Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently of the gubernatorial primary. The winners of the party primaries are then teamed together as a single ticket for the fall general election.[2] The lieutenant governor presides in the Pennsylvania State Senate and is first in the line of succession to the governor; in the event the governor dies, resigns, or otherwise leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.[3][4]

Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Flag of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Austin Davis
since January 17, 2023
ResidenceState House
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Inaugural holderJohn Latta
Formation1873
Salary$157,765 (2014)[1]
Websiteltgovernor.state.pa.us

The office of lieutenant governor was created by the Constitution of 1873. As with the governor's position, the Constitution of 1968 made lieutenant governors eligible to succeed themselves for one additional four-year term.[5] The position's only official duties are serving as president of the state senate and chairing the Board of Pardons and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council. Lieutenant governors often work on additional projects and have a full schedule of community and speaking events. Pennsylvania is the only state that provides an official residence, State House at Fort Indiantown Gap, for its lieutenant governor.[6] Constructed in 1940 and previously the governor's "summer residence", it became available for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor in 1968 when the current governor's residence was completed in Harrisburg.[5]

Austin Davis is the current lieutenant governor, taking office on January 17, 2023.

List of lieutenant governors
Parties

  Democratic (11)   Republican (24)

#ImageNameTermGovernor(s) served underParty
1 John Latta 1875–1879 John F. Hartranft Democratic
2 Charles Warren Stone 1879–1883 Henry M. Hoyt Republican
3 Chauncey Forward Black 1883–1887 Robert E. Pattison Democratic
4 William T. Davies 1887–1891 James A. Beaver Republican
5 Louis Arthur Watres 1891–1895 Robert E. Pattison Republican
6 Walter Lyon 1895–1899 Daniel H. Hastings Republican
7 John P. S. Gobin 1899–1903 William A. Stone Republican
8 William M. Brown 1903–1907 Samuel W. Pennypacker Republican
9 Robert S. Murphy 1907–1911 Edwin Sydney Stuart Republican
10 John M. Reynolds 1911–1915 John K. Tener Republican
11 Frank B. McClain 1915–1919 Martin Grove Brumbaugh Republican
12 Edward E. Beidleman 1919–1923 William Cameron Sproul Republican
13 David J. Davis 1923–1927 Gifford Pinchot Republican
14 Arthur H. James 1927–1931 John Stuchell Fisher Republican
15 Edward C. Shannon 1931–1935 Gifford Pinchot Republican
16 Thomas Kennedy 1935–1939 George Howard Earle III Democratic
17 Samuel S. Lewis 1939–1943 Arthur James Republican
18 John Cromwell Bell Jr. 1943–1947 Edward Martin Republican
19 Daniel B. Strickler 1947–1951 James H. Duff Republican
20 Lloyd H. Wood 1951–1955 John S. Fine Republican
21 Roy E. Furman 1955–1959 George M. Leader Democratic
22 John Morgan Davis 1959–1963 David L. Lawrence Democratic
23 Raymond P. Shafer 1963–1967 William Scranton Republican
24 Raymond J. Broderick 1967–1971 Raymond P. Shafer Republican
25 Ernest P. Kline 1971–1979 Milton Shapp Democratic
26 William Scranton III 1979–1987 Dick Thornburgh Republican
27 Mark Singel 1987–1995 Robert P. Casey Democratic
28 Mark S. Schweiker 1995–2001 Tom Ridge Republican
29 Robert C. Jubelirer 2001–2003 Mark S. Schweiker Republican
30 Catherine Baker Knoll 2003–2008 Ed Rendell Democratic
31 Joseph B. Scarnati III 2008–2011 Ed Rendell Republican
32 Jim Cawley 2011–2014 Tom Corbett Republican
33 Mike Stack 2015–2018 Tom Wolf Democratic
34 John Fetterman 2019–2023 Tom Wolf Democratic
35 Austin Davis 2023–present Josh Shapiro Democratic

List of acting lieutenant governors
  • Jake Corman – From May 17, 2022, to May 23, 2022, Corman served as acting lieutenant governor while Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman had a pacemaker implanted and recovered.[7][8]
  • Kim Ward – John Fetterman resigned as lieutenant governor to serve in the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2023, Ward served as acting lieutenant governor until January 17, 2023, when Lieutenant Governor-elect Austin Davis was sworn in.[9]

Vice-presidents of Pennsylvania

From 1777 to 1790 the executive branch of Pennsylvania's state government was headed by a Supreme Executive Council consisting of a representative of each county and of the City of Philadelphia. The Vice President of the Council—also known as the Vice-President of Pennsylvania—held a position analogous to the modern office of lieutenant governor. Presidents and vice-presidents were elected to one-year terms and could serve up to three years—the full length of their regular term as Counsellor. Ten men served as Vice-President during the time of the Council's existence.

References
  1. Dawson, Mike (February 20, 2014). "Jay Paterno seeking election as Pa. lieutenant governor". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  2. "Pennsylvania Election Process". The Morning Call. January 21, 2005. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  3. "The Constitution of Pennsylvania: Article IV §13 — When Lieutenant Governor to act as Governor". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. "The Constitution of Pennsylvania: Article IV §14 — Vacancy in office of Lieutenant Governor". Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  5. "RG-64, Records of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Agency History". Pennsylvania State Archives. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  6. Walmer, Daniel (April 21, 2017). "Pa. has US's only Lt. Gov. mansion. Is it worth the cost?". Lebanon Daily News. Gannett. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  7. "Lt. Gov. Fetterman Submits Written Declaration to General Assembly" (Press Release). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania • The Governor. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  8. Vigna, Paul (May 18, 2022). "Jake Corman to temporarily take over as acting lieutenant governor". PennLive Patriot-News. Advanced Local Media LLC. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  9. Micek, John L. (January 3, 2023). "The Pa. Legislature returns: Three storylines to follow today | Tuesday Morning Coffee". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
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