Representative John Boehner, 56, of Ohio, came from behind in the second ballot to defeat Roy Blunt, 56, a protege of former House majority leader Tom DeLay.
The powerful DeLay was forced by his party's internal rules to relinquish the post last year after he was indicted in a Texas fundraising probe.
This opened the door for an intense battle for the top post.
Boehner's win is seen as a rebuke of the old leadership. While DeLay has been highly effective in advancing US President Bush's agenda, many lawmakers voiced their concern over the image of their party after a string of scandals involving DeLay and other Republicans.
