Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Second-highest elected office in Arkansas

Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

State seal

Incumbent
Leslie Rutledge

since January 10, 2023 (2023-1-10)

Government of Arkansas
Seat| State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas
Term length| Four years, renewable once
Constituting instrument| Constitution of Arkansas
Inaugural holder| Calvin C. Bliss
Formation| April 18, 1864
(160 years ago) (1864-04-18)
Website| ltgovernor.arkansas.gov

The lieutenant governor of Arkansas is the second-highest constitutional and elected office in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The lieutenant governor is the first in the gubernatorial line of succession, serving as acting governor of Arkansas when the governor is out of state and assuming the governorship in cases of the governor's impeachment, removal from office, death or inability to discharge the office's duties. The lieutenant governor also serves as president of the Arkansas Senate, with a tie-breaking vote. The lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor.

The position of Lieutenant governor was created by the Sixth Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution in 1914, but was not filled until 1927. The Amendment was approved by the electorate in 1914, with returns showing 45,567 in favor and 45,206 opposed. The Speaker of the House declared the measure lost because it had not received a majority of the highest total vote, which was 135,517. In 1925, it was discovered that the Initiative and Referendum of 1910 had amended this majority requirement so that only a majority of those voting on a specific question was required. So, in 1926, the 1914 initiative was declared to be valid and Harvey Parnell was elected Arkansas' first lieutenant governor.

Two recent incumbents, Winthrop Paul Rockefeller and Mike Huckabee, began their respective tenures in the midst of regular term periods, due to the elevation of their predecessors to the governorship. Jim Guy Tucker succeeded Bill Clinton as governor in December 1992, upon Clinton's resignation days before assuming his office as President of the United States, creating the need for a special election to fill the lieutenant governor's office. When Tucker was convicted of conspiracy and mail fraud charges in 1996, Huckabee succeeded him as governor, paving the way for the November 1996 special election of Rockefeller as lieutenant governor.

The current lieutenant governor is Leslie Rutledge, since January 10, 2023.

## History

[edit]

The U.S. state of Arkansas had no office of lieutenant governor under its original constitution.[1] Amidst the American Civil War in 1864, a new constitution was ratified and a pro-Union government was installed which included a lieutenant governor to be, like several other state officials, popularly elected to serve four-year terms.[1][2] Calvin C. Bliss was the first person to hold the office. The position was preserved in the new constitution ratified by the state in 1868, but eliminated in the constitution of 1874.[1]

In 1914, an amendment to the constitution to reestablish the office of lieutenant governor was subject to a popular referendum.[1] While the item received more affirmative than negative votes,[3] the Arkansas Supreme Court held that only a majority of the votes of all the citizens who had participated in that year's referendums could constitute a passing margin. In 1925, the court reversed its decision, ruling that the office be filled in the state elections occurring in 1926.[1] Harvey Parnell was subsequently elected to the office.[3] The lieutenant governor held office for a term of two years until 1986, when the term was expanded to four years. The constitution was amended in 1992 to provide for term limits.[1] The first woman to hold the office, Leslie Rutledge, was sworn in on January 10, 2023.[4]

## Powers, duties, and structure

[edit]

The lieutenant governor is one of seven executive constitutional officers in the state of Arkansas.[5] The main responsibilities of the lieutenant governor are to serve as the president of the Arkansas Senate and to succeed to the governorship should it become vacant.[1] In the event of the governor's temporary absence from the state, the lieutenant governor exercises the powers of the governor.[6] They are constitutionally restricted to serving a maximum of two terms.[7]

They collect an annual salary of $48,105.[5]

## List of officeholders

[edit]

Lieutenant governors of the State of Arkansas  No. | Lieutenant Governor  | Term in office  | Party  | Election  | Governor[a]

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  |  | Calvin C. Bliss
(1823–1891) | April 18, 1864

July 2, 1868
(did not run) | Republican[1] | 1864 |  | Isaac Murphy
2  |  | James M. Johnson
(1832–1913) | July 2, 1868

March 14, 1871
(resigned)[b] | Republican[1] | 1868 | Powell Clayton
(resigned March 17, 1871)
-- | Office vacant from March 14, 1871 - January 6, 1873 | Office vacated
by resignation
Ozra Amander Hadley
3  |  |  | Volney V. Smith
(1841–1897) | January 6, 1873

