Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
State seal
Incumbent Leslie Rutledge since January 10, 2023 (2023-01-10)
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 (161 years ago) (1864-04-18)

The lieutenant governor of Arkansas is an important leader in the state government. This person helps lead the Arkansas Senate, which is part of the state's law-making group. If there's a tie vote in the Senate, the lieutenant governor gets to cast the deciding vote.

The lieutenant governor also steps in for the governor of Arkansas if the governor is out of the state. If the governor can no longer do their job, the lieutenant governor takes over as governor. This position is chosen by voters in a separate election from the governor. The current lieutenant governor is Leslie Rutledge, who started her term on January 10, 2023.

How the Job Started

The idea for a Lieutenant Governor in Arkansas began with the Sixth Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution in 1914. However, it took a while for someone to actually fill the job! The voters approved the amendment in 1914, but there was confusion about how many votes were needed for it to pass.

Later, in 1925, it was found that the rules for voting on such changes had been updated. This meant the 1914 amendment was indeed valid. So, in 1926, Harvey Parnell was elected as Arkansas's very first lieutenant governor.

Sometimes, a lieutenant governor starts their job in the middle of a term. This happens if the governor leaves office early. For example, when Governor Bill Clinton became President of the United States, his lieutenant governor, Jim Guy Tucker, became governor. Then, a special election was held to choose a new lieutenant governor. Later, when Governor Tucker left office, Mike Huckabee became governor, and Winthrop Paul Rockefeller was elected as the new lieutenant governor.

History of the Office

Arkansas didn't always have a lieutenant governor. During the American Civil War in 1864, a new state constitution was created. This new government included a lieutenant governor, who would be chosen by the people to serve four-year terms. Calvin C. Bliss was the first person to hold this office.

The job continued under the 1868 constitution but was removed in the 1874 constitution. Many years later, in 1914, people voted to bring the office back. Even though more people voted for it than against it, the Arkansas Supreme Court first said it didn't pass because of how the votes were counted. But in 1925, the court changed its mind, saying the office should be filled. That's when Harvey Parnell was elected.

At first, the lieutenant governor served for two years. But in 1986, the term was changed to four years. In 1992, rules were added to limit how many terms a person could serve. On January 10, 2023, Leslie Rutledge became the first woman to hold the office.

What the Lieutenant Governor Does

The lieutenant governor is one of seven main leaders in the Arkansas state government. Their most important jobs are:

• Leading the Arkansas Senate.
• Taking over as governor if the governor's office becomes empty.
• Acting as governor if the governor is temporarily out of the state.

The state's rules say that a lieutenant governor can serve a maximum of two terms. They earn an annual salary of $48,105.

List of Lieutenant Governors

Lieutenant governors of the State of Arkansas

No.	Lieutenant Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Governor
1			Calvin C. Bliss (1823–1891)	April 18, 1864 – July 2, 1868 (did not run)	Republican	1864		Murphy, IsaacIsaac Murphy
2			James M. Johnson (1832–1913)	July 2, 1868 – March 14, 1871 (resigned)	Republican	1868		Clayton, PowellPowell Clayton (resigned March 17, 1871)
—	Vacant			March 14, 1871 – January 6, 1873	Office vacated by resignation
								Hadley, Ozra AmanderOzra Amander Hadley
3			Volney V. Smith (1841–1897)	January 6, 1873 – November 12, 1874 (office abolished)	Republican	1872		Baxter, ElishaElisha 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	1926		Martineau, John EllisJohn Ellis Martineau (resigned March 14, 1928)
—	Vacant			March 4, 1928 – January 14, 1929	Office vacated by succession to governor			Parnell, HarveyHarvey Parnell
5			Lee Cazort (1887–1969)	January 14, 1929 – January 12, 1931 (did not run)	Democratic	1928
6			Lawrence Elery Wilson (1884–1946)	January 12, 1931 – January 10, 1933 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1930
7			Lee Cazort (1887–1969)	January 10, 1933 – January 12, 1937 (did not run)	Democratic	1932		Futrell, Junius MarionJunius Marion Futrell
						1934
8			Robert B. Bailey (1892–1957)	January 12, 1937 – January 12, 1943 (did not run)	Democratic	1936		Bailey, Carl EdwardCarl Edward Bailey
						1938
						1940		Adkins, Homer MartinHomer Martin Adkins
9			James L. Shaver (1902–1985)	January 12, 1943 – January 14, 1947 (did not run)	Democratic	1942
						1944		Laney, Benjamin TravisBenjamin Travis Laney
10			Nathan Green Gordon (1916–2008)	January 14, 1947 – January 10, 1967 (did not run)	Democratic	1946
						1948		McMath, SidSid McMath
						1950
						1952		Cherry, FrancisFrancis Cherry
						1954		Faubus, OrvalOrval Faubus
						1956
						1958
						1960
						1962
						1964
11			Maurice Britt (1919–1995)	January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 (did not run)	Republican	1966		Rockefeller, WinthropWinthrop Rockefeller
						1968
12			Bob C. Riley (1924–1994)	January 12, 1971 – January 3, 1975 (succeeded to governor)	Democratic	1970		Bumpers, DaleDale Bumpers (resigned January 3, 1975)
						1972
—	Vacant			January 3, 1975 – January 14, 1975	Office vacated by succession to governor			Riley, Bob C.Bob C. Riley
13			Joe Purcell (1923–1987)	January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979 (succeeded to governor)	Democratic	1974		Pryor, DavidDavid Pryor (resigned January 3, 1979)
1976
—	Vacant			January 3, 1979 – January 9, 1979	Office vacated by succession to governor			Purcell, JoeJoe Purcell
13			Joe Purcell (1923–1987)	January 9, 1979 – January 19, 1981 (did not run)	Democratic	1978		Clinton, BillBill Clinton
14			Winston Bryant (b. 1938)	January 19, 1981 – January 15, 1991 (did not run)	Democratic	1980		White, Frank D.Frank D. White
						1982		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (resigned December 12, 1992)
						1984
						1986
15			Jim Guy Tucker (b. 1943)	January 15, 1991 – December 12, 1992 (succeeded to governor)	Democratic	1990
—	Vacant			December 12, 1992 – November 20, 1993	Office vacated by succession to governor			Tucker, Jim GuyJim Guy Tucker (resigned July 15, 1996)
16			Mike Huckabee (b. 1955)	November 20, 1993 – July 15, 1996 (succeeded to governor)	Republican	1993 (special)
						1994
—	Vacant			July 15, 1996 – November 19, 1996	Office vacated by succession to governor			Huckabee, MikeMike Huckabee
17			Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (1948–2006)	November 19, 1996 – July 16, 2006 (died in office)	Republican	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)	Democratic	2006		Beebe, MikeMike Beebe
19			Mark Darr (b. 1973)	January 11, 2011 – February 1, 2014 (resigned)	Republican	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	2014		Hutchinson, AsaAsa Hutchinson
						2018
21			Leslie Rutledge (b. 1976)	January 10, 2023 – Incumbent	Republican	2022		Sanders, Sarah HuckabeeSarah Huckabee Sanders