List of speakers of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
The speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives is the highest official in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
History
From 1663 until 1842, Rhode Island's governing state constitution was its original colonial charter granted by King Charles II of England, a political anomaly considering that while most states during the War of Independence and afterwards wrote scores of new constitutions with their newly found independence in mind, Rhode Island instead continued with a document stamped by an English king. By the 1840s, Rhode Island was the only state whose official legal document was passed by a foreign monarch and the document essentially restricted voting rights to a very small population of elite, rural, landowning native-born white males.In September 1842, a Constitutional Convention was held at the Colony House in Newport to confront the issue of expanding suffrage. When the constitution was put to a public vote in November 1842, voters rejected that voting rights should be restricted to whites only by a three to one margin, thus making Rhode Island the first state to grant suffrage to African-Americans. The new constitution was ratified and the constitution became effective in May 1843.
Selection
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 leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation.List of speakers
Colonial period
Note:| Speaker | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes |
| Jonathan Holmes | Oct. 1696 | Oct. 1698 | ||
| Joseph Jenckes Jr. | Oct. 1698 | Feb. 1699 | Founder of Pawtucket, Rhode Island; his son, Joseph, became the Colony's governor | |
| Benjamin Newberry | Feb. 1699 | Apr. 1700 | ||
| Jonathan Holmes | Apr. 1700 | May 1703 | ||
| Benjamin Barton | Oct. 1703 | May 1704 | ||
| John Rogers | May 1704 | Oct. 1704 | ||
| John Dexter | Oct. 1704 | May 1705 | ||
| William Wanton | May 1705 | May 1706 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Benjamin Arnold | May 1706 | Feb. 1707 | ||
| John Wanton | Feb. 1707 | May 1707 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740; brother to William Wanton | |
| Joseph Jenckes | May 6, 1707 | May 28, 1707 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1732 | |
| James Greene | May 1707 | Oct. 1707 | ||
| Richard Arnold | Oct. 1707 | May 1708 | ||
| Joseph Jenckes | May 1708 | Oct. 1708 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1732 | |
| William Wanton | Oct. 1708 | May 1709 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Simon Smith | May 1709 | Oct. 1709 | ||
| Abraham Anthony | Oct. 1709 | May 1710 | ||
| John Wanton | May 1710 | Oct. 1710 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740; brother to William Wanton | |
| William Wanton | Oct. 1710 | Nov. 1711 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| James Green | Nov. 1711 | Feb. 1712 | ||
| John Spencer | Feb. 1712 | May 1712 | ||
| Ebenezer Slocum | May 1712 | May 1713 | ||
| John Wanton | May 1713 | Oct. 1713 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740; brother to William Wanton | |
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1713 | Oct. 1714 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| Randall Holden Jr. | Oct. 1714 | May 1715 | Son of Randall Holden, co-founder of Portsmouth and Warwick | |
| William Wanton | May 1715 | Oct. 1715 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| William Hopkins | Oct. 1715 | May 1716 | Nephew of Benedict Arnold, 1st Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| John Cranston Jr. | May 1716 | Oct. 1716 | ||
| William Wanton | Oct. 1716 | Oct. 1717 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1717 | May 1718 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Wanton | May 1718 | Oct. 1718 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Nathaniel Sheffield | Oct. 1718 | May 1719 | ||
| William Wanton | May 1719 | May 1722 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Thomas Frye | May 1722 | Oct. 1722 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Coddington III | Oct. 1722 | Feb. 1723 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| William Wanton | Feb. 1723 | May 1724 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| William Coddington III | May 5, 1724 | May 6, 1724 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| Thomas Frye | May 1724 | Oct. 1724 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Coddington III | Oct. 1724 | Oct. 1725 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1725 | May 1726 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Coddington III | May 1726 | Oct. 1726 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| Jeremiah Gould | Oct. 1726 | Aug. 1727 | ||
