Presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly , the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature . Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin , ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and specifies the election of officers. The role and responsibilities of the speaker are defined in the Assembly Rules, originally in Rule 1, and also, under the present rules, Rule 3.[ 2]
The speaker is chosen by a majority vote of the Assembly members at the start of each session or whenever a vacancy occurs in the role during a session, as such, the speaker is almost always the de facto leader of the Assembly's majority party. A speaker pro tempore is elected concurrent with the election of the speaker, to carry out the speaker's duties in his or her absence. Unlike the United States House of Representatives , the rules of the Assembly require that the speaker and speaker pro tempore be elected from among the members of the Assembly.[ 2]
The speaker is empowered to make all Assembly committee assignments and office assignments for members, and supervises all officers of the Assembly. The speaker is required to authenticate all acts, orders, or proceedings from the Assembly, and, with the countersignature of the chief clerk, issues all subpoenas on behalf of the Assembly or its committees.[ 2]
The current Speaker of the Assembly for the 105th Wisconsin Legislature is Robin Vos of Burlington , Racine County, Wisconsin . He is the 79th speaker since the establishment of the State Assembly and the 75th person to hold the office. He is currently serving his fourth term as speaker, first elected to the role on January 7, 2013.[ 3]
The Speaker pro tempore is Representative Tyler August of Lake Geneva , Walworth County, Wisconsin . This is his third full term in the role after being elected by the caucus in the October 2013.[ 3]
Wisconsin Territory (1836–1848)[ edit ]
Wisconsin State Assembly (1848–Present)[ edit ]
Order
Legislature(years)
Speaker[ 5]
Party
Residence
Notes
1
1st (1848)
Ninian E. Whiteside
Democratic
Belmont , Lafayette County
2
2nd (1849)
Harrison Carroll Hobart
Democratic
Sheboygan , Sheboygan County
3
3rd (1850)
Moses M. Strong
Democratic
Mineral Point , Iowa County
4
4th (1851)
Frederick W. Horn
Democratic
Cedarburg , Washington County
5
5th (1852)
James McMillan Shafter
Whig
Sheboygan , Sheboygan County
6
6th (1853)
Henry L. Palmer
Democratic
Milwaukee , Milwaukee County
7
7th (1854)
Frederick W. Horn
Democratic
Cedarburg , Ozaukee County
8
8th (1855)
Charles C. Sholes
Republican
Kenosha , Kenosha County
9
9th (1856)
William Hull
Democratic
Potosi , Grant County
10
10th (1857)
Wyman Spooner
Republican
Elkhorn , Walworth County
11
11th (1858)
Frederick S. Lovell
Republican
Kenosha , Kenosha County
12
12th (1859)
William P. Lyon
Republican
Racine , Racine County
13th (1860)
13
14th (1861)
Amasa Cobb
Republican
Mineral Point , Iowa County
14
15th (1862)
Joseph W. Beardsley
Union Democrat
Prescott , Pierce County
15
16th (1863)
J. Allen Barber
Republican
Lancaster , Grant County
16
17th (1864)
William W. Field
Union
Fennimore , Grant County
18th (1865)
17
19th (1866)
Henry D. Barron
Republican
St. Croix Falls , Polk County
18
20th (1867)
Angus Cameron
Republican
La Crosse , La Crosse County
19
21st (1868)
Alexander McDonald Thomson
Republican
Janesville , Rock County
22nd (1869)
20
23rd (1870)
James M. Bingham
Republican
Palmyra , Jefferson County
21
24th (1871)
William E. Smith
Republican
Fox Lake , Dodge County
22
25th (1872)
Daniel Hall
Republican
Watertown , Jefferson County
23
26th (1873)
Henry D. Barron
Republican
St. Croix Falls , Polk County
24
27th (1874)
Gabriel Bouck
Democratic
Oshkosh , Winnebago County
25
28th (1875)
Frederick W. Horn
Democratic
Cedarburg , Ozaukee County
26
29th (1876)
Sam S. Fifield
Republican
Ashland , Ashland County
27
30th (1877)
John B. Cassoday
Republican
Janesville , Rock County
28
31st (1878)
Augustus Barrows
Greenbacker
Chippewa Falls , Chippewa County
29
32nd (1879)
David M. Kelly
Republican
Green Bay , Brown County
30
33rd (1880)
Alexander A. Arnold
Republican
Galesville , Trempealeau County
31
34th (1881)
Ira B. Bradford
Republican
Augusta , Eau Claire County
32
35th (1882)
