Clerk of the United States House of Representatives

"Clerk of the House of Representatives" redirects here. For the Australian office, see Clerk of the Australian House of Representatives. For the New Zealand office, see Clerk of the New Zealand House of Representatives.

Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
Logo of the clerk of the United States House of Representatives
since July 1, 2023
United States House of Representatives
TypeClerk
NominatorSpeaker of the House
AppointerElected by the House
Term lengthPleasure of the House
(nominally a two-year Congress)
First holderJohn Beckley
DeputyReading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
Websiteclerk.house.gov Edit this at Wikidata

The clerk of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the United States House of Representatives, whose primary duty is to act as the chief record-keeper for the House.

Along with the other House officers, the clerk is elected every two years when the House organizes for a new Congress. The majority and minority caucuses nominate candidates for the House officer positions after the election of the Speaker. The full House adopts a resolution to elect the officers, who will begin serving after they have taken the oath of office.[1] The House Officers and Impeachment Clause of Article I, Section II states "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers".[2] The Oath or Affirmation Clause of Article VI provides that "all ... Officers ... of the United States ... shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution",[3] and pursuant to Article VI, the 1st United States Congress passed the Oath Administration Act (that remains in effect) which provides that "...the oath or affirmation [required by the sixth article of the Constitution of the United States]… shall be administered ... to the [C]lerk".[4]

The incumbent clerk is Kevin McCumber. He was elected to replace Cheryl Johnson following her resignation on June 30, 2023, during the 118th Congress.[5] Lisa Grant is a deputy clerk of the House.[6]

The Constitution of the United States[7] states in Article 1, Section 2, “The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers...” On April 1, 1789, when the House of Representatives convened with its first quorum,[8] its initial order of business was the election of the speaker, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, a representative from Pennsylvania. The next order of business was the election of the clerk, John Beckley of Virginia.

The first five clerks of the House also served as Librarian of Congress, which became a separate position in 1815. South Trimble, a former Representative from Kentucky, who served as clerk from 1911 to 1919 and again from 1931 to 1946, is the longest-tenured clerk in House history.[9]

  1. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives – About The Clerk". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Rossiter, Clinton, ed. (2003). The Federalist Papers. Signet Classics. p. 543. ISBN 9780451528810.
  3. ^ Rossiter, Clinton, ed. (2003). The Federalist Papers. Signet Classics. pp. 555–556. ISBN 9780451528810.
  4. ^ 1 Stat. 23, 1 Stat. 24, Pub. L. 1–1, 2 U.S.C. § 25
  5. ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (June 22, 2023). "House clerk who oversaw McCarthy's Speaker fight resigns". The Hill. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Office of the Clerk - Overview & Contact". Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "United States Constitution". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  8. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States Volume 1. A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875. 1789. p. 6. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012.
  9. ^ "History of the Office". Office of the Clerk. United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.