Congressman Jodey Arrington, representing Texas District 19, presided over the House Floor on Wednesday, becoming the first freshman member to preside over the 115th Congress.
Arrington’s office said since the U.S. House of Representatives moved to its current location in 1807, a member of Congress has presided over all activities of the House.
“It is a true honor to take the Speaker’s Chair for the first time,” Arrington said in a statement. “The parliamentary procedures under which I will preside tonight have been in place since Thomas Jefferson’s Book of Order in 1801 and will remain for generations to come.”
“As I take the gavel, the people of West Texas can rest assured that I will be holding their voices and values with me,” Arrington added.
In 1789, the first House of Representatives assembled in New York, Arrington’s office said.
Arrington took office on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
Click here to watch a short clip of Arrington presiding.
