Clerks of the U.S. House of Representatives
(1789 to Present)
“The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers...”
The Constitution
of the United States, Article I, Section 2
On April 1, 1789, the House of Representatives convened with its first quorum. Its
initial order of business was the election of the Speaker, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, a Representative from
Pennsylvania. The next order of business was the election of the Clerk, John Beckley,
Esquire, a citizen of Virginia. Although the Clerk’s title is derived from
that of the Clerk of the British House of Commons, the duties are similar to those
prescribed for the Secretary of the Continental Congress in March 1785.
A total of 35 individuals have served as Clerks of the House. Thirteen Clerks also
served as Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate (indicated
by asterisks) either prior to or after their service as a House officer. By clicking
on their names, viewers will be linked to their individual biographies in the online
Biographical Directory of
the United States Congress.
Learn more about the
history of the Clerk of the House from former Clerk Donnald K. Anderson’s
oral history interview, visit Oral History of the U.S. House of Representatives.
For more information and teaching tips about the Clerk’s office, visit
History of the Office and
Weekly Historical Highlights.
Current Clerk of the House
The 34th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, Karen L. Haas, was sworn
in as Clerk on January 5th, 2011.
Image courtesy of the Office of the Clerk