Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky

Last updated
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
Seal of Kentucky.svg
Jacqueline Coleman.png
since December 10, 2019
Government of Kentucky
Style The Honorable
Term length Four years, renewable once consecutively
Inaugural holder Alexander Scott Bullitt (1800)
Formation Kentucky Constitution
Succession First
Salary$139,724.88 [1]
Website http://ltgovernor.ky.gov

The lieutenant governor of Kentucky was created under the state's second constitution, which was ratified in 1799. The inaugural officeholder was Alexander Scott Bullitt, who took office in 1800 following his election to serve under James Garrard in 1799. The lieutenant governor becomes governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to those under which the vice president of the United States assumes the presidency. The current lieutenant governor is Democrat Jacqueline Coleman, who has been office since December 10, 2019.

Contents

Duties of the Kentucky lieutenant governor

As specified in Kentucky Revised Statute 11.400, it states:

11.400 Duties of Lieutenant Governor. [2] (1) In addition to the duties prescribed for the office by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the duties of the Lieutenant Governor shall be as follows: (a) To serve as vice chairman of the State Property and Buildings Commission as prescribed by KRS 56.450; (b) To serve as vice chairman of the Kentucky Turnpike Authority as prescribed in KRS 175.430; (c) To serve as a member of the Kentucky Council on Agriculture in accordance with KRS 247.417; (d) To appoint one (1) member of the Public Officials' Compensation Commission as provided in KRS 64.742; (e) To serve as a member of the Board of the Kentucky Housing Corporation in accordance with KRS 198A.030; and (f) To serve as a member of Kentucky delegations on the following interstate compact commissions or boards: 1. The Southern Growth Policies Board as prescribed by KRS 147.585; 2. The Breaks Interstate Park Commission as provided in KRS 148.225; 3. The Falls of the Ohio Interstate Park Commission pursuant to KRS 148.242; 4. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority pursuant to KRS 182.305; 5. The Interstate Water Sanitation Control Commissions as prescribed by KRS 224.18-710; and 6. The Kentucky Mining Advisory Council for the Interstate Mining Compact as provided by KRS 350.310. (2) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the Governor and Lieutenant Governor from agreeing upon additional duties within the executive branch of the state government to be performed by the Lieutenant Governor. Effective: June 26, 2007

Changes by 1992 amendment

The role and powers of the lieutenant governor of Kentucky were altered by a 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky. Prior to that 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky the lieutenant governor became acting governor at any time that the governor was outside of the commonwealth. Lieutenant governors Thelma Stovall (1975–1979) and Happy Chandler (1931–1935) engaged in high-profile use of their powers as acting governor when the elected governor was out of the commonwealth.

Kentucky's first governor's mansion served as the lieutenant governor's official residence for many years. Old Kentucky Governor's Mansion.jpg
Kentucky's first governor's mansion served as the lieutenant governor's official residence for many years.

Also prior to the 1992 amendment of the Constitution of Kentucky, the lieutenant governor of Kentucky presided over the Kentucky Senate, casting a vote only in the event of a tie. The 1992 constitutional amendment supplanted the office of President pro tempore of the Kentucky Senate with the new office of President of the Kentucky Senate as presiding officer and abolished the lieutenant governor's duties involving the Senate. As a result, the lieutenant governor has no ongoing constitutional duties, and his or her traditional use of the Old Governor's Mansion as an official residence has been phased out.

Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor in Kentucky run together on party slates. This is the result of the same 1992 constitutional amendment; prior to that the candidates for both offices ran separately and, as a result, sometimes the two elected to those offices were not allies and did not work together. This was famously highlighted when then-Lt. Gov. A. B. "Happy" Chandler in 1935 and then-Lt. Gov. Thelma Stovall in 1978 called the Kentucky General Assembly into session to enact legislation that was not advocated by the governors at the time (Ruby Laffoon and Julian Carroll, respectively). In 1967 a Republican, Louie Nunn, was elected governor and a Democrat, Wendell H. Ford, was elected lieutenant governor; they served together in that way for four years.

