John Boehner, the 61-year old representative from Ohio, will be sworn in today at 12 pm as the 61st Speaker of the House, when the 112th Congress convenes today. He was unanimously elected for the position by the House Republicans on Novermber 17th, which happened to be his 61st birthday. (Watch the Opening Session of the 112th Congress live now, on facebook!)
Boehner has a long history in Congress. He has served as a representative for ten terms and as the Republican House Leader (aka Minority Leader) for two. He served as the Majority House Leader from January 2006-2007. He chaired the House Committee on Education and Workforce from 2001 until 2006.
He grew up in Ohio with his eleven brothers and sisters and his campaign page paints him as a family man. In Congress, most of his work has been targeted at reforming Congressional rules in order to cut down on excess spending, such as earmark expenditures.
Wikipedia provides fun facts about the history of the Speaker of the House title. If Boehner is officially elected by the House today, as is expected, he would: “be the first Speaker from Ohio since fellow Republicans Nicholas Longworth (1925 to 1931) and J. Warren Keifer (1881 to 1883); be the first Speaker who has served both as majority and minority floor leader for his party since Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn.”
For more information, visit his official government page at http://johnboehner.house.gov/
Watch the Opening Session of the 112th Congress live now, on facebook!