Lieutenant Governor of Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant Governor of Missouri
Incumbent Mike Kehoe since June 18, 2018
Appointer	Popular election / Governor of Missouri
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	William Henry Ashley
Formation	1820
Succession	1st
Salary	$86,484 (2017)

The lieutenant governor of Missouri is an important leader in the U.S. state of Missouri. This person is the first in line to take over if the governor of Missouri cannot do their job. This could happen if the governor resigns, gets sick, or leaves the state.

The lieutenant governor also leads the Missouri Senate, which is part of the state's lawmaking body. Even though they work closely with the governor, the lieutenant governor is chosen in a separate election. This means they can be from a different political party than the governor.

The person currently holding this job is Mike Kehoe.

Understanding the Lieutenant Governor's Role

The lieutenant governor of Missouri has a few key responsibilities. Their main job is to be ready to step in as governor if needed. They also serve as the president of the Missouri Senate. This means they lead meetings and help guide the legislative process.

How the Lieutenant Governor is Chosen

Unlike the Vice President of the United States, who runs on the same ticket as the President, Missouri's lieutenant governor is elected separately. This means voters choose them in their own election. Because of this, the lieutenant governor might belong to a different political party than the governor. This can sometimes lead to different ideas in the state government.

History of the Office

The role of lieutenant governor in Missouri began in 1820. The first person to hold this position was William Henry Ashley. Over the years, many different people have served in this important role. They have come from various political parties, including Democratic-Republican, Democratic, Republican, and Liberal Republican.

List of Missouri's Lieutenant Governors

This section lists the people who have served as lieutenant governor of Missouri. You can see their names, when they served, and their political party. Sometimes, the position was empty, or "vacant," for a period. This usually happened when the lieutenant governor left office early.

      Democratic-Republican (2)       Democratic (32)       Republican (12)       Liberal Republican (2)

