President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate

The president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the lieutenant governor.[1] The president pro tempore also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senate.[2][3]

## Duties

[edit]

In addition to presiding in the absence of the lieutenant governor, the president pro tempore is third in the gubernatorial line of succession, following the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House of Representatives.[4][5][6]

The Senate president pro tempore also serves as a member of the Senate's Committee on Committees.[1] The Committee on Committees, made up of the lieutenant governor, president of the Senate, and a state senator chosen by his or her peers, is responsible for making committee assignments and designating committee chairpersons, vice chairpersons and clerks.[1]

The Senate president is Senator Philip Baruth of Chittenden County, who took office on January 4, 2023.[7]

## History

[edit]

U.S. Senator Peter Welch served as Senate President from 1985 to 1989 and 2003 to 2007, and was the first Democrat to hold the post.[8] Peter Shumlin, Governor from 2011 to 2017, was President pro tempore from 1997 to 2003 and 2007 to 2011.[8] Becca Balint, Vermont's at-large member of the U.S. House since 2023, served as Senate President from 2021 to 2023.[9]

In the early days of the Vermont Senate, when the legislature met for a relatively short time each year, the lieutenant governor was usually present to preside over regular Senate sessions, and temporary presidents would be chosen on an as-needed basis for periods as short as one day, or even just the morning or afternoon session of one day.[10] By the 1870s, the position had evolved to the point where a permanent president pro tempore was chosen immediately after the convening of each new legislature.[11]

From the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s until the 1960s, only Republicans won statewide offices, and Republicans also controlled both the Vermont Senate and Vermont House of Representatives.[12] As part of the party's Mountain Rule, the post of Senate President, along with that of House Speaker, were used to groom future governors and lieutenant governors.[13] Including Shumlin, nine governors have served as Senate President (Eaton, Coolidge, Hendee, Redfield Proctor, McCullough, Prouty, Wills, Mortimer Proctor, Emerson, and Shumlin), as have six lieutenant governors who did not attain the governorship (Dale, Hinckley, Bates, Farnsworth, Babcock and Racine).[8]

## Compensation

[edit]

The president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate earned $10,080 in annual compensation as of 2005.[14] Starting in 2007, the salary receives an annual cost of living adjustment.[14]

## List

[edit]

No.  | President pro tempore | Term  | Party

|
|
|

1  | Horace Eaton | 1841  | Whig[8]
2  | Ebenezer N. Briggs | 1843  | Whig[8]
3  | James Barrett | 1845  | Whig[8]
4  | George T. Hodges | 1846–1847  | Whig[8]
5  | John Kimball | 1848  | Whig[8]
6  | Oliver P. Chandler | 1849  | Whig[8]
7  | William Weston | 1850  | Whig[15]
8  | Asa Wentworth Jr. | 1851  | Whig[8]
9  | Edward Seymour | 1852  | Whig[8]
10  | Orlando Stevens | 1853  | Whig[16]
11  | Carlos Coolidge | 1853–1854  | Whig[17]
12  | James M. Hotchkiss | 1856  | Republican[18]
13  | Augustus P. Hunton | 1857  | Republican[19]
14  | Lucius E. Chittenden | 1857–1858  | Republican[20]
15  | Bliss N. Davis | 1859  | Republican[8]
16  | George Wilkins | 1860  | Republican[8]
17  | Frederick E. Woodbridge | 1861  | Republican[8]
18  | Thomas E. Powers | 1861  | Republican[8]
19  | George F. Edmunds | 1861–1862  | Republican[21]
20  | Henry E. Stoughton | 1863  | Republican[8]
21  | Leverett B. Englesby | 1864  | Republican[8]
22  | Worthington C. Smith | 1865  | Republican[8]
23  | Seneca M. Dorr | 1865–1866  | Republican[8]
24  | George W. Hendee | 1867–1868  | Republican[8]
25  | George N. Dale | 1869  | Republican[8]
26  | Charles H. Heath | 1870  | Republican[8]
27  | Lyman G. Hinckley | 1872  | Republican[8]
28  | Redfield Proctor | 1874  | Republican[8]
29  | William W. Grout | 1876  | Republican[8]
30  | Loveland Munson | 1878  | Republican[8]
31  | Philip K. Gleed | 1880  | Republican[8]
32  | Justus Dartt | 1882  | Republican[8]
33  | Laforrest H. Thompson | 1884  | Republican[8]
34  | Henry C. Bates | 1886–1888  | Republican[8]
35  | Frank A. Dwinell | 1890  | Republican[8]
36  | Alfred A. Hall | 1892  | Republican[8]
37  | Frank Plumley | 1894  | Republican[22]
38  | Ashbel A. Dean | 1896  | Republican[8]
39  | John G. McCullough | 1898  | Republican[8]
40  | Frederick W. Baldwin | 1900  | Republican[8]
41  | Chauncey W. Brownell | 1902  | Republican[8]
42  | George H. Prouty | 1904  | Republican[8]
43  | William J. Van Patten | 1906  | Republican[8]
44  | Ernest W. Gibson Sr. | 1908  | Republican[23]
45  | Max L. Powell | 1910  | Republican[8]
46  | Frederick H. Babbitt | 1912  | Republican[8]
47  | Max L. Powell | 1915  | Republican[8]
48  | William R. Fairchild | 1917  | Republican[8]
49  | Martin S. Vilas | 1919  | Republican[8]
50  | Harvey R. Kingsley | 1921  | Republican[8]
51  | Walter K. Farnsworth | 1923  | Republican[8]
52  | Edward H. Edgerton | 1925  | Republican[8]
53  | Levi P. Smith | 1927–1929  | Republican[8]
54  | William H. Wills | 1931  | Republican[8]
55  | Charles B. Adams | 1933  | Republican[8]
56  | William H. Wills | 1935  | Republican[8]
57  | Ernest W. Dunklee | 1937  | Republican[8]
58  | Mortimer R. Proctor | 1939  | Republican[8]
59  | Joseph H. Denny | 1941  | Republican[8]
60  | Lee E. Emerson | 1943  | Republican[8]
61  | John A. M. Hinsman | 1945  | Republican[8]
62  | Carroll L. Coburn | 1947  | Republican[8]
63  | Asa S. Bloomer | 1949  | Republican[8]
64  | Merrill W. Harris | 1951  | Republican[8]
65  | Carleton G. Howe | 1953  | Republican[8]
66  | Asa S. Bloomer | 1955  | Republican[8]
67  | Robert S. Babcock | 1957  | Republican[8]
68  | Asa S. Bloomer | 1959–1963  | Republican[8]
69  | John H. Boylan | 1963–1965  | Republican[8]
70  | George W. F. Cook | 1965–1969  | Republican[8]
71  | Edward G. Janeway | 1969–1975  | Republican[8]
72  | Robert A. Bloomer | 1975–1985  | Republican[8]
73  | Peter Welch | 1985–1989  | Democratic[8]
74  | Douglas Racine | 1989–1993  | Democratic[8]
75  | John H. Bloomer | 1993–1995  | Republican[8]
76  | Stephen W. Webster | 1995–1997  | Republican[8]
77  | Peter Shumlin | 1997–2003  | Democratic[8]
78  | Peter Welch | 2003–2007  | Democratic[8]
79  | Peter Shumlin | 2007–2011  | Democratic[8]
80  | John F. Campbell | 2011–2017  | Democratic[8]
81  | Tim Ashe | 2017–2021  | Democratic/Progressive[24]
82  | Becca Balint | 2021–2023  | Democratic[25]
83  | Philip Baruth | 2023–  | Democratic/Progressive[26]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Vermont General Assemblies

