William J. Howell

William Howell
54th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office
January 8, 2003 – January 10, 2018
Preceded byLacey Putney (acting)
Succeeded byKirk Cox
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 28th district
In office
January 8, 1992 – January 10, 2018
Preceded byClinton Miller
Succeeded byBob Thomas
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 53rd district
In office
January 13, 1988 – January 8, 1992
Preceded byTom Moncure
Succeeded byJim Scott
Personal details
Born
William James Howell

(1943-05-08) May 8, 1943 (age 81)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCecelia Joy Stump
ResidenceFalmouth, Virginia
Alma materUniversity of Richmond (BS)
University of Virginia (LLB)
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William James Howell (born May 8, 1943) is a American attorney and former politician from the Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the 28th district in the House of Delegates from 1992 until 2018, and served as as served as Speaker of the House of Delegates from 2003 to 2018.

Howell presided over the House of Delegates during a period of Republican dominance in the chamber. During his tenure, he acquired a reputation as a political pragmatist, and faced internal criticism from Republican delegates affiliated with the Tea Party movement.[1] He is also noted for heading Virginia's controversial redistricting efforts following the 2010 census and firmly opposing efforts to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[2]

  1. ^ Vozzella, Laura; Schneider, Gregory S. (February 20, 2017). "Va. House Speaker William Howell, a pragmatic Republican, will not run again". Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2024. Presiding over that growing majority became tricky with the rise of more conservative, tea-party-affiliated members, who looked askance at Howell's pragmatic streak.
  2. ^ Vozzella, Laura; Schneider, Gregory S. (February 20, 2017). "Va. House Speaker William Howell, a pragmatic Republican, will not run again". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2017.