Mississippi House of Representatives
Mississippi Legislature
State seal
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 2, 2024
Leadership
Speaker	Jason White (R) since January 2, 2024
Speaker pro tempore	Manly Barton (R) since January 2, 2024
Minority Leader	Robert Johnson III (D) since January 7, 2020
Structure
Seats	122
Political groups	Republican (79)   Democratic (41)   Independent (2)
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article IV, Mississippi Constitution
Salary	$10,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 7, 2023 (122 seats)
Next election	November 2, 2027 (122 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
House of Representatives Chamber Mississippi State Capitol Jackson, Mississippi
Website
Mississippi State Legislature

The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for four-year terms. To qualify as a member of the House candidates must be at least 21 years old, a resident of Mississippi for at least four years, and a resident in the district for at least two years. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Membership, qualifications, and apportionment

Article 4, Section 36 of the Mississippi Constitution specifies that the state legislature must meet for 125 days every four years and 90 days in other years. The Mississippi House of Representatives has the authority to determine rules of its own proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and expel a member with a two-thirds vote of its membership.^[1] Bills must undergo three readings in each house, unless two-thirds of the house dispenses with the rules.^[1] They cannot be amended to a new purpose.^[1] Amendments to bills must be approved by both houses.^[1]

The governor has the power to veto legislation, but legislators can override the veto with a two-thirds decision.^[1] From 1890 to 2020, State representatives were authorized under the Mississippi Constitution to elect the Governor of Mississippi if no candidate had received 62 of the 122 electoral votes (one per district) and more than 50% of the popular vote. This occurred only once, in 1999, when Ronnie Musgrove had the most votes statewide, but was one electoral vote and 2936 votes (0.38%) shy of a majority: Musgrove was elected on the first ballot.^[2]

Salary

State representatives earn $23,500 per year.^[3]

Current composition

The following composition reflects the balance of power after the 2023 elections. Republicans secured a majority for the fourth time since 2011, the first year when Republicans won the majority of seats in the State House since 1870.^[4][5] The 2023 elections were marked by new leadership, as the past speaker Phillip Gunn retired, allowing his chief lieutentant, then-Speaker Pro Tempore Jason White to become the new speaker.^[5] The 2023 elections saw the seating of 25 new members.^[5]

State representatives are elected every four years by the qualified electors of the district for which they are running.^[6] Candidates are required to be at least 21 years of age and a resident of the state and district for which they are campaigning.^[7]

List of members

List of speakers

The House has elected a speaker 62 times since 1817:^[8][a]

	Name		County/District	Term of service
1		Thomas Barnes	Claiborne	1817–1819
2		Edward Turner	Adam	1819–1821
3		Beverly R. Grayson	Adams	1821–1822
4		Gerard C. Brandon	Wilkinson	1822–1823
5		Cowles Mead	Jefferson	1823–1827
6		I. R. Nicholson	Copiah	1827–1829
7		C. B. Greene	Adams	1829–1830
8		William L. Sharkey	Warren	1830–1831
9		Joseph Dunbar	Jefferson	1831–1832
10		M. F. Degrafenreid	Wilkinson	1832–1833
11		David Pembel	Adams	1833–1834
12		A. L. Bingaman	Adams	1834–1836
13		John Irvin	Carroll	1836–1837
14		William Vannerson	Lawrence	1837–1838
15		J. W. King	Rankin	1838–1840
16		Jesse Speight	Lowndes	1840–1841
17		James A. Ventress	Wilkinson	1841–1842
18		Robert W. Roberts	Scott	1842–1844
19		J. L. Totten	Marshall	1844–1846
20		James Whitfield	Lowndes	1846–1848
21		John J. McRae	Clarke	1848–1852
22		William S. Patton	Lauderdale	1852–1854
23		Hiram Cassedy	Franklin	1854–1856
24		William S. Barry	Lowndes	1856–1858
25		James L. Autry	Marshall	1858–1859
26		J. A. P. Campbell	Attala	1859–1861
27		William A. Lake	Warren	1861–1862
28		J. P. Scales	Carroll	1862–1863
29		Lock E. Houston	Monroe	1863–1865
30		Samuel J. Gholson	Monroe	1865–1866
31		F. E. Franklin	Yazoo	1870 (died during his term as speaker)
32		Henry Waterman Warren	Leake	1871–1872
33		John R. Lynch	Adams	1872–1873
34		Hugh M. Street	Prentiss	1873–1874
35		Isaac D. Shadd	Warren	1874–1876
36		Hugh M. Street	Prentiss	1876–1878
37		William A. Percy	Washington	1878–1880
38		Benjamin F. Johns	Amite	1880–1882
39		W. H. H. Tison	Lee	1882
40		William M. Inge	Alcorn	1884–1886
41		Jacob H. Sharp	Lowndes	1886–1888
42		Charles B. Mitchell	Pontotoc	1888–1890
43		James S. Madison	Noxubee	1890–1892
44		Hugh M. Street	Lauderdale	1892–1894
45		J. K. Vardaman	Leflore	1894–1896
46		James F. McCool	Attala	1896–1900
47		A. J. Russell	Lauderdale	1900–1902
48		Emmet Thomas	Washington	1904–1908
49		Hugh M. Street	Lauderdale	1908–1912
50		Hillrie M. Quin	Hinds	1912–1916
51		Mike Conner	Covington	1916–1924
52		Thomas L. Bailey		1924–1936
53		Horace Stansel	Sunflower	1936–1936
54		Fielding L. Wright		1936–1940
55		Samuel Lumpkin	Lee	1940–1944
56		Walter Sillers Jr.	Bolivar	1944–1966
57		John R. Junkin	Adams	1966–1976
58		Buddie Newman		1976–1988
59		Tim Ford	18	1988–2004
60		William J. McCoy	3	2004–2012
61		Philip Gunn	56	2012–2024
62		Jason White	48	2024–Present

Past composition of the House of Representatives