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List of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

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For information on the House, including current membership, see Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Seal of the House of Representatives
Seal of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Ron Mariano
since December 30, 2020
Government of Massachusetts
StatusPresiding Officer
Member ofGeneral Court
ResidenceNone official
SeatState House, Boston, Massachusetts
NominatorPolitical parties through majority house caucus
AppointerThe House
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Massachusetts
FormationOriginal Post:
May 30, 1644
Current form:
October 25, 1780
DeputySpeaker pro tempore
Website[1]

This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leader, and controls the flow of legislation. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the House. The current house speaker is Ronald Mariano.

Colonial period

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House of Deputies of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Speaker Portrait Years ↑ Town Electoral history
William Hathorne 1644–1645 Salem
George Cooke 1645 Cambridge
William Hathorne 1646 Salem
Robert Bridges 1646 Lynn
Joseph Hills 1647 Mistick Side
William Hathorne 1648 Salem
Richard Russell 1648 Charlestown
Daniel Denison 1649 Ipswich
William Hathorne 1650 Salem
Daniel Gookin 1651 Cambridge
Daniel Denison 1651–1652 Ipswich
Humphrey Atherton 1653 Springfield
Richard Russell 1654 Charlestown
Edward Johnson 1655
Richard Russell 1656 Charlestown
William Hathorne 1657 Salem
Richard Russell 1658 Charlestown
Thomas Savage 1659–1660
William Hathorne 1660–1661 Salem
Thomas Clarke 1662
John Leverett 1663–1664 Boston
Thomas Clarke 1665
Richard Waldron 1666–1668 Cocheco
Thomas Clarke 1669–1670
Thomas Savage 1671 Boston
Thomas Clarke 1672
Richard Waldron 1673 Cocheco
Joshua Hubbard 1673–1674
Richard Waldron 1674–1675 Cocheco
Peter Bulkeley 1675–1676 Concord
Thomas Savage 1677–1678 Boston
Richard Waldron 1679 Cocheco Town became part of New Hampshire
John Richards 1679–1680 Dorchester
Daniel Fisher 1680–1682 Dedham
Elisha Cooke Sr. 1683 Boston
John Waite 1684 Malden
Isaac Addington 1685 Boston
John Saffin 1686 Boston General Court adjourned May 21, 1686, did not convene until May or June 1689

Inter-Charter Period

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Speaker Portrait Years ↑ Town Electoral history
Thomas Oakes 1689 Boston
John Bowles 1698–1690 Boston
Penn Townsend 1690–1691 Salem
William Bond 1691–1692 Watertown
Penn Townsend 1692 Salem

Second Charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay

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Speaker Portrait Years ↑ Town Electoral history
William Bond 1692–1693 Watertown
Nathaniel Byfield 1693–1694 Boston
Nehemiah Jewett 1694–1695 Rowley
William Bond 1695–1696 Watertown
Penn Townsend 1696–1697 Salem
Nathaniel Byfield 1698 Rowley
James Converse 1699–1700 Woburn
John Leverett 1700–1701 Boston
Nehemiah Jewett 1701–1702 Rowley
James Converse 1702–1705 Woburn
Thomas Oakes 1705–1707 Boston
John Burrill 1707 Lynn
Thomas Oliver 1708–1709 Cambridge
John Clark 1709–1711 Boston
John Burrill 1711–1720 Lynn
Elisha Cooke Jr. 1720
Timothy Lindall 1720–1721 Boston
John Clark 1721–1724 Boston
William Dudley 1724–1729 Roxbury
John Quincy 1729–1741 Mount Wollaston
William Fairfield 1741 Wenham
Thomas Cushing II 1742–1746 Boston
Thomas Hutchinson 1746–1748 Boston Resigned when appointed to the Governor's Council
Joseph Dwight 1748–1750 Brookfield
Thomas Hubbard 1750–1759 Waltham
Samuel White May 30, 1759 –
May 28, 1760 		Taunton
James Otis Sr. May 28, 1760 –
May 26, 1762 		Barnstable Resigned when appointed to the Governor's Council
Timothy Ruggles May 26, 1762 –
May 25, 1764 		Rochester
Samuel White May 25, 1764 –
June 11, 1764 		Taunton
Thomas Clap pro tem June 11, 1764 –
May 29, 1765
Samuel White May 29, 1764 –
May 28, 1766 		Taunton
James Otis Jr. May 28, 1766 –
May 28, 1766 		Barnstable
Thomas Cushing May 28, 1766 –
1774 		Boston

Massachusetts Provincial Congress of Deputies

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Speaker Portrait Years ↑ Electoral History
John Hancock 1774-1775 Left office to attend the Second Continental Congress where he served as President
Joseph Warren 1775 Died at the Battle of Bunker Hill
James Warren 1775-1780

