Rep. Kyle Hilbert, 30, was elected to lead the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Jan. 7, making him the youngest speaker in the state’s history. It also earned him a place on the nation’s very short list of legislative leaders to serve as a presiding officer at that age.
Just a month earlier, in Augusta, Maine, Rep. Ryan Fecteau was sworn in as speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. At 32, he still qualifies as a young speaker—despite being four years older than he was the first time he became speaker in December 2020, which made him the youngest presiding officer in the country since the 1950s.
To become such youthful legislative leaders, Hilbert and Fecteau got early starts in politics. For Hilbert, that was an unplanned foray into public speaking competitions through the local chapter of the National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America. “I was playing baseball in my eighth grade year, but every game got rained out that season. So instead of going to the baseball games, I went to the FFA speech contests. Lo and behold, that happened six or seven times, and I ended up winning state.” A pivot toward competitive public speaking led to campaigns for FFA state offices, for student body president at Oklahoma State University and, ultimately, for the statehouse at 22.
Fecteau’s journey began when the local school board solicited applications for a high schooler to serve as a student representative. He’s unsure why he pursued the position, but he served two years. “I found my passion for creating change,” he says, “starting with getting a ballot measure passed to fund a $34 million renovation of our high school, which was quite literally falling apart at the time.”
Youthful Perspective
Hilbert feels that a keen awareness of his young age helped him cultivate a thoughtful approach to legislating. “When I was a freshman, my age was something that I felt like everyone was aware of every time I walked into a room,” he recalls. “I decided early on I wasn’t going to say something in committee, at a caucus meeting or on the floor unless it was really, really important. Because I know the more you talk, oftentimes, the less you’re heard.”
The two say they’ve encountered no disadvantages to their young age, though Hilbert adds that “not a day goes by where one of my colleagues doesn’t make a reference to a movie, a song or a commercial that everybody else in the room knows, and I have no clue. It’s just over my head.” And, while generational differences in communication and work styles might arise occasionally, both leaders emphasized the timeless quality of face-to-face conversations, which Hilbert says he encourages all members to prioritize.
Meanwhile, Fecteau touts the traditions and rules of decorum in the House chamber, and the impact that the institution has on civil discourse. “We would have a lot more civil debate in the public sphere if we conducted it like we do in the House chamber,” he says.
A History of Young Leaders
The pair fit into the nation’s long history of young people leading state legislatures. According to NCSL records, the youngest leaders have presided over House or Assembly chambers; no one below the age of 30 has led a Senate chamber. The 18th and 19th centuries saw a surge of House speakers in their 20s. While the records from that era are spotty, the youngest presiding officer in the country’s history was probably Rep. John Lynch of Mississippi, who was elected to the position at age 24. He also had the distinction of being the first African American speaker of any House chamber in the U.S.
House Speaker Ben Barnes of Texas became the youngest chamber leader post-1900 when he was elected at age 26 in 1965. But the 1900s saw a significant decline in the number of presiding officers age 30 or younger. Then, in 2001, Arkansas House Speaker Shane Broadway, 28, became the first under-30 presiding officer in the 21st century—only to be eclipsed by two months as the youngest this century by Fecteau in 2020.
So, is this the beginning of a new age of youthful leadership at the state level? The two young leaders in Oklahoma and Maine are unwilling to predict whether their own records will be broken. But both emphasize the importance of having a broad range of ages in state legislatures. Fecteau reflects on how the average age in his chamber has fallen in recent years, and Hilbert notes that his perspective as a young working parent is valuable.
To young people who might want to take up the mantle of leadership in state legislatures, both speakers offer similar advice. Hilbert encourages young legislators to build personal relationships and listen more than they speak, and both agree that when you do speak, say something that matters.
“It is tempting to weigh in on every single issue that comes before you,” Fecteau says. “But people perk up and take note when someone who doesn’t always weigh in is speaking. Your currency becomes more valuable, and your speech becomes a really powerful tool.”
Taylor Huhn is a program manager in NCSL’s Leaders and International Program. This article was published by NCSL. Read the original here.
