Michael Joseph Madigan (born April 19, 1942) is an American politician who is the speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. He is the longest-serving leader of any state or federal legislative body in the history of the United States, having held the position for all but two years since 1983. He has served in the Illinois House since 1971, representing the 22nd District in southwest Chicago. This makes him the body's longest-serving member. Chicago Magazine named Madigan as the fourth-most-powerful Chicagoan in 2012 and as the second in both 2013 and 2014, earning him the nickname "the Velvet Hammer—a.k.a. the Real Governor of Illinois." Rich Miller, editor of Illinois political newsletter the Capitol Fax, wrote, "the pile of political corpses outside Madigan's Statehouse door of those who tried to beat him one way or another is a mile high and a mile wide."