Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
Lieutenant-Gouverneur de la Louisiane | |
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Appointer | Popular election |
Term length | Four years |
Inaugural holder | Trasimond Landry |
Formation | 1846 |
Succession | 1st |
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politics and government of Louisiana |
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![]() See also: List of United States Senators from Louisiana
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The Office of 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 the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.
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.
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 serves as governor in the event of a vacancy in the office, if the governor is unable to act as governor, or is out of state. 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.
Independent (0) Democratic (46) Republican (8)
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 |
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 |
No. | Lt. governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes | Governor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | James M. Wells | ![]() |
1864 | 1865 | Republican | Michael Hahn (Republican) | |
10 | Albert Voorhies | 1865 | 1866 | Republican | James Madison Wells (Republican) |
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) | |
13 | Davidson B. Penn | 1873 | 1873 | Democratic; Liberal Republican | John McEnery (Democratic; Liberal Republican) | ||
14 | C.C. Antoine | ![]() |
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) |
As of August 2019James E. Fitzmorris, Jr. (served 1972–80, born 1921). The most recent death of a former lieutenant governor of Louisiana was that of Kathleen Blanco (1996–2004), who died on August 18, 2019.
, there are six former lieutenant governors of Louisiana who are currently living at this time, the oldest lieutenant governor of Louisiana beingLt. governor | Lt. gubernatorial term | Date of birth (and age) |
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James E. (Jimmy) Fitzmorris, Jr. | 1972–1980 | November 15, 1921 |
Paul Hardy | 1988–1992 | October 18, 1942 |
Melinda Schwegmann | 1992–1996 | October 25, 1946 |
Mitch Landrieu | 2004–2010 | August 16, 1960 |
Scott Angelle | 2010 | November 20, 1961 |
Jay Dardenne | 2010–2016 | February 6, 1954 |