Franklin L. Gilson
Republican
Ellsworth , Pierce County
33
36th (1883 – 1884)
Earl P. Finch
Democratic
Oshkosh , Winnebago County
34
37th (1885 – 1886)
Hiram Orlando Fairchild
Republican
Marinette , Marinette County
35
38th (1887 – 1888)
Thomas Brooks Mills
Republican
Millston , Jackson County
39th (1889 – 1890)
36
40th (1891 – 1892)
James J. Hogan
Democratic
La Crosse , La Crosse County
37
41st (1893 – 1894)
Edward Keogh
Democratic
Milwaukee , Milwaukee County
38
42nd (1895 – 1896)
George B. Burrows
Republican
Madison , Dane County
39
43rd (1897 – 1898)
George A. Buckstaff
Republican
Oshkosh , Winnebago County
40
44th (1899 – 1900)
George H. Ray
Republican
La Crosse , La Crosse County
45th (1901 – 1902)
41
46th (1903 – 1904)
Irvine Lenroot
Republican
West Superior , Douglas County
47th (1905 – 1906)
42
48th (1907 – 1908)
Herman L. Ekern
Republican
Whitehall , Trempealeau County
43
49th (1909 – 1910)
Levi H. Bancroft
Republican
Richland Center , Richland County
44
50th (1911 – 1912)
Charles A. Ingram
Republican
Durand , Pepin County
45
51st (1913 – 1914)
Merlin Hull
Republican
Black River Falls , Jackson County
46
52nd (1915 – 1916)
Lawrence C. Whittet
Republican
Edgerton , Rock County
53rd (1917 – 1918)
47
54th (1919 – 1920)
Riley S. Young
Republican
Darien , Walworth County
55th (1921 – 1922)
48
56th (1923 – 1924)
John L. Dahl
Republican
Rice Lake , Barron County
49
57th (1925 – 1926)
Herman W. Sachtjen
Republican
Madison , Dane County
50
George A. Nelson
Republican
Milltown , Polk County
51
58th (1927 – 1928)
John W. Eber
Republican
Milwaukee , Milwaukee County
52
59th (1929 – 1930)
Charles B. Perry
Republican
Wauwatosa , Milwaukee County
60th (1931 – 1932)
53
61st (1933 – 1934)
Cornelius T. Young
Democratic
Milwaukee , Milwaukee County
54
62nd (1935 – 1936)
Jorge W. Carow
Progressive
Ladysmith , Rusk County
55
63rd (1937 – 1938)
Paul R. Alfonsi
Progressive
Pence , Iron County
56
64th (1939 – 1940)
Vernon Wallace Thomson
Republican
Richland Center , Richland County
65th (1941 – 1942)
66th (1943 – 1944)
57
67th (1945 – 1946)
Donald C. McDowell
Republican
Soldiers Grove , Crawford County
68th (1947 – 1948)
58
69th (1949 – 1950)
Alex L. Nicol
Republican
Sparta , Monroe County
59
70th (1951 – 1952)
Ora R. Rice
Republican
Delavan , Walworth County
71st (1953 – 1954)
60
72nd (1955 – 1956)
Mark Catlin, Jr.
Republican
Appleton , Outagamie County
61
73rd (1957 – 1958)
Robert G. Marotz
Republican
Shawano , Shawano County
62
74th (1959 – 1960)
George Molinaro
Democratic
Kenosha , Kenosha County
63
75th (1961 – 1962)
David J. Blanchard
Republican
Edgerton , Rock County
64
76th (1963 – 1964)
Robert D. Haase
Republican
Marinette , Marinette County
65
77th (1965 – 1966)
Robert T. Huber
Democratic
West Allis , Milwaukee County
66
78th (1967 – 1968)
Harold Vernon Froehlich
Republican
Appleton , Outagamie County
79th (1969 – 1970)
67
80th (1971 – 1972)
Robert T. Huber
Democratic
West Allis , Milwaukee County
68
Norman C. Anderson
Democratic
Madison , Dane County
81st (1973 – 1974)
82nd (1975 – 1976)
69
83rd (1977 – 1978)
Edward G. Jackamonis
Democratic
Waukesha , Waukesha County
84th (1979 – 1980)
85th (1981 – 1982)
70
86th (1983 – 1984)
Thomas A. Loftus
Democratic
Sun Prairie , Dane County
87th (1985 – 1986)
88th (1987 – 1988)
89th (1989 – 1990)
71
90th (1991 – 1992)
Walter Kunicki
Democratic
Milwaukee , Milwaukee County
91st (1993 – 1994)
72
92nd(1995 – 1996)
David Prosser, Jr.
Republican
Appleton , Outagamie County
73
93rd (1997 – 1998)
Ben Brancel
Republican
Endeavor , Marquette County
74
Scott R. Jensen
Republican
Waukesha , Waukesha County
94th(1999 – 2000)
95th (2001 – 2002)
75
96th (2003 – 2004)
John Gard
Republican
Peshtigo , Marinette County
97th (2005 – 2006)
76
98th (2007 – 2008)
Michael Huebsch
Republican
West Salem , La Crosse County
77
99th (2009 – 2010)
Michael J. Sheridan
Democratic
Janesville , Rock County
78
100th (2011 – 2012)
Jeff Fitzgerald
Republican
Horicon , Dodge County
79
101st (2013 – 2014)
Robin Vos
Republican
Burlington , Racine County
Longest-serving speaker
102nd (2015 – 2016)
103rd (2017 – 2018)
104th (2019 – 2020)
105th (2021 – 2022)
106th (2023 – 2024)
Italics indicate speakers pro tempore *Unicameral body
106th Wisconsin Legislature (2023–2025)