Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

The lieutenant governor of Arkansas presides over the Arkansas Senate with a tie-breaking vote, serves as acting governor of Arkansas when the governor is out of state and assumes the governorship in cases of impeachment, removal from office, death or inability to discharge the office's duties. The position is elected separately from the Arkansas Governor.

Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
State seal
Incumbent
Leslie Rutledge
since January 10, 2023 (2023-01-10)
Government of Arkansas
SeatState Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Arkansas
Inaugural holderCalvin C. Bliss
FormationApril 18, 1864 (1864-04-18)
Websiteltgovernor.arkansas.gov

The position of Lieutenant Governor was created by the Sixth Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution in 1914, but was not filled until 1927. The Amendment was approved by the electorate in 1914, with returns showing 45,567 in favor and 45,206 opposed. The Speaker of the House declared the measure lost because it had not received a majority of the highest total vote, which was 135,517. In 1925, it was discovered that the Initiative and Referendum of 1910 had amended this majority requirement so that only a majority of those voting on a specific question was required. So, in 1926, the 1914 initiative was declared to be valid and Harvey Parnell was elected Arkansas' first lieutenant governor.

Two recent incumbents, Winthrop Paul Rockefeller and Mike Huckabee, began their respective tenures in the midst of regular term periods, due to the elevation of their predecessors to the governorship. Jim Guy Tucker succeeded Bill Clinton as governor in December 1992, upon Clinton's resignation days before assuming his office as President of the United States, creating the need for a special election to fill the lieutenant governor's office. When Tucker was convicted of conspiracy and mail fraud charges in 1996, Huckabee succeeded him as governor, paving the way for the November 1996 special election of Rockefeller as lieutenant governor.

The current lieutenant governor is Leslie Rutledge, since January 10, 2023.

History

The U.S. state of Arkansas had no office of lieutenant governor under its original constitution.[1] Amidst the American Civil War in 1864, a new constitution was ratified and a pro-Union government was installed which included a lieutenant governor to be, like several other state officials, popularly elected to serve four-year terms.[1][2] Calvin C. Bliss was the first person to hold the office. The position was preserved in the new constitution ratified by the state in 1868, but eliminated in the constitution of 1874.[1]

In 1914, an amendment to the constitution to reestablish the office of lieutenant governor was subject to a popular referendum.[1] While the item received more affirmative than negative votes,[3] the Arkansas Supreme Court held that only a majority of the votes of all the citizens who had participated in that year's referenda could constitute a passing margin. In 1925, the court reversed its decision, ruling that the office be filled in the state elections occurring in 1926.[1] Harvey Parnell was subsequently elected to the office.[3] The lieutenant governor held office for a term of two years until 1986, when the term was expanded to four years. The constitution was amended in 1992 to provide for term limits.[1] The first woman to hold the office, Leslie Rutledge, was sworn in on January 10, 2023.[4]

Powers, duties, and structure

The lieutenant governor is one of seven executive constitutional officers in the state of Arkansas.[5] The main responsibilities of the lieutenant governor are to serve as the president of the Arkansas Senate and to succeed to the governorship should it become vacant.[1] In the event of the governor's temporary absence from the state, the lieutenant governor exercises the powers of the governor.[6] They are constitutionally restricted to serving a maximum of two terms.[7]

They collect an annual salary of $48,105.[5]

