document_title: List of Scott & Bailey characters

question_text: who plays suranne jones mother in scott & bailey

text: List of Scott & Bailey characters

text: Main cast and characters[edit]

text: Overview[edit]

text:
Actor

Character

Occupation

Seasons

1

2

3

4

5

Suranne Jones

Rachel Bailey

DC / ADS / DS / ADI

Main

Lesley Sharp

Janet Scott

DC / ADS

Main

Amelia Bullmore

Gill Murray

DCI

Main

Nicholas Gleaves

Andy Roper

DS

Main

Danny Miller

Rob Waddington

DS

Main

Pippa Haywood

Julie Dodson

DCI / DSI

Also Starring

Main

text: Rachel Bailey[edit]

text:
Rachel Bailey
Scott & Bailey characterFirst appearance
"Congratulations"Last appearance
"Change"Portrayed by
Suranne JonesInformationNickname(s)
SherlockOccupation
Police OfficerAffiliation
Manchester Metropolitan PoliceSyndicate 9 (MIT)Non Specific Police Force (London)Vice DivisionTitle
DC (series 1-3)Acting DS (series 4)DS (series 4)Acting DI (series 5)

text: Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) is an Acting Detective Inspector (A/DI) and the ranking officer within the Syndicate 9 Major Incident Team. A career woman, Rachel was aged 32 during series one. Since joining the Manchester Metropolitan Police in 2001, Rachel has earned the nickname "Sherlock" for her deductive and investigative skills. It was these skills that led to Rachel joining MIT in 2010, and her subsequent swift promotion from Detective Constable during the show's fourth series. Her personal life, however, is fraught with self-destructive (even childish) behavior and strained family relationships that tend to adversely affect her work. In Series 3 she marries former flame PC Sean McCartney, but soon realises it was a mistake and has a fling with DC Kevin Lumb, which causes tension with Janet. After a rocky start, she started to take her new role as Sergeant in her stride with Gill telling her she was proud of her. During the fifth series, Rachel will return to Syndicate 9 following a Vice secondment in London. In this capacity, Rachel is promoted to Acting Detective Inspector.[1]

text: Janet Scott[edit]

text:
Janet Scott
Scott & Bailey characterFirst appearance
"Congratulations"Last appearance
"Change"Portrayed by
Lesley SharpInformationOccupation
Police OfficerAffiliation
Greater Manchester PoliceSyndicate 9 (MIT)Title
DC (series 1-5)Acting DS (series 3)

text: Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp) is Rachel Bailey's working partner and close friend. She is a quick-witted, friendly and long-standing member of the team. Around 15 years older than Rachel, Janet attended Bruche alongside Andy Roper in 1982. She is more logical, and finds satisfaction in her job, and refusing repeated offers for promotion. Lesley Sharp describes her as "a woman who is at the top of her game in a job but who has deliberately chosen to stay in what appears to be one of the lower ranks" instead of progressing to a more senior position.[2] Her marriage to Adrian disintegrates as the series progresses, which leads to an impulsive affair with DS Andy Roper before she breaks it off. She was inspired to join the police after the unsolved murder of her childhood friend Veronica Hastings, which she finally solves near the end of series one. In series three, Janet is promoted to Acting Detective Sergeant. In series four, she is once again given the opportunity for promotion, but declines. Janet joined MIT in 2009, after a career break. Also in series four, Janet begins dating DC Chris Crowley. They separate sometime prior to the start of the fifth series. In series five, Janet's daughter is arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography.

text: Gill Murray[edit]

text:
Gill Murray
Scott & Bailey characterFirst appearance
"Congratulations"Last appearance
"Lost Loyalty"Portrayed by
Amelia BullmoreInformationNickname(s)
GodzillaOccupation
Police OfficerAffiliation
Greater Manchester PoliceSyndicate 9 (MIT)Title
DCI

text: Gill Murray (Amelia Bullmore) is a Detective Chief Inspector, the head of MIT and a single mother to Sammy. Nicknamed "Godzilla" by Rachel, Gill is authoritarian, abrupt and naturally sardonic, though she occasionally has a nicer side. She has been close friends with Janet for over 20 years, and attended Bruche alongside Dave Murray and Mitch in 1984. In 2008, following her divorce from Dave, Gill is offered the opportunity to head Syndicate 9 MIT, which she runs with ruthless efficiency, pushing hard for results and refusing to accept failure. Her relationship with Rachel is largely work-based and at times strained by Rachel's impulsive, maverick nature. After being taken hostage and nearly killed in the Series 3 finale, as well as coming under pressure to retire, Gill becomes an alcoholic in Series 4, which leads a concerned Janet to report her to Dodson. She later retires with her reputation intact. Gill is responsible for promoting Rachel to Detective Sergeant in series four. Gill is not replaced following her departure, and as such a series of temporary SIO's rotate through Syndicate 9 from other MIT departments. Rachel later takes this position on a semi-permanent basis, a transition she describes as "walking in a dead woman's shoes, while she's still watching".

text: Andy Roper[edit]

text:
Andy Roper
Scott & Bailey characterFirst appearance
"Congratulations"Last appearance
"Divided Loyalties"Portrayed by
Nicholas GleavesInformationOccupation
Police OfficerAffiliation
Greater Manchester PoliceSyndicate 9 (MIT)Syndicate 6 (MIT)Title
DS

text: Andy Roper (Nicholas Gleaves) is a Detective Sergeant. He has been desperately in love with Janet since they attended Bruche together in 1982, though their relationship sours when she realizes she does not reciprocate his rather intense feelings. After a shouting match in front of the team, Gill forces them into a room alone, where Andy admits that a previous marriage fell apart for similar reasons, causing him to have a nervous breakdown.  Although they appear to resolve things, in the Series 2 finale he gives Janet misinformation that causes Gill to miss an appointment with the coroner, humiliating her.  Since neither admits to causing the confusion, Gill tells the pair to decide which of them will leave the MIT. Later, Gill tells Andy he was overheard misspeaking and, believing he did so on purpose, forces him to transfer out. Andy leaves for Syndicate 6.

