The speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Louisiana House of Representatives, the lower house of the Louisiana State Legislature. The speaker serves as the leader and head of the Louisiana House. The speaker is traditionally suggested by the Governor of Louisiana. The speaker's counterpart in the State Senate is the President of the Senate, currently Republican Cameron Henry.
History The first speaker, Pierre Bauchet St. Martin, was elected by the House in 1812. During the first years of statehood the speakership and the Louisiana House of Representative was dominated by supporters of Henry Clay, after 1845 the Democratic Party came to dominate politics until the United States Civil War. After the war the state, along with the rest of the southern states, underwent the Reconstruction from 1865 until 1877, during this time politics were dominated by the Republican Party. In 1877 the Democrats came to power again and stayed in power in the House until late 2010. During this time the practice of the Governor appointing the speaker began. In 2008 Republican Governor Bobby Jindal appointed the first Republican speaker in over a hundred years even though the Democrats held a small majority.
When Democrat John Bel Edwards succeeded Jindal in 2016, his choice as Speaker, Democrat Walt Leger III of New Orleans, was rejected by house's Republican majority, which instead elected fellow Republican Taylor Barras of New Iberia.
Powers The speaker serves as the presiding officer and highest ranking representative in the Louisiana House of Representatives. He rules on points of order during sessions, makes committee assignments, which are usually actually made by the Governor. The speaker is usually an ally of the Governor and serves as his floor leader in the House, in this role he plays a vital part in passing legislation. The speaker usually is a chief negotiator in getting legislation passed on behalf of the Governor. The speaker leads the coalition of the Governor's supporters in the House, serves as the leader of House of Representatives, he controls the flow of legislation through the House, and serves as an ex officio member of each House committee. The speaker is sixth in the gubernatorial line of succession.
List of speakers Speaker Terms of office Parish Party Pierre Bauchet St. Martin 1812 German Coast Democratic-Republican Stephen A. Hopkins 1813 Acadia Democratic-Republican Magloire Guichard 1814-1817 Orleans Democratic-Republican David C. Ker 1819–1820 Orleans Democratic-Republican Armand Beauvais 1820–1822 Pointe Coupee Democratic-Republican Andre B. Roman 1822–1826 St. James National Republican Octave LaBranche 1827–1828 St. Charles Jacksonian Andre B. Roman 1828–1830 St. James National Republican Alexandre Mouton 1831–1832 Lafayette Democratic Alcée Louis la Branche 1833–1837 St. Charles Democratic Joseph Marshall Walker 1837–1838 Rapides Democratic Guillaume Louis DeBuys 1839–1841 Orleans Whig William C. C. Claiborne II 1842–1843 Orleans Whig Charles Derbigny 1843–1844 Jefferson Whig Antoine Boudousquie 1845 St. John the Baptist Whig David A. Randall 1846 Ascension Democratic Preston W. Farrar 1847–1850 Orleans Whig E. Warren Moise 1850 Plaquemines Democratic John Edward King 1852 St. Landry Whig E. Warren Moise 1853 Plaquemines Democratic John M. Sandidge 1854–1855 Bossier Democratic William W. Pugh 1856–1859 Assumption Democratic Charles H. Morrison 1860 Ouachita Democratic Adolphus Olivier (Confederate) 1861–1863 unknown Democratic Joseph Barton Elam (Confederate) 1863–1864 De Soto Democratic Simeon Belden (Union) 1864–1865 St. Martin Republican Duncan S. Cage 1865–1867 Terrebonne Republican Charles W. Lowell 1868–1869 Caddo Republican Mortimer Carr 1870–1871 Orleans Republican George W. Carter 1871 Cameron Republican O. H. Brewster 1872 Ouachita Republican Charles W. Lowell 1873–1874 Caddo Republican Louis