The speakership is the oldest elected statewide office in the commonwealth. Since its first session in 1682—presided over by
William Penn—over 130 House members have been elevated to the speaker's chair. The House cannot hold an official session in the absence of the speaker or their designated
speaker pro tempore. Speaker
Leroy Irvis was the first African-American elected speaker of any state legislature in the United States since Reconstruction. Speaker
Dennis O'Brien was the only minority-party speaker known in Pennsylvania and only the second known nationwide. Democrat
Joanna McClinton was elected speaker of the House on February 28, 2023, becoming the first female speaker in Pennsylvania. ==Composition==