Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office is provided for in the United States Constitution in the second section of the first article, which states:- "The House of Representatives shall chuse [sic] their Speaker and other Officers..."
The Speaker is considered a partisan officer, unlike the nonpartisan Speaker of such bodies as the British House of Commons. While there is a majority leader in the House of Representatives, he is in fact the second highest officer of the majority, and the Speaker is in fact the functioning leader of the majority. However, it is customary for the Speaker not to vote, unless his vote is necessary to pass a bill. The current (since January 6, 1999) Speaker is Republican Dennis Hastert of Illinois.
The Speaker is currently second (after the Vice President) in line to succeed to the U.S. presidency in the case of death or resignation of the President.
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America's "Loyal Opposition"
The speaker of the House is ceremonially the highest ranking legislative official in the United States government. He is generally a well-known national figure, and thus a human "face" on the legislative branch. Since the Speaker and the President are often from different parties, this can sometimes leads to situtations in which the two men appear at odds with each other. The speaker can thus come to be seen as the leader of the "opposition" and the symbol of his party, and the very personification of partisan opposition to the President's agenda. Examples of this include Newt Gingrich under Bill Clinton, and Tip O'Neill under Ronald Reagan. The speaker is also a much more politically active figure than many of his counterparts in other countries, and though he has little formal power, throughout American history the speakership has evolved into one of the nation's key political positions.
Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789-present
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