| Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane Vicegobernador de Luisiana | |
since January 11, 2016 | |
| Government of Louisiana | |
| Appointer | Popular election |
| Term length | Four years, no term limit |
| Inaugural holder | Trasimond Landry |
| Formation | 1846 |
| Succession | First |
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Thelieutenant governor of Louisiana (French:Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane;Spanish:Vicegobernador de Luisiana) is the second highest state office inLouisiana. The current lieutenant governor isBilly Nungesser, aRepublican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissioner of theLouisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.
Paul J. Hardy, who served from 1988 to 1992, was the firstRepublican to be elected to the position since theReconstruction Era.
The office was established by theLouisiana Constitution of 1845.[1] Prior to that, the successor to the governor in the event of his death or resignation was thePresident of the Louisiana State Senate.[2] A number of state senate presidents succeeded governors before the 1845 Constitution was adopted, includingHenry S. Thibodaux,Armand Beauvais andJacques Dupre.
The lieutenant governor presided over theLouisiana Senate from 1845 until the adoption of theLouisiana Constitution of 1974.[citation needed] Under the new constitution, the lieutenant governor was—effective in 1976—primarily tasked with serving as acting governor in the governor's absence from the state and succeeding to gubernatorial office in the event it became vacant. The document also allowed the governor and theLouisiana State Legislature to delegate responsibilities upon the lieutenant governor at their discretion.[3] In 1986, the legislature placed theLouisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism under the lieutenant governor's purview, enabling them to appoint the department's leaders.[4][5]
Only qualified voters in Louisiana are eligible to be elected lieutenant governor. Any potential lieutenant governor must be at least 25 years of age and have resided in the state for the five previous years.[6] The lieutenant governor is elected on their own ticket separate from the governor.[5]
In the event the lieutenant governor's office becomes vacant, the governor is empowered to nominate a new incumbent subject to the approval of both houses of the legislature.[7]
The constitution directs the lieutenant governor to assume the office ofgovernor if the previous incumbent vacates the office. If the incumbent governor is unable to act as governor, or is temporarily absent from the state, the lieutenant governor assumes the governor's powers and duties as acting governor.[5][8] The constitution also designates the lieutenant governor anex officio member of each committee, board, and commission on which the governor serves.[5][9]
Aside from these duties, the lieutenant governor can exercise powers delegated to them by the governor or as provided by law.[5][9] Accordingly, state law designates the lieutenant governor as the commissioner of the Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.[5][10] In this capacity they appoint the department's secretary and several other leading officers, subject to the confirmation of the State Senate.[5]
Independent (0) Democratic (46) Republican (8)
| No. | Lt. governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | Governor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trasimond Landry | 1846 | 1850 | Democratic | [11][12] | Isaac Johnson | |
| 2 | Jean Baptiste Plauche | 1850 | 1853 | Democratic | [11][12][13][14] | Joseph Marshall Walker | |
| 3 | William Wood Farmer | 1853 | 1854 | Democratic | [11][12][15] | Paul Octave Hébert | |
| 4 | Robert C. Wickliffe | 1854 | 1856 | Democratic | [16][17] | Paul Octave Hébert | |
| 5 | Charles Homer Mouton | 1856 | 1856 | Democratic | [11][12][18] | Robert C. Wickliffe | |
| 6 | William F. Griffin | 1856 | 1860 | Democratic | [11][12][19] | Robert C. Wickliffe | |
| No. | Lt. governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | Governor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Henry M. Hyams | 1860 | 1864 | Democratic | Thomas Overton Moore | ||
| 8 | Benjamin W. Pearce | 1864 | 1865 | Democratic | Henry Watkins Allen | ||
