Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The lieutenant governor of Louisiana (French: Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane) is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current lieutenant governor is Billy Nungesser, a Republican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.
| Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane | |
| Government of Louisiana | |
| Appointer | Popular election |
| Term length | Four years |
| Inaugural holder | Trasimond Landry |
| Formation | 1846 |
| Succession | 1st |
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Paul J. Hardy, who served from 1988 to 1992, was the first Republican to be elected to the position since the Reconstruction Era. This was largely because of the racial suppression in state politics during the first half and more of the 20th century.
Following Reconstruction, conservative white Democrats regained control of the state political power and passed legislation that disenfranchised most African Americans, who were majority Republicans. It was not until after passage of civil rights legislation that most African Americans regained their ability to vote. But party alignments changed and since the late 20th century, most conservative whites are aligned with the Republican Party in Louisiana and most African Americans with the Democratic Party.
History
The office was established by the Louisiana Constitution of 1845. Prior to that, the successor to the governor in the event of his death or resignation was the President of the Louisiana State Senate.[1][2] A number of state senate presidents succeeded governors before the 1845 Constitution was adopted, including Henry S. Thibodaux, Armand Beauvais and Jacques Dupre.
The lieutenant governor presided over the Louisiana Senate from 1845 until the adoption of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. Today, the lieutenant governor exercises powers delegated to him or her by the governor as provided by law. She or he also becomes governor if the previous governor dies, resigns or is removed from office via impeachment & conviction. If the governor is unable to act as governor, or is out of state, the lieutenant governor assumes the governors powers and duties as acting governor. Under the constitution, the lieutenant governor no longer serves as ex officio president of the senate, but is made an ex officio member of each committee, board and commission on which the governor serves. (Louisiana Constitution Article IV, Section 6) Additionally, the lieutenant governor serves as commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.
List of lieutenant governors
- Parties
Independent (0) Democratic (46) Republican (8)
1846–1860
| No. | Lt. governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | Governor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trasimond Landry | 1846 | 1850 | Democratic | [2][3] | Isaac Johnson | |
| 2 | Jean Baptiste Plauche |  | 1850 | 1853 | Democratic | [2][3][4][5] | Joseph Marshall Walker |
| 3 | William Wood Farmer | 1853 | 1854 | Democratic | [2][3][6] | Paul Octave Hébert | |
| 4 | Robert C. Wickliffe |  | 1854 | 1856 | Democratic | [7][8] | Paul Octave Hébert |
| 5 | Charles Homer Mouton | 1856 | 1856 | Democratic | [2][3][9] | Robert C. Wickliffe | |
| 6 | William F. Griffin | 1856 | 1860 | Democratic | [2][3][10] | Robert C. Wickliffe | |
Lieutenant governors of Confederate Louisiana
| 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 | ||
Lieutenant governors of Union-held territory in Louisiana
| 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) | ||
Resumption of U.S. statehood
| 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 | .jpg.webp) | 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 | W.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 | [11] | Huey P. Long (Democratic) | |
| 34 | Alvin Olin King |  | 1931 | 1932 | Democratic | [3][12][13] | 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 | Charles E. (Cap) 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) | |
References
- Louisiana State Constitution of 1812 Article III Sect. 17th. and Louisiana State Constitution of 1845 Art. 45
- Louisiana. Report of the Secretary of State to His Excellency W.W. Heard, Governor of the State of Louisiana. May 12th, 1902. [Baton Rouge]: Baton Rouge news Pub. Co., State printers, 1902. p 325
- Calhoun, Milburn, and Bernie McGovern. Louisiana Almanac, 2002-2003 Edition. Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub. Co, 2001. PP 462-63
- s:Louisiana State Constitution of 1852 The Constitution of 1852 shortened this term.
- Hyde, Samuel C. Pistols and Politics: The Dilemma of Democracy in Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1810-1899. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1998. p.71
- Died in office
- When William Wood Farmer died in office in 1854, Robert C. Wickliffe, as president pro temp, became lieutenant governor.
- s:Louisiana State Constitution of 1852 The Constitution of 1852 Set this to in end in 1856
- Resigned
- When Charles Homer Mouton resigned from office, William F. Griffin, as president pro temp, became lieutenant governor.
- Vacated the lieutenant governorship by trying to declare himself governor
- As President pro tempore of the Senate became lieutenant governor when Paul N. Cyr vacated the lieutenant governorship
- Became Governor on January 25, 1932
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