Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Seal of Massachusetts
Incumbent Kim Driscoll since January 5, 2023
Government of Massachusetts
Style	His Honor/Her Honor
Member of	Governor's Council Cabinet
Reports to	Governor of Massachusetts
Residence	None official
Seat	State House, Boston, Massachusetts
Nominator	Nominating petition, Political parties
Appointer	Popular vote
Term length	Four years, no limit
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Massachusetts
Formation	Original post: April 30, 1629 Current form: October 25, 1780
Salary	$165,000 (2018)
Website	https://www.mass.gov/person/kim-driscoll-lieutenant-governor

The lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is an important leader in the state government. This person is next in line to take over if the governor of Massachusetts cannot do their job. The official title for this role is "His Honor" or "Her Honor."

The Massachusetts Constitution explains what happens if a governor leaves office. If the governor dies, resigns, or is removed, the lieutenant governor steps in. They become the acting governor and handle the governor's duties. They do not officially become the new governor.

This happened for the first time in 1785. Governor John Hancock resigned, and Lieutenant Governor Thomas Cushing became the acting governor. More recently, Jane Swift became acting governor in 2001. This happened when Paul Cellucci resigned to become the U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

The lieutenant governor also takes charge when the governor is out of Massachusetts. This role used to be for one year. Now, it is a four-year term, just like the governor's. The lieutenant governor is not elected alone. They run for office on the same ballot as the governor. This means they are usually from the same political party.

Today, anyone running for this office must have lived in Massachusetts for at least seven years. Both men and women have served in this important position. The current lieutenant governor is Kim Driscoll. She started her term in January 2023.

Becoming Lieutenant Governor: What It Takes
A Look Back: History of the Role
What the Constitution Says: The Lieutenant Governor's Job
Other Important Tasks
How the Lieutenant Governor is Elected
List of Lieutenant Governors
See also

Becoming Lieutenant Governor: What It Takes

To become the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, a person must meet a few requirements:

They must be at least 18 years old.
They need to be a registered voter in Massachusetts.
They must have lived in Massachusetts for at least seven years before the election.
They also need to collect 10,000 signatures from registered voters. These signatures are collected on special nomination papers.

A Look Back: History of the Role

The job of lieutenant governor started a long time ago. It began with the "deputy governor" role in the early days of Massachusetts. Back then, the deputy governor helped lead the colony. They worked with the governor and a group called the Council of Assistants.

These early leaders were chosen by the colony's "freemen" (people who had certain rights). They helped run the colony and also managed the Massachusetts Bay Company. At first, these royal officers were supposed to stay in London. But the first deputy, John Humphrey, and governor, John Winthrop, came to the colony instead.

In the colonial era, the governor and deputy were like chief judges. They also led the militia, which was like a local army. The governor was the general, and the deputy was a colonel.

Later, the way leaders were chosen changed. The King of England started appointing the royal officers. This was because the British government wanted more control over the New England colonies. The new "Lieutenant Governors" often disagreed with the colonists. The colonists wanted to have more say in their own affairs. The last royal Lieutenant Governor was Thomas Oliver.

What the Constitution Says: The Lieutenant Governor's Job

The Massachusetts Constitution explains the lieutenant governor's role. It says that a lieutenant governor will be elected every year. Their official title is "His Honor." The constitution also states that they must meet the same requirements as the governor. This includes living in Massachusetts. The way they are elected is also the same as for the governor.

The lieutenant governor also has another important duty. They are automatically a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council. This council helps the governor make decisions.

Other Important Tasks

Massachusetts law gives the lieutenant governor another special job. They lead the committee that chooses who wins the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery. This award honors brave citizens.

How the Lieutenant Governor is Elected

The lieutenant governor usually runs for office with the governor. This means they are on the same "ticket" during the election. This helps make sure they are from the same political party. However, they are chosen separately in the primary election.

When the state constitution was first created in 1780, elections for both offices were held every year. They were also independent. Over time, the rules changed. In 1918, the terms became two years long. In 1964, they changed again to four-year terms. In 1966, the law allowed the governor and lieutenant governor to be grouped together on the ballot. Elections happen in even-numbered years, but not in presidential election years.

List of Lieutenant Governors

The lieutenant governors listed below with an asterisk (*) acted as governor during their term. This happened because the governor's seat became empty due to death or resignation.

