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Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Flag of Pennsylvania.svg
Flag of Pennsylvania
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Portrait (46874790005) (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
John Fetterman

since January 15, 2019
Residence State House
Term length Four years
renewable once
Inaugural holder John Latta
Formation 1873
Salary $157,765 (2014)
Website ltgovernor.state.pa.us

The lieutenant governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lieutenant governor is elected for a four-year term in the same year as the governor. Each party picks a candidate for lieutenant governor independently of the gubernatorial primary. The winners of the party primaries are then teamed together as a single ticket for the fall general election. Democrat John Fetterman is the incumbent lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor presides in the Senate and is first in the line of succession to the governor; in the event the governor dies, resigns, or otherwise leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.

The office of lieutenant governor was created by the Constitution of 1873. As with the governor's position, the Constitution of 1968 made the lieutenant governor eligible to succeed himself or herself for one additional four-year term. The position's only official duties are serving as president of the state senate and chairing the Board of Pardons and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council. Lieutenant governors often work on additional projects and have a full schedule of community and speaking events. Pennsylvania is the only state that provides an official residence, State House at Fort Indiantown Gap, for its lieutenant governor. Constructed in 1940 and previously the governor's "summer residence", it became available for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor in 1968 when the current governor's residence was completed in Harrisburg.

Lieutenant Governor-elect Austin Davis is to take office in January 2023.

List of lieutenant governors

Parties

      Democratic (11)       Republican (24)

# Name Term Governor(s) served under Party
1 John Latta 1875–1879 John F. Hartranft Democratic
2 Charles Warren Stone 1879–1883 Henry M. Hoyt Republican
3 Chauncey Forward Black 1883–1887 Robert E. Pattison Democratic
4 William T. Davies 1887–1891 James A. Beaver Republican
5 Louis Arthur Watres 1891–1895 Robert E. Pattison Republican
6 Walter Lyon 1895–1899 Daniel H. Hastings Republican
7 John P. S. Gobin 1899–1903 William A. Stone Republican
8 William M. Brown 1903–1907 Samuel W. Pennypacker Republican
9 Robert S. Murphy 1907–1911 Edwin Sydney Stuart Republican
10 John M. Reynolds 1911–1915 John K. Tener Republican
11 Frank B. McClain 1915–1919 Martin Grove Brumbaugh Republican
12 Edward E. Beidleman 1919–1923 William Cameron Sproul Republican
13 David J. Davis 1923–1927 Gifford Pinchot Republican
14 Arthur H. James 1927–1931 John Stuchell Fisher Republican
15 Edward C. Shannon 1931–1935 Gifford Pinchot Republican
16 Thomas Kennedy 1935–1939 George Howard Earle III Democratic
17 Samuel S. Lewis 1939–1943 Arthur James Republican
18 John Cromwell Bell Jr. 1943–1947 Edward Martin Republican
19 Daniel B. Strickler 1947–1951 James H. Duff Republican
20 Lloyd H. Wood 1951–1955 John S. Fine Republican
21 Roy E. Furman 1955–1959 George M. Leader Democratic
22 John Morgan Davis 1959–1963 David L. Lawrence Democratic
23 Raymond P. Shafer 1963–1967 William Scranton Republican
24 Raymond J. Broderick 1967–1971 Raymond P. Shafer Republican
25 Ernest P. Kline 1971–1979 Milton Shapp Democratic
26 William Scranton III 1979–1987 Dick Thornburgh Republican
27 Mark Singel 1987–1995 Robert P. Casey Democratic
28 Mark S. Schweiker 1995–2001 Tom Ridge Republican
29 Robert C. Jubelirer 2001–2003 Mark S. Schweiker Republican
30 Catherine Baker Knoll 2003–2008 Ed Rendell Democratic
31 Joseph B. Scarnati III 2008–2011 Ed Rendell Republican
32 Jim Cawley 2011–2015 Tom Corbett Republican
33 Mike Stack 2015–2019 Tom Wolf Democratic
34 John Fetterman 2019–present Tom Wolf Democratic
35 Austin Davis (elect) 2023–present Josh Shapiro (elect) Democratic

List of acting lieutenant governors

  • Jake Corman – From May 17, 2022, to May 23, 2022, Corman served as acting lieutenant governor while Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman had a pacemaker implanted and recovered.

Living former lieutenant governors

As of October 2022, seven former lieutenant governors of Pennsylvania were alive, the oldest being Robert C. Jubelirer (served 2001–2003, born 1937). The most recent lieutenant governor to die was Ernest P. Kline (served 1971–1979, born 1929) on May 13, 2009. The most recently serving lieutenant governor to die was Catherine Baker Knoll (served 2003–2008, born 1930), who died in office on November 12, 2008.

Lt. Governor Lt. gubernatorial term Date of birth (and age)
William Scranton III 1979–1987 (1947-07-20) July 20, 1947 (age 76)
Mark S. Singel 1987–1995 (1953-09-12) September 12, 1953 (age 70)
Mark S. Schweiker 1995–2001 (1953-01-31) January 31, 1953 (age 71)
Robert Jubelirer 2001–2003 (1937-02-09) February 9, 1937 (age 87)
Joseph B. Scarnati III 2008–2011 (1962-01-02) January 2, 1962 (age 62)
Jim Cawley 2011–2015 (1969-06-22) June 22, 1969 (age 54)
Mike Stack 2015–2019 (1963-06-05) June 5, 1963 (age 60)

Vice-presidents of Pennsylvania

From 1777 to 1790 the executive branch of Pennsylvania's state government was headed by a Supreme Executive Council consisting of a representative of each county and of the City of Philadelphia. The Vice President of the Council—also known as the Vice-President of Pennsylvania—held a position analogous to the modern office of Lieutenant Governor. Presidents and Vice-Presidents were elected to one-year terms and could serve up to three years—the full length of their regular term as Counsellor. Ten men served as Vice-President during the time of the Council's existence.

  • George Bryan 1777–1779
  • Matthew Smith 1779
  • William Moore 1779–1781
  • James Potter 1781–1782
  • James Ewing 1782–1784
  • James Irvine 1784–1785
  • Charles Biddle 1785–1787
  • Peter Muhlenberg 1787–1788
  • David Redick 1788
  • George Ross 1788–1790
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