List of officeholders
Lieutenant governors of the State of Arkansas
No. Lieutenant Governor Term in office Party Election Governor
1   Calvin C. Bliss April 18, 1864
–
July 2, 1868		 Republican 1864   Isaac Murphy
2 James M. Johnson July 2, 1868
–
March 14, 1871		 Republican 1868
[lower-alpha 1]		 Powell Clayton
(resigned March 17, 1871)
— Vacant March 14, 1871
–
January 6, 1873		 —
Ozra Amander Hadley
3 Volney V. Smith January 6, 1873
–
November 12, 1874		 Republican 1872
[lower-alpha 2]		 Elisha Baxter
Office did not exist from November 12, 1874, to January 11, 1927
4 Harvey Parnell January 11, 1927
–
March 4, 1928		 Democratic 1926
[lower-alpha 3]		 John Ellis Martineau
— Vacant March 4, 1928
–
January 14, 1929		 — Harvey Parnell
5 Lee Cazort January 14, 1929
–
January 12, 1931		 Democratic 1928
6 Lawrence Elery Wilson January 12, 1931
–
January 10, 1933		 Democratic 1930
7 Lee Cazort January 10, 1933
–
January 12, 1937		 Democratic 1932 Junius Marion Futrell
1934
8 Robert B. Bailey January 12, 1937
–
January 12, 1943		 Democratic 1936 Carl Edward Bailey
1938
1940 Homer Martin Adkins
9 James L. Shaver January 12, 1943
–
January 14, 1947		 Democratic 1942
1944 Benjamin Travis Laney
10 Nathan Green Gordon January 14, 1947
–
January 10, 1967		 Democratic 1946
1948 Sid McMath
1950
1952 Francis Cherry
1954 Orval Faubus
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
11 Maurice Britt January 10, 1967
–
January 12, 1971		 Republican 1966 Winthrop Rockefeller
1968
12 Bob C. Riley January 12, 1971
–
January 3, 1975		 Democratic 1970 Dale Bumpers
1972
[lower-alpha 4]
— Acting as governor January 3, 1975
–
January 14, 1975		 — Bob C. Riley
13 Joe Purcell January 14, 1975
–
January 3, 1979		 Democratic 1974 David Pryor
1976
[lower-alpha 5]
— Acting as governor January 3, 1979
–
January 9, 1979		 — Joe Purcell
13 Joe Purcell January 9, 1979
–
January 19, 1981		 Democratic 1978 Bill Clinton
14 Winston Bryant January 19, 1981
–
January 15, 1991		 Democratic 1980 Frank D. White[lower-alpha 6]
1982 Bill Clinton
1984
1986
[lower-alpha 7]
15 Jim Guy Tucker January 15, 1991
–
December 12, 1992		 Democratic 1990
[lower-alpha 8]
— Vacant December 12, 1992
–
November 20, 1993		 — Jim Guy Tucker
16 Mike Huckabee November 20, 1993
–
July 15, 1996		 Republican 1993
(special)
1994
[lower-alpha 9]
— Vacant July 15, 1996
–
November 19, 1996		 — Mike Huckabee
17 Winthrop Paul Rockefeller November 19, 1996
–
July 16, 2006		 Republican 1996
(special)
1998
2002
[lower-alpha 10]
— Vacant July 16, 2006
–
January 9, 2007		 —
18 Bill Halter January 9, 2007
–
January 11, 2011		 Democratic 2006 Mike Beebe
19 Mark Darr January 11, 2011
–
February 1, 2014		 Republican 2010
[lower-alpha 11]
— Vacant February 1, 2014
–
January 13, 2015		 —
20 Tim Griffin January 13, 2015
–
January 10, 2023		 Republican 2014 Asa Hutchinson
2018
21 Leslie Rutledge January 10, 2023
–
Incumbent		 Republican 2022 Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Notes
  1. Johnson resigned as part of party machinations to allow Clayton to resign without Johnson succeeding him; the office remained vacant for the remainder of the term.[8][9]
  2. Term ended early by the 1874 constitution, which abolished the office effective immediately; it was subsequently revived by constitutional amendment.
  3. Martineau resigned[10] and Parnell served as governor for the remainder of the term.
  4. Bumpers resigned and Riley acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  5. Pryor resigned and Purcell acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  6. Represented the Republican Party.
  7. First term under a 1984 constitutional amendment, which lengthened terms to four years.
  8. Clinton resigned and Tucker served as governor for the remainder of the term.
  9. Tucker resigned and Huckabee served as governor for the remainder of the term.
  10. Rockefeller died in office; the office remained vacant for the remainder of the term.
  11. Darr resigned; he was under sanction for ethics violations involving illegal use of campaign funds.[11] The office remained vacant for the remainder of the term.

References
  1. "Office of Lieutenant Governor". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  2. "Arkansas Constitutions". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  3. "History of Our Office". Arkansas Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  4. Roberts, Adam (January 10, 2023). "Leslie Rutledge sworn in as Arkansas' first woman to serve as lieutenant governor". 40/29 News. Arkansas Hearst Television. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  5. Earley, Neal (June 17, 2023). "Arkansas' constitutional officers getting 3% raise in salary". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  6. Goss 2011, p. 66.
  7. Goss 2011, p. 249.
  8. Hempstead, Fay (1911). Historical Review of Arkansas: Its Commerce, Industry, and Modern Affairs. p. 269. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  9. "Ozro Amander Hadley (1826–1915)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  10. "John Ellis Martineau". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  11. "Mark Darr, Arkansas lt. gov., says he'll resign over ethics case". Politico. Retrieved November 27, 2018.

Works cited
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