List of speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates
The following persons have served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
List of Speakers
| Order | Name | County or City | Born | Term began | Term ended | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Pendleton, Edmund | Caroline County | 1721 | 1776 | 1776 | 1803 |
| 2nd | Wythe, George | Williamsburg | 1726 | 1777 | 1778 | 1806 |
| 3rd | Harrison, Benjamin | Charles City County | 1726 | 1778 | 1781 | 1791 |
| 4th | Lee, Richard Henry | Westmoreland County | 1732 | 1781 | 1781 | 1794 |
| 5th | Tyler, John Sr. | Charles City County | 1747 | 1781 | 1785 | 1813 |
| 3rd | Harrison, Benjamin | Charles City County | 1726 | 1785 | 1786 | 1791 |
| 6th | Prentis, Joseph | Williamsburg | 1754 | 1786 | 1788 | 1809 |
| 7th | Duke, William | James City County | 1749 | 1788 | 1794 | 1794 |
| 8th | Wise, John | Accomack County | before 1768 | 1794 | 1799 | 1812 |
| 9th | Smith, Larkin | King and Queen County | c. 1757 | 1799 | 1802 | 1813 |
| 10th | Harrison, Edmund | Amelia County | 1764 | 1802 | 1803 | 1826 |
| 11th | Holmes, Hugh | Frederick County | 1768 | 1803 | 1805 | 1825 |
| 12th | Johnston, Peter Jr. | Prince Edward County | 1763 | 1805 | 1807 | 1831 |
| 13th | Nelson, Hugh (D-R) | Albemarle County | 1768 | 1807 | 1809 | 1836 |
| 14th | Barbour, James (D-R) | Orange County | 1775 | 1809 | 1812 | 1842 |
| 15th | Duke, Francis (D-R) | Albemarle County | 1783 | 1812 | 1816 | 1836 |
| 16th | Stanard, Robert | Spotsylvania County | 1781 | 1816 | 1817 | 1846 |
| 17th | Banks, Linn (D) | Madison County | 1784 | 1817 | 1838 | 1842 |
| 18th | Gilmer, Thomas W. (W) | Albemarle County | 1802 | 1839 | 1840 | 1844 |
| 19th | Southall, Valentine W. | Albemarle County | 1789–1790 | 1840 | 1842 | 1861 |
| 20th | Holleman, Joel (D) | Isle of Wight County | 1799 | 1842 | 1844 | 1844 |
| 21st | Goode, William O. (D) | Mecklenburg County | 1798 | 1845 | 1846 | 1859 |
| 22nd | Jones, John W. (D) | Chesterfield County | 1791 | 1847 | 1847 | 1848 |
| 23rd | Strother, James F. (W) | Rappahannock County | 1811 | 1847 | 1848 | 1860 |
| 24th | Hopkins, Henry L. (D) | Powhatan County | 1805 | 1848 | 1850 | 1872 |
| 25th | Hopkins, George W. | Washington County | 1804 | 1850 | 1852 | 1861 |
| 26th | Crutchfield, Oscar M. | Spotsylvania County | 1800 | 1852 | 1861 | 1861 |
| 27th | Kemper, James L. (D) | Madison County | 1823 | 1861 | 1863 | 1895 |
| 28th | Sheffey, Hugh W. | Augusta County | 1815 | 1863 | 1865 | 1889 |
| 29th | Baldwin, John B. (C) | Augusta County | 1820 | 1865 | 1869 | 1873 |
| 30th | Turner, Zephaniah Jr. (D) | Rappahannock County | 1812 | 1869 | 1871 | 1876 |
| 31st | Hanger, J. Marshall (D) | Augusta County | 1833 | 1871 | 1877 | 1912 |
| 32nd | Allen, Henry C. (D) | Shenandoah County | 1838 | 1877 | 1879 | 1889 |
| 33rd | Lacy, Benjamin W. (D) | New Kent County | 1839 | 1879 | 1881 | 1895 |
| 34th | Fowler, Isaac C. (Rea) | Washington County | 1831 | 1881 | 1882 | 1904 |
| 35th | Stuart, Charles E. (D) | Alexandria | 1850 | 1883 | 1887 | 1889 |
| 36th | Cardwell, Richard H. (D) | Hanover County | 1846 | 1887 | 1894 | 1931 |
| 37th | Ryan, John F. (D) | Loudoun County | 1848 | 1894 | 1899 | 1936 |
| 38th | Saunders, Edward W. (D) | Franklin County | 1860 | 1899 | 1901 | 1921 |
| 37th | Ryan, John F. (D) | Loudoun County | 1848 | 1901 | 1906 | 1936 |
| 39th | Cardwell, William D. (D) | Hanover County | 1868 | 1906 | 1908 | 1954 |
| 40th | Byrd, Richard E. (D) | Winchester | 1860 | 1908 | 1914 | 1925 |
| 41st | Cox, Edwin P. (D) | Richmond | 1870 | 1914 | 1916 | 1938 |
| 42nd | Houston, Harry R. (D) | Elizabeth City County | 1878 | 1916 | 1920 | 1960 |
| 43rd | Brewer, Richard L. Jr. (D) | Suffolk | 1864 | 1920 | 1926 | 1947 |
| 44th | Ozlin, Thomas W. (D) | Lunenburg County | 1884 | 1926 | 1930 | 1944 |
| 45th | Brown, J. Sinclair (D) | Roanoke County | 1880 | 1930 | 1936 | 1965 |
| 46th | Dovell, G. Ashton (D) | Williamsburg | 1885 | 1936 | 1942 | 1949 |
| 47th | Stanley, Thomas B. (D) | Henry County | 1890 | 1942 | 1946 | 1970 |
| 48th | Massenburg, G. Alvin (D) | Hampton | 1894 | 1947 | 1950 | 1968 |
| 49th | Moore, E. Blackburn (D) | Frederick County | 1897 | 1950 | 1968 | 1980 |
| 50th | Cooke, John Warren (D) | Mathews County | 1915 | 1968 | 1980 | 2009 |
| 51st | Philpott, Albert L. (D) | Henry County | 1919 | 1980 | 1991 | 1991 |
| 52nd | Moss. Thomas W. Jr. (D) | Norfolk | 1928 | 1991 | 2000 | 2015 |
| 53rd | Wilkins, S. Vance Jr. (R) | Amherst County | 1936 | 2000 | 2002 | |
| 54th | Howell, William J. (R) | Stafford County | 1943 | 2003 | 2018 | |
| 55th | Cox, M. Kirkland (R) | Colonial Heights | 1957 | 2018 | 2020 | |
| 56th | Filler-Corn, Eileen (D) | Fairfax County | 1964 | 2020 | Present |
Acting Speaker
According to Rules 2 and 16 of the House of Delegates, the chair of the Committee on Privileges and Elections serves as Acting Speaker when there is a vacancy in the Speaker's office. This has occurred twice since 1990:
- Ford C. Quillen of Scott County was Acting Speaker from the death of A. L. Philpott on September 28, 1991, until the House met in a special redistricting session in November, when Thomas W. Moss Jr. was elected Speaker.
