedural reforms and to
   the appointment of Progressives to certain committees; in return, the
   Progressives ensured the election of Republican Frederick H. Gillett as
   Speaker.

   One of the most notable recent elections was that of 1999. Speaker Newt
   Gingrich, who was widely blamed for the poor showing of the Republican
   Party during the general elections of 1998, declined to seek another
   term as Speaker and announced his resignation from the House. His
   expected successor was chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Bob
   Livingston, who received the nomination of the Republican conference
   without opposition. However, Livingston (who had been publicly critical
   of President Bill Clinton's perjury during his sexual harassment trial)
   abruptly resigned from the House after it was revealed that he had been
   engaged in an extramarital affair. As a result the chief deputy whip,
   Dennis Hastert, was chosen to serve as Speaker.

   As a result of the Democrats' impending majority, Nancy Pelosi was
   unanimously elected by the Democrats as the Speaker-designate on
   November 16, 2006. She will be the first woman to be second in line of
   succession to the presidency.

Partisan role

   The Speaker is the head of the majority party in the House of
   Representatives, outranking the Majority Leader. The Speaker is
   responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by
   the majority party. In pursuing this goal, the Speaker may utilize his
   or her power to determine when each bill reaches the floor. He or she
   also chairs the majority party's House steering committee. While the
   Speaker is the functioning head of the House majority party, the same
   is not true of the President pro tempore of the Senate, whose office is
   primarily ceremonial and honorary.

   When the Speaker and the President belong to the same party, the
   Speaker normally plays a less prominent role as the leader of the
   majority party. (For example, the current Speaker, Dennis Hastert, has
   played a very low-key role during the presidency of fellow Republican
   George W. Bush.) On the other hand, when the Speaker and the President
   belong to opposite parties, the public role and influence of the
   Speaker tend to increase. The Speaker can be seen as the "leader of the
   opposition," the symbol of his or her party, and the chief public
   opponent of the President's agenda. Recent examples include Tip O'Neill
   (who was a vocal opponent of President Ronald Reagan's domestic and
   defense policies) and Newt Gingrich (who fought a bitter battle with
   President Bill Clinton for control of domestic policy).

Presiding officer

   The Speaker holds a variety of powers as the presiding officer of the
   House of Representatives, but normally delegates them to another member
   of the majority party. The Speaker may designate any Member of the
   House to act as Speaker pro tempore and preside over the House. During
   important debates, the Speaker pro tempore is ordinarily a senior
   member of the majority party who may be chosen for his or her skill in
   presiding. At other times, more junior members may be assigned to
   preside to give them experience with the rules and procedures of the
   House. The Speaker may also designate a Speaker pro tempore for special
   purposes; for example, during long recesses, a Representative whose
   district is near Washington, D.C. may be designated as Speaker pro
   tempore for the purpose of signing enrolled bills.

   On the floor of the House, the presiding officer is always addressed as
   "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker" (even if the Speaker him or herself
   is not the individual presiding). When the House resolves itself into a
   Committee of the Whole, the Speaker designates a member to preside over
   the Committee as the Chairman, who is addressed as "Mister Chairman" or
   "Madam Chairman."

   Before any member may speak, he or she must seek the presiding
   officer's recognition. The presiding officer may call on members as he
   or she pleases, and may therefore control the flow of debate. The
   presiding officer also rules on all points of order, but such rulings
   may be appealed to the whole House (although the appeal is invariably
   tabled on a party-line vote). The Speaker is responsible for
   maintaining decorum in the House, and may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to
   enforce the rules.

   The Speaker's powers and duties extend beyond presiding in the chamber.
   In particular, the Speaker has great influence over the committee
   process. The Speaker selects nine of the thirteen members of the
   powerful Committee on Rules, subject to the approval of the conference
   of the majority party. (The remaining four members are chosen by the
   leadership of the minority party.) Furthermore, the Speaker appoints
   all members of select committees and conference committees. Moreover,
   when a bill is introduced, the Speaker determines which committee shall
   consider it.

   As a member of the House, the Speaker is entitled to participate in
   debate and to vote. By custom, however, he or she does so only in
   exceptional circumstances. Normally, the Speaker votes only when his or
   her vote would be decisive, and on matters of great importance (such as
   constitutional amendments).

Other functions

   Because joint sessions and meetings of both houses of Congress are held
   in the Hall of the House of Representatives, the Speaker presides over
   all such joint sessions and meetings, except that under the Twelfth
   Amendment and 3 U.S.C.  § 15, the President of the Senate presides over
   joint sessions of Congress assembled to count electoral votes and
   declare the results of a presidential election. The distinction arises
   because the Twelfth Amendment explicitly provides: "The President of
   the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of
   Representatives, open all the [electoral vote] certificates."

