List of Speakers of the West Virginia House of Delegates

Below is a complete list of Speakers of the West Virginia House of Delegates

West Virginia House of Delegates

The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.-Historical:-Current:-District organization:...

since 1863:

Name	Party	Term	Residence
Spicer Patrick	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1863–1864	Kanawha Co.
Lee Roy Kramer	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1864–1866	Monongalia Co.
David S. Pinnell	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1866–1868	Upshur Co.
Henry C. McWhorter Henry C. McWhorter Henry Clay McWhorter was a lawyer, judge, and politician in West Virginia....	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1868–1869	Kanawha Co.
Solomon S. Fleming	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1869–1870	Harrison Co.
William M. Welch	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1870–1871	Mineral Co.
Elbridge G. Cracraft	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1871–1872	Ohio Co.
Albert E. Summers Albert E. Summers Albert E. Summers, from Kanawha County, was the Democratic Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1872 and Democratic President of the West Virginia Senate from 1881 to 1883....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1872–1872	Kanawha Co.
William M. Miller	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1872–1875	Ohio Co.
Alexander Monroe	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1875–1877	Hampshire Co.
Eustace Gibson Eustace Gibson Eustace Gibson was a Democratic politician from the State of West Virginia. He was Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates and later served as the representative from the now-defunct Fourth Congressional District of West Virginia for the U.S. House of Representatives.Congressman Gibson was...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1877–1879	Cabell Co.
George H. Moffett	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1879–1881	Pocahontas Co.
Emanuel Willis Wilson Emanuel Willis Wilson Emanuel Willis Wilson was the seventh Governor of West Virginia in 1884. He was married to Henrietta Cotton.When the Legislature disputed the Election of 1888, both Governor Wilson and State Senate President Robert S. Carr claimed the right to sit as Governor until the dispute was resolved...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1881–1883	Kanawha Co.
Joseph J. Woods	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1883–1885, 1889–1891	Ohio Co.
Thomas H. Dennis	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1885–1887	Greenbrier Co.
John M. Rowan John M. Rowan John M. Rowan was born May 17, 1829 in Craig County, Virginia. When he was about sixteen years old he came to Gap Mills, West Virginia to work as a clerk for Andrew Summers. He worked there for several years until the California Gold Rush in 1849. After receiving word about this new opportunity he...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1887–1889	Monroe Co.
Louis Bennett Louis Bennett Louis Bennett is an English-American soccer coach who played professionally in the American Indoor Soccer Association. He is currently the head coach of Marquette University men's soccer team.-Player:...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1891–1893	Lewis Co.
David W. Shaw	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1893–1895	Barbour Co.
William Seymour Edwards	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1895–1897	Kanawha Co.
Samuel R. Hanen	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1897–1899	Marshall Co.
Owen S. McKinney	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1899–1901	Marion Co.
William G. Wilson	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1901–1903	Randolph Co.
Frank Moats	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1903–1905	Wood Co.
Fred Paul Grosscup	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1905–1907	Kanawha Co.
James A. Seaman	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1907–1909	Jackson Co.
J.H. Strickling	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1909–1911	Tyler Co.
C.M. Wetzel	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1911–1913	Jefferson Co.
William Taylor George	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1913–1915	Barbour Co.
Vernon E. Johnson	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1915–1917, 1927–1929	Morgan Co.
Joseph S. Thurmond	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1917–1919	Greenbrier Co.
J. Luther Wolfe	Republican	1919–1921	Jackson Co.
Edwin M. Keatley	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1921–1923, 1925–1927	Kanawha Co.
W.E.R. Byrne	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1923–1925	Kanawha Co.
John William Cummins	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	1929–1931	Ohio Co.
J. Alfred Taylor J. Alfred Taylor James Alfred Taylor, better known as J. Alfred Taylor, was an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party from West Virginia....	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1931–1933	Fayette Co.
Ralph M. Hiner	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1933–1935	Pendleton Co.
John J. Pelter	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1935–1937	Logan Co.
James Kay Thomas	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1937–1941	Kanawha Co.
Malcolm R. Arnold	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1941–1943	Boone Co.
John E. Amos	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1943–1949	Kanawha Co.
William E. Flannery	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1949–1958	Logan Co.
Harry R. Pauley	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1958–1961	McDowell Co.
Julius W. Singleton, Jr.	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1961–1965	Monongalia Co.
H. Laban White	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1965–1969	Harrison Co.
Ivor F. Boiarsky Ivor F. Boiarsky Ivor F. Boiarsky was born in Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia. He was married to Barbara Polan and was a lifelong Democrat. He was a lawyer by profession; a member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Kanawha County from 1959-71 after a defeat in 1952.Mr. Boiarsky died in office...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1969–1971	Kanawha Co.
Lewis N. McManus	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1971–1977	Raleigh Co.
Donald L. Kopp	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1977–1979	Harrison Co.
Clyde M. See, Jr.	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1979–1985	Hardy Co.
Joseph Albright Joseph Albright Joseph P. Albright was an American jurist who first served on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia from 1995 to 1996. In November 2000, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals for a full 12 year term. -Personal:Joseph P. Albright was born in Wood County, West Virginia...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1985–1987	Wood Co.
Robert E. "Chuck" Chambers	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1987–1997	Cabell Co.
Robert S. Kiss Robert S. Kiss Robert S. Kiss is a Democratic politician from West Virginia. He was the 54th Speaker of the House for the West Virginia House of Delegates, a position which he has held since 1997 until 2007...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1997–2007	Raleigh Co.
Richard Thompson Richard Thompson (West Virginia politician) Richard "Rick" Thompson is a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 17th District since 2000. He is currently Speaker of the House, elected in January 2007. He earlier served as a Delegate from 1981 through 1983...	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	2007–present	Wayne Co.

See also