Every Republican Speaker of the House in History
Since the founding of the Republican Party in 1854, the following Republicans have served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House and is second in the presidential line of succession.
| # | Speaker | State | Years Served | Congress(es) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathaniel P. Banks | MA | 1856–1857 | 34th |
| 2 | William Pennington | NJ | 1860–1861 | 36th |
| 3 | Galusha A. Grow | PA | 1861–1863 | 37th |
| 4 | Schuyler Colfax | IN | 1863–1869 | 38th–40th |
| 5 | Theodore M. Pomeroy | NY | 1869 | 40th (one day) |
| 6 | James G. Blaine | ME | 1869–1875 | 41st–43rd |
| 7 | Michael C. Kerr | IN | 1875–1876 | 44th |
| 8 | J. Warren Keifer | OH | 1881–1883 | 47th |
| 9 | Thomas B. Reed | ME | 1889–1891, 1895–1899 | 51st, 54th–55th |
| 10 | David B. Henderson | IA | 1899–1903 | 56th–57th |
| 11 | Joseph G. Cannon | IL | 1903–1911 | 58th–61st |
| 12 | Frederick H. Gillett | MA | 1919–1925 | 66th–68th |
| 13 | Nicholas Longworth | OH | 1925–1931 | 69th–71st |
| 14 | Joseph W. Martin Jr. | MA | 1947–1949, 1953–1955 | 80th, 83rd |
| 15 | Newt Gingrich | GA | 1995–1999 | 104th–105th |
| 16 | Dennis Hastert | IL | 1999–2007 | 106th–109th |
| 17 | John Boehner | OH | 2011–2015 | 112th–114th |
| 18 | Paul Ryan | WI | 2015–2019 | 114th–115th |
| 19 | Kevin McCarthy | CA | 2023 | 118th (removed) |
| 20 | Mike Johnson | LA | 2023–present | 118th–119th |
Notes on Republican Speakers
Republicans have held the Speaker’s gavel during some of the most consequential periods in American history. The party’s first Speakers presided over the Civil War and Reconstruction. Joseph Cannon (1903–1911) was one of the most powerful Speakers in history, exercising near-total control over the legislative process until a bipartisan revolt stripped the Speaker of key powers in 1910.
In the modern era, Newt Gingrich led the “Republican Revolution” of 1994 that gave the GOP its first House majority in 40 years. Dennis Hastert served the longest continuous term of any Republican Speaker. Kevin McCarthy holds the distinction of being the only Speaker in history to be removed by a motion to vacate the chair, in October 2023.
Last updated: April 2, 2026.