List of African-American speakers of U.S. state legislatures

Last updated

The following is a list of African-American speakers of U.S. state legislatures.

Contents

Upper houses

PortraitNamePartyTitleLegislatureTerm startTerm endNotes
Rep. Barbara Jordan - Restoration.jpg Barbara Jordan DemocraticPresident pro tempore Texas Senate March 28, 1972March 30, 1972
No image.svg Cecil A. Partee DemocraticPresident Illinois Senate January 8, 1975February 16, 1977
Craig Washington 102nd Congress 1991.jpg Craig Washington DemocraticPresident pro tempore Texas Senate December 8, 1989December 12, 1989
No image.svg Joe Neal DemocraticPresident pro tempore Nevada Senate 19911991
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.jpg Rodney Ellis DemocraticPresident pro tempore Texas Senate May 31, 1999January 9, 2001
No image.svg Rosa Franklin DemocraticPresident pro tempore Washington State Senate January 8, 2001January 13, 2003
June 30, 2004January 10, 2011
No image.svg Shirley Turner DemocraticPresident pro tempore New Jersey Senate January 8, 2002January 12, 2010
Emil Jones at UIC Feb23 2009 Cropped.jpg Emil Jones DemocraticPresident Illinois Senate January 8, 2003January 3, 2009
No image.svg Diana Bajoie DemocraticPresident pro tempore Louisiana State Senate January 12, 2004January 14, 2008
Keynote speaker Margaret Carter (8113364377).jpg Margaret Carter DemocraticPresident pro tempore Oregon State Senate 20052009
Peter Groff official portrait.jpg Peter Groff DemocraticPresident pro tempore Colorado Senate January 12, 2005January 9, 2008
PresidentJanuary 9, 2008January 7, 2009
Hasan Ansari with Hon. State Senator Royce West (cropped).JPG Royce West DemocraticPresident pro tempore Texas Senate April 17, 2006January 8, 2007
Nathaniel J. McFadden (2007).jpg Nathaniel J. McFadden DemocraticPresident pro tempore Maryland Senate January 10, 2007January 9, 2019
Sharon Weston Broome.jpg Sharon Weston Broome DemocraticPresident pro tempore Louisiana State Senate January 14, 2008January 11, 2016
Smith.jpg Malcolm Smith DemocraticTemporary President New York State Senate January 7, 2009June 8, 2009
Nia Gill 2008.jpg Nia Gill DemocraticPresident pro tempore New Jersey Senate January 12, 2010January 9, 2018
No image.svg Harold Metts DemocraticPresident pro tempore Rhode Island Senate January 3, 2017January 5, 2021
(03-02-20) NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (cropped).jpg Andrea Stewart-Cousins DemocraticTemporary President New York State Senate January 9, 2019Incumbent
Melony Griffith at a Bill Signing in 2022 (sq cropped).jpg Melony G. Griffith DemocraticPresident pro tempore Maryland Senate January 8, 2020January 11, 2023
Louise Lucas.jpg Louise Lucas DemocraticPresident pro tempore Virginia Senate January 8, 2020Incumbent
James Manning in 2018.jpg James Manning Jr. DemocraticPresident pro tempore Oregon State Senate January 11, 2021Incumbent
Zcunn9 jerseyjournal (3051735097).jpg Sandra Bolden Cunningham DemocraticPresident pro tempore New Jersey Senate January 11, 2022Incumbent
Malcolm Augustine Mar2023.jpg Malcolm Augustine DemocraticPresident pro tempore Maryland Senate January 11, 2023Incumbent

