Parliamentarians of the House
(1857 to Present)
The Parliamentarian is a nonpartisan official appointed by the Speaker of the
House to render objective assistance on legislative and parliamentary procedure
to the House of Representatives. During proceedings on the floor, the
Parliamentarian sits to the Speaker’s right on the dais.
The parliamentary law of the House of
Representatives derives from the Constitution and rules adopted pursuant to
article I, section five of the Constitution. These rules include not only the
standing rules adopted from Congress to Congress but also Jefferson's Manual,
as customarily incorporated by reference in the standing rules. They also
include rules enacted as law and special rules adopted as necessary. On this
foundation rests a body of precedent established by decisions of presiding
officers on actual parliamentary questions or by long custom and tradition.
In resolving questions of order, the
Speaker and other presiding officers of the House adhere to the jurisprudential
principle of stare decisis, a commitment to stand by earlier decisions.
The overarching role of the Office of the Parliamentarian is to strive for
consistency in parliamentary analysis by attempting to apply pertinent precedent
to each procedural question.
Persons who performed various aspects of the Parliamentarian's duties held a
series of titles throughout congressional history, including “Messenger to the
Speaker,” “Clerk to the Speaker,” and “Clerk at the Speaker's Table.” Beginning
in the 70th Congress (1927–1929) the title became “Parliamentarian.” Since 1857,
20 individuals have served in that role. Four (indicated by asterisks) also
served as Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. By clicking on their
names, viewers will be linked to their individual biographies in the online Biographical Directory of the
United States Congress.
Former Parliamentarians Asher Hinds, Clarence Cannon, and Lewis Deschler each
compiled parliamentary precedents of the House that remain invaluable records of
its proceedings. The Office of the Parliamentarian biennially publishes a
House Rules and Manual. For the longer
term, the Parliamentarian and its subsidiary Office of Compilation of Precedents
continue the perennial compilation of parliamentary precedents for formal
publication. The precedents presently fill 28 volumes comprising thousands of
decisions over the 224 years of parliamentary practice in the House. They are
published as Hinds’ Precedents (1907);
Cannon’s Precedents (1936); and
Deschler’s,
Deschler-Brown, and Deschler-Brown-Johnson
Precedents (ongoing). To bridge the span between a digest of
decisions and formally published precedents, the Parliamentarian also publishes
a condensed compilation of procedures of current application as
House Practice.
Congress (Years)
|
Messenger to the Speaker1
|
Date Appointed2
|
34th (1855-57)
|
Thaddeus Morrice
|
1857
|
35th (1857-59)
|
Thaddeus Morrice
|
--
|
36th (1859-61)
|
Thaddeus Morrice
|
--
|
37th (1861-63)
|
Thaddeus Morrice
|
--
|
38th (1863-65)
|
Thaddeus Morrice3
William D. Todd
|
--
1865
|
39th (1865-67)
|
William D. Todd
|
--
|
40th (1867-69)
|
William D. Todd
|
--
|
|
Congress (Years)
|
Clerk at the Speaker's Table
|
Date
Appointed
|
41st (1869-71)
|
John M. Barclay
|
1869
|
42nd (1871-73)
|
John M. Barclay
|
--
|
43rd (1873-75)
|
John M. Barclay
|
--
|
44th (1875-77)
|
William H. Scudder
|
1875
|
45th (1877-79)
|
William H. Scudder
J. Randolph Tucker, Jr.
|
--
1877
|
46th (1879-81)
|
J. Randolph Tucker,
Jr. George P. Miller
Michael Sullivan
|
--
1879
1880
|
47th (1881-83)
|
J. Guilford White
Michael Sullivan
|
1881
1882
|
48th (1883-85)
|
Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
|
1883
|
49th (1885-87)
|
Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
|
--
|
50th (1887-89)
|
Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
|
--
|
51st (1889-91)
|
Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
Edward Forrest
Goodwin*
|
--
1890
|
52nd (1891-93)
|
Charles R.
Crisp*
|
1891
|
53rd (1893-95)
|
Charles R.
Crisp
|
--
|
54th (1895-97)
|
Asher C.
Hinds *
|
1895
|
55th (1897-99)
|
Asher C.
Hinds
|
--
|
56th (1899-1901)
|
Asher C.
Hinds
|
--
|
57th (1901-03)
|
Asher C.
Hinds
|
--
|
58th (1903-05)
|
Asher C.
Hinds
|
--
|
59th (1905-07)
|
Asher C.
Hinds
|
--
|
60th (1907-09)
|
Asher C.
Hinds
|
--
|
61st (1909-11)
|
Asher C.
Hinds4
|
--
|
62nd (1911-13)
|
Charles R.
Crisp
|
1911
|
63rd (1913-15)
|
Bennett C. Clark
|
1913
|
64th (1915-17)
|
Bennett C. Clark
|
--
|
65th (1917-19)
|
Bennett C. Clark
Clarence
A. Cannon5*
|
--
1917
|
66th (1919-21)
|
Clarence
A. Cannon
Lehr Fess
|
--
1919
|
67th (1921-23)
|
Lehr Fess
|
--
|
68th (1923-25)
|
Lehr Fess
|
--
|
69th (1925-27)
|
Lehr Fess
|
--
|
70th (1927-29)
|
Lehr Fess6
|
--
|
|
Congress (Years)
|
Parliamentarian
|
Date
Appointed
|
70th (1927-29)
|
Lewis Deschler7
|
1927
|
71st (1929-31)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
72nd (1931-33)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
73rd (1933-35)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
74th (1935-37)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
75th (1937-39)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
76th (1939-41)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
77th (1941-43)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
78th (1943-45)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
79th (1945-47)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
80th (1947-49)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
81st (1949-51)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
82nd (1951-53)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
83rd (1953-55)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
84th (1955-57)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
85th (1957-59)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
86th (1959-61)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
87th (1961-63)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
88th (1963-65)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
89th (1965-67)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
90th (1967-69)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
91st (1969-71)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
92nd (1971-73)
|
Lewis Deschler
|
--
|
93rd (1973-75)
|
Lewis Deschler8
William Holmes Brown
|
|
94th (1975-77)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
95th (1977-79)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
96th (1979-81)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
97th (1981-83)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
98th (1983-85)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
99th (1985-87)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
100th (1987-89)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
101st (1989-91)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
102nd (1991-93)
|
William Holmes Brown
|
--
|
103rd (1993-95)
|
William Holmes Brown
Charles W. Johnson
|
|
104th (1995-97)
|
Charles W. Johnson
|
--
|
105th (1997-99)
|
Charles W. Johnson
|
--
|
106th (1999-2001)
|
Charles W. Johnson
|
--
|
107th (2001-03)
|
Charles W. Johnson
|
--
|
108th (2003-05)
|
Charles W. Johnson
John V. Sullivan
|
|
109th (2005-07)
|
John V. Sullivan
|
--
|
110th (2007-09)
|
John V. Sullivan
|
--
|
111th (2009-11)
|
John V. Sullivan
|
--
|
112th
(2011-present) |
John
V. Sullivan
Thomas J. Wickham, Jr. |
|