List of lieutenant governors

   Democratic (29)   Democratic-Republican (5)   National Republican (1)   Free Soil (0)   Republican (7)   Whig (5)

#ImageNamePolitical partyTermGovernor(s) served under
1 Alexander Scott Bullitt 1800–1804 James Garrard
2 John Caldwell 1804 Christopher Greenup
3 Thomas Posey Portrait.jpg Thomas Posey Democratic-Republican1806–1808 Christopher Greenup
4 Gabriel Slaughter.jpg Gabriel Slaughter Democratic-Republican1808–1812 Charles Scott
5 Richard Hickman 1812–1816 Isaac Shelby
6 Gabriel Slaughter.jpg Gabriel SlaughterDemocratic-Republican1816 George Madison
Office vacant fromOctober 4, 1816 - August 29, 1820 Gabriel Slaughter
7 WBarry.jpg William T. Barry Democratic-Republican1820-1824 George Madison
8 Robert-B.-McAfee.jpg Robert B. McAfee Democratic-Republican1824–1828 Joseph Desha
9 John Breathitt.jpg John Breathitt Democratic1828–1832 Thomas Metcalfe
10 JTMorehead-crop.jpg James T. Morehead National Republican, Whig1832–1834 John Breathitt
Office vacant fromSeptember 2, 1834 - August 31, 1836 James T. Morehead
11 Charles-A.-Wickliffe.jpg Charles A. Wickliffe Whig1836–1839 James Clark
12 Manlius Valerius Thomson 1840–1844 Robert P. Letcher
13 Archibald Dixon cropped.jpg Archibald Dixon Whig1844–1848 William Owsley
14 John larue Helm.jpg John LaRue Helm Whig1848–1850 John J. Crittenden
Office vacant fromJuly 31, 1850 - September 2, 1851 John L. Helm
15 John Burton Thompson cropped.jpg John Burton Thompson Whig, Know Nothing1851–1853 Lazarus W. Powell
16 JamesGreenHardy.jpg James Greene Hardy Know Nothing 1855–1856 Charles S. Morehead
Office vacant fromJuly 16, 1856 - [ ? ]1859
17 LinnBoyd.jpg Linn Boyd Democratic1859 Beriah Magoffin
18 Col. Richard Taylor Jacob.png Richard Taylor Jacob Democratic1863–1864 Thomas E. Bramlette
Office vacant from[ ? ]1864 - September 3, 1867 Thomas E. Bramlette
19 John Stevenson.jpg John W. Stevenson Democratic1867 John L. Helm
Office vacant fromSeptember 3, 1867 - September 5, 1871
20 John G. Carlisle (10507004143) (1).jpg John G. Carlisle Democratic1871–1875 Preston H. Leslie
21 John Cox Underwood.jpg John C. Underwood Democratic1875–1879 James B. McCreary
22 James E. Cantrill Democratic1879–1883 Luke P. Blackburn
23 James-R.-Hindman.jpg James R. Hindman Democratic1883–1887 J. Proctor Knott
24 James Bryan cropped.jpg James W. Bryan Democratic1887–1891 Simon Bolivar Buckner
25 Lt. Governor Mitchell Cary Alford.png Mitchell C. Alford Democratic1891–1895 John Young Brown
26 William-Jackson-Worthington.jpg William J. Worthington Republican1895–1899 William O. Bradley
27 LtGov-John-Marshall.jpg John Marshall Republican1899–1900 William S. Taylor
28 BECKHAM, J.C.W. SENATOR LCCN2016858952 (cropped).jpg J. C. W. Beckham Democratic1900 William Goebel
Newton Willard Utley.jpg Newton Willard Utley (Acting)1902–1903 J. C. W. Beckham
29 William Pryor Thorne.png William P. Thorne Democratic1903–1907 J. C. W. Beckham
30 William-H.-Cox-oval.jpg William H. Cox Republican1907–1911 Augustus E. Willson
