The Rise And Fall Of "Uncle Joe" Cannon

In 1903, the House of Representatives elected Joseph G. Cannon, an Illinois Republican, as its Speaker. "Uncle Joe" (as he was known) would take advantage of all the powers given to the Speaker under the Reed Rules to squelch any opposition to his rule.

During the early years of the 20th century, America was swept by a reform movement called the Progressive Movement. Although too complex to be summarized in a few sentences, the Progressive Movement was designed to restrict the advantages of the rich and powerful, and to disperse power more widely. Among the causes advocated by the Progressives were the initiative and referendum system, the Civil Service system, and greater protection for the environment.

The Progressive Movement split the Republican Party -- some members were in favor of it, others were opposed. Joe Cannon was decidedly in the anti-reform faction. Cannon consistently used his powers to aggressively defeat reform legislation. After several years of blocking progressive legislation, Uncle Joe's dictatorial manner made him a lot of enemies. Since Cannon was a Republican, the Democratic members of the House naturally didn't like him. But Cannon also angered many of his fellow Republicans.

Finally, the Republicans had had enough. On March 17, 1910, a group of them (led by George Norris) rebelled and offered a motion to strip the Speaker of many of his powers, including membership on the all-powerful Rules Committee. Cannon ruled Norris' motion out of order, but Norris demanded that the House as a whole vote on Cannon's ruling. Cannon lost and Norris' motion passed.

This was an unprecedented act. Never before had the authority of the Speaker been challenged in so direct a way. Although Uncle Joe himself was not removed from office, his authority was vastly diminished, and he left Congress at the end of the session.

Uncle Joe's fall significantly weakened the Speaker's office for the next few decades. Although it would eventually regain some of the lost powers, no Speaker would ever become as powerful as "Uncle Joe."