November 12, 1874
(office abolished) | Republican[1] | 1872 | Elisha Baxter
Office did not exist from November 12, 1874, to January 11, 1927
4  |  |  | Harvey Parnell
(1880–1936) | January 11, 1927

March 14, 1928
(succeeded to governor) | Democratic[1] | 1926 |  | John Ellis Martineau
(resigned March 14, 1928)
-- | Office vacant from March 4, 1928 - January 14, 1929 | Office vacated
by succession to governor | Harvey Parnell
5  |  |  | Lee Cazort
(1887–1969) | January 14, 1929

January 12, 1931
(did not run)[c] | Democratic[1] | 1928
6  |  | Lawrence Elery Wilson
(1884–1946) | January 12, 1931

January 10, 1933
(lost nomination) | Democratic[1] | 1930
7  |  | Lee Cazort
(1887–1969) | January 10, 1933

January 12, 1937
(did not run)[d] | Democratic[1] | 1932 | Junius Marion Futrell
1934
8  |  | Robert B. Bailey
(1892–1957) | January 12, 1937

January 12, 1943
(did not run) | Democratic[1] | 1936 | Carl Edward Bailey
1938
1940 | Homer Martin Adkins
9  |  | James L. Shaver
(1902–1985) | January 12, 1943

January 14, 1947
(did not run) | Democratic[1] | 1942
1944 | Benjamin Travis Laney
10  |  | Nathan Green Gordon
(1916–2008) | January 14, 1947

January 10, 1967
(did not run) | Democratic[1] | 1946
1948 | Sid McMath
1950
1952 | Francis Cherry
1954 | Orval Faubus
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
11  |  |  | Maurice Britt
(1919–1995) | January 10, 1967

January 12, 1971
(did not run) | Republican[1] | 1966 |  | Winthrop Rockefeller
1968
12  |  |  | Bob C. Riley
(1924–1994) | January 12, 1971

January 3, 1975
(succeeded to governor)[e] | Democratic[1] | 1970 |  | Dale Bumpers
(resigned January 3, 1975)
1972
-- | Office vacant from January 3 - 14, 1975 | Office vacated
by succession to governor | Bob C. Riley
13  |  |  | Joe Purcell
(1923–1987) | January 14, 1975

January 3, 1979
(succeeded to governor)[f] | Democratic[1] | 1974 | David Pryor
(resigned January 3, 1979)
1976
-- | Office vacant from January 3 - 9, 1979 | Office vacated
by succession to governor | Joe Purcell
13  |  |  | Joe Purcell
(1923–1987) | January 9, 1979

January 19, 1981
(did not run) | Democratic[1] | 1978 | Bill Clinton
14  |  | Winston Bryant
(b. 1938) | January 19, 1981

January 15, 1991
(did not run)[g] | Democratic[1] | 1980 |  | Frank D. White[h]
1982 |  | Bill Clinton
(resigned December 12, 1992)
1984
1986
15  |  | Jim Guy Tucker
(1943–2025) | January 15, 1991

December 12, 1992
(succeeded to governor) | Democratic[1] | 1990
-- | Office vacant from December 12, 1992 - November 19, 1993 | Office vacated
by succession to governor | Jim Guy Tucker[i]
(resigned July 15, 1996)
16  |  |  | Mike Huckabee
(b. 1955) | November 20, 1993

July 15, 1996
(succeeded to governor) | Republican[1] | 1993
(special)
1994
-- | Office vacant from July 15 - November 19, 1996 | Office vacated
by succession to governor |  | Mike Huckabee
17  |  |  | Winthrop Paul Rockefeller
(1948–2006) | November 19, 1996

July 16, 2006
(died in office) | Republican[1] | 1996
(special)
1998
2002
-- | Office vacant from July 16, 2006 - January 9, 2007 | Office vacated
by death
18  |  |  | Bill Halter
(b. 1960) | January 9, 2007

January 11, 2011
(did not run)[j] | Democratic[1] | 2006 |  | Mike Beebe[i]
19  |  |  | Mark Darr
(b. 1973) | January 11, 2011

February 1, 2014
(resigned)[k] | Republican[1] | 2010
-- | Office vacant from February 1, 2014 - January 13, 2015 | Office vacated
by resignation
20  |  |  | Tim Griffin
(b. 1968) | January 13, 2015