A. Wiltz 1875 Orleans Democratic Michael Hahn 1875 St. Charles Republican E. D. Estilette 1875–1876 St. Landry Democratic Michael Hahn (Packard legislature) 1877 St. Charles Republican Louis Bush 1877–1878 Orleans Democratic John Conway Moncure 1879–1880 Caddo Democratic Robert N. Ogden 1880–1884 Orleans Democratic Henry W. Ogden 1884–1888 Bossier Democratic Samuel P. Henry 1888–1892 Cameron Democratic George Washington Bolton 1892–1896 Rapides Democratic Samuel P. Henry 1896–1900 Cameron Democratic Jared Y. Sanders Sr. 1900–1904 St. Mary Democratic Robert H. Snyder 1904–1906 Tensas Democratic Joseph W. Hyams 1906–1908 West Baton Rouge Democratic Henry Garland Dupré 1908–1910 Orleans Democratic Lee Emmett Thomas 1912–1916 Caddo Democratic Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud 1916–1920 Pointe Coupee Democratic R. F. Walker 1920–1924 East Feliciana Democratic J. Stuart Douglas 1924–1926 Caddo Democratic William Clark Hughes 1926–1928 Bossier Democratic John B. Fournet 1928–1932 Jefferson Davis Democratic Allen J. Ellender 1932–1936 Terrebonne Democratic Lorris M. Wimberly 1936–1936 Bienville Democratic Ralph Norman Bauer 1940–1948 St. Mary Democratic Morris Lottinger Sr. 1948–1950 Terrebonne Democratic Lorris M. Wimberly 1950–1952 Bienville Democratic Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock 1952–1956 St. Mary Democratic Lorris M. Wimberly 1956–1957 Bienville Democratic Robert Joseph "Bob" Angelle 1957–1960 St. Martin Democratic J. Thomas Jewell 1960–1964 Pointe Coupee Democratic Vail M. Delony 1964–1967 East Carroll Democratic John S. Garrett 1968–1972 Claiborne Democratic E. L. "Bubba" Henry 1972–1980 Jackson Democratic John J. Hainkel Jr. 1980–1984 Orleans Democratic John A. Alario Jr. 1984–1988 Jefferson Democratic Jimmy N. Dimos 1988–1992 Ouachita Democratic John A. Alario Jr. 1992–1996 Jefferson Democratic Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer Jr. 1996–2000 Terrebonne Democratic Charles W. "Charlie" DeWitt Jr. 2000–2004 Rapides Democratic Joe Reece Salter 2004–2008 Sabine Democratic James Wayne "Jim" Tucker 2008–2012 Jefferson Republican Charles Edward "Chuck" Kleckley 2012–2016 Calcasieu Republican Taylor Francis Barras 2016–2020 Iberia Republican Clay Schexnayder 2020–2024 Ascension Republican Phillip DeVillier 2024– St. Landry Republican
Speaker pro tempore The speaker pro tempore is appointed in the same way as the speaker. The Speaker pro tempore acts as speaker in the absence of the speaker. If the chair is ever permanently vacated the speaker pro tempore acts as the temporary presiding officer until the House elects a new speaker. The Speaker pro tempore, although not officially a powerful position, generally serves as a major power player in the House. The House of Representatives created the position in 1972.
List of speakers pro tempore Speaker pro tempore Terms of office Parish Party Kenneth J. Leithman 1972–1980 Jefferson Democratic Frank P. Simoneaux 1980–1982 East Baton Rouge Democratic Raymond Laborde 1982–1984 Avoyelles Democratic Joseph A. Delpit 1984–1988 East Baton Rouge Democratic Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer 1988–1992 Terrebonne Democratic Sherman Copelin 1992–1996 Orleans Democratic Peppi Bruneau 1996–2004 Orleans Republican Sharon Weston Broome 2004–2005 East Baton Rouge Democratic Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb 2005–2008 East Baton Rouge Democratic Karen Carter Peterson 2008–2010 Orleans Democratic Joel Craig Robideaux 2010–2011 Lafayette Independent Joel Craig Robideaux 2011–2012 Lafayette Republican Walter John "Walt" Leger III 2012–2020 Orleans Democratic Tanner Magee 2020–2024 Terrebonne Republican Michael T. Johnson 2024– Rapides Republican
See also
Governor of Louisiana President of the Louisiana State Senate List of Louisiana state legislatures
References
External links http://house.legis.state.la.us/