Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

Lieutenant Governor of the State of Michigan
Great Seal of the State of Michigan
Incumbent Garlin Gilchrist since January 1, 2019
Government of Michigan
Appointer	Popularly Elected With the Governor
Term length	4 Years
Inaugural holder	Edward Mundy
Formation	January 26, 1837
Website	michigan.gov/ltgov

President of Senate of the State of Michigan
Incumbent Garlin Gilchrist since January 1, 2019
Appointer	ex officio
Term length	4 Years
Inaugural holder	Edward Mundy
Formation	January 26, 1837
Website	michigan.gov/ltgov

The lieutenant governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor.

The current lieutenant governor is Garlin Gilchrist, a Democrat, who has held the office since January 1, 2019.

Process

In Michigan, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected as a ticket to serve a term of four years. The election takes place two years after each presidential election; thus, the next election will take place in November 2026.

Nomination

Following the August primary election in each gubernatorial election year, the state's two largest political parties convene a state convention and nominate candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general, among other offices. Because the governor and lieutenant governor are elected as a ticket, the party's gubernatorial nominee usually makes the de facto decision as to whom the party will nominate for lieutenant governor, then convention delegates officially confirm the designation.

Historically, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected separately, leading to occasions where Republicans controlled one office and the Democrats another (as with George Romney and T. John Lesinski). This changed with the Michigan Constitution of 1963.

Election and inauguration

After the November general election, the governor and lieutenant governor take office on January 1. Thus, the winners of the 2022 election began their term on January 1, 2023.

Term limits

Like the governor, the lieutenant governor is allowed to serve up to two terms in office.

Duties

There are three main duties assigned to the lieutenant governor:

• to serve as acting governor while the governor is out of state;
• to become governor if the governor is unable to serve due to death, illness or incapacitation; and
• to preside over the Michigan Senate.

These days, the lieutenant governor also acts as an assistant to the governor. When the governor is unable to attend a function, for instance, the lieutenant governor may be sent in place of the governor. The lieutenant governor will also occasionally head blue-ribbon commissions into pressing public policy issues.

List of lieutenant governors

Parties

  Democratic (18)   Republican (43)   Whig (3)

