Paul Ryan Elected Speaker Of The U.S. House Of Representatives

The House on Thursday morning elected Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, as the next speaker of the House.

Ryan, 45, who was nominated by Republicans a day earlier, received 236 votes on the floor. The nine-term congressman needed 218 votes to win the election.

A handful of Republicans voted for Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Florida, who also ran for speaker.

Most Democrats voted for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, to be the next speaker. One Democrat voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell. The speaker does not have to be a member of Congress.

Ryan's wife and three children watched from the speaker's box as well as other family members and friends, including 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his wife Ann Romney. Ryan was Romney's running mate.

He'll become the 54th speaker of the House when he's sworn in, with his hand placed on his own New American Standard Bible that he uses for weekly bible study, his aide said.

The gavel Ryan will use in his leadership post is the same one he used as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which he had led since January.

Ryan moved to Washington in 1992. For his first job, he worked for then Sen. Bob Kasten, R-Wisconsin, as an aide on the Senate Small Business Committee. After a few more jobs on and off Capitol Hill, Ryan moved back to Janesville, Wisconsin in 1998 and won his first election to the House at the age of 28.

He became chairman of the House Budget Committee in 2011 where he developed multiple conservative budget blueprints.