"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 Clerk’s duties are similar to those prescribed
for the Secretary of the
Continental Congress in March 1785.
In addition to the duties involved in organizing the House and presiding over its
activities at the commencement of each Congress, the Clerk is charged with a number
of legislative functions; some of these, such as the constitutional requirement
of maintaining the House Journal, have been in existence from the time of the first
Congress, whereas others have been added over the years because of changes in procedure
and organization.
Along with the other House officers, the Clerk is elected every 2 years when the
House organizes for a new Congress. The majority and minority caucuses nominate
candidates for the House officer positions after the election of the Speaker. The
full House adopts a resolution to elect the officers, who will begin serving the House
Membership after they have taken the oath of office.
Clerks 1789–Present
Clerks 1789–Present
View the table of Clerks who have served the House of Representatives since
1789.