text: Rob Waddington[edit]

text:
Rob Waddington
Scott & Bailey characterFirst appearance
"Cradle"Last appearance
"Tough Love"Portrayed by
Danny MillerInformationOccupation
Police OfficerAffiliation
Greater Manchester PoliceSyndicate 9 (MIT)Title
DS

text: Rob Waddington (Danny Miller) is a young, fast-tracked Detective Sergeant who was hired after Janet insisted she didn't want a promotion following Andy's departure. He is shown to be a decent officer, but lacks the confidence and leadership skills of Gill, causing the team to make fun of him at times. He also has a slightly flirtatious relationship with Janet, which Rachel exploits by sending him a sexually-suggestive e-mail using Janet's account; although she intends it as a joke, Rob is embarrassed enough to report it to Gill and Janet is infuriated. Rob decides to leave the MIT early in Series 4, which leads to Rachel being promoted to DS. He was apparently following in the footsteps of his father, whose competence is called into question when an old case is reopened during Rob's last week with MIT.

text: Julie Dodson[edit]

text:
Julie Dodson
Scott & Bailey characterFirst appearance
"Loyalty"Last appearance
"Change"Portrayed by
Pippa HaywoodInformationNickname(s)
SlapOccupation
Police OfficerAffiliation
Greater Manchester PoliceSyndicate 3 (MIT)MIT OversightTitle
DSI

text: Julie Dodson (Pippa Haywood) is head of Syndicate 3 and close friends with Gill Murray. Kevin used to work for her until he was moved to MIT, and he harbors a deep resentment. Haywood joined the cast in the second series, notably when handling the inquiry into the murder of Nick Savage, and becomes more prominent in the latter half of Series 3 when asked to lead the Helen Bartlett case. Noting the character's close relationship with Gill, Haywood stated, "I like the double act between Julie and Gill Murray. When they are at work they have this reputation that they are fearsome; a force to be reckoned with, but there's also a lot of humour between them".[3] Late in Series 4 Dodson is asked by Janet to investigate allegations that Gill is drunk on the job, putting a deep strain on their friendship when Gill's ability to lead the MIT is called into question. Following Gill's departure, Dodson assigns a series of temporary SIOs to Syndicate 9, staffed exclusively by Constables. She later promotes Rachel into the position of Detective Inspector.

text: Supporting cast and characters[edit]

text: Overview[edit]

text:
Actor

Character

Occupation

Seasons

1

2

3

4

5

David Prosho

Ian Mitchell

DC

Also Starring

Delroy Brown

Lee Broadhurst

DC

Also Starring

Tony Mooney

Pete Readyough

DC

Also Starring

Ben Batt

Kevin Lumb

DC

Also Starring

Rupert Graves

Nick Savage

Barrister

Also Starring

Sean Maguire

Sean McCartney

PC

Also Starring

Danny Webb

Chris Crowley

DC

Also Starring

Steve Toussaint

Will Pemberton

DSI

Also Starring

Jing Lusi

Anna Ram

DC

Also Starring

text: Nick Savage[edit]

text: Nicholas "Nick" Savage (Rupert Graves) was a wealthy barrister and Rachel's ex-lover. After he abruptly breaks up with her in the first episode, she abuses her police resources to track him down, discovering he was in fact married with two sons. He had an apartment in the city centre, which Rachel blackmailed him into letting her move into by threatening to inform his wife Caroline (Louise Delamere) of their affair. Rachel finds out she is pregnant with Nick's baby and plans to have an abortion, though she ultimately decides against it. However, she later miscarries, which Nick takes advantage of to reclaim the apartment after Caroline learns of his infidelity anyway and kicks him out. Rachel soon discovers that Nick had an affair with a female juror whilst defending a client and business associate, which if made public would destroy his career.  When Nick hears of this, he gets back together with Rachel and (at her pressuring) proposes marriage, until Janet convinces Rachel he is only doing so to keep her from turning him in.  In the Series 1 finale Rachel narrowly avoids being killed by a hit-and-run driver; she eventually learns this was done at the behest of Savage, who is arrested and charged with attempted murder.

text: Savage does not appear in Series 2, but is mentioned throughout. In the third episode Gill discovers that the attempted murder charge has been dropped. He is later released without charge; upon learning of this, Rachel goes on a bender with Janet and lets out months worth of anger and misery over the fact that he essentially got away with ruining her life. In the Series 2 finale Savage is attacked and brutally beaten, later dying in hospital. Dominic, Rachel's brother, is revealed to be the attacker, claiming he was driven to it after hearing his sister's anguish; she chases him down and berates him, but ultimately chooses to let him run. In Series 3 he is caught and sent to prison after an investigation proves that Rachel had nothing to do with the attack.

