Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History/biography
Beginning with the Rev. William White in 1785, the President of the House of Deputies was elected at the start of each General Convention and held that office from the beginning of one convention to the beginning of the next. No canon made any provisions for this election until 1904 when Title III, Canon 1 was amended and changed to Canon 46 (in 2023, this is Title I, Canon 1). In 1946, the canon was amended again to specifically state that "The President, so elected, shall continue in office until the next meeting of the General Convention" (Title III, Canon 1.1(a)).
It appears that throughout the period of 1785-1961 there were no Vice Presidents of the House of Deputies. The 1904 canon only speaks to the election of the Secretary and President, and no mention of a Vice President is made in the journals. This changed in 1964 when the canons were amended to provide for the election of the President and Vice President, with terms running from the adjournment of one Convention to the adjournment of the next. In 1967, it was added that no person elected as President or Vice President could serve for more than three consecutive terms.
The primary role of the President of the House of Deputies was originally to preside over meetings of the House and ensure that necessary work was accomplished during the interim. Today, the role of the President includes presiding over the House of Deputies, serving as the Vice-Chair of the Executive Council, and as one of two Vice-Presidents of the DFMS. The president makes the majority of appointments to interim bodies and has been increasingly involved in their deliberations since 1990.