   The Speaker is also responsible for overseeing the officers of the
   House — the Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Chief Administrative
   Officer, and the Chaplain. The Speaker holds the power to dismiss any
   of these officers, with the exception of the Chaplain. The Speaker
   appoints the House Historian and the General Counsel and, jointly with
   the Majority and Minority Leaders, appoints the House's Inspector
   General as well.

   The Speaker is second in the presidential line of succession,
   immediately after the Vice President, under the Presidential Succession
   Act of 1947. He or she is followed in the line of succession by the
   President pro tempore of the Senate and by the heads of federal
   executive departments.

   To date, the implementation of the Presidential Succession Act has
   never been necessary; thus, no Speaker has ever succeeded to the
   Presidency. Implementation of the law almost became necessary in 1973,
   after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew. Many at the time
   believed that President Richard Nixon would resign due to the Watergate
   scandal, allowing Speaker Carl Albert to succeed. However, before he
   resigned, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford to the Vice Presidency in
   accordance with the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

   The Speaker of the House is one of the officers to whom declarations of
   presidential inability or of ability to resume the presidency must be
   addressed under the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

   Finally, the Speaker continues to represent the voters in his
   congressional district. However, as noted above, the Speaker does not
   normally vote or participate in debate.

List of Speakers

   This is a complete ( as of 2006) list of Speakers, ordered
   chronologically.
   # Speaker Party State or District Congress Start of service ↑ End of
   service
   1 Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg Pro-Administration Pennsylvania-1 1st April
   1, 1789 March 4, 1791
   2 Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. Connecticut-4 2nd October 24, 1791 March 4,
   1793
   3 Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg Anti-Administration Pennsylvania 3rd
   December 2, 1793 March 4, 1795
   4 Jonathan Dayton Federalist New Jersey-AL 4th December 7, 1795 March
   4, 1797
   5th May 15, 1797 March 4, 1799
   5 Theodore Sedgwick Massachusetts-1 6th December 2, 1799 March 4, 1801
   6 Nathaniel Macon Democratic-Republican North Carolina-5 7th December
   7, 1801 March 4, 1803
   North Carolina-6 8th October 17, 1803 March 4, 1805
   9th December 2, 1805 March 4, 1807
   7 Joseph Bradley Varnum Massachusetts-4 10th October 26, 1807 March 4,
   1809
   11th May 22, 1809 March 4, 1811
   8 Henry Clay Kentucky-5 12th November 4, 1811 March 4, 1813
   Kentucky-2 13th May 24, 1813 January 19, 1814
   9 Langdon Cheves South Carolina January 19, 1814 March 4, 1815
   10 Henry Clay Kentucky-2 14th December 4, 1815 March 4, 1817
   15th December 1, 1817 March 4, 1819
   16th December 6, 1819 October 28, 1820
   11 John W. Taylor New York November 15, 1820 March 4, 1821
   12 Philip Pendleton Barbour Virginia 17th December 4, 1821 March 4,
   1823
   13 Henry Clay Kentucky-3 18th December 1, 1823 March 4, 1825
   14 John W. Taylor New York 19th December 5, 1825 March 4, 1827
   15 Andrew Stevenson Jacksonian Virginia 20th December 3, 1827 March 4,
   1829
   21st December 7, 1829 March 4, 1831
   22nd December 5, 1831 March 4, 1833
   16 John Bell Whig Tennessee 23rd June 2, 1834 March 4, 1835
   17 James Polk Democratic Tennessee 24th December 7, 1835 March 4, 1837
   25th September 4, 1837 March 4, 1839
   18 Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter Whig Virginia 26th December 16, 1839
   March 4, 1841
   19 John White Kentucky-9 27th May 31, 1841 March 4, 1843
   20 John Winston Jones Democratic Virginia 28th December 4, 1843 March
   4, 1845
   21 John Wesley Davis Indiana 29th December 1, 1845 March 4, 1847
   22 Robert Charles Winthrop Whig Massachusetts-1 30th December 6, 1847
   March 4, 1849
   23 Howell Cobb Democratic Georgia 31st December 22, 1849 March 4, 1851
   24 Linn Boyd Kentucky-1 32nd December 1, 1851 March 4, 1853
   33rd December 5, 1853 March 4, 1855
   25 Nathaniel Prentice Banks American/ Republican Massachusetts-7 34th
   February 2, 1856 March 4, 1857
