Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
Incumbent Peggy Flanagan since January 8, 2019
Style	Mister or Madam Lieutenant Governor (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Seat	Minnesota State Capitol Saint Paul, Minnesota
Appointer	General election
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Constituting instrument	Minnesota Constitution of 1858, Article V
Inaugural holder	William Holcombe
Formation	May 11, 1858 (167 years ago) (May 11, 1858)
Salary	$82,959
Website	Official page: https://mn.gov/governor/about/peggyflanagan/

The Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota is an important leader in the state government. This person works in the executive branch, which is like the management team for the state. Since Minnesota became a state, 50 different people have served as lieutenant governor. The current Lieutenant Governor is Peggy Flanagan. She is a member of the DFL Party. She is also the first Native American person to be elected to a statewide leadership job in Minnesota.

What the Lieutenant Governor Does

The Lieutenant Governor helps the governor run the state. They work together to manage the state's daily operations. The Lieutenant Governor also steps in if the governor is away or unable to do their job.

Helping the Governor Lead

The governor can ask the lieutenant governor to take on some of their duties. This is done through a written order given to the Secretary of State. The Lieutenant Governor is a key part of the governor's team. They help make big decisions about state policies and how money is spent.

Other Important Roles

The Lieutenant Governor is also a member of the Executive Council. This group helps oversee different parts of the state government. They also lead the Capitol Area Architectural Planning Board. This board helps plan and design buildings around the state capitol.

History of the Office

The role of the Lieutenant Governor has changed over time. These changes have made the office what it is today.

Changes in Elections and Terms

In 1886, elections for the lieutenant governor moved from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. Starting with the 1962 election, the term for the lieutenant governor became four years long. Before that, it was only two years.

Working with the Governor

Before the 1974 election, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected separately. The lieutenant governor also had a special role in the state's lawmaking body. They used to lead the state senate.

Since 1974, things have changed. The lieutenant governor is now elected on the same ballot as the governor. This means people vote for them as a team. Also, the lieutenant governor no longer leads the state senate.

Women in the Office

Marlene Johnson was the first woman to become Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. She was elected in 1982. Since her time, all eight people who have held the office after her have also been women.

List of Lieutenant Governors

This list shows the people who have served as Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.

Parties

      Democratic       Democratic–Farmer–Labor       Farmer–Labor       Republican/Independent Republican       Reform/Independence

