Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts

Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Seal of Massachusetts
Incumbent Karyn Polito since January 8, 2015
Style	His Honor/ Her Honor
Term length	Four years, no limit
Inaugural holder	Thomas Cushing
Formation	October 25, 1780

The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His, or Her, Honor.

The Massachusetts Constitution provides that when a governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the office of governor remains vacant for the rest of the 4-year term. The lieutenant governor discharges powers and duties as Acting Governor and does not actually assume the office of governor.^[1] The first time this came into use was five years after the constitution's adoption in 1785, when Governor John Hancock resigned his post five months before the election and inauguration of his successor, James Bowdoin, leaving Lieutenant Governor Thomas Cushing as acting governor.^[2] Most recently, Jane Swift became acting governor upon the resignation of Paul Cellucci.^{[citation needed]}

The lieutenant governor serves in place of the governor when he or she is outside the borders of Massachusetts. Historically a one-year term, the office of lieutenant governor now carries a four-year term, the same as that of the governor. The lieutenant governor is not elected independently, but on a ticket with the governor. The 1780 constitution required a candidate for either office to have lived in Massachusetts for at least seven years immediately preceding election, own at least £1,000 worth of real property and to "declare himself to be of the Christian religion". However, only the residency requirement remains in effect, and both men and women have served in the office.^[1][3] Amendment Article LXIV (1918) changed the election from every year to every two years, and Amendment Article LXXXII (1966) changed it again to every four years.

The office is currently held by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, who was inaugurated in January 2015.^[4]

Contents

• 
  1 Constitutional role
  


• 
  2 Other functions
  


• 
  3 Election
  


• 
  4 List of lieutenant governors
  


• 
  5 Living former lieutenant governors
  


• 
  6 See also
  


• 
  7 References
  


• 
  8 External links
  

Constitutional role

Part the Second, Chapter II, Section II, Article I of the Massachusetts Constitution reads,^[1]

There shall be annually elected a lieutenant governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, whose title shall be, His Honor and who shall be qualified, in point of religion, property, and residence in the commonwealth, in the same manner with the governor: and the day and manner of his or her election, and the qualifications of the electors, shall be the same as are required in the election of a governor.

The Lieutenant Governor also serves ex officio as a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council.

Other functions

Massachusetts law provides for the lieutenant governor to serve as the chairman of the award selection committee for the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery.^[5]

Election

The lieutenant governor is typically elected on a joint ticket with the governor, ensuring that they have the same political party affiliation. When the state constitution was first enacted in 1780, elections for the two offices were independent, and were held annually. Constitutional amendments enacted in 1918 extended the terms of both offices to two years, with elections in even-numbered years. In 1964 the constitution was amended again to extend the terms to four years^[6], and in 1966 to allow for the grouping of governor and lieutenant governor on the ballot by political party.^[7] Elections are held in even-numbered years that are not presidential election years.

List of lieutenant governors

Lieutenant governors who acted as governor during a portion of their terms (due to vacancy by death or resignation in the governor's seat) are marked by asterisks (*).

Parties

  Democratic (17)
  Democratic-Republican (7)
  Federalist (5)
  Know Nothing (1)
  Republican (30)
  Whig (5)