#		Lieutenant Governor		Took office	Left office	Party		Governor	Terms
1			William Henry Ashley	September 18, 1820	November 15, 1824	Democratic-Republican		Alexander McNair	1
2			Benjamin Harrison Reeves	November 15, 1824	July 1825	Democratic-Republican		Frederick Bates	1⁄2
Vacant				July 1825	November 17, 1828			Frederick Bates	1⁄2
								Abraham J. Williams
								John Miller
3			Daniel Dunklin	November 17, 1828	November 19, 1832	Democratic		John Miller	1
4			Lilburn Boggs	November 19, 1832	September 30, 1836	Democratic		Daniel Dunklin	1⁄2
Vacant				September 30, 1836	November 21, 1836			Lilburn Boggs	1⁄2
5			Franklin Cannon	November 21, 1836	November 16, 1840	Democratic		Lilburn Boggs	1
6			Meredith Miles Marmaduke	November 16, 1840	February 9, 1844	Democratic		Thomas Reynolds	1⁄2
Vacant				February 9, 1844	November 20, 1844			Meredith Miles Marmaduke	1⁄2
7			James Young	November 20, 1844	November 20, 1848	Democratic		John C. Edwards	1
8			Thomas Lawson Price	November 20, 1848	January 3, 1853	Democratic		Austin Augustus King	1
9			Wilson Brown	January 3, 1853	August 27, 1855	Democratic		Sterling Price	1⁄2
Vacant				August 27, 1855	January 5, 1857			Sterling Price	1⁄2
10			Hancock Lee Jackson	January 5, 1857	February 27, 1857	Democratic		Trusten Polk	1⁄12
Vacant				February 27, 1857	October 22, 1857			Hancock Lee Jackson	1⁄6
10			Hancock Lee Jackson	October 22, 1857	January 3, 1861	Democratic		Robert Marcellus Stewart	3⁄4
11			Thomas Caute Reynolds	January 3, 1861	July 23, 1861	Democratic		Claiborne Fox Jackson	1⁄6
12			Willard Preble Hall	July 31, 1861	January 31, 1864	Republican		Hamilton Rowan Gamble	2⁄3
Vacant				January 31, 1864	January 2, 1865			Willard Preble Hall	1⁄4
13			George Smith	January 2, 1865	January 12, 1869	Republican		Thomas Clement Fletcher	1
14			Edwin Obed Stanard	January 12, 1869	January 4, 1871	Republican		Joseph W. McClurg	1
15			Joseph J. Gravely	January 4, 1871	April 28, 1872	Liberal Republican		B. Gratz Brown	1⁄2
Vacant				April 28, 1872	January 3, 1873			B. Gratz Brown	1⁄2
16			Charles Phillip Johnson	January 3, 1873	January 12, 1875	Liberal Republican		Silas Woodson	1
17			Norman Jay Coleman	January 12, 1875	January 8, 1877	Democratic		Charles Henry Hardin	1
18			Henry Clay Brockmeyer	January 8, 1877	January 10, 1881	Democratic		John Smith Phelps	1
19			Robert Alexander Campbell	January 10, 1881	January 12, 1885	Democratic		Thomas Theodore Crittenden	1
20			Albert P. Morehouse	January 12, 1885	December 28, 1887	Democratic		John S. Marmaduke	1⁄2
Vacant				December 28, 1887	January 14, 1889			Albert P. Morehouse	1⁄2
21			Stephen Hugh Claycomb	January 14, 1889	January 9, 1893	Democratic		David R. Francis	1
22			John Baptiste O'Meara	January 9, 1893	January 11, 1897	Democratic		William Joel Stone	1
23			August Bolte	January 11, 1897	January 14, 1901	Democratic		Lawrence Vest Stephens	1
24			John Adams Lee	January 14, 1901	April 25, 1903	Democratic		Alexander Monroe Dockery	1⁄2
25			Thomas Lewis Rubey	April 25, 1903	January 9, 1905	Democratic		Alexander Monroe Dockery	1⁄2
26			John C. McKinley	January 9, 1905	January 11, 1909	Republican		Joseph W. Folk	1
27			Jacob Friedrich Gmelich	January 11, 1909	January 13, 1913	Republican		Herbert S. Hadley	1
28			William Rock Painter	January 13, 1913	January 8, 1917	Democratic		Elliot Woolfolk Major	1
29			Wallace Crossley	January 8, 1917	January 10, 1921	Democratic		Frederick D. Gardner	1
30			Hiram Lloyd	January 10, 1921	January 12, 1925	Republican		Arthur M. Hyde
31			Philip Allen Bennett	January 12, 1925	January 14, 1929	Republican		Samuel Aaron Baker	1
32			Edward Henry Winter	January 14, 1929	January 9, 1933	Republican		Henry S. Caulfield	1
33			Frank Gaines Harris	January 9, 1933	December 30, 1944	Democratic		Guy Brasfield Park	2+1⁄2
								Lloyd C. Stark
								Forrest C. Donnell
Vacant				December 30, 1944	January 8, 1945			Forrest C. Donnell	1⁄2
34			Walter Naylor Davis	January 8, 1945	January 10, 1949	Democratic		Phil M. Donnelly	1
35			James T. Blair Jr.	January 10, 1949	January 14, 1957	Democratic		Forrest Smith	2
								Phil M. Donnelly
36			Edward V. Long	January 14, 1957	September 23, 1960	Democratic		James T. Blair Jr.	1⁄2
Vacant				September 23, 1960	January 9, 1961			James T. Blair Jr.	1⁄2
37			Hilary A. Bush	January 9, 1961	January 11, 1965	Democratic		John M. Dalton	1
38			Thomas Eagleton	January 11, 1965	December 27, 1968	Democratic		Warren E. Hearnes	1
Vacant				December 27, 1968	January 13, 1969			Warren E. Hearnes	1⁄48
39			William S. Morris	January 13, 1969	January 8, 1973	Democratic		Warren E. Hearnes	1
40			William C. Phelps	January 8, 1973	January 12, 1981	Republican		Kit Bond	2
								Joseph P. Teasdale
41			Kenneth Rothman	January 12, 1981	January 14, 1985	Democratic		Kit Bond	1
42			Harriett Woods	January 14, 1985	January 9, 1989	Democratic		John Ashcroft	1
43			Mel Carnahan	January 9, 1989	January 11, 1993	Democratic		John Ashcroft	1
44			Roger B. Wilson	January 11, 1993	October 16, 2000	Democratic		Mel Carnahan	1⁄3
Vacant				October 16, 2000	November 15, 2000			Roger B. Wilson	1⁄3
45			Joe Maxwell	November 15, 2000	January 10, 2005	Democratic		Roger B. Wilson	1+1⁄3
								Bob Holden
46			Peter Kinder	January 10, 2005	January 9, 2017	Republican		Matt Blunt	3
								Jay Nixon
47			Mike Parson	January 9, 2017	June 1, 2018	Republican		Eric Greitens	1⁄3
48			Mike Kehoe	June 18, 2018	Incumbent	Republican		Mike Parson	2⁄3