Lower houses

PortraitNamePartyTitleLegislatureTerm startTerm endNotes
John R. Lynch.jpg John R. Lynch RepublicanSpeaker Mississippi House of Representatives January 1872January 1873First African-American Speaker of any state legislature
No image.svg Samuel J. Lee RepublicanSpeaker South Carolina House of Representatives 18721874
Robert B. Elliott.jpg Robert B. Elliott RepublicanSpeaker South Carolina House of Representatives November 24, 1874April 14, 1876
Isaac D. Shadd, publisher, legislator, abolitionist.png Isaac Shadd RepublicanSpeaker Mississippi House of Representatives 18741876
No image.svg S. Howard Woodson DemocraticSpeaker New Jersey General Assembly 19741976First African-American speaker of any state legislature in the United States since the Reconstruction era
Representatives K. Leroy Irvis, speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, delivers an address during the commissioning of the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS PITTSBURGH.jpg K. Leroy Irvis DemocraticSpeaker Pennsylvania House of Representatives May 23, 1977November 30, 1978
January 4, 1983November 30, 1988
Willie Brown, September 2013 (cropped).jpg Willie Brown DemocraticSpeaker California State Assembly December 2, 1980June 5, 1995
No image.svg Lois DeBerry DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Tennessee House of Representatives 19872010
Dan Blue.jpg Dan Blue DemocraticSpeaker North Carolina House of Representatives January 1, 1991January 1, 1995
No image.svg Sherman Copelin DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Louisiana House of Representatives January 13, 1992January 15, 1996
No image.svg Donald Kofi Tucker DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore New Jersey General Assembly January 8, 2002October 17, 2005
Adrienne Jones.jpg Adrienne A. Jones DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Maryland House of Delegates January 8, 2003May 1, 2019
SpeakerMay 1, 2019Incumbent
John Lovick.jpg John Lovick DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Washington House of Representatives January 13, 2003January 5, 2008Served as acting speaker from 2019–2020
January 8, 2018January 11, 2021
Sharon Weston Broome.jpg Sharon Weston Broome DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Louisiana House of Representatives January 12, 2004January 12, 2005
No image.svg Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Louisiana House of Representatives January 12, 2005January 14, 2008
No image.svg Jerry Green DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore New Jersey General Assembly January 8, 2008April 18, 2018
No image.svg Karen Carter Peterson DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Louisiana House of Representatives January 14, 2008March 8, 2010
Karen-Bass-2012 (cropped).jpg Karen Bass DemocraticSpeaker California State Assembly May 13, 2008March 1, 2010First African-American woman to serve as Speaker of any state legislature
No image.svg Terrance Carroll DemocraticSpeaker Colorado House of Representatives January 7, 2009January 12, 2011
Sheila Y. Oliver.jpg Sheila Oliver DemocraticSpeaker New Jersey General Assembly January 12, 2010January 14, 2014
GordonFox.jpg Gordon Fox DemocraticSpeaker Rhode Island House of Representatives February 11, 2010March 22, 2014
No image.svg Darrin Williams DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Arkansas House of Representatives 20122012
Speaker Shannon.jpg T. W. Shannon RepublicanSpeaker Oklahoma House of Representatives January 8, 2013February 10, 2014
Jeffrion Aubry 2012.jpg Jeffrion L. Aubry DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore New York State Assembly January 9, 2013Incumbent
CarlHeastie2017 (cropped).jpg Carl Heastie DemocraticSpeaker New York State Assembly February 3, 2015Incumbent
Jason M. Frierson, U.S. Attorney.jpg Jason Frierson DemocraticSpeaker Nevada Assembly February 6, 2017April 28, 2022
Gordon M. Johnson.jpg Gordon M. Johnson DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore New Jersey General Assembly May 24, 2018January 11, 2022
Rep. Janet Buckner.jpg Janet Buckner DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Colorado House of Representatives January 4, 2019January 13, 2021
Sheree-Sample Hughes (52707282259) (cropped).jpg Sheree Sample-Hughes DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Maryland House of Delegates September 9, 2019January 10, 2024
Emanuel Chris Welch 2023.jpg Chris Welch DemocraticSpeaker Illinois House of Representatives January 13, 2021Incumbent
No image.svg Jehan Gordon-Booth DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore Illinois House of Representatives January 21, 2021Incumbent
No image.svg Benjie E. Wimberly DemocraticSpeaker pro tempore New Jersey General Assembly January 11, 2022Incumbent
TalbotRossheadshot.jpg Rachel Talbot Ross DemocraticSpeaker Maine House of Representatives December 7, 2022Incumbent
Joanna McClinton - Gov. Wolf Joins Educators in Celebrating Historic Education Funding for Public Schools (52311414245) (cropped).jpg Joanna McClinton DemocraticSpeaker Pennsylvania House of Representatives February 28, 2023Incumbent
Virginia Delegate Don Scott (cropped).jpg Don Scott DemocraticSpeaker Virginia House of Delegates January 10, 2024Incumbent

References

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