Thomas "Wick" Wickham, Parliamentarian for the House of Representatives . Imagine Having a Front Row Seat at Every House Session in the last 25 Years!

Profiles in Leadership

• Senior Vice President, State and Local Policy

Tom Wickham, former Parliamentarian of the U.S. House of Representatives, serves as senior vice president of State & Local Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Wickham leads the Chamber’s new division that monitors state and local policy developments and coordinates state and local policy advocacy strategies within the existing Chamber framework.

As a nonpartisan House official for over 25 years, Wickham provided essential guidance to leadership, committees, and members as part of the development and execution of legislative strategy. In leading an office that reviewed every measure that came before the House, he has a command of a broad range of subject matters covering all aspects of government policy. During numerous high-profile legislative events, Wickham counseled speakers of the House, vice presidents, and countless members and senators on their constitutional and statutory responsibilities.

As editor of many procedural manuals and practice books, Wickham’s scholarship on the Constitution and the rules of the House have been recognized around the world. He has represented the U.S. in dozens of countries and parliaments, including multiple delegation trips to Europe and Africa. His editorial credits include the House Rules and Manual, House Practice, and the Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Wickham’s expertise is recognized by national leaders of both parties. Upon his retirement as parliamentarian in 2020, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Tom Wickham is a master of House rules and procedure, whose incisive legal acumen and absolute professionalism have strengthened the People’s House and benefited the American people whom we serve. In his 25 years of distinguished service, Tom upheld the great constitutional underpinnings of the historic role of parliamentarian with excellence and integrity.” Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy remarked in a tribute on the House floor, “I speak for all Republicans when I commend Tom for his professionalism, sound judgment, and steady demeanor in carrying out his duties.”

Wickham is a native of Epworth, Iowa, and a graduate of the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa College of Law. His early jobs included stints as a Wisconsin Dells tour guide, gas station cashier, fast-food worker, and mail clerk in his family’s small business. He enjoys hiking, especially up Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park. He and his wife, Heather, have two adult children and reside in Burke, Virginia.