House of Representatives under the Massachusetts Constitution

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# Portrait Speaker Party Years ↑ City or Town (District)1 Electoral history
1 Caleb Davis None 1780–1782 Boston Resigned
2 Nathaniel Gorham None 1782–1783 Charlestown [data missing]
3 Tristram Dalton None 1783–1784 Newbury Elected to State Senate
4 Samuel Allyne Otis None 1784–1785 Barnstable [data missing]
5 Nathaniel Gorham None 1785–1786 Charlestown [data missing]
6 Artemas Ward None 1786–1787 Shrewsbury [data missing]
7 James Warren None 1787–1788 Plymouth [data missing]
8 Theodore Sedgwick Pro-Administration 1788–1789 Sheffield Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
9 David Cobb Pro-Administration 1789–1793 Taunton Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
10 Edward Robbins Democratic-Republican 1793–1802 Boston Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
11 John Coffin Jones Federalist 1802–1803 Boston [data missing]
12 Harrison Gray Otis Federalist 1803–1805 Boston Elected to the State Senate
13 Timothy Bigelow Federalist 1805–1806 Worcester Party lost majority
14 Perez Morton Democratic-Republican 1806–1808 Dorchester Party lost majority
15 Timothy Bigelow Federalist 1808–1810 Worcester Party lost majority
16 Perez Morton Democratic-Republican 1810–1811 Dorchester Resigned
17 Joseph Story Democratic-Republican 1811–1812 Salem Resigned when appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
18 Eleazer Ripley Democratic-Republican 1812 Waterville Joined United States Army
19 Timothy Bigelow Federalist 1812–1820 Worcester [data missing]
20 Elijah H. Mills Federalist 1820–1821 Northampton Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
21 Josiah Quincy III Federalist 1821–1822 Boston Resigned to become Judge of Boston Municipal Court
22 Luther Lawrence Federalist 1822 Lowell Party lost majority
23 Levi Lincoln Jr. National Republican 1822–1823 Worcester Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
24 William C. Jarvis[1] National Republican 1823–1825 Woburn Party lost majority
25 Timothy Fuller Democratic-Republican 1825–1826 Cambridgeport Party lost majority
26 William C. Jarvis National Republican 1826–1828 Woburn [data missing]
27 William B. Calhoun National Republican 1828–1834 Springfield Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
28 Julius Rockwell Whig 1835–1837 Pittsfield Resigned when appointed commissioner of the Bank of Massachusetts
29 Robert Charles Winthrop Whig 1838–1840 Boston Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
30 George Ashmun Whig 1841 Blandford [data missing]
31 Thomas H. Kinnicutt Whig 1842 Worcester [data missing]
32 Daniel P. King Whig 1843 South Danvers [data missing]
33 Thomas H. Kinnicutt Whig 1844 Worcester Resigned
34 Samuel H. Walley Jr. Whig 1844–1846 Boston [data missing]
35 Ebenezer Bradbury Whig 1847 Newburyport [data missing]
36 Francis Crowninshield Whig 1848–1849 Boston [data missing]
37 Ensign H. Kellogg Whig 1850 Pittsfield [data missing]
38 Nathaniel Prentice Banks Democratic 1851–1852 Waltham Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
39 George Bliss Whig 1853 Springfield [data missing]
40 Otis P. Lord Whig 1854 Salem Party lost majority
41 Daniel C. Eddy Know Nothing 1855 Lowell [data missing]
42 Charles A. Phelps Know Nothing 1856–1857 Boston Elected to the Massachusetts Senate;[2] Party Lost election
43 Julius Rockwell Republican 1858 Pittsfield Resigned when appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court
44 Charles Hale Republican 1859 Boston [data missing]
45 John A. Goodwin Republican 1860–1861 Lowell [data missing]
46 Alexander Hamilton Bullock Republican 1862–1865 Worcester Elected Governor of Massachusetts
47 James M. Stone Republican 1866–1867 Charlestown [data missing]
48 Harvey Jewell Republican 1868–1871 Boston [data missing]
49 John E. Sanford Republican 1872–1875 Taunton [data missing]
50 John Davis Long Republican 1876–1878 Hingham Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
51 Levi C. Wade Republican 1879 Newton [data missing]
52 Charles J. Noyes Republican 1880–1882 Boston (14th Suffolk) [data missing]
53 George Augustus Marden Republican 1883–1884 Lowell [data missing]
54 John Q. A. Brackett Republican January 7, 1885 –
1886 		Boston (17th Suffolk)[3] Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
55 Charles J. Noyes Republican 1887–1888 Boston (14th Suffolk) [data missing]
56 William Emerson Barrett Republican 1889–1893 Melrose (11th Middlesex) Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
57 George von Lengerke Meyer Republican 1894–1896 Boston (9th Suffolk) [data missing]
