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SPEAKER

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Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 616 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SPEAKER , a See also:

title of the presiding officer in the legislatures of various countries. In the See also:English See also:parliament the See also:lord See also:chancellor acts as Speaker of the See also:House of Lords, but should his See also:office be in See also:commission the See also:Crown usually appoints a Speaker to See also:supply his See also:place, a See also:case in point being that of See also:Sir L. See also:Shadwell, See also:vice-chancellor, who in 1835 was appointed Speaker during the See also:time the See also:Great See also:Seal was in commission. Unlike the House of See also:Commons, the Speaker of the House of Lords need not necessarily be a member of the House; See also:Brougham in 1830 sat on the See also:woolsack as Speaker in his capacity of lord chancellor, being then See also:plain Mr Brougham, his patent of See also:nobility not having yet been made out. The House of Lords has also See also:deputy Speakers who are appointed by commission. The duties of the Speaker of the House of Lords are defined by a See also:standing See also: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 See also:ordinary thing about bills, which are of course, wherein the Lords may likewise over-See also:rule; as for preferring one See also: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 See also:official without See also:power; even his seat, the woolsack, is technically outside the House. Contrary to the practice in the Commons, he acts as a strong party See also:man, making speeches on behalf of See also:government See also:measures from his place as a peer. Proposals have from time to time been made for augmenting the See also:powers of the Speaker of the House of Lords, but it has been pointed out that, as he is a See also: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 See also:sovereign) from one of the great See also: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 See also:duty is to enforce the observance of the rules laid down for preserving order in the proceedings of the A See also:list of Speakers, most of whom are separately noticed, from 1600 is appended. The date of See also:election is given in brackets: J. Croke (16oi).

Sir T. Hanmer (1714). Sir E. Phelips (1604). *S. See also:

Compton (1715) Sir R. See also:Crewe (1614). (See also:Earl of See also:Wilmington). T. See also:Richardson (1621). *5A. See also:Onslow (1728).

*'Sir T. Crewe (1624). *Sir J. Cust (1761). Sir H. See also:

Finch (1626). *Sir See also:Fletcher See also:Norton (1770) Sir J. Finch (1628). (Lord Grandy). J. Glanville (164o). *C.

W. See also:

Cornwall (1780). *2W. See also:Lenthall (164o). W. W. See also:Grenville (1789) H. See also:Pelham (1647). (Lord Grenville). F. See also:Rous (1653). *6H.

Addington (1789) Sir T. See also:

Widdrington (1656). (See also:Viscount See also:Sidmouth). C. Chute (1659). Sir J. See also:Mitford (18o1) Sir L. See also:Long (1659). (Lord See also:Redesdale). T. Bampfylde (1659). *C.

See also:

Abbott (1802) W. Say (166o). (Lord See also:Colchester). Sir H. Grimston (166o). *7H. C. M. See also:Sutton (1817) Sir E. Turnour (1661). (Viscount See also:Canterbury). Sir J.

Charlton (1673). *J. See also:

Abercromby (1835) *E. See also:Seymour (1673). (Lord See also:Dunfermline). Sir R. See also:Sawyer (1678). *C. See also:Shaw Lefevre (1841) Sir W. See also:Gregory (1679). (Viscount See also:Eversley). *W.

See also:

Williams (168o). *J. E. See also:Denison (1857). #3Sir J. Trevor (1685). (Viscount See also:Ossington). H. Powle (1689). *H. B. See also:Brand (1872) P.

See also:

Foley (1695). (Viscount See also:Hampden). Sir T. See also:Littleton (1698). *A. W. See also:Peel (1884) *R. Harley (1701) (Viscount Peel). (Earl of See also:Oxford). *W. C. See also:Gully (1895) 4J.

See also:

Smith (1705). (Viscount See also:Selby). Sir R. Onslow (1708). *J. W. Lowther (1905). W. See also: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 See also:British colonies, that of See also:president being applied to the presiding officer of the upper houses, legislative See also:councils as they are usually called. In See also:Canada, however, the presiding officer both of the See also:Senate and the House of Commons is termed Speaker.

In the See also:

United States the Speaker of the House of Representatives is an officer of considerable power (see UNITED STATES: ConstitutionandGovernment). Au'rxoRITIES.—See also:Stubbs, Constitutional See also:History; J. A. See also:Manning, Lives of the Speakers (185o) ; E. Lummis, The Speaker's See also:Chair i See also:Brother of Sir R. Crewe. I Speaker of the Long Parliament. 3 Convicted of See also:bribery and expelled, 1695. 4 First Speaker of the Commons of Great See also:Britain. 5 See also:Nephew of Sir R. Onslow, Speaker in 1708 and great-greatgreat-See also:grandson of R. Onslow, Speaker in the second parliament of See also:Elizabeth.

See also:

Arthur Onslow was the second Speaker to be elected five times; the first Speaker to be so elected was See also:Thomas See also:Chaucer in the reign of See also:Henry V. Onslow also held the Speakership for the longest See also:period (1727-1761). 6 Afterwards_ See also:prime minister. Was first Speaker of the Commons of the United See also:Kingdom. 7 First to be Speaker six times and seven times. (19oo); for the United States, J. See also:Bryce, See also:American See also:Common-See also:wealth, M. P. See also:Follett's The Speaker of the House of Representatives (New See also:York, 1896) ; H. B. See also:Fuller, Speakers of the House (See also:Boston, 1909).

End of Article: SPEAKER

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