The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest constitutional officer in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the second-highest rank in the state government, behind only the governor.
The lieutenant governor serves as the first person in the gubernatorial line of succession, as an ex officio member of several state boards, and as the president of the Texas Senate. Unlike most lieutenant governors in the U.S., whose position in their respective state senates are largely ceremonial, the lieutenant governor of Texas plays an active role in running the chamber.
The lieutenant governor is elected every four years during the state's midterm elections. It is elected separately from the governor and has no term limits. The current lieutenant governor is Dan Patrick, who has served since January 20, 2015.
Powers and duties Under the provisions of the Texas Constitution, the lieutenant governor is president of the Texas Senate. Unlike with most other states' senates and the U.S. Senate, the lieutenant governor regularly presides over the chamber rather than delegating this function to the president pro tempore or a majority leader. By the rules of the Senate, the lieutenant governor establishes all special and standing committees, appoints all chairpersons and members, assigns all Senate legislation to the committee of his choice, and can cast a deciding vote in the event of a tie. The lieutenant governor decides all questions of parliamentary procedure in the Senate and has broad discretion in following Senate procedural rules. The lieutenant governor also has substantial influence on the progress and outcome of state bills through their powers in the Senate.
The lieutenant governor is an ex officio member of several statutory bodies, including the Legislative Budget Board, the Legislative Council, and the Legislative Audit Committee, which have considerable sway over state programs, the budget and policy. The lieutenant governor is also a member of the Legislative Redistricting Board (together with the speaker of the House, attorney general, comptroller, and land commissioner), which is charged with adopting a redistricting plan for the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate, or U.S. House of Representatives after the decennial census if the Legislature fails to do so.
The lieutenant governor assumes the powers of the governor of Texas when the governor is out of the state or otherwise unable to discharge the office.
In the case of a vacancy in the lieutenant governor's office, the Senate elects one of its members to act as President of the Senate until the next statewide office election, in effect becoming the lieutenant governor. A senator elected as presiding officer in this way retains their district seat and the voting privileges entailed with his Senate election.
Comparison with other lieutenant governors Texas is one of the few states that vests significant power in the office of lieutenant governor, making it among the most influential. By contrast, the lieutenant governor position in other states has few (if any) legislative responsibilities, akin to the vice president of the United States.
History The position of the lieutenant governor was established in the Constitution of 1845 as a successor to the Vice President of the Republic of Texas. The term of office was established as a two-year term in 1845, then changed to a four-year term through the constitution of 1866, and returned to its two-year term in 1869. The position went through a large number of changes due to the influence of the Texas Constitution of 1876, which gradually strengthened their powers and allowed for the lieutenant governor to expand influence in legislation. These changes were solidified with the support of the Progressive Era. In 1972, voters approved a constitutional amendment that changed the term of office for both the governor and lieutenant governor to four years, starting with the 1974 election.
Succession The lieutenant governor becomes the governor if the elected governor resigns, dies, or is removed from office via impeachment and conviction. This has occurred seven times:
In 1853, James W. Henderson briefly succeeded governor Peter Hansborough Bell when the latter resigned to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Henderson served the last 28 days of Bell's term. In 1861, Edward Clark succeeded governor Sam Houston when the latter refused to swear an oath to the Confederacy and was removed from office. In 1876, Richard B. Hubbard succeeded governor Richard Coke when the latter resigned to serve in the U.S. Senate. In 1917, William P. Hobby succeeded governor James E. Ferguson when the latter was impeached and removed from office. In 1941, Coke R. Stevenson succeeded governor W. Lee O'Daniel when the latter resigned to serve in the U.S. Senate. In 1949, Allan Shivers succeeded governor Beauford H. Jester when the latter died in office. In 2000, Rick Perry succeeded governor George W. Bush when the latter resigned to serve as U.S. President.
Additionally, in 1865, Fletcher Stockdale briefly served as acting governor after governor Pendleton Murrah fled to Mexico at the end of the Civil War. He did not officially assume the governorship and was quickly succeeded by a U.S.-appointed provisional governor, Andrew Jackson Hamilton.
Gubernatorial succession in the state has never extended beyond the lieutenant governor.
Party affiliation Historically, the position has been dominated by the Texas Democratic Party. The first Republican to be elected to the office was J. W. Flanagan in 1868, but he resigned the office before his inauguration to serve in the U.S. Senate. After his resignation, several Republicans served in the office ex officio until 1874, when Democrat Richard B. Hubbard was elected. The next Republican to hold the office was Rick Perry, elected in 1998 and inaugurated in 1999. Since Perry's election, the office has been controlled by Republicans.
Because the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor, it is possible for the governor and lieutenant governor to be from different political parties. This has happened three times, all with a Democratic lieutenant governor alongside a Republican governor: twice during the lieutenant governorship of William P. Hobby, Jr. (1979–1983 and 1987–1991, both alongside governor Bill Clements) and during the lieutenant governorship of Bob Bullock (1995–1999 alongside governor George W. Bush).