No.	Image	Lt. Governor	Took office	Left office	Governor(s) served under	Party
1		William Holcombe	May 24, 1858	January 2, 1860	Henry H. Sibley	Democratic
2		Ignatius L. Donnelly	January 2, 1860	March 4, 1863	Alexander Ramsey	Republican
3		Henry Adoniram Swift	March 4, 1863	July 10, 1863	Alexander Ramsey	Republican
		Vacant	July 10, 1863	January 11, 1864	Alexander Ramsey
4		Charles D. Sherwood	January 11, 1864	January 8, 1866	Stephen Miller	Republican
5		Thomas H. Armstrong	January 8, 1866	January 7, 1870	William R. Marshall	Republican
6		William H. Yale	January 7, 1870	January 9, 1874	Horace Austin	Republican
7		Alphonso Barto	January 9, 1874	January 7, 1876	Cushman K. Davis	Republican
8		James Wakefield	January 7, 1876	January 10, 1880	John S. Pillsbury	Republican
9		Charles A. Gilman	January 10, 1880	January 4, 1887	John S. Pillsbury Lucius F. Hubbard	Republican
10		Albert E. Rice	January 4, 1887	January 5, 1891	Andrew R. McGill William R. Merriam	Republican
11		Gideon S. Ives	January 5, 1891	January 3, 1893	William R. Merriam Knute Nelson	Republican
12		David Marston Clough	January 3, 1893	January 31, 1895	Knute Nelson	Republican
13		Frank A. Day	January 31, 1895	January 5, 1897	David M. Clough	Republican
14		John L. Gibbs	January 5, 1897	January 3, 1899	David M. Clough	Republican
15		Lyndon Ambrose Smith	January 3, 1899	January 5, 1903	John Lind (Democratic) Samuel R. Van Sant (Republican)	Republican
16		Ray W. Jones	January 5, 1903	January 7, 1907	Samuel R. Van Sant John A. Johnson	Republican
17		Adolph Olson Eberhart	January 7, 1907	September 21, 1909	John A. Johnson (Democratic)	Republican
18		Edward Everett Smith	September 25, 1909	January 3, 1911	Adolph O. Eberhart	Republican
19		Samuel Y. Gordon	January 3, 1911	January 7, 1913	Adolph O. Eberhart	Republican
20		Joseph A. A. Burnquist	January 7, 1913	December 30, 1915	Adolph O. Eberhart Winfield S. Hammond	Republican
		Vacant	December 30, 1915	October 28, 1916	J. A. A. Burnquist
21		George H. Sullivan	October 28, 1916	January 2, 1917	J. A. A. Burnquist	Republican
22		Thomas Frankson	January 2, 1917	January 4, 1921	J. A. A. Burnquist	Republican
23		Louis L. Collins	January 4, 1921	January 6, 1925	J. A. O. Preus	Republican
24		William I. Nolan	January 6, 1925	June 1929	Theodore Christianson	Republican
25		Charles Edward Adams	June 25, 1929	January 6, 1931	Theodore Christianson	Republican
26		Henry M. Arens	January 6, 1931	January 3, 1933	Floyd B. Olson	Farmer–Labor
27		Konrad K. Solberg	January 3, 1933	January 8, 1935	Floyd B. Olson	Farmer–Labor
28		Hjalmar Petersen	January 8, 1935	August 24, 1936	Floyd B. Olson	Farmer–Labor
*		William B. Richardson1	August 24, 1936	January 1, 1937	Hjalmar Petersen	Republican
29		Gottfrid Lindsten	January 5, 1937	January 2, 1939	Elmer A. Benson	Farmer–Labor
30		C. Elmer Anderson	January 2, 1939	January 4, 1943	Harold Stassen	Republican
31		Edward John Thye	January 4, 1943	April 27, 1943	Harold Stassen	Republican
32		Archie H. Miller	May 6, 1943	January 2, 1945	Edward John Thye	Republican
33		C. Elmer Anderson	January 2, 1945	September 27, 1951	Luther W. Youngdahl	Republican
		Vacant	September 27, 1951	January 5, 1953	C. Elmer Anderson
34		Ancher Nelsen	January 5, 1953	May 1, 1953	C. Elmer Anderson	Republican
		Vacant	May 1, 1953	September 3, 1954	C. Elmer Anderson
35		Donald O. Wright2	September 3, 1954	January 3, 1955	C. Elmer Anderson	Republican
36		Karl Rolvaag	January 3, 1955	January 8, 1963	Orville L. Freeman Elmer L. Andersen	Democratic–Farmer–Labor
37		Alexander M. Keith	January 8, 1963	January 2, 1967	Elmer L. Andersen Karl F. Rolvaag	Democratic–Farmer–Labor
38		James B. Goetz	January 2, 1967	January 4, 1971	Harold LeVander	Republican
39		Rudy Perpich	January 4, 1971	December 29, 1976	Wendell R. Anderson	Democratic–Farmer–Labor
40		Alec G. Olson3	December 29, 1976	January 4, 1979	Rudy Perpich	Democratic–Farmer–Labor
41		Lou Wangberg	January 4, 1979	January 3, 1983	Al Quie	Independent Republican
42		Marlene Johnson	January 3, 1983	January 7, 1991	Rudy Perpich	Democratic–Farmer–Labor
43		Joanell Dyrstad	January 7, 1991	January 3, 1995	Arne H. Carlson	Independent Republican
44		Joanne Benson	January 3, 1995	January 4, 1999	Arne H. Carlson	IR/Republican
45		Mae Schunk	January 4, 1999	January 6, 2003	Jesse Ventura	Reform/Independence
46		Carol Molnau	January 6, 2003	January 3, 2011	Tim Pawlenty	Republican
47		Yvonne Prettner Solon	January 3, 2011	January 5, 2015	Mark Dayton	Democratic–Farmer–Labor
48		Tina Smith	January 5, 2015	January 2, 2018		Democratic–Farmer–Labor
49		Michelle Fischbach4	January 2, 2018	January 7, 2019		Republican
50		Peggy Flanagan	January 7, 2019	Incumbent	Tim Walz	Democratic–Farmer–Labor

1 Richardson was the leader of the Minnesota Senate. He became acting lieutenant governor when Lieutenant Governor Hjalmar Petersen became governor. This happened after Governor Floyd B. Olson passed away. However, Richardson was never officially sworn into the role.

2 Wright was also the leader of the Minnesota Senate. He took over the office of lieutenant governor in 1954. This happened after Lieutenant Governor Ancher Nelsen left to work for the Rural Electric Administration.

3 As the leader of the Minnesota Senate, Olson became lieutenant governor. This occurred when Rudy Perpich, who was then lieutenant governor, became governor. Governor Wendell Anderson had resigned. Anderson had arranged for Perpich to be appointed to the United States Senate after Walter Mondale resigned. Mondale had been elected vice president.

4 As the leader of the Minnesota Senate, Fischbach became lieutenant governor. This happened after Tina Smith resigned. Smith was chosen by Governor Mark Dayton to fill a United States Senate seat. That seat became open when Al Franken resigned. Fischbach left her state Senate role and took the oath of office for lieutenant governor on May 25, 2018.

About Minnesota Political Parties

Political parties in Minnesota have changed their names over the years. Here's a quick look at some of them:

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL)

On April 15, 1944, two parties joined together. These were the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party. They formed the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, or DFL. This party is connected to the national Democratic Party.

Republican Party of Minnesota

From November 15, 1975, to September 23, 1995, the state Republican party was called the Independent Republican party (IR). Even with the name change, the party has always been connected to the national Republican Party.

Independence Party of Minnesota

This party started in 1992 with the name Independence Party. In 1995, it joined with the national Reform Party. It then changed its name to the Reform Party of Minnesota. In 2000, the Reform Party of Minnesota separated from the national Reform party. It went back to being called the Independence Party.

See also

• Governor of Minnesota
• List of governors of Minnesota