CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Democrats formally took charge of New Hampshire’s Statehouse on Wednesday for the first time since the 19th century.

The House elected 54-year-old Terie Norelli, a Portsmouth Democrat, as speaker, the second woman to hold the post – a job she said was “once thought to be unattainable for a member of my party.” Norelli is serving her sixth term.

Former state Rep. Donna Sytek, a Republican, was the first woman elected speaker.

Alton Republican Michael Whalley will serve as Republican leader.

Norelli echoed Democratic Gov. John Lynch’s call for bipartisanship in solving the issues facing the state.

“Today, on behalf of the majority, I extend a hand of friendship across the aisle,” she said. “I trust that we will agree when possible, disagree when necessary, and put into practice the adage that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable,” said Norelli.

Across the hall, the Senate elected Democrat Sylvia Larsen, 57, of Concord, to lead the 24-member chamber. She is the third woman to serve as the chamber’s president. She is serving her seventh term.

“As each of us takes our unique place representing all the cities and towns of this great state, let us not forget that we are but the honored and temporary caretakers of a trust give to us by the people,” Larsen told the Senate. “It is not our names that will live on, but rather our stewardship of this beautiful state and its democratic ideals.”

Manchester Republican Ted Gatsas, who was Senate president, will serve as Republican leader and was among the first to shake Larsen’s hand after she was elected.

Larsen thanked Gatsas for his leadership, his openness and bipartisanship and pledged to continue in that spirit.

Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the Nov. 7 elections. Lawmakers were sworn in Wednesday at the Legislature’s biennial organization day.

Democrats last controlled the state Senate in 1998, but their 13-11 advantage ended the next year with the death of Democratic Senate President Clesson Blaisdell.

Democrats hold 14 of Senate seats to 10 by Republicans.

Democrats last took control of the House in 1922. They hold 239 seats of the 400 seats in the House to 161 for Republicans.

No one at the Statehouse can agree on when the Democrats last controlled both chambers, but it was probably during the 1870s.

During her decade in the House, Norelli has served on committees that handled some of the most complex issues to face the state. Last session, she was a member of the Finance Committee, which handles the state budget and money bills. She also has served on the Science, Technology and Energy Committee and was one of three House members to work on deregulation settlement negotiations with Public Service of New Hampshire.

She has worked as a teacher and is an abortion rights advocate.

In her acceptance speech, Norelli mentioned perhaps the toughest issue facing lawmakers next year – addressing a state Supreme Court order to define an adequate education simply enough to put a cost to it by July or face possible court intervention.

“We know our responsibility to resolve the ongoing challenge of providing an adequate education for our children,” she said. “There is no simple solution. If there were, this issue would have been resolved long ago.”

Larsen also is pro-choice and served on the Senate Finance Committee.

The Legislature also elected a new state treasurer and re-elected Secretary of State William Gardner to a 16th two-year term.

Cathy Provencher, 43, of Merrimack, beat Assistant Secretary of State Anthony Stevens, 57, of Bow and former state Sen. Frank Sapareto, 46, of Derry for the state treasurer’s position. She replaces Michael Ablowich who left to pursue other challenges.

Provencher has been director of audits for the Legislative Budget Assistant Office for 10 years. She has worked for the state a total of 21 years.

The House re-elected Clerk Karen Wadsworth and Sergeant-at-Arms Deborah Neilsen to new terms. Both were unopposed.

The Senate elected Tammy Wright of Concord to her first full term as clerk. She took over last session when Steven Winter resigned. Carleton “Kit” Marshall, of Manchester, a former state trooper, was elected as sergeant-at-arms and Henry Wilson was elected as doorkeeper.

AP-ES-12-06-06 1709EST