| No. | Lt. governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | Governor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | James M. Wells | 1864 | 1865 | Democrat | Michael Hahn (Republican) | ||
| 10 | Albert Voorhies | 1865 | 1866 | Democrat | James Madison Wells (Democrat) | ||
| No. | Lt. governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | Governor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Oscar J. Dunn | 1868 | 1871 | Republican | Henry C. Warmoth (Republican) | ||
| 12 | P. B. S. Pinchback | 1871 | 1872 | Republican | Henry C. Warmoth (Republican) | ||
| 14 | C.C. Antoine | 1873 | 1877 | Republican | William P. Kellogg (Republican) 1873-1877 | ||
| Stephen B. Packard (Republican) 1877 | |||||||
| 15 | Louis A. Wiltz | 1877 | 1880 | Democratic | Francis T. Nicholls (Democratic) | ||
| 16 | Samuel D. McEnery | 1880 | 1881 | Democratic | Louis A. Wiltz (Democratic) | ||
| 17 | William A. Robertson | 1881 | 1881 | Democratic | Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) | ||
| 18 | George L. Walton | 1881 | 1882 | Democratic | Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) | ||
| 19 | Clay Knobloch | 1884 | 1888 | Democratic | Samuel D. McEnery (Democratic) | ||
| 20 | James Jeffries | 1888 | 1892 | Democratic | Francis T. Nicholls (Democratic) | ||
| 21 | Charles Parlange | 1892 | 1893 | Democratic | Murphy J. Foster (Democratic) | ||
| 22 | Hiram R. Lott | 1893 | 1896 | Democratic | Murphy J. Foster (Democratic) | ||
| 23 | Robert H. Snyder | 1896 | 1900 | Democratic | Murphy J. Foster (Democratic) | ||
| 24 | Albert Estopinal | 1900 | 1904 | Democratic | W. W. Heard (Democratic) | ||
| 25 | Jared Y. Sanders, Sr. | 1904 | 1908 | Democratic | Newton C. Blanchard (Democratic) | ||
| 26 | Paul M. Lambremont | 1908 | 1911 | Democratic | Jared Y. Sanders, Sr. (Democratic) | ||
| 27 | Thomas C. Barret | 1912 | 1916 | Democratic | Luther E. Hall (Democratic) | ||
| 28 | Fernand Mouton | 1916 | 1920 | Democratic | Ruffin G. Pleasant (Democratic) | ||
| 29 | Hewitt Bouanchaud | 1920 | 1924 | Democratic | John M. Parker (Democratic) | ||
| 30 | Delos R. Johnson | 1924 | 1924 | Democratic | John M. Parker (Democratic) | ||
| 31 | Oramel H. Simpson | 1924 | 1926 | Democratic | Henry L. Fuqua (Democratic) | ||
| 32 | Philip H. Gilbert | 1926 | 1928 | Democratic | Oramel H. Simpson (Democratic) | ||
| 33 | Paul N. Cyr | 1928 | 1931 | Democratic | [20] | Huey P. Long (Democratic) | |
| 34 | Alvin Olin King | 1931 | 1932 | Democratic | [12][21][22] | Huey P. Long (Democratic) | |
| 35 | John B. Fournet | 1932 | 1935 | Democratic | O. K. Allen (Democratic) | ||
| 36 | Thomas C. Wingate | 1935 | 1935 | Democratic | O. K. Allen (Democratic) | ||
| 37 | James A. Noe | 1935 | 1936 | Democratic | O. K. Allen (Democratic) | ||
| 38 | Earl K. Long | 1936 | 1939 | Democratic | Richard W. Leche (Democratic) | ||
| 39 | Coleman Lindsey | 1939 | 1940 | Democratic | Earl K. Long (Democratic) | ||
| 40 | Marc M. Mouton | 1940 | 1944 | Democratic | Sam H. Jones (Democratic) | ||
| 41 | J. Emile Verret | 1944 | 1948 | Democratic | Jimmie H. Davis (Democratic) | ||
| 42 | William J. Dodd | 1948 | 1952 | Democratic | Earl K. Long (Democratic) | ||
| 43 | C. E. Barham | 1952 | 1956 | Democratic | Robert F. Kennon (Democratic) | ||
| 44 | Lether Frazar | 1956 | 1960 | Democratic | Earl K. Long (Democratic) | ||
| 45 | Clarence C. (Taddy) Aycock | 1960 | 1972 | Democratic | Jimmie H. Davis (Democratic) 1960-1964 | ||
| John J. McKeithen (Democratic) 1964-1972 | |||||||
| 46 | James E. (Jimmy) Fitzmorris, Jr. | 1972 | 1980 | Democratic | Edwin Edwards (Democratic) | ||
| 47 | Robert Louis Freeman Sr. | 1980 | 1988 | Democratic | David C. Treen (Republican) 1980-1984 | ||
| Edwin Edwards (Democratic) 1984-1988 | |||||||
| 48 | Paul Hardy | 1988 | 1992 | Republican | Buddy Roemer (Democratic turn Republican) | ||
| 49 | Melinda Schwegmann | 1992 | 1996 | Democratic | Edwin Edwards (Democratic) | ||
| 50 | Kathleen Babineaux Blanco | 1996 | 2004 | Democratic | Mike Foster (Republican) | ||
| 51 | Mitchell (Mitch) Landrieu | 2004 | 2010 | Democratic | Kathleen Blanco (Democratic) | ||
| Bobby Jindal (Republican) | |||||||
| 52 | Scott Angelle | 2010 | 2010 | Democratic | |||
| 2010 | 2010 | Republican | |||||
| 53 | John L. (Jay) Dardenne | 2010 | 2016 | Republican | |||
| 54 | Billy Nungesser | 2016 | Incumbent | Republican | John Bel Edwards (Democratic) | ||
| Jeff Landry (Republican) | |||||||