   26 James Lawrence Orr Democratic South Carolina 35th December 7, 1857
   March 4, 1859
   27 William Pennington Republican New Jersey-5 36th February 1, 1860
   March 4, 1861
   28 Galusha A. Grow Pennsylvania-14 37th July 4, 1861 March 4, 1863
   29 Schuyler Colfax Indiana 38th December 7, 1863 March 4, 1865
   39th December 4, 1865 March 4, 1867
   40th March 4, 1867 March 4, 1869
   30 Theodore Medad Pomeroy New York March 3, 1869 March 4, 1869
   31 James G. Blaine Maine 41st March 4, 1869 March 4, 1871
   42nd March 4, 1871 March 4, 1873
   43rd December 1, 1873 March 4, 1875
   32 Michael C. Kerr Democratic Indiana 44th December 6, 1875 August 19,
   1876
   33 Samuel J. Randall Pennsylvania-3 December 4, 1876 March 4, 1877
   45th October 15, 1877 March 4, 1879
   46th March 18, 1879 March 4, 1881
   34 J. Warren Keifer Republican Ohio 47th December 5, 1881 March 4, 1883
   35 John Griffin Carlisle Democratic Kentucky-6 48th December 3, 1883
   March 4, 1885
   49th December 7, 1885 March 4, 1887
   50th December 5, 1887 March 4, 1889
   36 Thomas Brackett Reed Republican Maine 51st December 2, 1889 March 4,
   1891
   37 Charles Frederick Crisp Democratic Georgia 52nd December 8, 1891
   March 4, 1893
   53rd August 7, 1893 March 4, 1895
   38 Thomas Brackett Reed Republican Maine 54th December 2, 1895 March 4,
   1897
   55th March 15, 1897 March 4, 1899
   39 David B. Henderson Iowa 56th December 4, 1899 March 4, 1901
   57th December 2, 1901 March 4, 1903
   40 Joseph Gurney Cannon Illinois 58th November 9, 1903 March 4, 1905
   59th December 4, 1905 March 4, 1907
   60th December 2, 1907 March 4, 1909
   61st March 15, 1909 March 4, 1911
   41 Champ Clark Democratic Missouri 62nd April 4, 1911 March 4, 1913
   63rd April 7, 1913 March 4, 1915
   64th December 6, 1915 March 4, 1917
   65th April 2, 1917 March 4, 1919
   42 Frederick Gillett Republican Massachusetts-2 66th May 19, 1919 March
   4, 1921
   67th April 11, 1921 March 4, 1923
   68th December 3, 1923 March 4, 1925
   43 Nicholas Longworth Ohio 69th December 7, 1925 March 4, 1927
   70th December 5, 1927 March 4, 1929
   71st April 15, 1929 March 4, 1931
   44 John Nance Garner Democratic Texas-15 72nd December 7, 1931 March 4,
   1933
   45 Henry T. Rainey Illinois 73rd March 9, 1933 August 19, 1934
   46 Joseph Wellington Byrns Tennessee 74th January 3, 1935 June 4, 1936
   47 William Brockman Bankhead Alabama-6 June 4, 1936 January 3, 1937
   75th January 5, 1937 January 3, 1939
   76th January 3, 1939 September 15, 1940
   48 Sam Rayburn Texas-4 September 16, 1940 January 3, 1941
   77th January 3, 1941 January 3, 1943
   78th January 6, 1943 January 3, 1945
   79th January 3, 1945 January 3, 1947
   49 Joseph William Martin, Jr. Republican Massachusetts-14 80th January
   3, 1947 January 3, 1949
   50 Sam Rayburn Democratic Texas-4 81st January 3, 1949 January 3, 1951
   82nd January 3, 1951 January 3, 1953
   51 Joseph William Martin, Jr. Republican Massachusetts-14 83rd January
   3, 1953 January 3, 1955
   52 Sam Rayburn Democratic Texas-4 84th January 3, 1955 January 3, 1957
   85th January 3, 1957 January 3, 1959
   86th January 7, 1959 January 3, 1961
   87th January 3, 1961 November 16, 1961
   53 John McCormack Massachusetts-12 January 10, 1962 January 3, 1963
   Massachusetts-9 88th January 9, 1963 January 3, 1965
   89th January 4, 1965 January 3, 1967
   90th January 10, 1967 January 3, 1969
   91st January 3, 1969 January 3, 1971
   54 Carl Albert Oklahoma-3 92nd January 21, 1971 January 3, 1973
   93rd January 3, 1973 January 3, 1975
   94th January 14, 1975 January 3, 1977
   55 Tip O'Neill Massachusetts-8 95th January 4, 1977 January 3, 1979
   96th January 15, 1979 January 3, 1981
   97th January 5, 1981 January 3, 1983
   98th January 3, 1983 January 3, 1985
   99th January 3, 1985 January 3, 1987
   56 Jim Wright Texas-12 100th January 6, 1987 January 3, 1989
   101st January 3, 1989 June 6, 1989
   57 Tom Foley Washington-5 June 6, 1989 January 3, 1991
   102nd January 3, 1991 January 3, 1993
   103rd January 5, 1993 January 3, 1995
   58 Newt Gingrich Republican Georgia-6 104th January 4, 1995 January 3,
   1997
   105th January 7, 1997 January 3, 1999
   59 Dennis Hastert lllinois-14 106th January 6, 1999 January 3, 2001
   107th January 3, 2001 January 3, 2003
   108th January 7, 2003 January 3, 2005
   109th January 3, 2005 incumbent

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