SPEAKER

This article appears in Volume V25, Page 616 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: SOU-STE

SPEAKER , a title of the presiding officer in the legislatures of various countries. In the English parliament the lord chancellor acts as Speaker of the House of Lords, but should his office be in commission the Crown usually appoints a Speaker to supply his place, a case in point being that of Sir L. Shadwell, vice-chancellor, who in 1835 was appointed Speaker during the time the Great Seal was in commission. Unlike the House of Commons, the Speaker of the House of Lords need not necessarily be a member of the House; Brougham in 1830 sat on the woolsack as Speaker in his capacity of lord chancellor, being then plain Mr Brougham, his patent of nobility not having yet been made out. The House of Lords has also deputy Speakers who are appointed by commission. The duties of the Speaker of the House of Lords are defined by a

standing

STANDING

order as follows: " The lord chancellor, when he speaks to the House, is always to speak uncovered, and is not to adjourn the House, or to do anything else as mouth of the House, without the consent of the Lords first had, except the ordinary thing about bills, which are of course, wherein the Lords may likewise over-rule; as for preferring one bill before another, and such-like; and in case of difference among the Lords, it is to be put to the question; and if the lord chancellor will speak to anything particularly he is to go to his own place as a peer." The Speaker of the House of Lords, as compared with the Speaker of the House of Commons, is an official without power; even his seat, the woolsack, is technically outside the House. Contrary to the practice in the Commons, he acts as a strong party man, making speeches on behalf of government measures from his place as a peer. Proposals have from time to time been made for augmenting the powers of the Speaker of the House of Lords, but it has been pointed out that, as he is a minister of the Crown, and not chosen by the House itself, and moreover is often the member of the least experience in the House, it would be inexpedient that he should exercise the same powers as the Speaker of the Commons.
The Speaker of the House of Commons is always a member of that House, and though chosen by the members themselves (subject to the approval of the sovereign) from one of the great political parties, he never either votes (except in the case of a tie) or speaks in his capacity as a member during the time he holds office. His duty is to enforce the observance of the rules laid down for preserving order in the proceedings of the
A

list

of Speakers, most of whom are separately noticed, from 1600 is appended. The date of election is given in brackets:
J. Croke (16oi). Sir T. Hanmer (1714).
Sir E. Phelips (1604). *S. Compton (1715)
Sir R. Crewe (1614). (

Earl

EARL

of Wilmington).
T. Richardson (1621). *5A. Onslow (1728).
*'Sir T. Crewe (1624). *Sir J. Cust (1761).
Sir H. Finch (1626). *Sir Fletcher Norton (1770)
Sir J. Finch (1628). (Lord Grandy).
J. Glanville (164o). *C. W.

Cornwall

CORNWALL

(1780).
*2W. Lenthall (164o). W. W. Grenville (1789)
H. Pelham (1647). (Lord Grenville).
F. Rous (1653). *6H. Addington (1789)
Sir T. Widdrington (1656). (Viscount Sidmouth).
C. Chute (1659). Sir J. Mitford (18o1)
Sir L. Long (1659). (Lord

Redesdale

REDESDALE, JOHN

).
T. Bampfylde (1659). *C. Abbott (1802)
W. Say (166o). (Lord Colchester).
Sir H. Grimston (166o). *7H. C. M. Sutton (1817)
Sir E. Turnour (1661). (Viscount Canterbury).
Sir J. Charlton (1673). *J. Abercromby (1835)
*E. Seymour (1673). (Lord Dunfermline).
Sir R. Sawyer (1678). *C. Shaw Lefevre (1841)
Sir W. Gregory (1679). (Viscount Eversley).
*W. Williams (168o). *J. E. Denison (1857).
#3Sir J. Trevor (1685). (Viscount Ossington).
H. Powle (1689). *H. B. Brand (1872)
P. Foley (1695). (Viscount Hampden).
Sir T. Littleton (1698). *A. W. Peel (1884)
*R. Harley (1701) (Viscount Peel).
(

Earl

EARL

of Oxford). *W. C. Gully (1895)
4J. Smith (1705). (Viscount Selby).
Sir R. Onslow (1708). *J. W. Lowther (1905). W. Bromley (1710).
* Speaker in more than one parliament.
The title of Speaker is also applied to the presiding officer of the various legislative assemblies in the British colonies, that of president being applied to the presiding officer of the upper houses, legislative councils as they are usually called. In Canada, however, the presiding officer both of the Senate and the House of Commons is termed Speaker. In the United States the Speaker of the House of Representatives is an officer of considerable power (see UNITED STATES: ConstitutionandGovernment).
Au'rxoRITIES.Stubbs, Constitutional History; J. A.

Manning

MANNING, HENRY EDWARD (1808-1892)

, Lives of the Speakers (185o) ; E. Lummis, The Speaker's Chair
i Brother of Sir R. Crewe.
I Speaker of the Long Parliament.
3 Convicted of bribery and expelled, 1695.
4 First Speaker of the Commons of Great Britain.
5 Nephew of Sir R. Onslow, Speaker in 1708 and great-greatgreat-grandson of R. Onslow, Speaker in the second parliament of Elizabeth. Arthur Onslow was the second Speaker to be elected five times; the first Speaker to be so elected was Thomas Chaucer in the reign of Henry V. Onslow also held the Speakership for the longest period (1727-1761).
6 Afterwards_ prime minister. Was first Speaker of the Commons of the United Kingdom.
7 First to be Speaker six times and seven times.
(19oo); for the United States, J.

Bryce

BRYCE, JAMES (1838- )

, American Common-wealth, M. P. Follett's The Speaker of the House of Representatives (New

York

YORK
YORK (HOUSE OF)
YORK, EDMUND OF
LANGLEY
- LANGLEY, SAMUEL PIERPONT (1834-1906)
, DUKE OF (1341-1402)
YORK, EDWARD
YORK, FREDERICK
AUGUSTUS
- AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)
, DUKE OF (1763-1827)
YORK, RICHARD, DUKE

, 1896) ; H. B. Fuller, Speakers of the House (Boston, 1909).

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