The speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives holds the oldest statewide elected office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania .[1] Since its first session under the Frame of Government in 1682, presided over by William Penn , over 130 House members have been elevated to the speaker's chair. The house cannot hold an official session in the absence of the speaker or their designated speaker pro tempore .
Speaker K. Leroy Irvis was the first African-American elected speaker of any state legislature in the United States since the Reconstruction era .
Current Speaker Joanna McClinton is the first female and first female African-American speaker.
List of speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives [ edit ]
Name
County
Tenure
Notes
William Bingham
Philadelphia
1791
Gerardus Wynkoop II
Philadelphia
1793
George Latimer
Philadelphia
1794
Cadwalader Evans
Montgomery
1799
Isaac Weaver, Jr.
Greene
1800
Simon Snyder
Northumberland
1804
Charles Porter
Fayette
1806–1807
Simon Snyder
Northumberland
1807
Nathaniel Boileau
Montgomery
1808
James Engle
Philadelphia
1809
John Weber
Montgomery
1810
John Tod
Bedford
1812
Robert Smith
Franklin
1813
resigned February 14, 1813
John St. Clair
Fayette
1814
Jacob Holgate
Philadelphia
1815
Rees Hill
Greene
1816
William Davidson
Fayette
1818
Rees Hill
Greene
1819
Joseph Lawrence
Washington
1820
John Gilmore
Allegheny , Butler
1821
Joseph Lawrence
Washington
1822
Joel B. Sutherland
Philadelphia
1825
Joseph Ritner
Washington
1826
Ner Middleswarth
Union
1828
Frederick Smith
Franklin
1830
John Laporte
Bradford , Tioga
1832
James Findley
Westmoreland
1833
Samuel Anderson
Delaware
1833
William Patterson
Washington
1834
James Thompson
Venango , Warren
1835
Ner Middleswarth
Union
1836
Lewis Dewart
Northumberland
1837
William Hopkins
Washington
1839
William A. Crabb
Philadelphia
1841
James Ross Snowden
Venango , Clarion
1842
Hendrick Bradley Wright
Luzerne , Wyoming
1843
James Ross Snowden
Venango , Clarion
1844
Findley Patterson
Washington
1845
Findley Patterson
Washington
1846
James Cooper
Adams
1847
William F. Packer
Lycoming , Clinton
1848
William F. Packer
Potter , Sullivan
1849
John S. McCalmont
Venango
1850
John Cessna
Bedford
1851
John S. Rhey
Armstrong , Cambria
1852
William P. Schell
Bedford
1853
E.B. Chase
Susquehanna , Wyoming
1854
Henry K. Strong
Philadelphia
1855
Richard L. Wright
Philadelphia
1856
J. Lawrence Getz
Berks
1857
A.B. Longaker
Montgomery
1858
William Lawrence
Dauphin
1859
William Lawrence
Dauphin
1860
Elisha W. Davis
Mercer , Venango
1861
William Kinsey
Bucks
1862
John Cessna
Bedford
1863
Henry C. Johnson
Crawford
1864
Arthur G. Olmsted
Potter
1865
James R. Kelley
Fulton
1866
John P. Glass
Allegheny
1867
Elisha W. Davis
Philadelphia
1868
John Clark
Washington
1869
Butler B. Strang
Tioga
1870
James H. Webb
Bradford
1871
William Elliott
Philadelphia
1872
H. H. McCormick
Allegheny
1874
Samuel D. Patterson
Allegheny
1875
[4]
E. Reed Myer
Bradford
1877
Henry M. Long
Allegheny
1879
Benjamin L. Hewit
Blair
1881
John E. Faunce
Philadelphia
1883
James L. Graham
Allegheny
1885
Henry K. Boyer
Philadelphia
1887
Henry K. Boyer
Philadelphia
1889
Caleb C. Thompson
Warren
1891
Caleb C. Thompson
Warren
1893
Henry F. Walton
Philadelphia
1895
Henry K. Boyer
Philadelphia
1897
resigned January 17, 1898
John R. Farr
Lackawanna
1899
William T. Marshall
Allegheny
1901
Henry F. Walton
Philadelphia
1903
Henry F. Walton
Philadelphia
1905
Frank B. McClain
Lancaster
1907
John F. Cox
Allegheny
1909
John F. Cox
Allegheny
1911
died in office November 6, 1911
Milton W. Shreve
Erie
1911
George E. Alter
Allegheny
1913
Charles A. Ambler
Montgomery
1915
died August 29, 1940
Richard J. Baldwin
Delaware
1917
Robert S. Spangler
York
1919
Robert S. Spangler
York
1921
unseated April 26, 1921
Samuel A. Whitaker
Chester
1921
elected to fill unexpired term April 26, 1921
C.J. Goodnough
Cameron
1923
Thomas Bluett
Philadelphia
1925
Thomas Bluett
Philadelphia
1927
resigned to become a judge
James H. McClure
Allegheny
1927
elected to fill an unexpired term
Aaron B. Hess
Lancaster
1929
C.J. Goodnough
Cameron
1931
Grover C. Talbot
Delaware
1933–1935
Wilson G. Sarig
Berks
1935–1936
died in office March 14, 1936
Roy E. Furman
Greene
1936–1939
Ellwood J. Turner
Delaware
1939–1941
Elmer Kilroy
Philadelphia
1941–1943
Ira T. Fiss
Snyder
1943–1947
Franklin H. Lichtenwalter
Lehigh
1947–1949
Herbert P. Sorg
Elk
1949–1953
Charles C. Smith
Philadelphia
1953–1955
Hiram G. Andrews
Cambria
1955–1957
W. Stuart Helm
Armstrong
1957–1959
Hiram G. Andrews
Cambria
1959–1963
W. Stuart Helm
Armstrong
1963–1965
Robert K. Hamilton
Beaver
1965–1967
Kenneth B. Lee
Sullivan
1967–1969
Herbert Fineman
Philadelphia
1969–1971
Kenneth B. Lee
Sullivan
1971–1975
Herbert Fineman
Philadelphia
1975–1977
K. Leroy Irvis
Allegheny
1977–1979
elected May 23, 1977
H. Jack Seltzer
Lebanon
1979–1981
Matthew J. Ryan
Delaware
1981–1983
K. Leroy Irvis
Allegheny
1983–1987
James J. Manderino
Westmoreland
1987–1989
died in office December 26, 1989
Robert W. O'Donnell
Philadelphia
1990–1992
H. William DeWeese
Greene
1993–1994
Matthew J. Ryan
Delaware
1995–2003
died in office March 29, 2003
John M. Perzel
Philadelphia
2003–2006
elected to fill unexpired term April 15, 2003
Dennis M. O'Brien
Philadelphia
2007–2008
Minority-party Speaker
Keith R. McCall
Carbon
2009–2010
Samuel H. Smith
Jefferson
2011–2015
Michael C. Turzai
Allegheny
2015–2020
Resigned June 15, 2020
Bryan Cutler
Lancaster
2020–2022
Mark Rozzi
Berks
January–February 2023
Resigned February 28, 2023[5]
Joanna McClinton
Philadelphia
February 2023 –Present