Father of the House

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There is also the designation of Father of the House of Lords

Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom.

The term Mother of the House is also found, although the usage varies between countries. Sometimes, it is used simply as the female alternative to Father of the House, being applied when the relevant member is a woman. Sometimes, however, it is treated as a separate designation, and is given to the longest serving female legislator.

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[edit] United Kingdom

The longest continuously serving member of the House of Commons who is not a Minister of the Crown is traditionally known as Father of the House. If two or more MPs have equal lengths of service, then whoever was sworn in first is named Father.

In the House of Commons, the sole duty of the Father of the House is to assume the Speaker's chair and preside over the election of a new Speaker whenever that office becomes vacant. The relevant Standing Order does not refer to this member by the title "Father of the House", referring instead to the longest-serving non-Minister member of the House who is present (meaning that if the Father is absent, the next person in line presides).

The current Father of the House of Commons is Alan Williams, Labour MP for Swansea West, who was first elected in the 1964 general election. The member with the second longest period of continuous service is often referred to as the Uncle of the House, and is presently Sir Peter Tapsell, Conservative MP for Louth and Horncastle, who began his continuous service from the 1966 general election.

It should be noted that the Father of the House is not the sitting MP with the earliest date of first election; at the moment that is Sir Peter Tapsell, who was first elected in 1959, and is the only remaining 1950s MP, but lost his seat in 1964 and was out of Parliament until the following election. Similarly, Michael Foot, as the only remaining MP from the 1945 election between 1987 and 1992 was never Father of the House because he was out of Parliament between 1955 and a by-election in 1960.

There are no other MPs with continuous service since the 1960s which means that following the retirement or death of Williams and Tapsell, MPs with continuous service from the 1970 general election will become eligible to be Father of the House. The members with this length of service are presently: Kenneth Clarke, Sir Patrick Cormack, Sir Gerald Kaufman, Michael Meacher, Ian Paisley, John Prescott, Dennis Skinner and Gavin Strang.

[edit] Fathers of the House in the UK

Name Entered House Became Father Left House Party
Sir John Fagg 1654 1701 1701
Thomas Turgis 1659 1701 1704
Sir Christopher Musgrave 1661 1704 1704
Thomas Strangeways 1673 1704 1713
Sir Richard Onslow 1679 1713 1715 Whig
Thomas Erle 1679 1715 1718
Edward Vaughan 1679 1718 1718
Richard Vaughan 1685 1718 1724
Lord William Powlett 1689 1724 1729
Sir Justinian Isham 1694 1729 1730
Sir Charles Turner 1695 1730 1738
Sir Roger Bradshaigh 1695 1738 1747
Edward Ashe 1695 1747 1747
Thomas Cartwright 1701 1747 1748
Richard Shuttleworth 1705 1748 1749
Phillips Gybbon 1707 1749 1762
Sir John Rushout 1713 1762 1768
William Aislabie 1721 1768 1781
Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore 1733 1781 1782
Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent 1741 1782 1784
Sir Charles Frederick 1741 1784 1784
Welbore Ellis 1741 1784 1790
William Drake 1746 1790 1796
Sir Philip Stephens 1759 1796 1806
Clement Tudway 1761 1806 1815
Sir John Aubrey 1768 1815 1826
Samuel Smith 1788 1826 1832
George Byng 1790 1832 1847 Whig
Charles Watkin Williams-Wynn 1799 1847 1850 Tory
George Harcourt 1806 1850 1861 Whig
Sir Charles Merrik Burrell 1806 1861 1862 Conservative
Henry Cecil Lowther 1812 1862 1867 Conservative
Thomas Peers Williams 1820 1867 1868 Conservative
Henry Thomas Lowry-Corry 1825 1868 1873 Conservative
George Cecil Weld Weld-Forester 1828 1873 1874 Conservative
Christopher Talbot 1830 1874 1890 Liberal
Charles Pelham Villiers 1835 1890 1898 Liberal
Sir John Mowbray 1868 1898 1899 Conservative
William Wither Beach 1857 1899 1901 Conservative
Sir Michael Hicks Beach 1864 1901 1906 Conservative
George Henry Finch 1867 1906 1907 Conservative
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman 1868 1907 1908 Liberal
Sir John Kennaway 1870 1908 1910 Conservative
Thomas Burt 1874 1910 1918 Liberal
T. P. O'Connor 1880 1918 1929 Irish Nationalist
David Lloyd George 1890 1929 1945 Liberal
Edward Turnour, 6th Earl Winterton 1904 1945 1951 Conservative
Sir Hugh O'Neill 1915 1951 1952 Ulster Unionist
David Grenfell 1922 1952 1959 Labour
Sir Winston Churchill 1924 1959 1964 Conservative
Sir Richard Austen Butler 1929 1964 1965 Conservative
Sir Robin Turton 1929 1965 1974 Conservative
George Strauss 1934 1974 1979 Labour
John Parker 1935 1979 1983 Labour
James Callaghan 1945 1983 1987 Labour
Sir Bernard Braine 1950 1987 1992 Conservative
Sir Edward Heath 1950 1992 2001 Conservative
Sir Thomas Dalyell, Bt 1962 2001 2005 Labour
Alan Williams 1964 2005 present Labour