#	Lieutenant Governor		Term in office	Political party	Governor(s)
1		Thomas Cushing*	1780–1788	Independent	John Hancock (I) James Bowdoin (I)
2		Benjamin Lincoln	1788–1789	Federalist	John Hancock (I)
3		Samuel Adams	1789–1794	Democratic-Republican	John Hancock (I)
4		Moses Gill*	1794–1800	Independent	Samuel Adams (DR) Increase Sumner (F)
Office vacant 1800–1801					Governor's Council Caleb Strong (F)
5		Samuel Phillips Jr.	1801–1802	Federalist	Caleb Strong (F)
6		Edward Robbins	1802–1806	Democratic-Republican	Caleb Strong (F)
Office vacant 1806–1807					Caleb Strong (F)
7		Levi Lincoln Sr.*	1807–1809	Democratic-Republican	James Sullivan (DR)
8		David Cobb	1809–1810	Federalist	Christopher Gore (F)
9		William Gray	1810–1812	Democratic-Republican	Caleb Strong (F)
10		William Phillips Jr.	1812–1823	Federalist	Caleb Strong (F) John Brooks (F)
11		Levi Lincoln Jr.	1823–1824	Democratic-Republican	William Eustis (DR)
12		Marcus Morton*	1824–1825	Democratic-Republican	William Eustis (DR)
13		Thomas L. Winthrop	1825–1833	Democratic-Republican	Levi Lincoln Jr. (NR,W)
14		Samuel T. Armstrong*	1833–1835	Whig	John Davis (W)
15		George Hull	1836–1843	Whig	Edward Everett (W) Marcus Morton (D) John Davis (W)
16		Henry H. Childs	1843–1844	Democratic	Marcus Morton (D)
17		John Reed Jr.	1844–1851	Whig	George N. Briggs (W)
18		Henry W. Cushman	1851–1853	Democratic	George S. Boutwell (D)
19		Elisha Huntington	1853–1854	Whig	John H. Clifford (W)
20		William C. Plunkett	1854–1855	Whig	Emory Washburn (W)
21		Simon Brown	1855–1856	Know Nothing	Henry Gardner (KN)
22		Henry W. Benchley	1856–1858	Republican	Henry Gardner (KN)
23		Eliphalet Trask	1858–1861	Republican	Nathaniel Prentice Banks (R)
24		John Z. Goodrich	1861	Republican	John Albion Andrew (R)
25		John Nesmith	1862	Republican	John Albion Andrew (R)
26		Joel Hayden	1863–1866	Republican	John Albion Andrew (R)
27		William Clafin	1866–1869	Republican	Alexander H. Bullock (R)
28		Joseph Tucker	1869–1873	Republican	William Claflin (R) William B. Washburn (R)
29		Thomas Talbot*	1873–1875	Republican	William B. Washburn (R)
30		Horatio G. Knight	1875–1879	Republican	William Gaston (D) Alexander H. Rice (R)
31		John D. Long	1879–1880	Republican	Thomas Talbot (R)
32		Byron Weston	1880–1883	Republican	John D. Long (R)
33		Oliver Ames	1883–1887	Republican	Benjamin F. Butler (D,Greenback) George D. Robinson (R)
34		John Q. A. Brackett	1887–1890	Republican	Oliver Ames (R)
35		William H. Haile	1890–1893	Republican	John Q. A. Brackett (R) William Russell (D)
36		Roger Wolcott*	1893–1896	Republican	William Russell (D) Frederic T. Greenhalge (R)
37		Winthrop M. Crane	1897–1900	Republican	Roger Wolcott (R)
38		John L. Bates	1900–1903	Republican	Winthrop Murray Crane (R)
39		Curtis Guild Jr.	1903–1906	Republican	John L. Bates (R) William L. Douglas (D)
40		Eben S. Draper	1906–1909	Republican	Curtis Guild Jr. (R)
41		Louis A. Frothingham	1909–1912	Republican	Eben S. Draper (R) Eugene Noble Foss (D)
42		Robert Luce	1912–1913	Republican	Eugene Noble Foss (D)
43		David I. Walsh	1913–1914	Democratic	Eugene Noble Foss (D)
44		Edward P. Barry	1914–1915	Democratic	David I. Walsh (D)
45		Grafton D. Cushing	1915–1916	Republican	David I. Walsh (D)
46		Calvin Coolidge	1916–1919	Republican	Samuel W. McCall (R)
47		Channing H. Cox	1919–1921	Republican	Calvin Coolidge (R)
48		Alvan T. Fuller	1921–1925	Republican	Channing H. Cox (R)
49		Frank G. Allen	1925–1929	Republican	Alvan T. Fuller (R)
50		William S. Youngman	1929–1933	Republican	Frank G. Allen (R)
51		Gaspar G. Bacon	1933–1935	Republican	Joseph B. Ely (D)
52		Joseph L. Hurley	1935–1937	Democratic	James Michael Curley (D)
53		Francis E. Kelly	1937–1939	Democratic	Charles F. Hurley (D)
54		Horace T. Cahill	1939–1945	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall (R)
55		Robert F. Bradford	1945–1947	Republican	Maurice J. Tobin (D)
56		Arthur W. Coolidge	1947–1949	Republican	Robert F. Bradford (R)
57		Charles F. Sullivan	1949–1953	Democratic	Paul A. Dever (D)
58		Sumner G. Whittier	1953–1957	Republican	Christian Herter (R)
59		Robert F. Murphy	1957–1960[8]	Democratic	Foster Furcolo (D)
Office vacant 1960–1961					Foster Furcolo (D)
60		Edward F. McLaughlin Jr.	1961–1963	Democratic	John A. Volpe (R)
61		Francis Bellotti	1963–1965	Democratic	Endicott Peabody (D)
62		Elliot Richardson	1965–1967	Republican	John A. Volpe (R)
63		Francis Sargent*	1967–1971	Republican	John A. Volpe (R)
64		Donald Dwight	1971–1975	Republican	Francis W. Sargent (R)
65		Thomas P. O'Neill III	1975–1983	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (D) Edward J. King (D)
66		John Kerry	1983–1985	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (D)
Office vacant 1985–1987					Michael Dukakis (D)
67		Evelyn Murphy	1987–1991	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (D)
68		Paul Cellucci*	1991–1999	Republican	William Weld (R)
69		Jane Swift*	1999–2003	Republican	Paul Cellucci (R)
70		Kerry Healey	2003–2007	Republican	Mitt Romney (R)
71		Tim Murray	2007–2013	Democratic	Deval Patrick (D)
Office vacant 2013–2015					Deval Patrick (D)
72		Karyn Polito	2015–present	Republican	Charlie Baker (R)

