 Dennis Hastert of Illinois, the current Speaker of the House (since January 6, 1999) The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The Speaker is currently second (after the Vice President) in line to succeed to the U.S. presidency in the case of death or resignation of the President. The Speaker of the House ranks fifth in the United States order of precedence.
The current (since January 6, 1999) Speaker is Republican Dennis Hastert of Illinois.
Selection and role  Henry Clay, possibly the most famous Speaker of the House, held the office from 1811–1814, 1815–1820, and 1823–1825. The office is provided for in the United States Constitution in the second section of the first article, which states: - "The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker and other Officers..."
In practice, the speaker is always chosen from amongst sitting house members (to date, all Speakers have been members of the House), but this is not strictly required by the Constitution. The speaker is almost always elected along strictly partisan lines, and is thus a member of the House's majority party. A Representative who does not vote for his or her party's leader as Speaker may be deprived of committee assignments. Once elected, a Speaker is sworn in by the Dean of the House.
The Speaker is considered a partisan officer, unlike the nonpartisan Speaker of such bodies as the British House of Commons. While there is a majority leader in the House of Representatives, he is in fact the second highest officer of the majority, and the Speaker is in fact the functioning leader of the majority. However, it is customary for the Speaker not to vote, unless his vote is necessary to pass a bill.
Role in "Loyal Opposition"  Sam Rayburn, who served as Speaker from 1940–1947, 1949–1953, and 1955–1961, more than twice as long as any other person held the position. The speaker of the House is ceremonially the highest ranking legislative official in the United States government. He (to date, there have been no female Speakers) is generally a well-known national figure, and thus a human "face" on the legislative branch.
Since the Speaker and the President are often from different parties, this can sometimes leads to situtations in which the two officials appear at odds with each other. The speaker can thus come to be seen as the leader of the "opposition" and the symbol of his party, and the very personification of partisan opposition to the President's agenda. Examples of this include Newt Gingrich under Bill Clinton, and Tip O'Neill under Ronald Reagan. When the president is from the party which controls the House of Representatives, the Speaker normally takes a somewhat less prominent role in public affairs. The speaker is also a much more politically active figure than many of his counterparts in other countries, and though he has little formal power, throughout American history the speakership has evolved into one of the nation's key political positions.
Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789–present
See also
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