John Dennis Hastert (born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician and convicted felon who served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Illinois's 14th congressional district from 1987 to 2007 and was the 6th longest-serving speaker in history, and the longest serving Republican. In 2016, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for financial offenses related to the sexual abuse of teenage boys, although he was never convicted of any sexual crimes.