Living former lieutenant governors

As of January 2017^[update], there are eight former U.S. lieutenant governors of Massachusetts who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. lieutenant governor of Massachusetts being Francis X. Bellotti (served 1963–1965, born 1923). The most recent death of a former U.S. lieutenant governor of Massachusetts was that of Paul Cellucci (served 1991–1999, born 1948), on June 8, 2013.

Lt. Governor	Lt. Gubernatorial term	Date of birth (and age)
Francis X. Bellotti	1963–1965	(1923-05-03) May 3, 1923 (age 95)
Donald R. Dwight	1971–1975	(1931-03-26) March 26, 1931 (age 87)
Thomas P. O'Neill III	1975–1983	(1944-09-20) September 20, 1944 (age 74)
John Kerry	1983–1985	(1943-12-11) December 11, 1943 (age 75)
Evelyn Murphy	1987–1991	(1940-05-14) May 14, 1940 (age 78)
Jane M. Swift	1999–2003	(1965-02-24) February 24, 1965 (age 53)
Kerry Healey	2003–2007	(1960-04-30) April 30, 1960 (age 58)
Tim Murray	2007–2013	(1968-06-07) June 7, 1968 (age 50)

See also

• List of Governors of Massachusetts


• Government of Massachusetts


• Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006


• Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2002

References

1. 
   ^ ^abc "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". Massachusetts General Court. Retrieved October 3, 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ Hall, Van Beck (1972). Politics Without Parties: Massachusetts 1780–1791. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 136–138. ISBN 978-0-8229-3234-5. OCLC 315459.
   


3. 
   ^ Amendments: Article VII removed the religious oath, Article XXXIV removed the property requirement,
   


4. 
   ^ Rubino, Rich. "The Unusual and Peculiar Office of Lieutenant Governor". TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
   


5. 
   ^ "General Laws: Chapter 6, Section 214". Massachusetts General Court. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
   


6. 
   ^ Mass. Const. Amendments Art. LXIV
   


7. 
   ^ Mass. Const. Amendments Art. LXXVI
   


8. 
   ^ Lewis, William (October 7, 1960). "Furcolo Surrenders; Murphy Heads MDC". The Boston Globe.
   

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1780)

External links

• Office of the Governor


• CNN.com 2006 election results


• OurCampaigns.com

v t e Lieutenant Governors of Massachusetts
Colony '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000001C-QINU`"' (1629–86)	Goffe Humphrey T. Dudley Ludlow Bellingham Winthrop T. Dudley Bellingham Endecott Winthrop T. Dudley Endecott T. Dudley Endecott Bellingham Willoughby Leverett Symonds Bradstreet Danforth
Dominion (1686–89)	Stoughton Nicholson
Province (1692–1776)	Stoughton Povey Tailer Dummer Tailer S. Phips Hutchinson A. Oliver T. Oliver
Commonwealth (since 1776)	T. Cushing B. Lincoln Adams Gill S. Phillips Robbins L. Lincoln Cobb Gray W. Phillips L. Lincoln Jr. Morton Winthrop Armstrong Hull Childs Reed Cushman Huntington Plunkett Brown Benchley Trask Goodrich Nesmith Hayden Claflin Tucker Talbot Knight Long Weston Ames Brackett Haile Wolcott Crane Bates Guild Draper Frothingham Luce Walsh Barry G. Cushing C. Coolidge Cox Fuller Allen Youngman Bacon Hurley Kelly Cahill Bradford A. Coolidge Sullivan Whittier R. Murphy McLaughin Bellotti Richardson Sargent Dwight O'Neill Kerry E. Murphy Cellucci Swift Healey Murray Polito

