Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives

Seal of the Speaker

The Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the members of the house when they convene for their regular session in January of each odd-numbered year. Perhaps the most important duty of the Speaker is to appoint members and chairs of the various standing committees of the House.

The office evolved from the office of Speaker of the lower house of the legislature in the Province of Carolina, called the House of Burgesses. Since the House was the only elected body in the colony, the Speaker was often seen as the leading voice of the people. In 1776, North Carolina established its first constitution, which created a Senate and a House of Commons, both of which were elected. In 1868, the name of the house was changed to "House of Representatives."

For most of the twentieth century, the office's power was limited, because Speakers usually only served for a single legislative session. This changed with Speakers Carl J. Stewart, Jr. (1977–1980), Liston B. Ramsey (1981–1988) and James B. Black (1999–2006).

Democrats held the speaker's chair continuously from 1899 until 1994, when Republicans gained a majority and elected Harold J. Brubaker in January 1995.

In the 2003–2004 session, a unique power-sharing arrangement was created by Democrats and a handful of Republicans. This resulted in the first election of two speakers simultaneously, Jim Black (Democrat) and Richard T. Morgan (Republican). The two held roughly equal power and took turns presiding over the House. After Democrats won a majority in the 2004 election, this arrangement was ended, but Morgan again supported Black and was named Speaker Pro Tempore.

List of Speakers

Speakers of the House of Burgesses

Note that some sources refer to the lower House as the House of Commons before the Revolution as well as afterward.

Speakers of the House of Commons

Notes

  1. ↑ Robins "served several months" (see http://www.co.randolph.nc.us/hlpc/downloads/OutspokenCritic.pdf and http://www.co.randolph.nc.us/hlpc/minutes/hlpc_minutes_110928.pdf) as Speaker at some point in 1862 or 1863, but exactly when is unclear. The North Carolina Manual of 1913 does not list him as Speaker, however.

Speakers of the House of Representatives

Notes

  1. Holden resigned in the middle of the 1869–1870 session and Moore was elected to succeed him, according to the North Carolina Manual of 1913.
  2. Webster was elected by the coalition of Independents and Republicans in the House, according to the New York Times and J. G. de R. Hamilton.
  3. Connor resigned after the January 8 – March 12, 1913 session. Walter Murphy served as speaker during the "extra" session that began September 24, 1913, according to the North Carolina Manual of 1913.

See also

References

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