List of lieutenant governors of Texas
Legend:
+ List of lieutenant governors of TexasImageLieutenant GovernorPartyTerm in officeGovernor1 Albert Clinton HortonDemocraticMay 2, 1846–December 21, 1847James Pinckney Henderson 2 John Alexander GreerDemocraticDecember 21, 1847–December 22, 1851 George Tyler WoodPeter Hansborough Bell3 James W. HendersonDemocraticDecember 22, 1851–November 23, 1853Peter Hansborough Bell4 David Catchings DicksonDemocraticDecember 21, 1853–December 21, 1855Elisha M. Pease 5 Hardin Richard RunnelsDemocraticDecember 21, 1855–December 21, 1857Elisha M. Pease6 Francis LubbockDemocraticDecember 21, 1857–December 21, 1859Hardin Richard Runnels7 Edward ClarkDemocraticDecember 21, 1859–March 16, 1861Sam Houston 8 John McClannahan CrockettDemocraticNovember 7, 1861–November 5, 1863Francis Lubbock9 Fletcher StockdaleDemocratic November 5, 1863–June 17, 1865 Pendleton Murrah— VacantJune 17, 1865–August 9, 1866Fletcher StockdaleAndrew Jackson Hamilton 10 George Washington JonesDemocratic August 9, 1866–July 30, 1867 James W. Throckmorton— VacantJuly 30, 1867–January 8, 1870Elisha M. Pease— James W. FlanaganRepublicanJanuary 8, 1870–February 24, 1870Edmund J. Davis— VacantFebruary 24, 1870–January 15, 1874Edmund J. Davis11 Richard B. HubbardDemocraticJanuary 15, 1874–December 1, 1876Richard Coke— VacantDecember 1, 1876–January 21, 1879Richard B. Hubbard12 Joseph Draper SayersDemocraticJanuary 21, 1879–January 18, 1881Oran Milo Roberts13 Leonidas Jefferson StoreyDemocratic January 18, 1881–January 16, 1883 Oran Milo Roberts 14 Francis Marion MartinDemocraticJanuary 16, 1883–January 20, 1885John Ireland15 Barnett GibbsDemocratic January 20, 1885–January 19, 1887 John Ireland 16 Thomas Benton WheelerDemocratic January 19, 1887–January 21, 1891Lawrence Sullivan Ross 17 George C. PendletonDemocratic January 21, 1891–January 17, 1893 Jim Hogg 18 Martin McNulty CraneDemocraticJanuary 17, 1893–January 15, 1895 Jim Hogg 19 George Taylor JesterDemocraticJanuary 15, 1895–January 17, 1899Charles Allen Culberson 20 James BrowningDemocraticJanuary 17, 1899–January 20, 1903Joseph D. Sayers 21 George D. NealDemocratic January 20, 1903–January 15, 1907 S. W. T. Lanham 22 Asbury Bascom DavidsonDemocratic January 15, 1907–January 21, 1913 Thomas Mitchell CampbellOscar Branch Colquitt 23 William Harding MayesDemocratic January 21, 1913–August 14, 1914 Oscar Branch Colquitt— VacantAugust 14, 1914–January 19, 1915Oscar Branch Colquitt 24 William P. Hobby Sr.Democratic January 19, 1915–August 25, 1917 James E. Ferguson— VacantAugust 25, 1917–January 21, 1919William P. Hobby 25 Willard Arnold JohnsonDemocratic January 21, 1919–January 18, 1921 William P. Hobby 26 Lynch DavidsonDemocraticJanuary 18, 1921–January 16, 1923 Pat Morris Neff 27 Thomas Whitfield DavidsonDemocratic January 16, 1923–January 20, 1925 Pat Morris Neff 28 Barry MillerDemocraticJanuary 20, 1925–January 20, 1931Miriam A. FergusonDan Moody 29 Edgar E. WittDemocratic January 20, 1931–January 15, 1935 Ross S. SterlingMiriam A. Ferguson 30 Walter Frank WoodulDemocratic January 15, 1935–January 17, 1939 James V. Allred 31 Coke R. StevensonDemocraticJanuary 17, 1939–August 4, 1941W. Lee O'Daniel— VacantAugust 4, 1941–January 19, 1943Coke R. Stevenson 32 John Lee SmithDemocratic January 19, 1943–January 21, 1947Coke R. StevensonBeauford H. Jester 33 Allan ShiversDemocratic January 21, 1947–July 11, 1949 Beauford H. Jester— VacantJuly 11, 1949–January 16, 1951Allan Shivers34 Ben RamseyDemocratic January 16, 1951–September 18, 1961 Allan ShiversPrice Daniel— VacantSeptember 18, 1961–January 15, 1963Price Daniel 35 Preston SmithDemocratic January 15, 1963–January 21, 1969 John Connally 36 Ben BarnesDemocratic January 21, 1969–January 16, 1973 Preston Smith 37 William P. Hobby Jr.Democratic January 16, 1973–January 15, 1991 Dolph Briscoe (Democratic)Bill Clements (Republican)Mark White (Democratic)Bill Clements (Republican) 38 Bob BullockDemocratic January 15, 1991–January 19, 1999 Ann Richards (Democratic)George W. Bush (Republican) 39 Rick PerryRepublican January 19, 1999–December 21, 2000 George W. Bush 40 Bill RatliffRepublicanDecember 28, 2000–January 21, 2003 Rick Perry 41 David DewhurstRepublicanJanuary 21, 2003–January 20, 2015Rick Perry 42 Dan PatrickRepublican January 20, 2015–Incumbent Greg Abbott
Notes
References
External links
Legislative Reference Library of Texas Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846–1982, Texas Legislative Council, Austin, Texas, August 1982. Duties and Powers of the lieutenant governor