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]
| Lieutenant Governor of Washington | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | 4 years, no term limits |
| Inaugural holder | Charles E. Laughton |
| Formation | November 11, 1889 |
| Succession | First |
| Salary | $117,300 (2020)[1] |
| Website | ltgov |
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 | |||
References
edit- ^ "Final 2019 and 2020 Salary Schedule". Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Washington State Constitution". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "AG, Secretary of State issue joint statement regarding gubernatorial succession in the event of a vacancy". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ 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.