text: Kevin Lumb[edit]

text: Detective Constable Kevin Lumb (Ben Batt) was the joker of the team.  Of the Detective Constables in MIT, he was the most overtly condescending and sexist, and yet he became upset and defensive when mocked for his arrogance and general incompetence. After failing his Sergeant's exam early in Series 3, he was told by Gill that he didn't deserve to be in her unit. Rachel, whose life he once saved whilst arresting a violent suspect, impulsively has sex with him during her marriage to Sean McCartney. At the time Rachel is hiding from Sean at Janet's; she brings Kevin there and they are soon discovered. Janet's outrage and Rachel's unapologetic attitude leads to a short but deep rift in their friendship. Rachel soon admits of the affair to Sean, who corners Kevin - the best man at the wedding - and punches him in the face before the rest of the office, exposing the relationship to all their colleagues. In the same episode, the unit is informed by Gill that Kevin has been fired and arrested for leaking information on a big murder case to the press (though earlier series imply this is not the first time he has done so).

text: Ian Mitchell[edit]

text: DC Ian Mitchell (David Prosho), known to his friends as Mitch, is a DC assigned to Syndicate 9. He often serves as support to Scott & Bailey, though on occasion he is called to make arrests. In series five, Ian loses his day-planner and inadvertently leaks information about a murder case to the press, infuriating Rachel, who is acting head of MIT at the time. To "prove [to Rachel that] he wasn't useless," Mitch enters a house on his own to confront an ex-Army officer suffering from PTSD, who stabs him in the throat; Mitch dies soon after.

text: Pete Readyough[edit]

text: DC Pete Readyough (Tony Mooney) is a Detective assigned to Syndicate 9.  Pete becomes more prominent during Series 3, as his personal and professional lives suffer after he drunkenly has sex with Rachel's mother at a wedding reception. His wife throws him out of their house and the team, with the exception of Janet, shows little sympathy. In series five, he is unable to accept Rachel as a superior officer and tends to openly challenge her authority.

text: Lee Broadhurst[edit]

text: DC Lee Broadhurst (Delroy Brown) is a Detective assigned to Syndicate 9.

text: Chris Crowley[edit]

text: DC Chris Crowley (Danny Webb) is assigned to Syndicate 9 in Series 4. He finds himself often partnered with and soon becomes close to Janet. The two engage in a short term relationship, though they later separate because "nice" became "boring". Crowley transferred to a different department shortly thereafter, before the events of Series 5.

text: Anna Ram[edit]

text: DC Anna Ram (Jing Lusi) is a Detective assigned to Syndicate 9. She was hired in Rachel's absence, and as such the two share an unspoken hostility during the fifth series. She is seen to be having a committed relationship with a woman, and doesn't drink alcohol.

text: Sean McCartney[edit]

text: PC Sean McCartney (Sean Maguire) first appears in Series 2 as an old flame of Rachel's. Over the course of an investigation they reconnect and become an item (to the chagrin of Kevin). Sean is any easygoing guy who never seems to get worked up about anything; though his persistent attempts to woo Rachel irritate her, he is supportive and always there to help when she needs it. Eventually he proposes marriage, going so far as to set a date and make the arrangements without telling her first. A reluctant Rachel agrees to the engagement in the Series 2 finale, after Sean turns up evidence exonerating her in a murder inquiry. Their wedding is shown in flashbacks in the second episode of Series 3. Rachel soon realizes the marriage was a mistake, as she never really wanted it, and after a one-night-stand with a stranger she has sex with Kevin Lumb (their best man). In the penultimate episode of Series 3 Rachel admits the affair to Sean, who attacks Kevin in the middle of the office, humiliating all three of them, before getting a divorce.

text: Will Pemberton[edit]

text: DSI Will Pemberton (Steve Toussaint) appears in Series 4 as the head of the Vice team.  He enters into a relationship with Rachel, and secures her a Vice secondment in London. The two later separate.

text: Recurring cast and characters[edit]

text: Overview[edit]

text:
Actor

Character

Role

Seasons

1

2

3

4

5

Sally Lindsay

Alison Bailey

Rachel's sister

Recurring

Harriet Waters

Taise Scott

Janet's daughter

Recurring

Sharon Flynn / Olivia Smith

Elise Scott

Janet's daughter

Recurring

Tony Pitts

Adrian Scott

Janet's husband

Recurring

Vincent Regan

Dave Murray

DCS / Gill's ex-husband

Recurring

Kevin Doyle

Geoff Hastings

Janet's friend / suspect

Recurring

Julia Deakin / Judy Holt

Mary Jackson

Pathologist

Recurring

Judith Barker

Dorothy Parsons

Janet's mother

Recurring

Liam Boyle

Dominic Bailey

Rachel's brother

Recurring

Tracie Bennett

Sharon Bailey

Rachel's mother

Recurring

Nicola Walker

Helen Bartlett

Suspect / witness

Recurring

Gregg Chillin

Neil Simpson

SCAS Detective

Recurring

text: Alison Bailey[edit]

text: Alison Bailey (Sally Lindsay) is Rachel's older sister and is married with children.  When their mother walked out, Alison essentially became the mother of the Bailey household, which she feels cost her the chance to do something with her life. As a result, she harbors a deep resentment of their mother. Alison's relationship with Rachel and Dominic is strained at times, because of her maternal instincts and occasional self-righteous behavior, but she tries very hard to support them. Sally Lindsay, who alongside Suranne Jones created the original idea for Scott & Bailey, has appeared in every series.

