List of speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates
| Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
|---|---|
 Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia | |
 | |
| Virginia House of Delegates | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Residence | Virginia General Assembly |
| Appointer | Elected by the Virginia House of Delegates |
| Inaugural holder | Edmund Pendleton |
This is a complete list of the speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates. Elected by the members of the House, the Speaker is the presiding officer of that body. In addition to duties as chair, the adopted rules of the House of Delegates specify other powers and duties of the post. The Speaker is currently elected for a two-year term in the odd-numbered years in which the Legislature convenes.
List of speakers
[edit]- Parties
No party Democratic Republican Democratic-Republican Whig Re-adjuster Conservative
| # | Name | County or city | Term began | Term ended | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Edmund Pendleton | Caroline County | 1776 | 1776 | None | |
| 2 | 
|
George Wythe | Williamsburg | 1777 | 1778 | None | |
| 3 | 
|
Benjamin Harrison V | Charles City County | 1778 | 1781 | None | |
| 4 | 
|
Richard Henry Lee | Westmoreland County | 1781 | 1781 | None | |
| 3 |
|
Benjamin Harrison V[1] | Charles City County | 1781 | 1781 | None | |
| 5 | 
|
John Tyler Sr. | Charles City County | 1781 | 1785 | None | |
| 3 |
|
Benjamin Harrison V | Charles City County | 1785 | 1786 | None | |
| 6 | 
|
Joseph Prentis | Williamsburg | 1786 | 1788 | None | |
| 7 | 
|
Thomas Mathews | Norfolk County | 1788 | 1794 | None | |
| 8 | 
|
John Wise | Accomack County | 1794 | 1799 | None | |
| 9 | Larkin Smith | King and Queen County | 1799 | 1802 | None | ||
| 10 | Edmund Harrison | Amelia County | 1802 | 1803 | None | ||
| 11 | Hugh Holmes | Frederick County | 1803 | 1805 | None | ||
| 12 | 
|
Peter Johnston Jr. | Prince Edward County | 1805 | 1807 | None | |
| 13 | 
|
Hugh Nelson | Albemarle County | 1807 | 1809 | Democratic-Republican | |
| 14 | 
|
James Barbour | Orange County | 1809 | 1812 | Democratic-Republican | |
| 15 | 
|
Andrew Stevenson | Albemarle County | 1812 | 1816 | Democratic-Republican | |
| 16 | 
|
Robert Stanard | Spotsylvania County | 1816 | 1817 | None | |
| 17 | 
|
Linn Banks | Madison County | 1817 | 1838 | Democratic | |
| 18 | 
|
Thomas W. Gilmer | Albemarle County | 1839 | 1840 | Whig | |
| 19 | Valentine W. Southall | Albemarle County | 1840 | 1842 | None | ||
| 20 | 
|
Joel Holleman | Isle of Wight County | 1842 | 1844 | Democratic | |
| 21 | 
|
William O. Goode | Mecklenburg County | 1845 | 1846 | Democratic | |
| 22 | 
|
John W. Jones | Chesterfield County | 1847 | 1847 | Democratic | |
| 23 | 
|
James F. Strother | Rappahannock County | 1847 | 1848 | Whig | |
| 24 | 
|
Henry L. Hopkins | Powhatan County | 1848 | 1850 | Democratic | |
| 25 | 
|
George W. Hopkins | Washington County | 1850 | 1852 | None | |
| 26 | 
|
Oscar M. Crutchfield | Spotsylvania County | 1852 | 1861 | None | |
| 27 | 
|
