Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas | |
---|---|
Government of Arkansas | |
Seat | State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas |
Term length | Four years, renewable once |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Arkansas |
Inaugural holder | Calvin C. Bliss |
Formation | April 18, 1864 |
Website | ltgovernor |
The lieutenant governor of Arkansas presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Arkansas 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.
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.
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]
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]
No. | Lieutenant Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Governor [a] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Calvin C. Bliss (1823–1891) | April 18, 1864 – July 2, 1868 (did not run) | Republican [1] | 1864 | Isaac Murphy | |||
2 | James M. Johnson (1832–1913) | July 2, 1868 – March 14, 1871 (resigned) [b] | Republican [1] | 1868 | Powell Clayton (resigned March 17, 1871) | |||
— | Vacant | March 14, 1871 – January 6, 1873 | Office vacated by resignation | |||||
Ozra Amander Hadley | ||||||||
3 | Volney V. Smith (1841–1897) | January 6, 1873 – November 12, 1874 (office abolished) | Republican [1] | 1872 | Elisha Baxter | |||
Office did not exist from November 12, 1874, to January 11, 1927 | ||||||||
4 | Harvey Parnell (1880–1936) | January 11, 1927 – March 14, 1928 (succeeded to governor) | Democratic [1] | 1926 | John Ellis Martineau (resigned March 14, 1928) | |||
— | Vacant | March 4, 1928 – January 14, 1929 | Office vacated by succession to governor | Harvey Parnell | ||||
5 | Lee Cazort (1887–1969) | January 14, 1929 – January 12, 1931 (did not run) [c] | Democratic [1] | 1928 | ||||
6 | Lawrence Elery Wilson (1884–1946) | January 12, 1931 – January 10, 1933 (lost nomination) | Democratic [1] | 1930 | ||||
7 | Lee Cazort (1887–1969) | January 10, 1933 – January 12, 1937 (did not run) [d] | Democratic [1] | 1932 | Junius Marion Futrell | |||
1934 | ||||||||
8 | Robert B. Bailey (1892–1957) | January 12, 1937 – January 12, 1943 (did not run) | Democratic [1] | 1936 | Carl Edward Bailey | |||
1938 | ||||||||
1940 | Homer Martin Adkins | |||||||
9 | James L. Shaver (1902–1985) | January 12, 1943 – January 14, 1947 (did not run) | Democratic [1] | 1942 | ||||
1944 | Benjamin Travis Laney | |||||||
10 | Nathan Green Gordon (1916–2008) | January 14, 1947 – January 10, 1967 (did not run) | Democratic [1] | 1946 | ||||
1948 | Sid McMath | |||||||
1950 | ||||||||
1952 | Francis Cherry | |||||||
1954 | Orval Faubus | |||||||
1956 | ||||||||
1958 | ||||||||
1960 | ||||||||
1962 | ||||||||
1964 | ||||||||
11 | Maurice Britt (1919–1995) | January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 (did not run) | Republican [1] | 1966 | Winthrop Rockefeller | |||
1968 | ||||||||
12 | Bob C. Riley (1924–1994) | January 12, 1971 – January 3, 1975 (succeeded to governor) [e] | Democratic [1] | 1970 | Dale Bumpers (resigned January 3, 1975) | |||
1972 | ||||||||
— | Vacant | January 3, 1975 – January 14, 1975 | Office vacated by succession to governor | Bob C. Riley | ||||
13 | Joe Purcell (1923–1987) | January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979 (succeeded to governor) [f] | Democratic [1] | 1974 | David Pryor (resigned January 3, 1979) | |||
1976 | ||||||||
— | Vacant | January 3, 1979 – January 9, 1979 | Office vacated by succession to governor | Joe Purcell | ||||
13 | Joe Purcell (1923–1987) | January 9, 1979 – January 19, 1981 (did not run) | Democratic [1] | 1978 | Bill Clinton | |||
14 | Winston Bryant (b. 1938) | January 19, 1981 – January 15, 1991 (did not run) [g] | Democratic [1] | 1980 | Frank D. White [h] | |||
1982 | Bill Clinton (resigned December 12, 1992) | |||||||
1984 | ||||||||
1986 | ||||||||
15 | Jim Guy Tucker (b. 1943) | January 15, 1991 – December 12, 1992 (succeeded to governor) | Democratic [1] | 1990 | ||||
— | Vacant | December 12, 1992 – November 20, 1993 | Office vacated by succession to governor | Jim Guy Tucker [i] (resigned July 15, 1996) | ||||
16 | Mike Huckabee (b. 1955) | November 20, 1993 – July 15, 1996 (succeeded to governor) | Republican [1] | 1993 (special) | ||||
1994 | ||||||||
— | Vacant | July 15, 1996 – November 19, 1996 | Office vacated by succession to governor | Mike Huckabee | ||||
17 | Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (1948–2006) | November 19, 1996 – July 16, 2006 (died in office) | Republican [1] | 1996 (special) | ||||
1998 | ||||||||
2002 | ||||||||
— | Vacant | July 16, 2006 – January 9, 2007 | Office vacated by death | |||||
18 | Bill Halter (b. 1960) | January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011 (did not run) [j] | Democratic [1] | 2006 | Mike Beebe [i] | |||
19 | Mark Darr (b. 1973) | January 11, 2011 – February 1, 2014 (resigned) [k] | Republican [1] | 2010 | ||||
— | Vacant | February 1, 2014 – January 13, 2015 | Office vacated by resignation | |||||
20 | Tim Griffin (b. 1968) | January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023 (term-limited) | Republican [1] | 2014 | Asa Hutchinson | |||
2018 | ||||||||
21 | Leslie Rutledge (b. 1976) | January 10, 2023 – Incumbent [l] | Republican [1] | 2022 | Sarah Huckabee Sanders |
Harvey Parnell was an American farmer and politician from Southeast Arkansas. Parnell served in the Arkansas General Assembly for eight years, first in the Arkansas House of Representatives, and later serving a term in the Arkansas Senate. Following the re-establishment of the lieutenant governor position, Parnell won the statewide election and served under Governor John Martineau. When Martineau resigned to take a federal judgeship in March 1928, Parnell was elevated to become the state's 29th governor, a position he would hold until 1933. Early in his time as governor, Parnell was responsible for Progressive reforms popular with rural voters, including expansion and modernization of the highway system and public school reform. But as the Dust Bowl and Great Depression ravaged the Arkansas economy, Parnell's programs were blamed for bankrupting the state, and his popularity plummeted. He left politics after his second full gubernatorial term ended in January 1933.