v t e Statewide government officials of Massachusetts
U.S. Senators	Elizabeth Warren Ed Markey
State government	Charlie Baker, Governor Karyn Polito, Lieutenant Governor William Galvin, Secretary of State Maura Healey, Attorney General Deb Goldberg, Treasurer Suzanne Bump, Auditor
State Senate	Karen Spilka, President Marc Pacheco, President pro tempore Cynthia Stone Creem, Majority Leader Bruce Tarr, Minority Leader
State House	Robert DeLeo, Speaker Patricia Haddad, Speaker pro tempore Ronald Mariano, Majority Leader Bradley Jones, Minority Leader
Supreme Judicial Court	Ralph Gants, Chief Justice Barbara Lenk Frank M. Gaziano David A. Lowy Kimberly S. Budd Elspeth B. Cypher Scott L. Kafker, Associate Justices
See also: Political party strength in Massachusetts

v t e Government of Massachusetts
Legislative	General Court Senate (Members, President) House of Representatives (Members, Speaker)
Executive	Governor (List) Lt. Governor Attorney General Auditor Secretary of the Commonwealth Treasurer and Receiver-General Office for Administration and Finance Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Management Agency Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Department of Environmental Protection Office of Health and Human Services Office of Housing and Economic Development Office of Labor and Workforce Development Department of Mental Health Department of Public Health Office of Public Safety and Security Department of Public Utilities Department of Transportation Department of Youth Services
Judicial	Boston Municipal Court District Court Superior Court Land Court Juvenile Court Housing Court Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Appeals Court (Judges) Supreme Judicial Court
Independent agencies	Board of Library Commissioners Commission Against Discrimination Commission on the Status of Women Disabled Persons Protection Commission Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board Massachusetts District Attorneys Massachusetts Inspector General Office of Campaign and Political Finance Office of the Comptroller Massachusetts Sheriffs State Ethics Commission
Law	Constitution General Laws Code of Massachusetts Regulations Alcohol Cannabis Capital punishment Crime Elder law Gaming Gun laws LGBT rights Taxation

v t e Lieutenant governors in the United States
Vice President of the United States: Mike Pence (R)
AL Ainsworth (R) AK Meyer (R) AZ Hobbs (D)1 AR Griffin (R) CA Kounalakis (D) CO Primavera (D) CT Bysiewicz (D) DE Hall-Long (D) FL Núñez (R) GA Duncan (R) HI Green (D) ID McGeachin (R) IL Stratton (D) IN Crouch (R) IA Gregg (R) KS Rogers (D) KY Hampton (R) LA Nungesser (R) ME Jackson (D)2 MD Rutherford (R) MA Polito (R) MI Gilchrist (D) MN Flanagan (DFL) MS Reeves (R) MO Kehoe (R) MT Cooney (D) NE Foley (R) NV Marshall (D) NH Soucy (D)2 NJ Oliver (D) NM Morales (D) NY Hochul (D) NC Forest (R) ND Sanford (R) OH Husted (R) OK Pinnell (R) OR Richardson (R)1 PA Fetterman (D) RI McKee (D) SC Evette (R) SD Rhoden (R) TN McNally (R)2 TX Patrick (R) UT Cox (R) VT Zuckerman (P) VA Fairfax (D) WA Habib (D) WV Carmichael (R)2 WI Barnes (D) WY Buchanan (R)1 DC Mendelson (D)3 Territories: AS Mauga (D) GU Tenorio (D) MP Palacios (R) PR Marín (R)1 VI Roach (D)
Next-in-line of succession for states and territories without official lieutenant governors: 1. Secretary of State 2. Senate President 3. Council Chair Political party affiliation: Republican: 29 (27 states, 2 territories) Democratic: 26 (22 states, 3 territory, 1 district) Vermont Progressive: 1 (state)

v t e Lists of United States lieutenant governors by political division
States	Alabama Alaska Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin
Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands U.S. Virgin Islands
Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico do not have lieutenant governors.

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