List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island facts for kids

Seal of the lieutenant governor

The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown.

In Rhode Island, the lieutenant governor and governor of Rhode Island are elected on separate tickets.

Seven lieutenant governors have served during a vacancy in the office of governor under the current 1842 constitution: Francis M. Dimond (1853), William C. Cozzens (1863), Charles D. Kimball (1901), Norman Case (1928), John Pastore (1945), and John S. McKiernan (1950).

Deputy governors of the Colony of Rhode Island

John Clarke, Deputy Governor 1669–70, 1671–72

• William Brenton, of Newport; November 1663 – 2 May 1666
• Nicholas Easton, of Newport; 2 May 1666 – 5 May 1669
• John Clarke, of Newport; 5 May 1669 – 4 May 1670
• Nicholas Easton, of Newport; 4 May 1670 – 3 May 1671
• John Clarke, of Newport; 3 May 1671 – 1 May 1672
• John Cranston, of Newport; 1 May 1672 – 7 May 1673
• William Coddington, of Newport; 7 May 1673 – 6 May 1674
• John Easton, of Newport; 6 May 1674 – April 1676
• John Cranston, of Newport; 3 May 1676 – 8 November 1678 (became governor)
• James Barker, of Newport; 8 November 1678 – 7 May 1679
• Walter Clarke, of Newport; 7 May 1679 – 5 May 1686
• John Coggeshall, Jr., of Newport; 5 May 1686 – June 1686

The Royal Charter was suspended from 1686 until 1689.

William Bradford, last deputy governor of the colony and first deputy governor of the state

• John Coggeshall, Jr., of Newport; 18 April 1689 – 7 May 1690
• John Greene, Jr., of Warwick; 7 May 1690 – May 1, 1700
• Walter Clarke, of Newport; May 1, 1700 – May 23, 1714 (died in office)
• Henry Tew, of Newport; June 15, 1714 – May 3, 1715
• Joseph Jenckes, of Providence; May 3, 1715 – May 3, 1721
• John Wanton, of Newport; May 3, 1721 – May 2, 1722
• Joseph Jenckes, of Providence; May 2, 1722 – May 3, 1727
• Jonathan Nichols, of Newport; May 3, 1727 – August 2, 1727 (died in office)
• Thomas Frye, of East Greenwich; August 22, 1727 – May 7, 1729
• John Wanton, of Newport; May 7, 1729 – May 5, 1734
• George Hazard, of S. Kingstown; May 5, 1734 – before May 22, 1738 (died in office)
• Daniel Abbott, of Providence; July 5, 1738 – May 1, 1740
• Richard Ward, of Newport; May 1, 1740 – July 15, 1740 (became governor)
• William Greene, of Newport; July 15, 1740 – May 4, 1743
• Joseph Whipple, Jr., of Newport; May 4, 1743 – May 1, 1745
• William Robinson, of S. Kingstown; May 1, 1745 – May 7, 1746
• Joseph Whipple, Jr., of Newport; May 7, 1746 – May 6, 1747
• William Robinson, of S. Kingstown; May 6, 1747 – May 4, 1748
• William Ellery, Sr., of Newport; May 4, 1748 – May 2, 1750
• Robert Hazard, of S. Kingstown; May 2, 1750 – May 1, 1751
• Joseph Whipple, III, of Newport; May 1, 1751 – November 2, 1753 (resigned)
• Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport; November 2, 1753 – May 1, 1754
• John Gardner, of Newport; May 1, 1754 – May 7, 1755
• Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport; May 7, 1755 – September 1756 (died in office)
• John Gardner, of Newport; September 6, 1756 – January 1764 (died in office)
• Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport; February 27, 1764 – May 1, 1765
• Elisha Brown, of N. Providence; May 1, 1765 – May 6, 1767
• Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport; May 6, 1767 – May 4, 1768
• Nicholas Cooke, of Providence; May 4, 1768 – May 3, 1769
• Darius Sessions, of Providence; May 3, 1769 – May 3, 1775
• Nicholas Cooke, of Providence; May 3, 1775 – November 7, 1775 (became governor)
• William Bradford, of Bristol; November 7, 1775 – May 6, 1778

Deputy and lieutenant governors of the State of Rhode Island

Image	Name	Party	Term start	Term end	Residence
	William Bradford		Nov. 1775	May 1778	Bristol
	Jabez Bowen		May 1778	May 1780	Providence
	William West		May 1780	May 1781	Scituate
	Jabez Bowen		May 1781	May 1786	Providence
	Daniel Owen		May 1786	May 1790	Glocester
	Samuel J. Potter		May 1790	Feb. 1799	S. Kingstown

The title of the office was changed to Lieutenant Governor in 1798.