- Lacey E. Putney of Bedford was Acting Speaker from the resignation of S. Vance Wilkins Jr. on June 15, 2002, until the House met in regular session in January 2003, when William J. Howell was elected Speaker.
List of Speakers by time in office (incomplete)
| Rank | Name | Time in office | TE | Year(s) in which elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linn Banks | 20 years, 148 days | 11 | 1817; 1819; 1821; 1823; 1825; 1827; 1829; 1831; 1833; 1835; 1837 |
| 2 | E. Blackburn Moore | 17 years, 364 days | 9 | 1950; 1952; 1954; 1956; 1958; 1960; 1962; 1964; 1966 |
| 3 | William J. Howell | 15 years, 2 days | 8 | 2003; 2004; 2006; 2008; 2010; 2012; 2014; 2016 |
| 4 | John Warren Cooke | 11 years, 364 days | 6 | 1968; 1970; 1972; 1974; 1976; 1978 |
| 5 | A. L. Philpott | 11 years, 262 days | 6 | 1980; 1982; 1984; 1986; 1988; 1990 |
| 6 | John F. Ryan | 9 years, 315 days | 5 | 1894; 1895; 1897; 1901; 1904 |
| 7 | Oscar M. Crutchfield | 9 years, 123 days | 5 | 1852; 1853; 1855; 1857; 1859 |
| 8 | Thomas W. Moss Jr. | 8 years, 54 days | 5 | 1991; 1992; 1994; 1996; 1998 |
| 9 | Richard H. Cardwell | 6 years, 85 days | 4 | 1887; 1889; 1891; 1893 |
| 10 (tie) |
Richard E. Byrd Sr. | 6 years, 6 days | 3 | 1908; 1910; 1912 |
| Ashton Dovell | 3 | 1936; 1938; 1940 | ||
| 11 | J. Sinclair Brown | 6 years | 3 | 1930; 1932; 1934 |
| 12 (tie) |
J. Marshall Hanger | 5 years, 364 days | 3 | 1871; 1873; 1875 |
| Richard L. Brewer Jr. | 3 | 1920; 1922; 1924 | ||
| 13 | Thomas B. Stanley | 4 years, 295 days | 3 | 1942; 1944; 1946 |
| 14 | Charles E. Stuart | 4 years, 3 days | 2 | 1883; 1885 |
| 15 | Harry R. Houston | 4 years, 2 days | 2 | 1916; 1918 |
| 16 | Thomas W. Ozlin | 3 years, 360 days | 2 | 1926; 1928 |
| 17 | John Brown Baldwin | 3 years, 305 days | 1 | 1865 |
| 18 | G. Alvin Massenburg | 3 years, 5 days | 2 | 1947; 1948 |
| 19 | Hugh W. Sheffey | 2 years, 324 days | 2 | 1863; 1863 |
| 20 | Vance Wilkins | 2 years, 154 days | 2 | 2000; 2002 |
| 21 | Zephaniah Turner Jr. | 2 years, 62 days | 1 | 1869 |
| 22 (tie) |
Henry Clay Allen | 1 year, 363 days | 1 | 1877 |
| Isaac C. Fowler | 1 | 1881 | ||
| Edward W. Saunders | 1 | 1899 | ||
| William D. Cardwell | 1 | 1906 | ||
| Edwin P. Cox | 1 | 1914 | ||
| 23 | Kirk Cox | 6 years, 138 days | 1 | 2018 |
| 24 | James L. Kemper | 1 year, 43 days | 1 | 1861 |
| 25 | Benjamin W. Lacy | 97 days | 1 | 1879 |
See also
- List of Speakers of the Virginia House of Burgesses
- Category:Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates
- List of Virginia state legislatures
References
- Jamerson, Bruce F. (Fall 2002). "Interpreting the Rules: Speaker's Resignation Challenges; Virginia House of Delegates" (PDF). Journal of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries. Retrieved 2008-11-24. [dead link]
- Jamerson, Bruce F., Clerk of the House of Delegates, supervising (2007). Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776-2007. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia House of Delegates.
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