List of Speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives


This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leader, and controls the flow of legislation. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the House.

House of Deputies of the [Massachusetts Bay Colony]

Inter-Charter Period

SpeakerPartyYears ↑TownElectoral history
Thomas Oakes1689Boston
John Bowles1698–1690Boston
Penn Townsend1690–1691Salem
William Bond1691–1692Watertown
Penn Townsend1692Salem

Second Charter of the [Province of Massachusetts Bay]

House of Representatives under the [Massachusetts Constitution]

SpeakerPortraitPartyYears ↑City or Town Electoral history
Caleb Davis-1780–1782BostonResigned
Nathaniel Gorham-1782–1783Charlestown
Tristram Dalton-1783–1784NewburyElected to State Senate
Samuel Allyne Otis-1784–1785Barnstable
Nathaniel Gorham-1785–1786Charlestown
Artemas Ward-1786–1787Shrewsbury
James Warren-1787–1788Plymouth
Theodore SedgwickPro-Administration1788–1789SheffieldElected to the U.S. House of Representatives
David CobbPro-Administration1789–1793TauntonElected to the U.S. House of Representatives
Edward RobbinsDemocratic-Republican1793–1802BostonElected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
John Coffin JonesFederalist1802–1803Boston
Harrison Gray OtisFederalist1803–1805BostonElected to the State Senate
Timothy BigelowFederalist1805–1806WorcesterParty lost majority
Perez MortonDemocratic-Republican1806–1808DorchesterParty lost majority
Timothy BigelowFederalist1808–1810WorcesterParty lost majority
Perez MortonDemocratic-Republican1810–1811DorchesterResigned
Joseph StoryDemocratic-Republican1811–1812SalemResigned when appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Eleazer RipleyDemocratic-Republican1812WatervilleJoined United States Army
Timothy BigelowFederalist1812–1820Worcester
Elijah H. MillsFederalist1820–1821NorthamptonElected to the U.S. House of Representatives
Josiah Quincy IIIFederalist1821–1822BostonResigned to become Judge of Boston Municipal Court
Luther LawrenceFederalist1822LowellParty lost majority
Levi Lincoln, Jr.National Republican1822–1823WorcesterElected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
William C. JarvisNational Republican1823–1825WoburnParty lost majority
Timothy FullerDemocratic-Republican1825–1826CambridgeportParty lost majority
William C. JarvisNational Republican1826–1828Woburn
William B. CalhounNational Republican1828–1834SpringfieldElected to the U.S. House of Representatives
Julius RockwellWhig1835–1837PittsfieldResigned when appointed commissioner of the Bank of Massachusetts
Robert Charles WinthropWhig1838–1840BostonElected to the U.S. House of Representatives
George AshmunWhig1841Blandford
Thomas H. KinnicuttWhig1842Worcester
Daniel P. KingWhig1843South Danvers
Thomas H. KinnicuttWhig1844WorcesterResigned
Samuel H. Walley, Jr.Whig1844–1846Boston
Ebenezer BradburyWhig1847Newburyport
Francis CrowninshieldWhig1848–1849Boston
Ensign H. KelloggWhig1850Pittsfield
Nathaniel Prentice BanksDemocratic/Free Soil Coalition1851–1852WalthamElected to the U.S. House of Representatives
George BlissWhig1853Springfield
Otis P. LordWhig1854SalemParty lost majority
Daniel C. EddyKnow Nothing1855Lowell
Charles A. PhelpsKnow Nothing1856–1857BostonElected to the Massachusetts Senate; Party Lost election
Julius RockwellRepublican1858PittsfieldResigned when appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court
Charles HaleRepublican1859Boston
John A. GoodwinRepublican1860–1861Lowell
Alexander Hamilton BullockRepublican1862–1865WorcesterElected Governor of Massachusetts
James M. StoneRepublican1866–1867Charlestown
Harvey JewellRepublican1868–1871Boston
John E. SanfordRepublican1872–1875Taunton
John Davis LongRepublican1876–1878HinghamElected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Levi C. WadeRepublican1879Newton
Charles J. NoyesRepublican1880–1882Boston
George Augustus MardenRepublican1883–1884Lowell
John Q. A. BrackettRepublicanJanuary 7, 1885 –
1886		Boston Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Charles J. NoyesRepublican1887–1888Boston
William Emerson BarrettRepublican1889–1893Melrose Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
George von Lengerke MeyerRepublican1894–1896Boston
John Lewis BatesRepublican1897–1899Boston Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
James J. MyersRepublican1900–1903Cambridge Retired
Louis A. FrothinghamRepublican1904–1905Boston Left House to run for governor
John N. ColeRepublican1906–1908Andover Left House to run for Lieutenant Governor
Joseph H. WalkerRepublican1909–1911Brookline Left House to run for governor
Grafton D. CushingRepublican1912–1914Boston Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Channing H. CoxRepublican1915–1918Boston Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Joseph E. WarnerRepublican1919–1920Taunton Lost primary for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts to Alvan Fuller
Benjamin Loring YoungRepublican1921–1924Weston
John C. HullRepublican1925–1929Leominster Retired
Leverett SaltonstallRepublican1929–1936Chestnut Hill Defeated for election as Lieutenant Governor by Francis E. Kelly
Horace T. CahillRepublican1937–1938Braintree Elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Christian HerterRepublican1939–1942Boston Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
Rudolph KingRepublican1943–1944Millis Resigned to run become Registrar of Motor Vehicles
Frederick WillisRepublican1945–1948Saugus Party lost majority
Thomas P. O'NeillDemocratic1949–1952Cambridge Party lost majority; O'Neill elected to U.S. House of Representatives
Charles GibbonsRepublican1953–1954Stoneham Party lost majority
Michael F. SkerryDemocratic1955–1957Medford Resigned when appointed Clerk of the Malden District Court
John F. ThompsonDemocratic1958–1964Ludlow Resigned after being indicted on charges of conspiracy and bribery
John DavorenDemocratic1965–1967Milford Resigned when appointed Secretary of the Commonwealth
Robert H. QuinnDemocratic1967–1969Boston Elected Massachusetts Attorney General
David M. BartleyDemocratic1969–1975Holyoke Resigned to become President of Holyoke Community College
Thomas W. McGeeDemocratic1975–1984Lynn Defeated by Keverian in leadership challenge
George KeverianDemocratic1985–1990Everett Retired to run for State Treasurer
Charles FlahertyDemocratic1991 –
April 9, 1996		Cambridge Resigned: pleaded guilty to tax evasion
Thomas FinneranDemocraticApril 9, 1996 –
September 28, 2004		Mattapan Resigned due to allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice
Salvatore DiMasiDemocraticSeptember 28, 2004 –
January 27, 2009		 Boston Resigned: convicted of conspiracy, honest services fraud, and extortion
Robert DeLeoDemocraticJanuary 27, 2009 –
present		Winthrop Current Speaker