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List of speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates

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Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Incumbent
Don Scott
since January 10, 2024
Virginia House of Delegates
StyleThe Honorable
ResidenceVirginia General Assembly
AppointerElected by the Virginia House of Delegates
Inaugural holderEdmund Pendleton

This is a complete list of the speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates. Elected by the members of the House, the Speaker is the presiding officer of that body. In addition to duties as chair, the adopted rules of the House of Delegates specify other powers and duties of the post. The Speaker is currently elected for a two-year term in the odd-numbered years in which the Legislature convenes.

List of speakers

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Parties

  No party   Democratic   Republican   Democratic-Republican   Whig   Re-adjuster   Conservative

# Name County or city Term began Term ended Party
1 Edmund Pendleton Caroline County 1776 1776 None
2 George Wythe Williamsburg 1777 1778 None
3 Benjamin Harrison V Charles City County 1778 1781 None
4 Richard Henry Lee Westmoreland County 1781 1781 None
3 Benjamin Harrison V[1] Charles City County 1781 1781 None
5 John Tyler Sr. Charles City County 1781 1785 None
3 Benjamin Harrison V Charles City County 1785 1786 None
6 Joseph Prentis Williamsburg 1786 1788 None
7 Thomas Mathews Norfolk County 1788 1794 None
8 John Wise Accomack County 1794 1799 None
9 Larkin Smith King and Queen County 1799 1802 None
10 Edmund Harrison Amelia County 1802 1803 None
11 Hugh Holmes Frederick County 1803 1805 None
12 Peter Johnston Jr. Prince Edward County 1805 1807 None
13 Hugh Nelson Albemarle County 1807 1809 Democratic-Republican
14 James Barbour Orange County 1809 1812 Democratic-Republican
15 Andrew Stevenson Albemarle County 1812 1816 Democratic-Republican
16 Robert Stanard Spotsylvania County 1816 1817 None
17 Linn Banks Madison County 1817 1838 Democratic
18 Thomas W. Gilmer Albemarle County 1839 1840 Whig
19 Valentine W. Southall Albemarle County 1840 1842 None
20 Joel Holleman Isle of Wight County 1842 1844 Democratic
21 William O. Goode Mecklenburg County 1845 1846 Democratic
22 John W. Jones Chesterfield County 1847 1847 Democratic
23 James F. Strother Rappahannock County 1847 1848 Whig
24 Henry L. Hopkins Powhatan County 1848 1850 Democratic
25 George W. Hopkins Washington County 1850 1852 None
26 Oscar M. Crutchfield Spotsylvania County 1852 1861 None
27 James L. Kemper Madison County 1861 1863 Democratic
28 Hugh W. Sheffey Augusta County 1863 1865 None
29 John B. Baldwin Augusta County 1865 1869 Conservative
30 Zephaniah Turner Jr. Rappahannock County 1869 1871 Democratic
31 J. Marshall Hanger Augusta County 1871 1877 Democratic
32 Henry C. Allen Shenandoah County 1877 1879 Democratic
33 Benjamin W. Lacy New Kent County 1879 1881 Democratic
34 Isaac C. Fowler Washington County 1881 1882 Readjuster
35 Charles E. Stuart Alexandria 1883 1887 Democratic
36 Richard H. Cardwell Hanover County 1887 1894 Democratic
37 John F. Ryan Loudoun County 1894 1899 Democratic
38 Edward W. Saunders Franklin County 1899 1901 Democratic
37 John F. Ryan Loudoun County 1901 1906 Democratic
39 William D. Cardwell Hanover County 1906 1908 Democratic
40 Richard E. Byrd Winchester 1908 1914 Democratic
41 Edwin P. Cox Richmond 1914 1916 Democratic
42 Harry R. Houston Elizabeth City County 1916 1920 Democratic
43 Richard L. Brewer Jr. Suffolk 1920 1926 Democratic
44 Thomas W. Ozlin Lunenburg County 1926 1930 Democratic
45 J. Sinclair Brown Roanoke County 1930 1936 Democratic
46 G. Aston Dovell Williamsburg 1936 1942 Democratic
47 Thomas B. Stanley Henry County 1942 1946 Democratic
48 G. Alvin Massenburg Hampton 1947 1950 Democratic
49 E. Blackburn Moore Frederick County 1950 1968 Democratic
50 John Warren Cooke Mathews County 1968 1980 Democratic
51 Albert L. Philpott Henry County 1980 1991 Democratic
52 Tom Moss Norfolk 1991 2000 Democratic
53 S. Vance Wilkins Jr. Amherst County 2000 2002 Republican
54 William J. Howell Stafford County 2003 2018 Republican
55 Kirk Cox Colonial Heights 2018 2020 Republican
56 Eileen Filler-Corn Fairfax County 2020 2022 Democratic
57 Todd Gilbert Shenandoah County 2022 2024 Republican
58 Don Scott Portsmouth 2024 Incumbent Democratic

Acting Speaker

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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)

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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 Eileen Filler-Corn 2 years, 3 days 1 2019
23
(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
Kirk Cox 1 2018
Todd Gilbert 1 2021
24 James L. Kemper 1 year, 43 days 1 1861
25 Donald L. Scott 297 days 1 2023
26 Benjamin W. Lacy 97 days 1 1879

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Holleman, Joseph H. Jr., ed. (1976). Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776–1976. Richmond, Virginia: Virginia House of Delegates. p. 15.