text: Dave Murray[edit]

text: DCS (Detective Chief Superintendent) Dave Murray (Vincent Regan), Gill's ex-husband, is well-known for his philandering ways and irresponsible attitude toward his work. He is father of her son, Sammy (Jake Roach) but left Gill when he got a 23-year-old uniform officer pregnant. In the first series Dave is acting Head of the Review Team while the head is away on maternity leave, causing friction between him and Gill.  In Series 1 he appears to be deeply jealous when Gill enters into a new relationship, which manifests itself in petty office sniping. During Series 2, in which his personal life collapses (to the delight of MIT), he barges into Gill's house and launches into a drunken speech that culminates in him tearfully asking her if she still has feelings for him; a visibly upset Gill nevertheless refuses to even consider giving him a second chance.

text: Mary Jackson[edit]

text: Mary Jackson (Julia Deakin in Series 2 and Judy Holt thereafter), or "Scary Mary" as she is nicknamed by the department, is one of the pathologists who carries out post-mortem examinations in the mortuary. Her morbid sense of humor plays well off of Gill Murray's more blunt attitude, especially since Gill has a habit of personally attending crime scenes and autopsies.

text: Dominic Bailey[edit]

text: Dominic Bailey (Liam Boyle), Rachel's younger brother, is introduced in Series 2. He had previously served a prison sentence for armed robbery. With nowhere to go after Alison throws him out, he ends up living with Rachel, who encourages him to look for work.  At one point she walks in on him selling sex to men in her home; outraged, she forces him to get tested for HIV, which comes back negative.  Dominic's stay with Rachel is marked by his irresponsibility and tendency to get in trouble; he nearly destroys her kitchen attempting to make a kettle of tea, and crashes her car during a joyride, which forces her to miss her Sergeant's exam. It is also suggested a few times that he had a drinking problem, and later on Alison and Rachel discuss the possibility that he is mentally slow. Despite her exasperation, Rachel continues to stand by him. In Series 3 he is charged with murder and goes back to prison, though not before he alleges that Rachel provoked him to commit the crime, which leads to her brief (re)arrest.

text: Sharon Bailey[edit]

text: Sharon Bailey (Tracie Bennett), Rachel's mother, appears in the third series after being mentioned several times in Series 1 and 2. She is a boisterous, impulsive alcoholic who abandoned her children and is loathed by Alison, though Rachel tries to forgive her. Sean McCartney discovers that she was the one who sent bouquets of flowers to Rachel throughout the first two series. She drunkenly has sex with DC Pete Readyough in a car park at Rachel and Sean's wedding reception, but they are caught by Gill. Sharon uses this to extort money from Pete until he decides to admit it to his wife. His professional reputation is tarnished (along with a brief decline in his competency), and his marriage collapses. In Series 4 Sharon appeals to Rachel for help when her latest boyfriend becomes violent with her.

text: Adrian Scott[edit]

text: Adrian "Ade" Scott (Tony Pitts), a geography teacher, was Janet's husband for twenty-five years. The pair have two teenage daughters, Taise and Elise (Sharon Flynn in Series 1 and Olivia Rose Smith from Series 2 onward). Early in Series two Ade walks out to live with his elderly father following various petty arguments with Janet's mother. Janet, at first appealing to him to stay, loses her temper and says she is fed up with his lazy, self-entitled behavior. Nevertheless, she continues to rely on him to help with their daughters and realizes just how much of their life he was responsible for maintaining. In the Series 2 finale Janet attempts a reconciliation, but this is ruined when Andy Roper spitefully reveals that his affair with Janet began long before their separation. Early in Series three, Ade admits he is seeing someone and tells Janet he wants a divorce.

text: Taise Scott[edit]

text: Taise Scott (Harriet Waters) is Janet's younger daughter. In series five she is arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography after taking photographs of her boyfriend's penis. In order to clear her daughter's name, Janet solicits further images on her behalf. It is implied that the case is subsequently dropped.

text: Dorothy Parsons[edit]

text: Dorothy Parsons (Judith Barker) is Janet's mother. Dorothy moves in with the family for three months while recuperating from a big operation, and later buys Ade's share of the house at Janet's suggestion. She is shown to be incredibly fond of Gill, though she dislikes Rachel.

text: Geoff Hastings[edit]

text: Geoff Hastings (Kevin Doyle) is the brother of Janet's murdered childhood friend Veronica. He persuades Janet to review the cold case, which a retired detective has connected to the unsolved murders of four other women over the years. Janet's friendship with Geoff causes tension with Andy Roper, who sees a romantic rival and behaves coldly toward him. When MIT investigates a new murder with the same MO, Rachel and Janet come to realize that Geoff is a serial killer, and Veronica was his first, albeit unintended, victim. He stabs and nearly kills Janet while fleeing her home but is later arrested. He pleads guilty to the murders and is sentenced to prison. In the fifth episode of Series 2 Geoff claims to have information regarding fifteen other murders he allegedly committed, but will only talk to Janet. Instead he plays mind games with her, in the process revealing her affair with Andy to Gill.  He also states that he made detailed diaries regarding the murders, but refuses to reveal where they are. Rachel, while on a bender, inadvertently guesses that the journals are buried with Geoff's mother, whom he loathed (and is implied to be the motivation for his killing spree). When asked about this Geoff becomes furious, validating Rachel's theory.

