Progressive Republicans, primarily those from the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, refused to support Speaker Gillett for the first eight ballots. After winning concessions from Republican conference leaders (a seat on the House Rules Committee and a pledge that requested House rules changes would be considered), progressives agreed to support Gillett.[1]
Process and conventions
The speaker is the presiding officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. The House elects its speaker at the beginning of a new Congress (i.e. biennially) or when a speaker dies, resigns, or is removed from the position intra-term. Since 1839, the House has elected speakers by roll call vote.[2] Following an election, there being no speaker, the outgoing clerk summons, convenes, and calls the House to order. They then order and oversee the election of a speaker of the House.
Traditionally since the American Civil War, each of the party caucuses and conferences in the U.S. Congress selects a candidate for the speakership from among its senior leaders prior to the roll call. Representatives generally vote for the candidate nominated by their party, as the outcome of the election effectively determines which one is the majority party and consequently will organize the House. They are not however, restricted from voting for someone else.[3]
Upon winning election, the new speaker is immediately sworn in by the dean of the U.S. House of Representatives, the chamber's longest-serving member.[4][5] The new speaker then administers the oath en masse to the rest of the members of the House.[6]
To be elected speaker, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast, as opposed to an absolute majority of the full membership of the House.[7] A variation in the number of votes necessary to win a given election might arise due to vacancies, absentees, or members being present but not voting.[3] Multiple roll calls had been necessary only 12 times since 1789.[8]
Election of the speaker
The election for speaker was held December 3–5, 1923, at the start of the 68th Congress. At the time of the proceedings, there were three vacant seats.
Before the ninth ballot, Representative-elect Joseph W. Morris of Kentucky presented his credentials and was added to the roll.[11]
Before voting began, John M. Nelson of Wisconsin announced that he and Fiorello La Guardia of New York had conferred with Longworth the previous night and discussed revision of the House rules. Longworth, negotiating on behalf of House leadership, had agreed to leave the rules of the 67th Congress in place for thirty days, during which members could submit an amendments for consideration by the Committee on Rules, to be reported out before the period expired, after which amendments could be offered and a vote taken at the request of any member.[11] Longworth affirmed the agreement.[11]
After some questioning, John Nance Garner of Texas asked whether Nelson had "submitted willingly to this outrage," upon which the House devolved into laughter and the Clerk called for order.[11]
After order had been restored, Henry Allen Cooper himself rose to speak in support of the agreement. He declared that the "so-called Progressives" had "succeeded to deprive the Speaker of [his] power, not because any of us had ceased to be Republicans, not because any of us were anarchists... but simply because we wished to give the Representatives of the American people on this floor an opportunity to represent the constituents who honored them by sending them here. ... That is representative government, and anything else is tyranny."[11] His speech was interrupted by James T. Begg of Ohio, who objected and called for a vote. He was joined by William R. Wood of Indiana and Garrett, and the roll call proceeded.[11]
^ abHeitshusen, Valerie; Beth, Richard S. (December 4, 2019). "Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913–2019"(PDF). CRS Report for Congress. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service.
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