John Andrew Boehner (/ˈbeɪnər/ BAY-nər;[a][3] born November 17, 1949) is an American politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015.

[10] He grew up in modest circumstances, sharing one bathroom with his eleven siblings in a two-bedroom house in Cincinnati.

in business administration from Xavier University in 1977, becoming the first person in his family to attend college, taking seven years as he held several jobs to pay for his education.

However, Armey balked at the proposal to make Paxon the new Speaker and told his chief of staff to warn Gingrich about the coup.

There he authored several reforms including the Pension Protection Act and a successful school choice voucher program for low-income children in Washington, D.C.[31] Boehner and Senator Ted Kennedy authored the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which was signed by President George W. Bush in 2002.

During his solemn victory speech, Boehner broke into tears when talking about "economic freedom, individual liberty and personal responsibility...I hold these values dear because I've lived them...I've spent my whole life chasing the American Dream".

He was also the first Speaker who has served both as majority and minority floor leader for his party since Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn.

[43] In July 2014, Boehner moved forward on a lawsuit to force the President to impose penalties on companies who failed to provide healthcare coverage for their employees.

[45] The third law firm selected finally filed the suit in November 2014, after Boehner criticized Obama's unilateral moves on immigration policy.

Sources in his office indicated he was stepping aside in the face of increasing discord while trying to manage the passage of a continuing resolution to fund the government.

Conservative opposition to funding Planned Parenthood as part of the resolution, and stronger threats to Boehner's leadership on account of the controversy, prompted the resignation.

[47] Originally, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California had intended to run for Speaker and was seen as the prohibitive favorite.

On October 8, 2015, McCarthy abruptly rescinded his candidacy, citing that he felt he could not effectively lead a fractured Republican Conference.

According to The Washington Post: "From illegal immigration to sanctions on China to an overhaul of the pension system, Boehner, as chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, took ardently pro-business positions that were contrary to those of many in his party.

"[56][57] On May 25, 2006, Boehner issued a statement defending his agenda and attacking his "Democrat friends" such as Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

[59] "I'm not qualified to debate the science over climate change", Boehner said at a press conference on May 29, 2014, at which he criticized proposed federal regulations on coal-fired power plants.

"[64] On September 18, 2008, Congressman Boehner attended a closed meeting with congressional leaders, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and was urged to craft legislation to help financially troubled banks.

One option would be to defund the administrative aspect of the Act, not paying "one dime" of the salaries of the workers who would administer the plan.

"[70][71] In 2013, Boehner led his caucus in a strategy to freeze Defense spending in order to avoid reducing the deficit with revenue increases.

[73] In one speech, Obama mentioned Boehner's name nine times,[74] and accused him of believing that police, firefighters, and teachers were jobs "not worth saving".

[75] Boehner made headlines in April 2016 when he referred to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz as "Lucifer in the flesh" in an interview at Stanford University.

"[77] On February 23, 2017, Boehner predicted Republicans would "fix" the Affordable Care Act and give it a different name as opposed to their stated intent to repeal and replace.

[81] He has frequently reiterated his feelings, on one account noting how Trump "Incited That Bloody Insurrection",[82] and called Ted Cruz "a reckless asshole who thinks he is smarter than everyone else".

[93] In a 1996 documentary by PBS called The People and the Power Game, Boehner said "They asked me to give out a half dozen checks quickly before we got to the end of the month and I complied.

[96] In November 2010, Boehner, along with Minority Whip Eric Cantor, called for the cancellation of an exhibit in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery after he learned that it featured a video by David Wojnarowicz, A Fire in My Belly, that contained an image of a crucifix with ants crawling on it.

Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said, "Smithsonian officials should either acknowledge the mistake and correct it, or be prepared to face tough scrutiny beginning in January when the new majority in the House moves [in].

Some Representatives, especially from the Northeast and including Republicans as well as Democrats, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie harshly criticized Boehner.

[101] In reporting his pending retirement, Politico summarized his Speakership: Paul Kane in The Washington Post emphasizes how none of the "big deals" he sought were ever reached: Furthermore, Kane argues, Boehner's persona alienated conservative Republicans who demanded more vigorous attacks on Obama and instead perceived, "a country club Republican who loved to play 18 holes of golf and drink merlot afterward while cutting deals.

In an era of shouting and confrontation, on talk radio or cable TV, Boehner's easygoing style did not fit.

[106][107] On May 15, 2016, Boehner was awarded the Laetare Medal, considered the highest honor for American Catholics, by the University of Notre Dame.