text: Helen Bartlett[edit]

text: Helen Bartlett (Nicola Walker) appears throughout Series 3 as the daughter of Joe and Eunice Bevan, who molested and murdered young boys for years, burying the bodies in their cellar. In the season premiere Helen becomes a suspect in Eunice's brutal murder, before Joe is found to be the killer. Helen later admits that Joe also killed her brother and forced her to bury the body, but this only results in Helen's arrest for denying lawful burial. Further investigation unearths the bodies of one of Helen's sisters under the floorboards of her parents' bedroom. A statement from the only surviving victim alleges that Helen was a willing participant in the rape, torture, and murder of the boys in the cellar; though this is proven to be untrue, it leads to a harassment campaign against Helen and her partner Louise by both public and press. In the series finale, a drunk and angry Helen takes Gill hostage, but ends up slitting her own wrists and bleeding to death. Walker's performance was lauded for the transformative way it "scene by scene dissolved into a dishevelled wreck";[4] in her first appearance, in episode one of the third series she looked "immaculate" working on a make-up counter in a department store, however, the veneer fades as her childhood trauma becomes apparent.[5]

text: Neil Simpson[edit]

text: Neil Simpson (Gregg Chillin) is a SCAS Detective who appears in the fifth series. He is instrumental in the closing of Rachel's first case as a DI, and the two appear to be friends.


question_text: who determines who holds the position of speaker of the house

root

text: Selection[edit]

text: The House of Representatives elects the Speaker of the House on the first day of every new Congress and in the event of the death, resignation or removal from the Chair of an incumbent Speaker.[8] The Clerk of the House of Representatives requests nominations: there are normally two, one from each major party (each party having previously met to decide on its nominee). The Clerk then calls the roll of the Representatives, each Representative indicating the surname of the candidate the Representative is supporting. Representatives are not restricted to voting for one of the nominated candidates and may vote for any person, even for someone who is not a member of the House at all. They may also abstain by voting "present".[9]

tag: p

text: Although no rule exists, based on tradition and practice from the earliest days of the nation, to be elected speaker a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, i.e. excluding those who abstain. If no candidate wins such a majority, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected. The last time repeated votes were required was in 1923, when the Speaker was elected on the ninth ballot.[9]

text: The new Speaker is then sworn in by the Dean of the United States House of Representatives, the chamber's longest-serving member.

text: In modern practice, the Speaker is chosen by the majority party from among its senior leaders either when a vacancy in the office arrives or when the majority party changes. Previous Speakers have been minority leaders (when the majority party changes, as they are already the House party leader, and as the minority leader are usually their party's nominee for Speaker), or majority leaders (upon departure of the current Speaker in the majority party), assuming that the party leadership hierarchy is followed. In the past, other candidates have included chairpersons of influential standing committees.

text: So far, the Democrats have always elevated their minority leader to the speakership upon reclaiming majority control of the House. However, Republicans have not always followed this leadership succession pattern. In 1919, Republicans bypassed James Robert Mann, R-IL, who had been Minority Leader for eight years, and elected a backbencher representative, Frederick H. Gillett, R-MA, to be Speaker. Mann had "angered many Republicans by objecting to their private bills on the floor," and was also a protégé of autocratic Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon (R-IL18) who had been Speaker from 1903 to 1911, and was still in the House.  Many members "suspected that he [Mann] would try to re-centralize power in his hands if elected Speaker."[10] More recently, although Robert H. Michel was Minority Leader in 1994 when the Republicans regained control of the House in the 1994 midterm elections, he had already announced his retirement and had little or no involvement in the campaign, including the "Contract with America", which was unveiled six weeks before Election Day. Michel opted not to seek re-election because he had been isolated in the caucus by Minority Whip Newt Gingrich and other younger and more aggressive Representatives.

text: It is expected that members of the House vote for their party's candidate. If they do not, they usually vote for someone else in their party or vote "present". Those who vote for the other party's candidate often face serious consequences, up to and including the loss of seniority. The last instance where a representative voted for the other party's candidate was in 2000, when Democrat Jim Traficant of Ohio voted for Republican Dennis Hastert. In response, the Democrats stripped him of his seniority and he lost all of his committee posts.

text: If the Speaker's party loses control of the House in an election, and if the Speaker and Majority Leader both remain in the leadership hierarchy, they would become the Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively. As the minority party has historically had one less leadership position after losing the Speaker's chair, there may be a contest for the remaining leadership positions; upon losing control of the House after the 2010 election, the Democrats created the position of Assistant Democratic Leader in order to prevent such a contest. Most Speakers whose party has lost control of the House have not returned to the party leadership (Tom Foley lost his seat, Dennis Hastert returned to the backbenches and resigned from the House in late 2007). However, Speakers Joseph William Martin, Jr. and Sam Rayburn did seek the post of Minority Leader in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Nancy Pelosi is the most recent example of an outgoing Speaker who was elected Minority Leader, after the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 elections.

text: History[edit]

text: The first Speaker was Frederick Muhlenberg:  he was elected as a Pro-Administration candidate to the 1st Congress, an Anti-Administration candidate to the 2nd and 3rd Congresses, and a Republican candidate to the 4th Congress,[11] according to the Biographical Directory of Congress, though Oswald Seidensticker wrote that he was elected as a Federalist for the first four Congresses.[12]

text: The position of Speaker started to gain its partisan role and its power in legislative development under Henry Clay (1811–1814, 1815–1820, and 1823–1825).[13] In contrast to many of his predecessors, Clay participated in several debates, and used his influence to procure the passage of measures he supported—for instance, the declaration of the War of 1812, and various laws relating to Clay's "American System" economic plan. Furthermore, when no candidate received an Electoral College majority in the 1824 presidential election causing the President to be elected by the House, Speaker Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson, thereby ensuring Adams' victory. Following Clay's retirement in 1825, the power of the speakership once again began to decline, despite speakership elections becoming increasingly bitter. As the Civil War approached, several sectional factions nominated their own candidates, often making it difficult for any candidate to attain a majority. In 1855 and again in 1859, for example, the contest for Speaker lasted for two months before the House achieved a result. During this time, Speakers tended to have very short tenures. For example, from 1839 to 1863 there were eleven Speakers, only one of whom served for more than one term. To date, James K. Polk is the only Speaker of the House later elected President of the United States.

