4 longest House speaker elections in US history

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Thursday, January 05, 2023

William Pennington – 44 ballots

A 1911 painting of William Pennington (1796-1862), a former speaker of the House and governor of New Jersey. | Wikimedia Commons

William Pennington of New Jersey was a freshman Republican congressman representing New Jersey who was elected in 1858 and took about eight weeks and 44 ballots to become speaker of the House.

A former governor of New Jersey, Pennington was chosen to lead the lower house for the 36th Congress, dealing with ever-growing Antebellum tensions over the slavery debate.

In addition to being one of the few freshmen to become Speaker, Pennington is also noteworthy for being the first sitting Speaker to lose re-election, specifically in 1860.

During his final floor speech, Pennington implored the divided Congress to become more unified, noting that they have “ancient ties that have bound us together under institutions framed by our fathers, and under a Constitution signed by the immortal Washington.”