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c The Vermont Encyclopedia, pp. 17–18.
2. ^ Epp, Henry; Patterson, Brittany. "Priorities For A Pandemic Session: Incoming Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint". www.vpr.org. No. 5 January 2021.
3. ^ "Senate President Pro Tempore". State of Vermont. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
4. ^ "Constitution of the State of Vermont". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
5. ^ "3 V.S.A. § 1 — Vacancy, absence from State". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
6. ^ "20 V.S.A. § 183 — Additional successor to office of governor". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
7. ^ Bradley, Pat (January 3, 2023). "Vermont Legislature set to begin its session Wednesday with a Democratic supermajority". WAMC Radio. Albany, NY.
8. ^ 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 ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv "List of Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate".
9. ^ Mearhoff, Sarah (November 8, 2022). "Becca Balint becomes 1st woman to represent Vermont in Congress". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
10. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1836), p. 10.
11. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1873), p. 4.
12. ^ Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions, p. 133.
13. ^ American Legislative Leaders in the West, 1911-1994, p. 33.
14. ^ a b "Salaries and Fees".
15. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1851), p. 63.
16. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1852), p. 70.
17. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1853), p. 10.
18. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1856), p. 16.
19. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1857), p. 89.
20. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1857), pp. 229–230.
21. ^ Pro Tem: Presidents Pro Tempore of the United States Senate Since 1789, p. 69.
22. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1894), p. 4.
23. ^ Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont (1908).
24. ^ "Walters: Newly Elected Senate President Ashe Comes Out Swinging".
25. ^ "Balint nominated".
26. ^ Duffort, Lola (November 13, 2022). "Democrats unanimously nominate Phil Baruth to serve as president of the Vermont Senate". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.

## Sources

[edit]

### Internet

[edit]

* Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives (2011). "List of Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate". leg.state.vt.us. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
* "Title 32, Chapter 015, Subchapter 002: Salaries and Fees, General Assembly". Vermont Statutes Online. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2021.

### Books

[edit]

* Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. ISBN 978-1-58465-086-7.
* Erickson, Nancy, Secretary of the U.S. Senate (2008). Pro Tem: Presidents Pro Tempore of the United States Senate Since 1789. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-079984-6.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
* Haider-Markel, Donald P. (2009). Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions. Washington, DC: CQ Press. ISBN 978-0-87289-377-1.
* Sharp, Nancy Weatherly; Sharp, James Roger (1997). American Legislative Leaders in the West, 1911-1994. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30212-1.
* Vermont General Assembly (1836). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: E. P. Walton & Sons. p. 10.
* Vermont General Assembly (1851). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Burlington, VT: Chauncey Goodrich.
* Vermont General Assembly (1852). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Rutland, VT: Tuttle & Co.
* Vermont General Assembly (1853). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Rutland, VT: Tuttle & Co.
* Vermont General Assembly (1856). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: E. P. Walton.
* Vermont General Assembly (1857). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Woodstock, VT: Davis & Greene.
* Vermont General Assembly (1873). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: Freeman Steam printing House and Bindery.
* Vermont General Assembly (1895). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. St. Albans, VT: St. Albans Messenger Co. p. 4.
* Vermont General Assembly (1908). Journal of the House of Representatives and Senate of the State of Vermont. St. Albans, VT: St. Albans Messenger Co.

### Newspapers

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* Walters, John (January 4, 2017). "Walters: Newly Elected Senate President Ashe Comes Out Swinging". Seven Days. Burlington, VT.
* "Balint nominated as first woman Senate President Pro Tempore". Vermont Business Magazine. South Burlington, VT. November 23, 2020.