text: Towards the end of the 19th century, the office of Speaker began to develop into a very powerful one. At the time, one of the most important sources of the Speaker's power was his position as Chairman of the Committee on Rules, which, after the reorganization of the committee system in 1880, became one of the most powerful standing committees of the House. Furthermore, several Speakers became leading figures in their political parties; examples include Democrats Samuel J. Randall, John Griffin Carlisle, and Charles F. Crisp, and Republicans James G. Blaine, Thomas Brackett Reed, and Joseph Gurney Cannon.

text: The power of the Speaker was greatly augmented during the tenure of the Republican Thomas Brackett Reed (1889–1891, 1895–1899). "Czar Reed", as he was called by his opponents,[14] sought to end the obstruction of bills by the minority, in particular by countering the tactic known as the "disappearing quorum".[15] By refusing to vote on a motion, the minority could ensure that a quorum would not be achieved, and that the result would be invalid. Reed, however, declared that members who were in the chamber but refused to vote would still count for the purposes of determining a quorum. Through these and other rulings, Reed ensured that the Democrats could not block the Republican agenda.

text: The speakership reached its apogee during the term of Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon (1903–1911). Cannon exercised extraordinary control over the legislative process. He determined the agenda of the House, appointed the members of all committees, chose committee chairmen, headed the Rules Committee, and determined which committee heard each bill. He vigorously used his powers to ensure that Republican proposals were passed by the House. In 1910, however, Democrats and several dissatisfied Republicans joined together to strip Cannon of many of his powers, including the ability to name committee members and his chairmanship of the Rules Committee.[16] Fifteen years later, Speaker Nicholas Longworth restored much, but not all, of the lost influence of the position.

text: One of the most influential Speakers in history was Democrat Sam Rayburn.[17] Rayburn was the longest-serving Speaker in history, holding office from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. He helped shape many bills, working quietly in the background with House committees. He also helped ensure the passage of several domestic measures and foreign assistance programs advocated by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Rayburn's successor, Democrat John W. McCormack (served 1962–1971), was a somewhat less influential speaker, particularly because of dissent from younger members of the Democratic Party. During the mid-1970s, the power of the speakership once again grew under Democrat Carl Albert. The Committee on Rules ceased to be a semi-independent panel, as it had been since 1910. Instead, it once again became an arm of the party leadership. Moreover, in 1975, the Speaker was granted the authority to appoint a majority of the members of the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the power of committee chairmen was curtailed, further increasing the relative influence of the Speaker.

text: Albert's successor, Democrat Tip O'Neill, was a prominent Speaker because of his public opposition to the policies of President Ronald Reagan. O'Neill is the longest continually serving Speaker, from 1977 through 1987. He challenged Reagan on domestic programs and on defense expenditures. Republicans made O'Neill the target of their election campaigns in 1980 and 1982 but Democrats managed to retain their majorities in both years.

text: The roles of the parties reversed in 1994 when, after spending forty years in the minority, the Republicans regained control of the House with the "Contract with America", an idea spearheaded by Minority Whip Newt Gingrich. Speaker Gingrich would regularly clash with Democratic President Bill Clinton, leading to the United States federal government shutdown of 1995 and 1996, in which Clinton was largely seen to have prevailed. Gingrich's hold on the leadership was weakened significantly by that and several other controversies, and he faced a caucus revolt in 1997. After the Republicans lost House seats in 1998 (although retaining a majority) he did not stand for a third term as Speaker. His successor, Dennis Hastert, had been chosen as a compromise candidate, since the other Republicans in the leadership were more controversial. Hastert played a much less prominent role than other contemporary Speakers, being overshadowed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and President George W. Bush. The Republicans came out of the 2000 elections with a further reduced majority but made small gains in 2002 and 2004. The periods of 2001–2002 and 2003–2007 were the first times since 1953–1955 that there was single-party Republican leadership in Washington, interrupted from 2001–2003 as Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican Party to become independent and caucused with Senate Democrats to give them a 51-49 majority.

text: In the 2006 midterm elections, the Democrats won a majority in the House. Nancy Pelosi became Speaker when the 110th Congress convened on January 4, 2007, making her the first female to hold the office. With the election of Barack Obama as President and Democratic gains in both houses of Congress, Pelosi became the first Speaker since Tom Foley to hold the office during single-party Democratic leadership in Washington.[18] During the 111th Congress, Pelosi was the driving force behind several of Obama's major initiatives that proved controversial, and the Republicans campaigned against the Democrats' legislation by staging a "Fire Pelosi" bus tour[19] and regained control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections. House Minority Leader John Boehner was elected as Speaker.[20]

text: Notable elections[edit]

text:
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text: Historically, there have been several controversial elections to the speakership, such as the contest of 1839. In that case, even though the 26th United States Congress convened on December 2, the House could not begin the speakership election until December 14 because of an election dispute in New Jersey known as the "Broad Seal War". Two rival delegations, one Whig and the other Democrat, had been certified as elected by different branches of the New Jersey government. The problem was compounded by the fact that the result of the dispute would determine whether the Whigs or the Democrats held the majority. Neither party agreed to permit a speakership election with the opposite party's delegation participating. Finally, it was agreed to exclude both delegations from the election and a Speaker was finally chosen on December 17.

