Lieutenant Governor of Washington

Elected office in the U.S. state of Washington

Lieutenant Governor of Washington

Seal of the lieutenant governor

Incumbent
Denny Heck

since January 13, 2021

Style| The Honorable
Term length| 4 years, no term limits
Inaugural holder| Charles E. Laughton
Formation| November 11, 1889
Succession| First
Salary| $131,687[1]
Website| www.ltgov.wa.gov

The lieutenant governor of Washington is an elected office in the U.S. state of Washington. The incumbent is Denny Heck, a Democrat who began his term in January 2021. The lieutenant governor serves as president of the Washington State Senate, fills in as acting governor whenever the governor leaves the state or is unable to serve, and assumes the duties of governor in case of a vacancy.[2][3]

There have been 17 holders of the office, three of whom have ascended to the office of governor of Washington. Prior to statehood, there were 10 territorial secretaries of state of Washington that acted in the territorial governor's absence, but were unable to ascend to governor.[4]

## List of lieutenant governors of Washington

[edit]

Parties

Democratic (5) Populist (1) Republican (11)

#  | Lieutenant governor  | Took office  | Left office  | Governor(s) served under  | Party  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  |  | Charles Laughton | November 11, 1889  | January 11, 1893  | Elisha Peyre Ferry | Republican  |
2  |  |  | F. H. Luce | January 11, 1893  | January 13, 1897  | John McGraw | Republican  |
3  |  |  | Thurston Daniels | January 13, 1897  | January 16, 1901  | John Rankin Rogers | Populist |
4  |  |  | Henry McBride | January 16, 1901  | December 26, 1901  | John Rankin Rogers  | Republican  | Became governor upon the death of Gov. Rogers
Vacant (December 26, 1901 – January 11, 1905)
5  |  |  | Charles E. Coon | January 11, 1905  | January 13, 1909  | Albert E. Mead | Republican  |
6  |  |  | Marion E. Hay | January 27, 1909  | March 28, 1909  | Samuel G. Cosgrove | Republican  | Became governor upon the death of Gov. Cosgrove
Vacant (March 28, 1909 – January 15, 1913)
7  |  |  | Louis Folwell Hart | January 15, 1913  | February 13, 1919  | Ernest Lister | Republican  | Became governor upon the resignation of Gov. Lister
Vacant (February 13, 1919 – January 12, 1921)
8  |  |  | William J. Coyle | January 12, 1921  | January 14, 1925  | Louis Folwell Hart  | Republican  |
9  |  |  | W. Lon Johnson | January 14, 1925  | January 16, 1929  | Roland H. Hartley | Republican  |
10  |  |  | John Arthur Gellatly | January 16, 1929  | January 11, 1933  | Roland H. Hartley  | Republican  |
11  |  |  | Victor A. Meyers | January 11, 1933  | January 14, 1953  | Clarence D. Martin (Democratic)
Arthur B. Langlie (Republican)
Monrad C. Wallgren (Democratic)
Arthur B. Langlie (Republican)  | Democratic |
12  |  |  | Emmett Anderson | January 14, 1953  | January 16, 1957  | Arthur B. Langlie  | Republican  |
13  |  |  | John A. Cherberg | January 16, 1957  | January 11, 1989  | Albert Rosellini (Democratic)
Daniel J. Evans (Republican)
Dixy Lee Ray (Democratic)
John Spellman (Republican)
Booth Gardner (Democratic)  | Democratic  |
14  |  |  | Joel Pritchard | January 11, 1989  | January 15, 1997  | Booth Gardner (Democratic)
Mike Lowry (Democratic)  | Republican  |
15  |  |  | Brad Owen | January 15, 1997  | January 11, 2017  | Gary Locke
Christine Gregoire
Jay Inslee | Democratic  |
16  |  |  | Cyrus Habib | January 11, 2017  | January 13, 2021  | Jay Inslee  | Democratic  |
17  |  |  | Denny Heck | January 13, 2021  | present  | Jay Inslee
Bob Ferguson | Democratic  |

[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Salary Information". Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
2. ^ "Washington State Constitution". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
3. ^ "AG, Secretary of State issue joint statement regarding gubernatorial succession in the event of a vacancy". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
4. ^ a b Lieutenant governors of the state of Washington to the beginning of Washington's statehood, November 11, 1889 Archived December 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.

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Lieutenant governors of Washington

* Laughton
* Luce
* Daniels
* McBride
* Coon
* Hay
* Hart
* Coyle
* Johnson
* Gellatly
* Meyers
* Anderson
* Cherberg
* Pritchard
* Owen
* Habib
* Heck

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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)

▌Mendiola (R)

▌Rivera (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, 2 territories)
* ▌Democratic: 26 (23 states, 2 territories, 1 district)
* ▌New Progressive: 1 (1 territory)

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Washington statewide elected officials (list)

* Governor
* Lieutenant Governor
* Secretary of State
* Attorney General
* Treasurer
* Auditor
* Insurance Commissioner
* Superintendent of Public Instruction
* Commissioner of Public Lands

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United States lieutenant governors by political division

States|

* Alabama
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Insular areas|

* American Samoa
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* U.S. Virgin Islands

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