No.		Term in office	Political party	Governor(s)
Parties Democratic (15) Democratic-Republican (7) Federalist (4) Independent (2) Know Nothing (1) Republican (39) Whig (5)
1	Thomas Cushing*	1780–1788	Independent	John Hancock (I) James Bowdoin (I)
2	Benjamin Lincoln	1788–1789	Federalist	John Hancock (I)
3	Samuel Adams	1789–1794	Democratic-Republican	John Hancock (I)
4	Moses Gill*	1794–1800	Independent	Samuel Adams (DR) Increase Sumner (F)
Office vacant 1800–1801				Governor's Council Caleb Strong (F)
5	Samuel Phillips Jr.	1801–1802	Federalist	Caleb Strong (F)
6	Edward Robbins	1802–1806	Democratic-Republican	Caleb Strong (F)
Office vacant 1806–1807				Caleb Strong (F)
7	Levi Lincoln Sr.*	1807–1809	Democratic-Republican	James Sullivan (DR)
8	David Cobb	1809–1810	Federalist	Christopher Gore (F)
9	William Gray	1810–1812	Democratic-Republican	Elbridge Gerry (DR)
10	William Phillips Jr.	1812–1823	Federalist	Caleb Strong (F) John Brooks (F)
11	Levi Lincoln Jr.	1823–1824	Democratic-Republican	William Eustis (DR)
12	Marcus Morton*	1824–1825	Democratic-Republican	William Eustis (DR)
13	Thomas L. Winthrop	1825–1833	Democratic-Republican	Levi Lincoln Jr. (NR,W)
14	Samuel T. Armstrong*	1833–1835	Whig	John Davis (W)
15	George Hull	1836–1843	Whig	Edward Everett (W) Marcus Morton (D) John Davis (W)
16	Henry H. Childs	1843–1844	Democratic	Marcus Morton (D)
17	John Reed Jr.	1844–1851	Whig	George N. Briggs (W)
18	Henry W. Cushman	1851–1853	Democratic	George S. Boutwell (D)
19	Elisha Huntington	1853–1854	Whig	John H. Clifford (W)
20	William C. Plunkett	1854–1855	Whig	Emory Washburn (W)
21	Simon Brown	1855–1856	Know Nothing	Henry Gardner (KN)
22	Henry W. Benchley	1856–1858	Republican	Henry Gardner (KN)
23	Eliphalet Trask	1858–1861	Republican	Nathaniel Prentice Banks (R)
24	John Z. Goodrich	1861	Republican	John Albion Andrew (R)
25	John Nesmith	1862	Republican	John Albion Andrew (R)
26	Joel Hayden	1863–1866	Republican	John Albion Andrew (R)
27	William Claflin	1866–1869	Republican	Alexander H. Bullock (R)
28	Joseph Tucker	1869–1873	Republican	William Claflin (R) William B. Washburn (R)
29	Thomas Talbot*	1873–1875	Republican	William B. Washburn (R)
30	Horatio G. Knight	1875–1879	Republican	William Gaston (D) Alexander H. Rice (R)
31	John D. Long	1879–1880	Republican	Thomas Talbot (R)
32	Byron Weston	1880–1883	Republican	John Davis Long (R)
33	Oliver Ames	1883–1887	Republican	Benjamin F. Butler (D,Greenback) George D. Robinson (R)
34	John Q. A. Brackett	1887–1890	Republican	Oliver Ames (R)
35	William H. Haile	1890–1893	Republican	John Q. A. Brackett (R) William Russell (D)
36	Roger Wolcott*	1893–1896	Republican	William Russell (D) Frederic T. Greenhalge (R)
37	Winthrop M. Crane	1897–1900	Republican	Roger Wolcott (R)
38	John L. Bates	1900–1903	Republican	Winthrop Murray Crane (R)
39	Curtis Guild Jr.	1903–1906	Republican	John L. Bates (R) William Lewis Douglas (D)
40	Eben S. Draper	1906–1909	Republican	Curtis Guild Jr. (R)
41	Louis A. Frothingham	1909–1912	Republican	Eben S. Draper (R) Eugene Noble Foss (D)
42	Robert Luce	1912–1913	Republican	Eugene Noble Foss (D)
43	David I. Walsh	1913–1914	Democratic	Eugene Noble Foss (D)
44	Edward P. Barry	1914–1915	Democratic	David I. Walsh (D)
45	Grafton D. Cushing	1915–1916	Republican	David I. Walsh (D)
46	Calvin Coolidge	1916–1919	Republican	Samuel W. McCall (R)
47	Channing H. Cox	1919–1921	Republican	Calvin Coolidge (R)
48	Alvan T. Fuller	1921–1925	Republican	Channing H. Cox (R)
49	Frank G. Allen	1925–1929	Republican	Alvan T. Fuller (R)
50	William S. Youngman	1929–1933	Republican	Frank G. Allen (R)
51	Gaspar G. Bacon	1933–1935	Republican	Joseph B. Ely (D)
52	Joseph L. Hurley	1935–1937	Democratic	James Michael Curley (D)
53	Francis E. Kelly	1937–1939	Democratic	Charles F. Hurley (D)
54	Horace T. Cahill	1939–1945	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall (R)
55	Robert F. Bradford	1945–1947	Republican	Maurice J. Tobin (D)
56	Arthur W. Coolidge	1947–1949	Republican	Robert F. Bradford (R)
57	Charles F. Sullivan	1949–1953	Democratic	Paul A. Dever (D)
58	Sumner G. Whittier	1953–1957	Republican	Christian Herter (R)
59	Robert F. Murphy	1957–1960	Democratic	Foster Furcolo (D)
Office vacant 1960–1961				Foster Furcolo (D)
60	Edward F. McLaughlin Jr.	1961–1963	Democratic	John A. Volpe (R)
61	Francis Bellotti	1963–1965	Democratic	Endicott Peabody (D)
62	Elliot Richardson	1965–1967	Republican	John A. Volpe (R)
63	Francis Sargent*	1967–1971	Republican	John A. Volpe (R)
64	Donald Dwight	1971–1975	Republican	Francis W. Sargent (R)
65	Thomas P. O'Neill III	1975–1983	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (D) Edward J. King (D)
66	John Kerry	1983–1985	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (D)
Office Vacant 1985-1987				Michael Dukakis (D)
67	Evelyn Murphy	1987–1991	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (D)
68	Paul Cellucci*	1991–1999	Republican	William Weld (R)
69	Jane Swift*	1999–2003	Republican	Paul Cellucci (R)
70	Kerry Healey	2003–2007	Republican	Mitt Romney (R)
71	Tim Murray	2007–2013	Democratic	Deval Patrick (D)
Office vacant 2013–2015				Deval Patrick (D)
72	Karyn Polito	2015–2023	Republican	Charlie Baker (R)
73	Kim Driscoll	2023–present	Democratic	Maura Healey (D)