Home House of Representatives Election of the Speaker Power of Speaker after Henry Clay

Election of the Speaker Power of Speaker after Henry Clay

Election of the Speaker Power of Speaker after Henry Clay

The position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is one of the most critical positions in the United States’ political system. The Speaker serves as the presiding officer of the House and is responsible for maintaining order and decorum during debates, managing the legislative process, and ensuring that the rules of the House are upheld. In this article, we will discuss the power of the Speaker after Henry Clay, one of the most influential Speakers of the House.

Henry Clay’s Legacy

Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1811-1825, is widely considered to be one of the most influential Speakers in American history. During his tenure, he created many of the practices that are still in use today, including the Speaker’s ability to recognize members to speak and the ability to appoint committee members. Clay also improved the relations between the House and the Senate and was a key figure in the development of the Missouri Compromise.

Powers of the Speaker

Since Clay’s time, the powers of the Speaker have grown considerably. The Speaker remains the House’s presiding officer and is responsible for managing the legislative process and maintaining order during debates. Additionally, the Speaker has the power to appoint members of Congress to committees, assign bills to committees, and determine the order of business in the House.

Moreover, the Speaker is also integral in the budget process, as the Speaker is responsible for overseeing the passage of budget bills. The Speaker also plays a significant role in foreign affairs, as the Speaker is often part of the delegation that meets with foreign heads of state.

Influence of the Speaker

The Speaker wields significant influence in the House, as they are responsible for setting the agenda for the House and determining which bills are debated and voted on. The Speaker also has the power to influence votes through the appointment of committee members, as committee membership can make or break a bill’s progress.

Conclusion

The power of the Speaker of the House of Representatives has continued to grow since the time of Henry Clay. The Speaker serves as a critical figure in the legislative process, managing fundamental elements that contribute to the functioning of the government. While the Speaker’s role has been expanded over time, they remain instrumental in ensuring the House is efficient, fair, and effective, fulfilling its mandate to serve the people.


The Speaker of the House has managed to garner impressive power ever since its creation in 1789, under Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. Originally, the Speaker was not a position that had much influence.

The first Speaker of the House was Frederick Muhlenberg and there was little that can be attributed to him in the sense of having impacted the political world of the time. However, it would be Henry Clay that would manage to break the Speaker’s mold as an ineffectual role to one that had active responsibilities and duties.

Henry Clay served for several terms as Speaker of the House, beginning in 1811 and ending 1825. Henry Clay’s service as the Speaker was not consecutive terms during that period. The main change that Henry Clay brought to the office of Speaker of the House was that he began to actively participate in debates, which was not done by any of his predecessors. Furthermore, he began to use the position of his office and his influence to secure the passage of certain matters that he supported, such as the War of 1812.

However, Henry Clay’s influence is most evident in the presidential election of 1824. The Electoral College did not manage to provide for a majority for any of the candidates up for election during that year. Therefore, under Constitutional law, the President was to be decided by the House. Henry Clay supported John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson, thus giving Adams the victory in the end. Henry Clay proved to deviate as Speaker of the
House in terms of the role’s previous responsibilities or powers. Following Clay’s run as Speaker, the influence, and duties of the role as Henry Clay had affected them reverted back to its original boundaries for a time.

It would be at the dawning of the 20th Century that the role of Speaker would develop its power and influence, which was all started under Henry Clay’s tenure. The Speaker’s power would begin once the position also entailed being Chairman of the Committee on Rules. After its structure was reorganized in 1880, it gave the Speaker a very powerful standing because of the fact that the committee was one of the most powerful of the
House of Representatives.

The rise of power of the Speaker was once again felt under Thomas Brackett Reed, who took the position starting in 1889. Reed managed to effectively end the delay in passing of bills due to minority opposition. However, it is Joseph Gurney Cannon, who served from 1903 to 1911, who is considered as the most powerful Speaker of the House in the history of the The United States.

Cannon determined what was to be the agenda of the House, appointed all the members to the various House committees, as well as their chairmen, and determined what bills were to be heard by which committee. However, in the year prior to his stepping down, many of the other House members would be dissatisfied with the control that was exerted by Cannon and many of his powers would be removed. It would not be until fifteen years later that Speaker Nicholas Longworth would institute some, but not all, of those powers
and influence.

The Speaker of the House does not have its roles in terms of political stance detailed in the Constitution. The position, however, has throughout history developed into taking a partisan role. The Speaker has, therefore, also been the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives. The Speaker is responsible to ensure that the agenda of the
majority party is addressed by helping pass legislation that is in the favor of the majority party. They exercise their power and influence to the extent of being able to decide when each bill is to reach the floor.

The power of the Speaker is also evident in the fact that it is second in line to ascend the Presidential office only behind the Vice President. If both the President and Vice President were removed from office, it would be the Speaker that would be next in line to be sworn in as President and assume the office.