Page "Speaker of the United States House of Representatives" Paragraph 5

So far the Democrats have always elevated their minority leader to the speakership upon reclaiming majority control of the House, however Republicans have not always followed this leadership succession pattern.

In 1919, for instance, Republicans bypassed James R. Mann, R-IL, who had been minority leader for eight years, and elected Frederick Gillett, R-MA, to be Speaker.

Mann " had angered many Republicans by objecting to their private bills on the floor ;" also he was a protégé of autocratic Speaker Joseph Cannon, R-IL ( 1903 – 1911 ), and many Members " suspected that he would try to re-centralize power in his hands if elected Speaker.

" More recently, although Robert H. Michel was the Minority Leader in 1994 when the Republicans regained control of the House in the 1994 midterm elections, he had already announced his retirement and had little or no involvement in the campaign, including the Contract with America which was unveiled six weeks before voting day.

Michel opted not to seek re-election because he had been isolated in the caucus by Minority Whip Newt Gingrich and other younger and more aggressive congressmen ; so it would have been unlikely that Michel could have retained a House leadership post in the succeeding session of Congress.