text: Another, more prolonged fight occurred in 1855 in the 34th United States Congress. The old Whig Party had collapsed but no single party had emerged to replace it. Candidates opposing the Democrats had run under a bewildering variety of labels, including Whig, Republican, American (Know Nothing), and simply "Opposition". By the time Congress actually met in December 1855, most of the northerners were concentrated together as Republicans, while most of the southerners and a few northerners used the American or Know Nothing label. Opponents of the Democrats held a majority in House, with the party makeup of the 234 Representatives being 83 Democrats, 108 Republicans, and 43 Know Nothings (primarily southern oppositionists). The Democratic minority nominated William Alexander Richardson of Illinois as Speaker, but because of sectional distrust, the various oppositionists were unable to agree on a single candidate for Speaker. The Republicans supported Nathaniel Prentiss Banks of Massachusetts, who had been elected as a Know Nothing but was now largely identified with the Republicans. The southern Know Nothings supported first Humphrey Marshall of Kentucky, and then Henry M. Fuller of Pennsylvania. The voting went on for almost two months with no candidate able to secure a majority, until it was finally agreed to elect the Speaker by plurality vote, and Banks was elected.[22] The House found itself in a similar dilemma when the 36th Congress met in December 1859. Although the Republicans held a plurality, the Republican candidate, John Sherman, was unacceptable to southern oppositionists due to his anti-slavery views, and once again the House was unable to elect a Speaker for several months. After Democrats allied with southern oppositionists to nearly elect the North Carolina oppositionist William N. H. Smith, Sherman finally withdrew in favor of compromise candidate William Pennington of New Jersey, a former Whig of unclear partisan loyalties, who was finally elected Speaker at the end of January 1860.[23]

text: The last speakership elections in which the House had to vote more than once occurred in the 65th and 72nd United States Congress. In 1917, neither the Republican nor the Democratic candidate could attain a majority because three members of the Progressive Party and other individual members of other parties voted for their own party. The Republicans had a plurality in the House but James "Champ" Clark remained Speaker of the House because of the support of the Progressive Party members. In 1931, both the Republicans and the Democrats had 217 members with the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party having one member who served as the deciding vote. The Farmer-Labor Party eventually voted for the Democrats' candidate for Speaker, John Nance Garner, who later became Vice President under Franklin Roosevelt.

text: In 1997, several Republican congressional leaders tried to force Speaker Newt Gingrich to resign. However, Gingrich refused since that would have required a new election for Speaker, which could have led to Democrats along with dissenting Republicans voting for Democrat Dick Gephardt (then Minority Leader) as Speaker. After the 1998 midterm elections where the Republicans lost seats, Gingrich did not stand for re-election. The next two figures in the House Republican leadership hierarchy, Majority Leader Richard Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay, chose not to run for the office. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Bob Livingston, declared his bid for the speakership, which was unopposed, making him Speaker-designate. It was then revealed, by Livingston himself, who had been publicly critical of President Bill Clinton's perjury during his sexual harassment trial, that he had engaged in an extramarital affair. He opted to resign from the House, despite being urged to stay on by House Democratic leader Gephardt. Subsequently, chief deputy whip Dennis Hastert was selected as Speaker. The Republicans retained their majorities in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections.

text: The Democrats won a majority of seats in the 2006 midterm elections. On November 16, 2006, Nancy Pelosi, who was then Minority Leader, was selected as Speaker-designate by House Democrats.[24] When the 110th Congress convened on January 4, 2007, she was elected as the 52nd Speaker by a vote of 233-202, becoming the first woman elected Speaker of the House.[25] Pelosi remained Speaker through the 111th Congress. For the 112th Congress, Republican John Boehner was unanimously designated Speaker-designate by House Republicans and was elected the 53rd Speaker of the House. As a show of dissent, nineteen Democratic representatives voted for Democrats other than Pelosi, who had been chosen as House Minority Leader and the Democrats' candidate for Speaker.

text: Partisan role[edit]

text: The Constitution does not spell out the political role of the Speaker. As the office has developed historically, however, it has taken on a clearly partisan cast, very different from the speakership of most Westminster-style legislatures, such as the Speaker of the British House of Commons, which is meant to be scrupulously non-partisan. The Speaker in the United States, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives, outranking the Majority Leader. However, despite having the right to vote, the Speaker usually does not participate in debate and rarely votes.

text: The Speaker is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. In pursuing this goal, the Speaker may use their power to determine when each bill reaches the floor. They also chair the majority party's steering committee in the House. While the Speaker is the functioning head of the House majority party, the same is not true of the President pro tempore of the Senate, whose office is primarily ceremonial and honorary.

text: When the Speaker and the President belong to the same party, the Speaker tends to play the role in a more ceremonial light, as seen when Dennis Hastert played a very low-key role during the presidency of fellow Republican George W. Bush. Nevertheless, there are times when the Speaker plays a much larger role if the President is a fellow member of their party, and thus, the Speaker is tasked with pushing through the agenda of the majority party, often at the expense of the minority opposition. This can be seen, most of all, in the speakership of Democratic-Republican Henry Clay, who personally ensured the presidential victory of fellow Democratic-Republican John Quincy Adams. Democrat Sam Rayburn was a key player in the passing of New Deal legislation under the presidency of fellow Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon (under Theodore Roosevelt) was particularly infamous for his marginalization of the minority Democrats and centralizing of authority to the speakership. In more recent times, Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a role in continuing the push for health care reform during the presidency of fellow Democrat Barack Obama.[26] The Republicans campaigned against Pelosi and the Democrats' legislation with their "Fire Pelosi" bus tour.[19]