[edit] Fathers of the House in Northern Ireland

[edit] Canada

The term "Father of the House" is not used in Canada. In Canada, the longest-serving member of the House of Commons who is not a cabinet minister is known as the Dean of the House, after the equivalent position in the American House of Representatives.

[edit] Australia

Main article: List of longest-serving members of the Australian House of Representatives.

In Australia, the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, whether a Minister or not, is sometimes known as "Father of the House". Similarly, the longest-serving member of the Senate is sometimes known as "Father of the Senate", and the longer serving of the two fathers is sometimes called "Father of the Parliament".

As in Britain, these terms have no official status. However, unlike Britain:

  • the term Father of the House applies only where there is one person whose service is unequivocally longer than any other, as determined by the date of swearing in. Where two or more members with equal length of service were sworn in on the same day, none of them is considered Father of the House. Only when all the other candidates have left parliament or died, would the remaining member be called Father.
  • the Father of the House and the Father of the Senate in Australia have no parliamentary role at all. The election of the presiding officers is conducted by the Clerk of the House and the Clerk of the Senate respectively.

The term is being used less and less in Australia, as it is seen as a British usage, and is also objected to by women MPs as gender-biased.

The longest-serving member of the House of Representatives is Phillip Ruddock, who was first elected in 1973. The longest-serving member of the Senate is Senator John Watson, who was elected in 1978.

[edit] New Zealand

In New Zealand, the term Father- or Mother of the House is an unofficial title applied to the longest serving MP in the house, regardless of their position. In fact, the current Mother of the House in the New Zealand Parliament is the current Prime Minister, Helen Clark. Although Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen entered Parliament on the same day, the alphabetical order of swearing in means that Clark has served for slightly longer. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters entered parliament in 1978, three years before Clark, but was out of parliament between 1981 and 1984.

Until his retirement in April 2005, the Father of the House was the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt, first elected in 1966.

In New Zealand's first elections of 1854, the Bay of Islands electorate was the first to declare the election of a successful candidate, the unopposed candidate Hugh Francis Carleton. In the subsequent General Assembly of 1854, Carleton liked to be known as the Father of the House.

[edit] Ireland

Main article: Father of the Dáil

In the Republic of Ireland, the term Father of the Dáil is an unofficial title applied to the longest serving Teachta Dála (TD) in the house, regardless of their position. The current Father of the Dáil is the current Leas-Cheann Comhairle (Deputy Speaker), Labour TD, Séamus Pattison. He has been a TD since 1961 and intends to retire at the next general election. After the 2007 Irish general election the current leader of the opposition and Fine Gael party president, Enda Kenny TD, will (pending re-election) become the Father of the Dáil. Some former Fathers of the Dáil include:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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