James L. Kemper | Madison County | 1861 | 1863 | Democratic | |
| 28 | 
|
Hugh W. Sheffey | Augusta County | 1863 | 1865 | None | |
| 29 | 
|
John B. Baldwin | Augusta County | 1865 | 1869 | Conservative | |
| 30 | 
|
Zephaniah Turner Jr. | Rappahannock County | 1869 | 1871 | Democratic | |
| 31 | 
|
J. Marshall Hanger | Augusta County | 1871 | 1877 | Democratic | |
| 32 | 
|
Henry C. Allen | Shenandoah County | 1877 | 1879 | Democratic | |
| 33 | 
|
Benjamin W. Lacy | New Kent County | 1879 | 1881 | Democratic | |
| 34 | 
|
Isaac C. Fowler | Washington County | 1881 | 1882 | Readjuster | |
| 35 | 
|
Charles E. Stuart | Alexandria | 1883 | 1887 | Democratic | |
| 36 | 
|
Richard H. Cardwell | Hanover County | 1887 | 1894 | Democratic | |
| 37 | 
|
John F. Ryan | Loudoun County | 1894 | 1899 | Democratic | |
| 38 | 
|
Edward W. Saunders | Franklin County | 1899 | 1901 | Democratic | |
| 37 |
|
John F. Ryan | Loudoun County | 1901 | 1906 | Democratic | |
| 39 | 
|
William D. Cardwell | Hanover County | 1906 | 1908 | Democratic | |
| 40 | 
|
Richard E. Byrd | Winchester | 1908 | 1914 | Democratic | |
| 41 | 
|
Edwin P. Cox | Richmond | 1914 | 1916 | Democratic | |
| 42 | 
|
Harry R. Houston | Elizabeth City County | 1916 | 1920 | Democratic | |
| 43 | 
|
Richard L. Brewer Jr. | Suffolk | 1920 | 1926 | Democratic | |
| 44 | 
|
Thomas W. Ozlin | Lunenburg County | 1926 | 1930 | Democratic | |
| 45 | 
|
J. Sinclair Brown | Roanoke County | 1930 | 1936 | Democratic | |
| 46 | 
|
G. Aston Dovell | Williamsburg | 1936 | 1942 | Democratic | |
| 47 | 
|
Thomas B. Stanley | Henry County | 1942 | 1946 | Democratic | |
| 48 | 
|
G. Alvin Massenburg | Hampton | 1947 | 1950 | Democratic | |
| 49 | 
|
E. Blackburn Moore | Frederick County | 1950 | 1968 | Democratic | |
| 50 | 
|
John Warren Cooke | Mathews County | 1968 | 1980 | Democratic | |
| 51 | 
|
Albert L. Philpott | Henry County | 1980 | 1991 | Democratic | |
| 52 | 
|
Tom Moss | Norfolk | 1991 | 2000 | Democratic | |
| 53 | 
|
S. Vance Wilkins Jr. | Amherst County | 2000 | 2002 | Republican | |
| 54 | 
|
William J. Howell | Stafford County | 2003 | 2018 | Republican | |
| 55 | 
|
Kirk Cox | Colonial Heights | 2018 | 2020 | Republican | |
| 56 | 
|
Eileen Filler-Corn | Fairfax County | 2020 | 2022 | Democratic | |
| 57 | 
|
Todd Gilbert | Shenandoah County | 2022 | 2024 | Republican | |
| 58 |
|
Don Scott | Portsmouth | 2024 | Incumbent | Democratic | |
Acting Speaker
[edit]According to Rules 2 and 16 of the House of Delegates, the chair of the Committee on Privileges and Elections serves as Acting Speaker when there is a vacancy in the Speaker's office. This has occurred twice since 1990:
- Ford C. Quillen of Scott County was Acting Speaker from the death of A. L. Philpott on September 28, 1991, until the House met in a special redistricting session in November, when Thomas W. Moss Jr. was elected Speaker.
- Lacey E. Putney of Bedford was Acting Speaker from the resignation of S. Vance Wilkins Jr. on June 15, 2002, until the House met in regular session in January 2003, when William J. Howell was elected Speaker.