text: On the other hand, when the Speaker and the President belong to opposite parties, the public role and influence of the Speaker tend to increase. As the highest-ranking member of the opposition party (and de facto Leader of the Opposition), the Speaker is normally the chief public opponent of the President's agenda. In this scenario, the Speaker is known for undercutting the President's agenda by blocking measures by the minority party or rejecting bills by the Senate. One famous instance came in the form of Thomas Brackett Reed (under Grover Cleveland), a Speaker notorious for his successful attempt to force the Democrats to vote on measures where the Republicans had clear majorities, which ensured that Cleveland's Democrats were in no position to challenge the Republicans in the House. Joseph Cannon was particularly unique in that he led the conservative "Old Guard" wing of the Republican Party, while his President – Theodore Roosevelt – was of the more progressive clique, and more than just marginalizing the Democrats, Cannon used his power to punish the dissidents in his party and obstruct the progressive wing of the Republican Party.

text: More modern examples include Tip O'Neill, who was a vocal opponent of President Ronald Reagan's economic and defense policies; Newt Gingrich, who fought a bitter battle with President Bill Clinton for control of domestic policy; Nancy Pelosi, who argued with President George W. Bush over the Iraq War;[20] and John Boehner, who clashed with President Barack Obama over budget issues and health care.[27]

text: Presiding officer[edit]

text: As presiding officer of the House of Representatives, the Speaker holds a variety of powers over the House and is ceremonially the highest-ranking legislative official in the US government.[28] The Speaker may delegate his powers to a member of the House to act as Speaker pro tempore and preside over the House in the Speaker's absence; when this has occurred the delegation has always been to a member of the same party.[29] During important debates, the Speaker pro tempore is ordinarily a senior member of the majority party who may be chosen for his skill in presiding. At other times, more junior members may be assigned to preside to give them experience with the rules and procedures of the House. The Speaker may also designate, with approval of the House, a Speaker pro tempore for special purposes, such as designating a Representative whose district is near Washington, D.C. to sign enrolled bills during long recesses.

text: Under the Rules of the House, the Speaker, "as soon as practicable after the election of the Speaker and whenever appropriate thereafter," must deliver to the Clerk of the House a confidential list of Members who are designated to act as Speaker in the case of a vacancy or physical inability of the Speaker to perform their duties.[30]

text: On the floor of the House, the presiding officer is always addressed as "Mister Speaker" or "Madam Speaker," even if it is a Speaker pro tempore, and not the Speaker themselves. When the House resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker designates a member to preside over the Committee as the Chairman, who is addressed as "Mister Chairman" or "Madam Chairwoman." To speak, members must seek the presiding officer's recognition. The presiding officer also rules on all points of order but such rulings may be appealed to the whole House. The Speaker is responsible for maintaining decorum in the House and may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to enforce House rules.

text: The Speaker's powers and duties extend beyond presiding in the chamber. In particular, the Speaker has great influence over the committee process. The Speaker selects nine of the thirteen members of the powerful Committee on Rules, subject to the approval of the entire majority party. The leadership of the minority party chooses the remaining four members. Furthermore, the Speaker appoints all members of select committees and conference committees. Moreover, when a bill is introduced, the Speaker determines which committee will consider it. As a member of the House, the Speaker is entitled to participate in debate and to vote but, by custom, only does so in exceptional circumstances. Ordinarily, the Speaker votes only when the Speaker's vote would be decisive or on matters of great importance, such as constitutional amendments or major legislation.[31]

text: Other functions[edit]

text: Because joint sessions and joint meetings of Congress are held in the House chamber, the Speaker presides over joint sessions to hear addresses by the President, and joint meetings to hear addresses from foreign leaders or other invited guests. However, the Twelfth Amendment and 3 U.S.C. § 15 require that the President of the Senate preside over joint sessions of Congress assembled to count electoral votes and to certify the results of a presidential election.

text: The Speaker is also responsible for overseeing the officers of the House: the Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Chief Administrative Officer, and the Chaplain. The Speaker can dismiss any of these officers. The Speaker appoints the House Historian and the General Counsel and, jointly with the Majority and Minority Leaders, appoints the House Inspector General.

text: The Speaker is second in the presidential line of succession, immediately after the Vice President, under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. The Speaker is followed in the line of succession by the President pro tempore of the Senate and by the heads of federal executive departments.

text: To date, the implementation of the Presidential Succession Act has never been necessary and no Speaker has ever acted as President. Implementation of the law almost became necessary in 1973 after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew. At the time, many believed that President Richard Nixon would resign because of the Watergate scandal, allowing Speaker Carl Albert to succeed to the Presidency. However, before he resigned, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as Vice President in accordance with the Twenty-fifth Amendment. Nevertheless, the United States government takes the Speaker's place in the line of succession seriously enough that, for example, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Speakers used military jets to fly back and forth to their districts and for other travel until Speaker Boehner discontinued the practice in 2011. The Speaker of the House is one of the officers to whom declarations of presidential inability or ability to resume the Presidency must be addressed under the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

text: Most recent election for speaker[edit]

text:
Candidate

Votes

%

✓ Paul Ryan (R)

239

55.2%

Nancy Pelosi (D)

189

43.6%

Tim Ryan (D)

2

0.5%

Jim Cooper (D)

1

0.2%

John Lewis (D)

1

0.2%

Dan Webster (R)

1

0.2%

Total

433

Not voting

2

Vacant

0

text: To be elected as Speaker, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, excluding those who abstain.[32] The most recent election for the post of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives took place on January 3, 2017, during the opening day of the 115th United States Congress. The incumbent speaker, Paul Ryan, was re-elected.