Image	Name	Party	Term start	Term end	Residence	Governor(s) served under
	George Brown		1799	1800	S. Kingstown	Arthur Fenner
	Samuel J. Potter		1800	1803	S. Kingstown	Arthur Fenner
	Paul Mumford		1803	1805	Newport	Arthur Fenner
	Isaac Wilbour		1806	1807	Little Compton	Isaac Wilbour
	Constant Taber		1807	1808	Newport	James Fenner
	Simeon Martin	Federalist	1808	1810	Newport	James Fenner
	Isaac Wilbour	Democratic-Republican	1810	1811	Little Compton	James Fenner
	Simeon Martin	Federalist	1811	1816	Newport	William Jones
	Jeremiah Thurston	Federalist	1816	1817	Hopkinton	William Jones
	Edward Wilcox	Democratic-Republican	1817	1821	Charlestown	Nehemiah R. Knight
	Caleb Earle	Democratic-Republican	1821	1824	Providence	William C. Gibbs
	Charles Collins		1824	1833	Newport	James Fenner Lemuel H. Arnold
	Jeffrey Hazard	Democratic	1833	1835	Exeter	John B. Francis
	George Engs	Whig	1835	1836	Newport	John B. Francis
	Jeffrey Hazard	Democratic	1836	1837	Exeter	John B. Francis
	Benjamin Babock Thurston	Democratic	1837	1838	Hopkinton	John B. Francis
	Joseph Childs	Whig	1838	1839	Portsmouth	William Sprague III
	Byron Diman	Whig	1840	1842	Bristol	Samuel Ward King
	Nathaniel Bullock		1842	1843	Bristol	Samuel Ward King

