The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. ...

, the state legislature of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential ...

. The House convenes within the

Connecticut State Capitol The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the Hou ...

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since ...

History

The House of Representatives has its basis in the earliest incarnation of the General Assembly, the "General Corte" established in 1636 whose membership was divided between six generally elected magistrates (the predecessor of the Connecticut Senate) and three-member "committees" representing each of the three towns of the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

(

, Wethersfield, and Windsor). The

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut The Fundamental Orders were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on . The fundamental orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers. They wanted the government to have access to the ...

, adopted in 1639, replaced the committees with deputies; each town would elect three or four deputies for six-month terms. Although the magistrates and deputies sat together, they voted separately and in 1645 it was decreed that a measure had to have the approval of both groups in order to pass. The Charter of 1662 reduced the number of deputies per town to no more than two, and also changed the title of the legislature to the General Assembly. It was in 1698 that the General Assembly divided itself into its current bicameral form, with the twelve assistants (that replaced the magistrates) as the Council (which became the Senate in the

1818 constitution Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Empire. ** Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein'' is published anonymously in London. * January 2 – T ...

) and the deputies as the House of Representatives, which began electing the Speaker to preside over it. The terms of representatives were raised to two years in 1884.''Under the Gold Dome: An Insider's Look at the Connecticut Legislature'', by Judge Robert Satter. New Haven: Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, 2004, pp. 16–27.

Leadership of the House

The

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker is also its chief leadership position and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber. The current

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

Matthew Ritter Matthew Delis Ritter is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Connecticut. He is currently the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represents the first district. Personal life Ritter was born in Hartford, Connecti ...

of the 1st House District the includes part of

. The Majority Leader is

Jason Rojas Jason Rojas (born 1976) is an American politician who is a five term Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, serving since 2008. He represents parts of East Hartford and Manchester, composin ...

of the 9th House District which includes part of

East Hartford East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospac ...

and part of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. The Minority Leader is Republican

Vincent Candelora Vincent J. Candelora is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. Candelora is the State Representative for the 86th House District and also serves as the Republican Minority Leader in the Connecticut House of Representatives. Education ...

of the 86th House District that includes part of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, part of Guilford, North Branford, and part of Wallingford.

Composition of the House of Representatives

List of current members

Current members of the Connecticut House of Representatives, .

Past composition of the House of Representatives

Notable former House members

1700s

Jonathan Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (October 12, 1710August 17, 1785) was an American politician and statesman who served as Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution. Trumbull and Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island were the only men to serve as gov ...

, Governor of Connecticut Colony, Governor of Connecticut *

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Cont ...

, First Mayor of

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, Constitutional Signatory, United States Congressman, United States Senator * Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. Aide-de-camp to General Washington, Congressman, US Senator, 20th Governor of Connecticut * Jeremiah Wadsworth, Congressman, Constitutional Convention Member * John Davenport (Connecticut politician), Continental Army Officer, Congressman

1800s

Gideon Tomlinson Gideon Tomlinson (December 31, 1780 – October 8, 1854) was a United States senator, United States Representative, and the 25th Governor for the state of Connecticut. Biography Born in Stratford, Tomlinson completed preparatory studies and ...

, Congressman, US Senator, 25th Governor of Connecticut *

Noah Webster Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5� ...

, Dictionary author and educator * Henry W. Edwards, Congressman, US Senator, 27th and 29th Governor of Connecticut * Samuel A. Foot, Congressman, US Senator, 28th Governor of Connecticut * Isaac Toucey, Congressman, US Senator, United States Attorney General, Secretary of the Navy, 33rd Governor of Connecticut * William W. Eaton, Congressman and US Senator * Marcus H. Holcomb, Connecticut Attorney General, 66th Governor of Connecticut * Henry C. Deming, Congressman, Mayor of

, Commander of the 12th Connecticut Infantry Regiment * John T. Wait, Congressman * William E. Simonds, Congressman, Patent Commissioner,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient * Augustus Brandegee Congressman, Mayor of

New London New London may refer to: Places United States * New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut * New London, Indiana * New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland * New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England tow ...

* John Q. Tilson, Congressman * E. Stevens Henry, Connecticut State Treasurer, Congressman *

P.T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...

, showman, politician, and businessman known for the Barnum and Bailey Circus. * Charles Phelps, lawyer, state legislator, Connecticut Secretary of State, and first Attorney General of Connecticut

1900s

* Marcus H. Holcomb, Attorney General of Connecticut, 66th Governor of Connecticut * Everett J. Lake, 67th Governor of Connecticut * Raymond E. Baldwin, Congressman, United States Senator, 72nd and 74th Governor of Connecticut, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Court of Errors, Chair of the 1965 Constitutional Convention *

Emily Sophie Brown Emily Sophie Brown (1881–1985) was an American politician who in 1920 became one of the first five women elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives. Brown subsequently served as a New Haven County commissioner from 1922 to 1927. She ...

, one of the first women to be elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives * Abraham A. Ribicoff, 80th Governor of Connecticut, United States Senator,

United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

* John N. Dempsey, 81st Governor of Connecticut * William R. Ratchford, Congressman *

Stewart McKinney (politician) Stewart Brett McKinney (January 30, 1931 – May 7, 1987) was an American politician who represented Connecticut's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives from 1971 until his death in ...

, Congressman * Sam Gejdenson, Congressman * Ronald A. Sarasin, Congressman * Ella T. Grasso, 83rd Governor of Connecticut * Barbara B. Kennelly, Congresswoman * William O'Neill, 84th Governor of Connecticut *

Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. (; born May 16, 1931) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 1980. He was ...

, Congressman, US Senator, 85th Governor of Connecticut * Sam Gejdenson, Congressman * John G. Rowland, 86th Governor of Connecticut *

Gary Franks Gary Alvin Franks (born February 9, 1953) is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut for six years, from 1991 until 1997. He is the first African-American elected to the U.S. Congress from Con ...

, Congressman *

Christopher Shays Christopher Hunter Shays (born October 18, 1945) is an American politician. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives as representative of the 4th District of Connecticut. He is a member of the Republican Party. Shays ...

, Congressman

2000s

Rob Simmons Robert Ruhl "Rob" Simmons (born February 11, 1943) is an American politician and retired U.S. Army colonel who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, representing Connecticut's second congressional ...

, Congressman *

Jodi Rell Mary Carolyn "Jodi" Rell (née Reavis; born June 16, 1946) is an American former Republican politician and the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. Rell also served as the state's 105th lieutenant governor of Connecticut. Rell was ...

, 87th Governor of Connecticut * Joe Courtney, Congressman *

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...

, Connecticut Attorney General and US Senator *

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States ...

, Congressman and US Senator *

Elizabeth Esty Elizabeth Esty (née Henderson; born August 25, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from from 2013 to 2019. A Democrat, she previously was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, repres ...

, Congresswoman *

William Tong William Morten Tong (born May 2, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who is the 25th and current Attorney General of Connecticut. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Tong attended Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School. He ...

, Connecticut Attorney General

References

External links

Connecticut House of RepresentativesDistrict search by address
{{Authority control Organizations established in 1698

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

State lower houses in the United States 1698 establishments in Connecticut Government agencies established in the 1690s