Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Seal of the Speaker
Incumbent John Boehner since January 5, 2011
Style	Mister or Madam Speaker (Informal and within the House) The Honorable (Formal)
Appointer	Elected by the U.S. House of Representatives
Inaugural holder	Frederick Muhlenberg April 1, 1789
Formation	U.S. Constitution March 4, 1789
Succession	Second
Website	Speaker of the House John Boehner

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the leader of the United States House of Representatives in the government of the United States. He or she is elected by the current members of the House and the person with the most votes becomes Speaker. The Speaker is always a member of the majority party (the party with the most members). The job of the Speaker is to keep the House in order and to assign committee memberships and chairmanships. It is a powerful position in government.

The Speaker of the House is second in line for the Presidency of the United States. If the President of the United States dies or steps down, the Vice President of the United States becomes President. If there is no vice president, the Speaker of the House automatically becomes acting president. This has never happened.

The current Speaker of the House is John Boehner of Ohio, a Republican.