Lieutenant governors under the constitution, 1843–present

No.	Image	Name	Party	Term start	Term end	Governor(s) served under	Residence
1		Byron Diman	Law & Order	1843	1846	James Fenner Charles Jackson	Bristol
2		Elisha Harris	Whig	1846	1847	Byron Diman	Coventry
3		Edward W. Lawton	Whig	1847	1849	Elisha Harris	Newport
4		Thomas Whipple	Whig	1849	1851	Henry B. Anthony	Coventry
5		William Beach Lawrence	Democratic	1851	1852	Philip Allen	Newport
6		Samuel G. Arnold	Whig	1852	1853	Philip Allen	Providence
7		Francis M. Dimond	Democratic	1853	1854	himself	Bristol
8		John J. Reynolds	Whig	1854	1855	William W. Hoppin	N. Kingstown
9		Anderson C. Rose	American	1855	1856	William W. Hoppin	New Shoreham
10		Nicholas Brown III	American	1856	1857	William W. Hoppin	Warwick
11		Thomas G. Turner	Republican	1857	1859	Elisha Dyer	Warren
12		Isaac Saunders	American Republican	1859	1860	Thomas G. Turner	Scituate
13		J. Russell Bullock	Democratic	1860	1861	William Sprague IV	Bristol
14		Samuel G. Arnold	Democratic & Constitutional Unionist	1861	1862	William Sprague IV	Providence
15		Seth Padelford	Republican	1863	1865	William C. Cozzens James Y. Smith	Providence
16		Duncan Pell		1865	1866	James Y. Smith	Newport
17		William Greene	Republican	1866	1868	Ambrose Everett Burnside	Warwick
18		Pardon Stevens	Republican	1868	1872	Ambrose Everett Burnside Seth Padelford	Newport
19		Charles Cutler	Democratic	1872	1873	Seth Padelford	Warren
20		Charles C. Van Zandt	Republican	1873	1875	Henry Howard	Newport
21		Henry Tillinghast Sisson	Republican	1875	1877	Henry Lippitt	Little Compton
22		Albert Howard	Republican	1877	1880	Charles C. Van Zandt	E. Providence
23		Henry Fay	Republican	1880	1883	Alfred H. Littlefield	Newport
24		Oscar Rathbun	Republican	1883	1885	Augustus O. Bourn	Woonsocket
25		Lucius B. Darling	Republican	1885	1887	George P. Wetmore	Pawtucket
26		Samuel R. Honey	Democratic	1887	1888	John W. Davis	Newport
27		Enos Lapham	Republican	1888	1889	Royal C. Taft	Warwick
28		Daniel Littlefield	Republican	1889	1890	Herbert W. Ladd	Central Falls
29		William T. C. Wardwell	Democratic	1890	1891	John W. Davis	Bristol
30		Henry A. Stearns	Republican	1891	1892	Herbert W. Ladd	Lincoln
31		Melville Bull	Republican	1892	1894	D. Russell Brown	Middletown
32		Edwin Allen	Republican	1894	1897	D. Russell Brown Charles W. Lippitt	Hopkinton
33		Aram J. Pothier	Republican	1897	1898	Elisha Dyer, Jr.	Woonsocket
34		William Gregory	Republican	1898	1900	Elisha Dyer, Jr.	N. Kingstown
35		Charles D. Kimball	Republican	1900	1901	William Gregory	Providence
36		George L. Shepley	Republican	1902	1903	Charles D. Kimball	Providence
37		Adelard Archambault	Democratic	1903	1904	Lucius F. C. Garvin	Woonsocket
38		George H. Utter	Republican	1904	1905	Lucius F. C. Garvin	Westerly
39		Frederick H. Jackson	Republican	1905	1908	George H. Utter	Providence
40		Ralph Watrous	Republican	1908	1909	James H. Higgins	Warwick
41		Arthur W. Dennis	Republican	1909	1910	Aram J. Pothier	Providence
42		Zenas Work Bliss	Republican	1910	1913	Aram J. Pothier	Cranston
43		Rosewell Burchard	Republican	1913	1915	Aram J. Pothier	L. Compton
44		Emery J. San Souci	Republican	1915	1921	R. Livingston Beeckman	Providence
45		Harold Gross	Republican	1921	1923	Emery J. San Souci	Providence
46		Felix A. Toupin	Democratic	1923	1925	William S. Flynn	Lincoln
47		Nathaniel W. Smith	Republican	1925	1927	Aram J. Pothier	S. Kingstown
48		Norman S. Case	Republican	1927	1928	Aram J. Pothier	Providence
49		James G. Connolly	Republican	1929	1933	Norman S. Case	Pawtucket
50		Robert E. Quinn	Democratic	1933	1937	Theodore Francis Green	W. Warwick
51		Raymond E. Jordan	Democratic	1937	1939	Robert E. Quinn	Pawtucket
52		James O. McManus	Republican	1939	1941	William Henry Vanderbilt III	W. Warwick
53		Louis W. Cappelli	Democratic	1941	1944	J. Howard McGrath	Providence
54		John O. Pastore	Democratic	1945	1945	J. Howard McGrath	Providence
55		John S. McKiernan	Democratic	1945	1957	John O. Pastore himself Dennis J. Roberts	Providence
56		Armand H. Cote	Democratic	1957	1959	Dennis J. Roberts	Pawtucket
57		John A. Notte, Jr.	Democratic	1959	1961	Christopher Del Sesto	Providence
58		Edward P. Gallogly	Democratic	1961	1965	John A. Notte, Jr. John Chafee	Providence
59		Giovanni Folcarelli	Democratic	1965	1967	John Chafee	Scituate
60		Joseph O'Donnell, Jr.	Republican	1967	1969	John Chafee	N. Smithfield
61		J. Joseph Garrahy	Democratic	1969	1977	Frank Licht Philip W. Noel	Providence
62		Thomas R. DiLuglio	Democratic	1977	1985	J. Joseph Garrahy	Johnston
63		Richard A. Licht	Democratic	1985	1989	Edward D. DiPrete	Providence
64		Roger N. Begin	Democratic	1989	1993	Edward D. DiPrete Bruce Sundlun	Woonsocket
65		Robert Weygand	Democratic	1993	1997	Bruce Sundlun Lincoln C. Almond	E. Providence
66		Bernard Jackvony	Republican	1997	1999	Lincoln C. Almond	E. Greenwich
67		Charles Fogarty	Democratic	1999	2007	Lincoln C. Almond Donald Carcieri	Glocester
68		Elizabeth H. Roberts	Democratic	2007	2015	Donald Carcieri Lincoln Chafee	Cranston
69		Daniel McKee	Democratic	2015	2021	Gina Raimondo	Cumberland
70		Sabina Matos	Democratic	2021	present	Daniel McKee	Providence

Unusual candidacies

During the 2010 elections, the Cool Moose Party of Rhode Island submitted Bob Healey as candidate for lieutenant governor. He ran on the proposition that he would attempt to abolish the office of lieutenant governor itself.