58 John Lewis Bates Republican 1897–1899 Boston (1st Suffolk) Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
59 James J. Myers Republican 1900–1903 Cambridge (1st Middlesex) Retired
60 Louis A. Frothingham Republican 1904–1905 Boston (11th Suffolk) Left House to run for governor
61 John N. Cole Republican 1906–1908 Andover (8th Essex) Left House to run for Lieutenant Governor
62 Joseph Walker Republican 1909–1911 Brookline (2nd Norfolk) Left House to run for governor
63 Grafton D. Cushing Republican 1912–1914 Boston (11th Suffolk) Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
64 Channing H. Cox Republican 1915–1918 Boston (10th Suffolk) Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
65 Joseph E. Warner Republican 1919–1920 Taunton (4th Bristol) Lost primary for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts to Alvan Fuller
66 Benjamin Loring Young Republican 1921–1924 Weston (13th Middlesex) [data missing]
67 John C. Hull Republican 1925–1928 Leominster (11th Worcester) Appointed First Securities Director in the wake of The Great Depression (1930–36)
68 Leverett Saltonstall Republican 1929–1936 Chestnut Hill (5th Middlesex) Defeated for election as Lieutenant Governor by Francis E. Kelly [4]
69 Horace T. Cahill Republican 1937–1938 Braintree (6th Norfolk) Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
70 Christian Herter Republican 1939–1942 Boston (5th Suffolk) Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
71 Rudolph King Republican 1943–1944 Millis (8th Norfolk) Resigned to run become Registrar of Motor Vehicles
72 Frederick Willis Republican 1945–1948 Saugus (10th Essex) Party lost majority
73 Thomas P. O'Neill Democratic 1949–1952 Cambridge (3rd Middlesex) Party lost majority; O'Neill elected to U.S. House of Representatives
74 Charles Gibbons Republican 1953–1954 Stoneham (22nd Middlesex) Party lost majority
75 Michael F. Skerry Democratic 1955–1957 Medford (27th Middlesex) Resigned when appointed Clerk of the Malden District Court
76 John F. Thompson Democratic 1958–1964 Ludlow (2nd Hampden) Resigned after being indicted on charges of conspiracy and bribery
77 John Davoren Democratic 1965–1967 Milford (9th Worcester) Resigned when appointed Secretary of the Commonwealth
78 Robert H. Quinn Democratic 1967–1969 Boston (9th Suffolk) Elected Massachusetts Attorney General
79 David M. Bartley Democratic 1969–1975 Holyoke (7th Hampden) Resigned to become President of Holyoke Community College
80 Thomas W. McGee Democratic 1975–1984 Lynn (20th Essex) Defeated by Keverian in leadership challenge
81 George Keverian Democratic 1985–1990 Everett (39th Middlesex) Retired to run for State Treasurer
82 Charles Flaherty Democratic 1991 –
April 9, 1996 		Cambridge (27th Middlesex) Resigned: pleaded guilty to tax evasion
83 Thomas Finneran Democratic April 9, 1996 –
September 28, 2004 		Mattapan (12th Suffolk) Resigned after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice
84 Salvatore DiMasi Democratic September 28, 2004 –
January 27, 2009 		Boston (3rd Suffolk) Resigned: convicted of conspiracy, honest services fraud, and extortion
85 Robert DeLeo Democratic January 27, 2009 – December 29, 2020 Winthrop (19th Suffolk) Resigned to accept position at Northeastern University
86 Ron Mariano Democratic December 30, 2020 – present Quincy (3rd Norfolk) Current speaker

See also

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Notes

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1.^ Prior to 1857, representatives were selected by a majority of votes at a town meeting. Since 1857, representatives have been elected by district.[5]

Sources

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  • "Organization of the Legislature Since 1780". Manual for the General Court. Massachusetts General Court. 2005–2006. pp. 338–350.

References

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  1. ^ "Jarvis, William C., 1780-1836", A New Nation Votes: American Electoral Returns, 1788-1825, retrieved June 22, 2020
  2. ^ Castle, William Richards (December 1902), The Harvard Graduates' Magazine Vol XI No. 42, Boston, Massachusetts: The Harvard Graduates' Magazine Association, p. 305
  3. ^ Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1890). "History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men Vol. 1". Philadelphia, PA: J. W. Lewis & CO.: lviii. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Bioguide Search".
  5. ^ Duane Hamilton Hurd, ed. (1888). History of Essex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Volume 1. J. W. Lewis & Company. p. 414. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
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