The lieutenant governor of Georgia is a constitutional officer of the State of Georgia, elected to a four-year term by popular vote. Unlike in some other U.S. states, the lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the governor of Georgia.
The lieutenant governor of Alaska is the deputy elected official to the governor of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., the office also maintains the duties of a secretary of state, and indeed was named such until August 25, 1970. Prior to statehood, the territorial-era Secretary of Alaska, who was appointed by the president of the United States like the governor, functioned as an acting governor or successor-in-waiting. Currently, the lieutenant governor accedes to the governorship in case of a vacancy. The lieutenant governor runs together with the governor in both the primary and the general election as a slate.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2002, in 36 states and two territories. The Republicans won eight seats previously held by the Democrats, as well as the seat previously held by Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, who was elected on the Reform Party ticket but had since renounced his party affiliation. The Democrats won 10 seats previously held by the Republicans, as well as the seat previously held by Maine governor Angus King, an independent. The elections were held concurrently with the other United States elections of 2002.
The Louisiana State Senate is the Upper House of the State Legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. The current party chair is Grant Tennille. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton was born in Arkansas, and served as state governor from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992.
In the United States, a governor serves as the chief executive and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states and in the five permanently inhabited territories, functioning as head of state and head of government therein. While like all officials in the United States, checks and balances are placed on the office of the governor, significant powers may include ceremonial head of state, executive, legislative, judicial, and military. As such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. As state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. Governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. A majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.
William Lee Cazort, Sr. was a lawyer and Democratic politician from Johnson County in the Arkansas River Valley. Winning a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1915, Cazort became a rising star in Arkansas politics for the next eight years. He was defeated in the 1924 Democratic gubernatorial primary, but served as the fifth and seventh Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas from 1929 to 1931 under Governor Harvey Parnell and from 1933 to 1937 under Governor Junius Marion Futrell. Cazort also sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1930 and 1936, but failed to gain necessary statewide support and withdrew before the primary both times.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Arkansas:
The 1996 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator David Pryor decided to retire. Republican Tim Hutchinson won the open seat, becoming the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in Arkansas since Reconstruction in 1872 and the first to ever be popularly elected in the state. He was the first to win this seat since 1870. Hutchinson lost re-election in 2002 to David Pryor's son Mark Pryor.
The State government of Arkansas is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. These consist of the state governor's office, a bicameral state legislature known as the Arkansas General Assembly, and a state court system. The Arkansas Constitution delineates the structure and function of the state government. Since 1963, Arkansas has had four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like all other states, it has two seats in the U.S. Senate.
James Ray Caldwell, known as Jim R. Caldwell, is a retired Church of Christ minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was a Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate from 1969 to 1978, the first member of his party to sit in the legislative upper chamber in the 20th century. His first two years as a senator corresponded with the second two-year term of Winthrop Rockefeller, the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. Caldwell was closely allied with Rockefeller during the 1969-1970 legislative sessions.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Arkansas on November 4, 2014. All of Arkansas' executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat, and all of Arkansas' four seats in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on May 20, 2014, for offices that need to nominate candidates. Primary runoffs, necessary if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, were held on June 10, 2014.
Leslie Carol Rutledge is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 21st lieutenant governor of Arkansas since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously the 56th attorney general of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2022, in 36 states and three territories. As most governors serve four-year terms, the last regular gubernatorial elections for all but two of the seats took place in the 2018 U.S. gubernatorial elections. The gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, as part of the 2022 midterm elections.
The 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next governor of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican governor Asa Hutchinson was term-limited and could not seek a third term. Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, defeated Democrat Chris Jones to become the first woman ever elected to the office, and was sworn in on January 10, 2023.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2024, in 11 states and two territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2020, except in New Hampshire and Vermont, where governors only serve two-year terms and elected their governors in 2022. In addition to state gubernatorial elections, the territories of American Samoa and Puerto Rico held elections for their governors. This was also the first time since 1988 that a Republican nominee won the gubernatorial election in American Samoa and also the first time since 1996 that an incumbent governor there lost re-election.
The 2022 Arkansas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the lieutenant governor of the state of Arkansas. The election coincided with various other federal and state elections, including for Governor of Arkansas. Primary elections were held on May 24. Arkansas is one of 21 states that elects its lieutenant governor separately from its governor.