31 Edward-J.-McDermott.jpg Edward J. McDermott Democratic1911–1915 James B. McCreary
32 James-Dixon-Black.jpg James D. Black Democratic1915–1919 Augustus O. Stanley
33 Lt. Governor of Kentucky Samuel Thruston Ballard (cropped).png S. Thruston Ballard Republican1919–1923 James D. Black
Edwin P. Morrow
34 HenryDenhardt.jpg Henry Denhardt Democratic1923–1927 William J. Fields
35 James Breathitt Jr.png James Breathitt, Jr. Democratic1927–1931 Flem D. Sampson
36 Albert B. Chandler Sr. (KY).jpg Happy Chandler Democratic1931–1935 Ruby Laffoon
37 Keen Johnson.jpg Keen Johnson Democratic1935–1939 Happy Chandler
38 Lt. Governor Rodes Kirby Myers.jpg Rodes K. Myers Democratic1939–1943 Keen Johnson
39 Kenneth-Tuggle.jpg Kenneth H. Tuggle Republican1943–1947 Simeon Willis
40 Lawrence-Wetherby (cropped).jpg Lawrence W. Wetherby Democratic1947–1950 Earle Clements
41 Emerson Beauchamp, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, State Treasurer, and Commissioner of Agriculture.png Emerson Beauchamp Democratic1951–1955 Lawrence W. Wetherby
vacant
42 Harry Lee Waterfield.jpg Harry Lee Waterfield Democratic1955–1959 Happy Chandler
43 Wilson W. Wyatt 1946.jpg Wilson W. Wyatt Democratic1959–1963 Bert Combs
44 Harry Lee Waterfield.jpg Harry Lee Waterfield Democratic1963–1967 Ned Breathitt
45 Sen Wendell Ford.jpg Wendell Ford Democratic1967–1971 Louie Nunn
46 Julian-Carroll.jpg Julian Carroll Democratic1971–1974 Wendell Ford
Office vacant fromDecember 28, 1974 - December 9, 1975
47 Stovall-KDLA-undated-BW.jpg Thelma Stovall Democratic1975–1979 Julian Carroll
48 Lt. Governor Martha Layne Collins (cropped).jpg Martha Layne Collins Democratic1979–1983 John Y. Brown Jr.
49 Steve Beshear (cropped).jpg Steve Beshear Democratic1983–1987 Martha Layne Collins
50 Nate Morris Gov Jones (cropped).jpg Brereton C. Jones Democratic1987–1991 Wallace Wilkinson
51 Paul E. Patton 2013 (cropped).jpg Paul E. Patton Democratic1991–1995 Brereton C. Jones
52 Steve Henry Democratic1995–2003 Paul E. Patton
53 Steve Pence Republican2003–2007 Ernie Fletcher
54 Daniel Mongiardo by Gage Skidmore.jpg Daniel Mongiardo Democratic2007–2011 Steve Beshear
55 Jerry E. Abramson (cropped).jpg Jerry Abramson Democratic2011–2014 Steve Beshear
56 Crit Luallen.jpg Crit Luallen Democratic2014–2015 Steve Beshear
57 Women for Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton.jpg Jenean Hampton Republican2015–2019 Matt Bevin
58 Jacqueline Coleman.png Jacqueline Coleman Democratic2019–present Andy Beshear

Some accounts also indicate that Kentucky's Confederate government had one lieutenant governor, Horatio F. Simrall, who was elected at the Russellville Convention in 1861. Simrall fled to Mississippi shortly thereafter. [3]

See also

References

  1. "Transparency.ky.gov - Salary Search". May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  2. Kentucky Revised Statute 11.400
  3. Powell, Robert A. (1976). Kentucky Governors. Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky Images. ASIN   B0006CPOVM. OCLC   2690774.