The History of Parliamentary Procedure
The first edition of the book was published in February 1876 by then-U.S. Army Maj. Henry Martyn Robert. The procedures prescribed by the book were loosely modeled after those used in the United States House of Representatives, adapted for use in ordinary societies. Robert’s interest in parliamentary procedure began in 1863 when he was chosen to preside over a church meeting and, although he accepted the task, felt that he did not have the necessary knowledge of proper procedure.
In his later work as an active member of several organizations, Robert discovered that members from different areas of the country had very different views regarding proper parliamentary rules, and these conflicting views hampered organizations in their work. He eventually became convinced of the need for a new manual on the subject, one which would enable many organizations to adopt the same set of rules.
Who benefits from using Robert’s Rules of Order?
Every member of the organization benefits because their rights are protected. According to Robert’s Rules of Order, parliamentary procedure is based on the consideration of rights:
The rights of the majority
The rights of the minority
The rights of individual members
The rights of absentee members
The rights of all of these groups together
“The application of parliamentary law is the best method yet devised to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for every member’s opinion, to arrive at the general will on the maximum number of questions of varying complexity in a minimum amount of time and under all kinds of internal climate ranging from total harmony to hardened or impassioned division of opinion.” (Robert’s Rules of Order, 10th edition)