| Thomas Frye | Aug. 1727 | Oct. 1727 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| Job Greene | Oct. 1727 | Apr. 1728 | ||
| Henry Bull | Apr. 1728 | May 1729 | Also served as Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1721 to 1722; was a great-grandson of Governor Henry Bull | |
| Samuel Clarke | May 1729 | Oct. 1729 | ||
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1729 | May 1730 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| Samuel Clarke | May 1730 | Oct. 1732 | ||
| George Hazard | Oct. 1732 | May 1733 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1738; father of Carder Hazard and cousin of Robert Hazard | |
| Jeremiah Gould | May 1733 | Jun. 1733 | ||
| George Hazard | Jun. 1733 | Jul. 1733 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1738; father of Carder Hazard and cousin of Robert Hazard | |
| Jeremiah Gould | Jul. 1733 | Oct. 1733 | ||
| Samuel Clarke | Oct. 1733 | May 1734 | ||
| Henry Bull | Apr. 30, 1734 | May 5, 1734 | Also served as Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1721 to 1722; was a great-grandson of Governor Henry Bull | |
| William Greene | May 1734 | Oct. 1734 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island in 1743, serving four separate terms for a total of 11 years; father of William Greene | |
| Samuel Clarke | Oct. 1734 | Oct. 1735 | ||
| William Robinson | Oct. 1735 | May 1736 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1745 to 1746 and 1747 to 1748 | |
| Francis Willett | May 1736 | Oct. 1736 | ||
| Samuel Clarke | Oct. 1736 | May 1737 | ||
| Francis Willett | May 1737 | Oct. 1737 | ||
| Daniel Abbott | Oct. 1737 | May 1738 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1738 to 1740 | |
| Thomas Spenser | May 1738 | Oct. 1738 | ||
| Stephen Hopkins | Oct. 1738 | May 1739 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| Francis Willett | May 1739 | Jul. 1739 | ||
| William Greene | Jul. 1739 | Oct. 1739 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island in 1743, serving four separate terms for a total of 11 years; father of William Greene | |
| Stephen Hopkins | Oct. 1739 | May 1740 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| Samuel Clarke | May 1740 | May 1741 | ||
| Stephen Hopkins | May 1741 | Jun. 1741 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| Joseph Whipple | Jun. 1741 | Aug. 1741 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1743 to 1745 and 1746 to 1747; son of Col. Joseph Whipple | |
| Stephen Hopkins | Aug. 1741 | Oct. 1741 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| William Robinson | Oct. 1741 | Oct. 1742 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1745 to 1746 and 1747 to 1748 | |
| Stephen Hopkins | Oct. 1742 | May 1743 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| John Potter | May 1743 | Oct. 1743 | ||
| Joseph Stafford | Oct. 1743 | May 1744 | ||
| Stephen Hopkins | May 1744 | Nov. 1744 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| Peter Bours | Nov. 1744 | Oct. 1746 | ||
| Jeremiah Niles | Oct. 1746 | Feb. 1747 | ||
| Samuel Wickham | Feb. 1747 | Oct. 1747 | ||
| Daniel Jencks | Oct. 1747 | Oct. 1748 | ||
| Thomas Cranston | Oct. 1748 | May 1749 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1762 to 1764 | |
| Stephen Hopkins | May 1749 | Aug. 1749 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence | |
| Joshua Babcock | Aug. 1749 | May 1750 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1763 and from 1749 to 1751 | |
| Thomas Cranston | May 1750 | May 1757 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1762 to 1764 | |
| Benjamin Wickham | May 1757 | Oct. 1757 | ||
| Peter Bours | Oct. 1757 | May 1759 | ||
| Joshua Babcock | May 1759 | Oct. 1759 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1763 and from 1749 to 1751 | |
| Job Randal | Oct. 1759 | May 1760 | ||
| Thomas Cranston | May 1760 | May 1762 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1762 to 1764 | |
| Daniel Aryault Jr. | May 1762 | Oct. 1762 | ||
| Philip Greene | Oct. 1762 | May 1763 | ||
| John Dexter | May 1763 | May 1764 | ||
| Daniel Aryault | May 1764 | Oct. 1764 | ||
| William Bradford | Oct. 1764 | Oct. 1765 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Richard Bailey | Oct. 1765 | May 1766 | ||
| William Bradford | May 1766 | May 1767 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| John Cole | May 1767 | Feb. 1768 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1764 to 1765 | |
| Metcalf Bowler | Feb. 1768 | Nov. 1776 | Also served as justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1768 to 1769, 1770 to 1776, and as Chief Justice from 1776 to 1777 |