January 10, 2023
(term-limited) | Republican[1] | 2014 |  | Asa Hutchinson
2018
21  |  | Leslie Rutledge
(b. 1976) | January 10, 2023

Incumbent[l] | Republican[1] | 2022 | Sarah Huckabee Sanders

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
2. ^ Clayton resigned from the governorship, having been elected to the United States Senate. He had delayed his resignation to prevent Johnson from succeeding him; party machinations led to Johnson's resignation and acceptance of the office of secretary of state, so that Hadley, as president pro tempore of the senate, could act as governor for the remainder of the term.[8]
3. ^ Cazort instead ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.
4. ^ Cazort instead ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.
5. ^ Riley had not run for re-election, instead running unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.
6. ^ Purcell had already won re-election as lieutenant governor.
7. ^ Bryant instead ran successfully for Attorney General of Arkansas.
8. ^ Represented the Republican Party.
9. ^ a b Represented the Democratic Party.
10. ^ Halter instead ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination to the United States Senate.
11. ^ Darr resigned; he was under sanction for ethics violations involving illegal use of campaign funds.[9]
12. ^ Rutledge's first term will expire January 12, 2027.

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Office of Lieutenant Governor". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
2. ^ "Arkansas Constitutions". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
3. ^ a b "History of Our Office". Arkansas Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
4. ^ Roberts, Adam (January 10, 2023). "Leslie Rutledge sworn in as Arkansas' first woman to serve as lieutenant governor". 40/29 News. Arkansas Hearst Television. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
5. ^ a b Earley, Neal (June 17, 2023). "Arkansas' constitutional officers getting 3% raise in salary". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
6. ^ Goss 2011, p. 66.
7. ^ Goss 2011, p. 249.
8. ^ Dougan, Michael B. (September 28, 2022). "Ozro Amander Hadley (1826–1915)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
9. ^ "Mark Darr, Arkansas lt. gov., says he'll resign over ethics case". Politico. Retrieved November 27, 2018.

## Works cited

[edit]

* Goss, Kay Collett (2011). The Arkansas State Constitution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199778966.

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Lieutenant governors of Arkansas

* Parnell
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Lieutenant governors in the United States

Vice President of the United States: ▌JD Vance (R)

▌Ainsworth (R)

▌Dahlstrom (R)

▌Fontes (D)1

▌Rutledge (R)

▌Kounalakis (D)

▌Primavera (D)

▌Bysiewicz (D)

▌Gay (D)

▌Uthmeier (R)*4

▌Jones (R)

▌Luke (D)

▌Bedke (R)

▌Stratton (D)

▌Beckwith (R)

▌Cournoyer (R)

▌Toland (D)

▌Coleman (D)

▌Nungesser (R)

▌Daughtry (D)2

▌Miller (D)

▌Driscoll (D)

▌Gilchrist (D)

▌Flanagan (DFL)

▌Hosemann (R)

▌Wasinger (R)

▌Juras (R)

▌Kelly (R)

▌Anthony (R)

▌Carson (R)2

▌Way (D)

▌Morales (D)

▌Delgado (D)

▌Hunt (D)

▌Strinden (R)

▌Tressel (R)

▌Pinnell (R)

▌Read (D)1

▌Davis (D)

▌Matos (D)

▌Evette (R)

▌Venhuizen (R)

▌McNally (R)2

▌Patrick (R)

▌Henderson (R)

▌Rodgers (R)

▌Earle-Sears (R)

▌Heck (D)

▌Smith (R)2

▌Rodriguez (D)

▌Gray (R)1

Federal districts:

▌Mendelson (D)3

Territories:

▌Ae (R)

▌Tenorio (D)

▌Apatang (I)

▌Ferraiuoli (PNP/D)*1

▌Roach (D)

An asterisk indicates an Acting Lt. Governor

Italics indicate next-in-line of succession for states and territories without a directly elected lieutenant governor or whose lieutenant governor office is vacant:

* 1\. Secretary of State
* 2\. President of the Senate
* 3\. Council Chair
* 4\. Attorney General

Political party affiliation

* ▌Republican: 28 (27 states, 1 territory)
* ▌Democratic: 26 (23 states, 2 territories, 1 district)
* ▌New Progressive: 1 (1 territory)
* ▌Independent: 1 (1 territory)

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Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico do not have lieutenant governors.
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