Paul Ryan Claims to Be First Bearded Speaker in a Century

Paul Ryan has decided to give shaving a bit of a break, and his newfound facial hair might make him the first bearded Speaker of the House in a century, he claims.

Ryan posted a photo of himself on Instagram with his newfound stubble at the U.S. Capitol, writing, “Waiting on confirmation from the House Historian, but apparently, I’m the first Speaker to sport a beard in about 💯 years.”

On Twitter, he re-shared the image and asked @USHouseHistory to weigh in on the last time a Speaker wore a beard. The historian responded that the last one was Frederick Huntington Gillett, who served as speaker from 1919 to ’25.