List of speakers by time in office (incomplete)
[edit]| Rank | Name | Time in office | TE | Year(s) in which elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linn Banks | 20 years, 148 days | 11 | 1817; 1819; 1821; 1823; 1825; 1827; 1829; 1831; 1833; 1835; 1837 |
| 2 | E. Blackburn Moore | 17 years, 364 days | 9 | 1950; 1952; 1954; 1956; 1958; 1960; 1962; 1964; 1966 |
| 3 | William J. Howell | 15 years, 2 days | 8 | 2003; 2004; 2006; 2008; 2010; 2012; 2014; 2016 |
| 4 | John Warren Cooke | 11 years, 364 days | 6 | 1968; 1970; 1972; 1974; 1976; 1978 |
| 5 | A. L. Philpott | 11 years, 262 days | 6 | 1980; 1982; 1984; 1986; 1988; 1990 |
| 6 | John F. Ryan | 9 years, 315 days | 5 | 1894; 1895; 1897; 1901; 1904 |
| 7 | Oscar M. Crutchfield | 9 years, 123 days | 5 | 1852; 1853; 1855; 1857; 1859 |
| 8 | Thomas W. Moss Jr. | 8 years, 54 days | 5 | 1991; 1992; 1994; 1996; 1998 |
| 9 | Richard H. Cardwell | 6 years, 85 days | 4 | 1887; 1889; 1891; 1893 |
| 10 (tie) |
Richard E. Byrd Sr. | 6 years, 6 days | 3 | 1908; 1910; 1912 |
| Ashton Dovell | 3 | 1936; 1938; 1940 | ||
| 11 | J. Sinclair Brown | 6 years | 3 | 1930; 1932; 1934 |
| 12 (tie) |
J. Marshall Hanger | 5 years, 364 days | 3 | 1871; 1873; 1875 |
| Richard L. Brewer Jr. | 3 | 1920; 1922; 1924 | ||
| 13 | Thomas B. Stanley | 4 years, 295 days | 3 | 1942; 1944; 1946 |
| 14 | Charles E. Stuart | 4 years, 3 days | 2 | 1883; 1885 |
| 15 | Harry R. Houston | 4 years, 2 days | 2 | 1916; 1918 |
| 16 | Thomas W. Ozlin | 3 years, 360 days | 2 | 1926; 1928 |
| 17 | John Brown Baldwin | 3 years, 305 days | 1 | 1865 |
| 18 | G. Alvin Massenburg | 3 years, 5 days | 2 | 1947; 1948 |
| 19 | Hugh W. Sheffey | 2 years, 324 days | 2 | 1863; 1863 |
| 20 | Vance Wilkins | 2 years, 154 days | 2 | 2000; 2002 |
| 21 | Zephaniah Turner Jr. | 2 years, 62 days | 1 | 1869 |
| 22 | Eileen Filler-Corn | 2 years, 3 days | 1 | 2019 |
| 23 (tie) |
Henry Clay Allen | 1 year, 363 days | 1 | 1877 |
| Isaac C. Fowler | 1 | 1881 | ||
| Edward W. Saunders | 1 | 1899 | ||
| William D. Cardwell | 1 | 1906 | ||
| Edwin P. Cox | 1 | 1914 | ||
| Kirk Cox | 1 | 2018 | ||
| Todd Gilbert | 1 | 2021 | ||
| 24 | James L. Kemper | 1 year, 43 days | 1 | 1861 |
| 25 | Donald L. Scott | 346 days | 1 | 2023 |
| 26 | Benjamin W. Lacy | 97 days | 1 | 1879 |
See also
[edit]- List of speakers of the Virginia House of Burgesses
- Category:Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates
- List of Virginia state legislatures
References
[edit]- ^ Holleman, Joseph H. Jr., ed. (1976). Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776–1976. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia House of Delegates. p. 15. hdl:2027/uva.x000818441.
- Jamerson, Bruce F. (Fall 2002). "Interpreting the Rules: Speaker's Resignation Challenges; Virginia House of Delegates" (PDF). Journal of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries. Retrieved 2008-11-24. [dead link]
- Jamerson, Bruce F., Clerk of the House of Delegates, supervising (2007). Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776-2007. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia House of Delegates.
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