#	Lieutenant Governor			Term in office	Political party	Governor(s)
1			Edward Mundy	1835–1840	Democratic	Stevens T. Mason (D)
2			James Wright Gordon	1840–1841	Whig	William Woodbridge (W)
3			Thomas J. Drake	1841–1842	Whig	James Wright Gordon (W)
4			Origen D. Richardson	1842–1846	Whig	John S. Barry (D)
5			William L. Greenly	1846–1847	Democratic	Alpheus Felch (D)
6			Charles P. Bush	1847–1848	Democratic	William L. Greenly (D)
7			William M. Fenton	1848–1852	Democratic	Epaphroditus Ransom (D) John S. Barry (D)
8			Calvin Britain	1852–1853	Democratic	Robert McClelland (D)
9			Andrew Parsons	1853	Democratic	Robert McClelland (D)
10			George Griswold	1853–1855	Democratic	Andrew Parsons (D)
11			George Coe	1855–1859	Republican	Kinsley S. Bingham (R)
12			Edmund Burke Fairfield	1859–1861	Republican	Moses Wisner (R)
13			James M. Birney	1861	Republican	Austin Blair (R)
14			Joseph R. Williams	1861	Republican	Austin Blair (R)
15			Henry T. Backus	1861–1863	Republican	Austin Blair (R)
16			Charles S. May	1863–1865	Republican	Austin Blair (R)
17			Ebenezer O. Grosvenor	1865–1867	Republican	Henry H. Crapo (R)
18			Dwight May	1867–1869	Republican	Henry H. Crapo (R)
19			Morgan Bates	1869–1873	Republican	Henry P. Baldwin (R)
20			Henry H. Holt	1873–1877	Republican	John J. Bagley (R)
21			Alonzo Sessions	1877–1881	Republican	Charles Croswell (R)
22			Moreau S. Crosby	1881–1885	Republican	David Jerome (R) Josiah Begole (D)
23			Archibald Buttars	1885–1887	Republican	Russell A. Alger (R)
24			James H. MacDonald	1887–1889	Republican	Cyrus G. Luce (R)
25			William Ball	1889–1891	Republican	Cyrus G. Luce (R)
26			John Strong	1891–1893	Democratic	Edwin B. Winans (D)
27			J. Wight Giddings	1893–1895	Republican	John Treadway Rich (R)
28			Alfred Milnes	1895	Republican	John Treadway Rich (R)
29			Joseph R. McLaughlin	1895–1897	Republican	John Treadway Rich (R)
30			Thomas B. Dunstan	1897–1899	Republican	Hazen S. Pingree (R)
31			Orrin W. Robinson	1899–1903	Republican	Hazen S. Pingree (R) Aaron T. Bliss (R)
32			Alexander Maitland	1903–1907	Republican	Aaron T. Bliss (R) Fred M. Warner (R)
33			Patrick H. Kelley	1907–1911	Republican	Fred M. Warner (R)
34			John Q. Ross	1911–1915	Republican	Chase Osborn (R) Woodbridge N. Ferris (D)
35			Luren Dickinson	1915–1921	Republican	Woodbridge N. Ferris (D) Albert Sleeper (R)
36			Thomas Read	1921–1925	Republican	Alex J. Groesbeck (R)
37			George W. Welsh	1925–1927	Republican	Alex J. Groesbeck (R)
38			Luren Dickinson	1927–1933	Republican	Fred W. Green (R) Wilber M. Brucker (R)
39			Allen E. Stebbins	1933–1935	Democratic	William Comstock (D)
40			Thomas Read	1935–1937	Republican	Frank Fitzgerald (R)
41			Leo J. Nowicki	1937–1939	Democratic	Frank Murphy (D)
42			Luren Dickinson	1939	Republican	Frank Fitzgerald (R)
Office vacant 1939–1940
43			Matilda Dodge Wilson	1940–1941	Republican	Luren Dickinson (R)
44			Frank Murphy	1941–1943	Democratic	Murray Van Wagoner (D)
45			Eugene C. Keyes	1943–1945	Republican	Harry Kelly (R)
46			Vernon J. Brown	1945–1947	Republican	Harry Kelly (R)
47			Eugene C. Keyes	1947–1949	Republican	Kim Sigler (R)
48			John W. Connolly	1949–1951	Democratic	G. Mennen Williams (D)
49			William C. Vandenberg	1951–1953	Republican	G. Mennen Williams (D)
50			Clarence A. Reid	1953–1955	Republican	G. Mennen Williams (D)
51			Philip Hart	1955–1959	Democratic	G. Mennen Williams (D)
52			John Swainson	1959–1961	Democratic	G. Mennen Williams (D)
53			T. John Lesinski	1961–1965	Democratic	John Swainson (D) George W. Romney (R)
54			William G. Milliken	1965–1969	Republican	George W. Romney (R)
Office vacant 1969–1970
55			Thomas F. Schweigert	1970–1971	Republican	William G. Milliken (R)
56			James H. Brickley	1971–1975	Republican	William G. Milliken (R)
57			James Damman	1975–1979	Republican	William G. Milliken (R)
58			James H. Brickley	1979–1982	Republican	William G. Milliken (R)
Office vacant 1982–1983
59			Martha Griffiths	1983–1991	Democratic	James Blanchard (D)
60			Connie Binsfeld	1991–1999	Republican	John Engler (R)
61			Dick Posthumus	1999–2003	Republican	John Engler (R)
62			John D. Cherry	2003–2011	Democratic	Jennifer Granholm (D)
63			Brian Calley	2011–2019	Republican	Rick Snyder (R)
64			Garlin Gilchrist	2019–present	Democratic	Gretchen Whitmer (D)

Notes

Source: Michigan Manual 2003-2004, Chapter IV, Former Officials of Michigan

External links

• Office of the Lieutenant Governor
• Lt. Governor’s Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth