Lieutenant Governor of Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant Governor and President of the Senate of Texas
Seal of the lieutenant governor
Incumbent Dan Patrick since January 20, 2015
Style	The Honorable
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	Albert Clinton Horton 1846
Formation	Texas Constitution
Website	Office of the Lieutenant Governor

The lieutenant governor of Texas is a very important leader in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S.. This person holds the second most powerful job in Texas. They are in charge of the Texas Senate and help decide how the state's money is spent.

What the Lieutenant Governor Does

The Texas Constitution says the lieutenant governor is the president of the Texas Senate. This means they lead the Senate meetings. Unlike in many other states, the lieutenant governor usually runs the meetings themselves. They don't often ask someone else to do it.

The lieutenant governor has a lot of power in the Senate. They get to choose all the special and regular committees. They also pick who leads these committees and who their members are. Plus, they decide which committee will review each new law proposed in the Senate. The lieutenant governor also makes decisions about the rules for how the Senate works.

The lieutenant governor is also a member of several important groups. These groups help make big decisions about state programs, the budget, and state rules. For example, they are part of the Legislative Budget Board. This board helps plan how Texas spends its money. They also serve on the Legislative Redistricting Board. This board draws new maps for voting districts if the Legislature doesn't do it after the census.

When the Office is Empty

If the lieutenant governor's job becomes empty, the Senate chooses one of its members to act as the "President of the Senate." This person then becomes the acting lieutenant governor until the next statewide election. The senator who is chosen keeps their regular Senate seat and can still vote.

The lieutenant governor takes their oath of office on the third Tuesday every four years. This is the same day the governor is sworn in.

Dan Patrick has been the lieutenant governor of Texas since January 20, 2015.

From 1846 to 1972, the lieutenant governor served for two years. But in 1972, voters decided to change the term to four years. This change started with the election in 1974.

Taking Over for the Governor

The lieutenant governor takes on the duties of the governor of Texas if the governor is out of the state. They also step in if the governor cannot do their job for any other reason. The lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor. This means they might be from different political parties. For example, this happened when George W. Bush was governor. It also happened during Bill Clements's time as governor.

The lieutenant governor becomes the governor if the elected governor resigns, dies, or is removed from office. A famous example is when Rick Perry became governor. He took office on December 21, 2000, after George W. Bush resigned to become U.S. president. When Perry became lieutenant governor on January 19, 1999, he was the first Republican to hold that job since James W. Flanagan in 1869.

How Texas Compares to Other States

Texas is one of the few states where the lieutenant governor has a lot of power. This makes the job very important in Texas. In many other states, the lieutenant governor has fewer responsibilities. Their role is often more like the vice president of the United States, who mainly helps the president.

List of Lieutenant Governors of Texas

Here is a list of the people who have served as lieutenant governor of Texas.

List of lieutenant governors of Texas

No.	Image	Lieutenant Governor		Party	Term in office	Governor
1			Albert Clinton Horton	Democratic	May 2, 1846 – December 21, 1847	James Pinckney Henderson
2			John Alexander Greer	Democratic	December 21, 1847 – December 22, 1851	George Tyler Wood Peter Hansborough Bell
3			James W. Henderson	Democratic	December 22, 1851 – November 23, 1853	Peter Hansborough Bell
4			David Catchings Dickson	Democratic	December 21, 1853 – December 21, 1855	Elisha M. Pease
5			Hardin Richard Runnels	Democratic	December 21, 1855 – December 21, 1857	Elisha M. Pease
6			Francis Lubbock	Democratic	December 21, 1857 – December 21, 1859	Hardin Richard Runnels
7			Edward Clark	Democratic	December 21, 1859 – March 16, 1861	Sam Houston
8			John McClannahan Crockett	Democratic	November 7, 1861 – November 5, 1863	Francis Lubbock
9			Fletcher Stockdale	Democratic	November 5, 1863 – June 17, 1865	Pendleton Murrah
—	Vacant				June 17, 1865 – August 9, 1866	Fletcher Stockdale Andrew Jackson Hamilton
10			George Washington Jones	Democratic	August 9, 1866 – July 30, 1867	James W. Throckmorton
—	Vacant				July 30, 1867 – January 8, 1870	Elisha M. Pease
—			James W. Flanagan	Republican	January 8, 1870 – February 24, 1870	Edmund J. Davis
—	Vacant				February 24, 1870 – January 15, 1874	Edmund J. Davis
11			Richard B. Hubbard	Democratic	January 15, 1874 – December 1, 1876	Richard Coke
—	Vacant				December 1, 1876 – January 21, 1879	Richard B. Hubbard
12			Joseph Draper Sayers	Democratic	January 21, 1879 – January 18, 1881	Oran Milo Roberts
13			Leonidas Jefferson Storey	Democratic	January 18, 1881 – January 16, 1883	Oran Milo Roberts
14			Francis Marion Martin	Democratic	January 16, 1883 – January 20, 1885	John Ireland
15			Barnett Gibbs	Democratic	January 20, 1885 – January 19, 1887	John Ireland
16			Thomas Benton Wheeler	Democratic	January 19, 1887 – January 21, 1891	Lawrence Sullivan Ross
17			George C. Pendleton	Democratic	January 21, 1891 – January 17, 1893	Jim Hogg
18			Martin McNulty Crane	Democratic	January 17, 1893 – January 15, 1895	Jim Hogg
19			George Taylor Jester	Democratic	January 15, 1895 – January 17, 1899	Charles Allen Culberson
20			James Browning	Democratic	January 17, 1899 – January 20, 1903	Joseph D. Sayers
21			George D. Neal	Democratic	January 20, 1903 – January 15, 1907	S. W. T. Lanham
22			Asbury Bascom Davidson	Democratic	January 15, 1907 – January 21, 1913	Thomas Mitchell Campbell Oscar Branch Colquitt
23			William Harding Mayes	Democratic	January 21, 1913 – August 14, 1914	Oscar Branch Colquitt
—	Vacant				August 14, 1914 – January 19, 1915	Oscar Branch Colquitt
24			William P. Hobby Sr.	Democratic	January 19, 1915 – August 25, 1917	James E. Ferguson
—	Vacant				August 25, 1917 – January 21, 1919	William P. Hobby
25			Willard Arnold Johnson	Democratic	January 21, 1919 – January 18, 1921	William P. Hobby
26			Lynch Davidson	Democratic	January 18, 1921 – January 16, 1923	Pat Morris Neff
27			Thomas Whitfield Davidson	Democratic	January 16, 1923 – January 20, 1925	Pat Morris Neff
28			Barry Miller	Democratic	January 20, 1925 – January 20, 1931	Miriam A. Ferguson Dan Moody
29			Edgar E. Witt	Democratic	January 20, 1931 – January 15, 1935	Ross S. Sterling Miriam A. Ferguson
30			Walter Frank Woodul	Democratic	January 15, 1935 – January 17, 1939	James V. Allred
31			Coke R. Stevenson	Democratic	January 17, 1939 – August 4, 1941	W. Lee O'Daniel
—	Vacant				August 4, 1941 – January 19, 1943	Coke R. Stevenson
32			John Lee Smith	Democratic	January 19, 1943 – January 21, 1947	Coke R. Stevenson Beauford H. Jester
33			Allan Shivers	Democratic	January 21, 1947 – July 11, 1949	Beauford H. Jester
—	Vacant				July 11, 1949 – January 16, 1951	Allan Shivers
34			Ben Ramsey	Democratic	January 16, 1951 – September 18, 1961	Allan Shivers Price Daniel
—	Vacant				September 18, 1961 – January 15, 1963	Price Daniel
35			Preston Smith	Democratic	January 15, 1963 – January 21, 1969	John Connally
36			Ben Barnes	Democratic	January 21, 1969 – January 16, 1973	Preston Smith
37			William P. Hobby Jr.	Democratic	January 16, 1973 – January 15, 1991	Dolph Briscoe (Democratic) Bill Clements (Republican) Mark White (Democratic) Bill Clements (Republican)
38			Bob Bullock	Democratic	January 15, 1991 – January 19, 1999	Ann Richards (Democratic) George W. Bush (Republican)
39			Rick Perry	Republican	January 19, 1999 – December 21, 2000	George W. Bush
40			Bill Ratliff	Republican	December 28, 2000 – January 21, 2003	Rick Perry
41			David Dewhurst	Republican	January 21, 2003 – January 20, 2015	Rick Perry
42			Dan Patrick	Republican	January 20, 2015 – Incumbent	Greg Abbott