The president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the lieutenant governor. The president pro tempore also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senate.

Duties In addition to presiding in the absence of the lieutenant governor, the president pro tempore is third in the gubernatorial line of succession, following the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Senate president pro tempore also serves as a member of the Senate's Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees, made up of the lieutenant governor, president of the Senate, and a state senator chosen by his or her peers, is responsible for making committee assignments and designating committee chairpersons, vice chairpersons and clerks.

The Senate president is Senator Philip Baruth of Chittenden County, who took office on January 4, 2023.

History U.S. Senator Peter Welch served as Senate President from 1985 to 1989 and 2003 to 2007, and was the first Democrat to hold the post. Peter Shumlin, Governor from 2011 to 2017, was President pro tempore from 1997 to 2003 and 2007 to 2011. Becca Balint, Vermont's at-large member of the U.S. House since 2023, served as Senate President from 2021 to 2023.

In the early days of the Vermont Senate, when the legislature met for a relatively short time each year, the lieutenant governor was usually present to preside over regular Senate sessions, and temporary presidents would be chosen on an as-needed basis for periods as short as one day, or even just the morning or afternoon session of one day. By the 1870s, the position had evolved to the point where a permanent president pro tempore was chosen immediately after the convening of each new legislature.

From the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s until the 1960s, only Republicans won statewide offices, and Republicans also controlled both the Vermont Senate and Vermont House of Representatives. As part of the party's Mountain Rule, the post of Senate President, along with that of House Speaker, were used to groom future governors and lieutenant governors. Including Shumlin, nine governors have served as Senate President (Eaton, Coolidge, Hendee, Redfield Proctor, McCullough, Prouty, Wills, Mortimer Proctor, Emerson, and Shumlin), as have six lieutenant governors who did not attain the governorship (Dale, Hinckley, Bates, Farnsworth, Babcock and Racine).

Compensation The president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate earned $10,080 in annual compensation as of 2005. Starting in 2007, the salary receives an annual cost of living adjustment.

List No. President pro tempore Term Party 1 Horace Eaton 1841 Whig 2 Ebenezer N. Briggs 1843 Whig 3 James Barrett 1845 Whig 4 George T. Hodges 1846–1847 Whig 5 John Kimball 1848 Whig 6 Oliver P. Chandler 1849 Whig 7 William Weston 1850 Whig 8 Asa Wentworth Jr. 1851 Whig 9 Edward Seymour 1852 Whig 10 Orlando Stevens 1853 Whig 11 Carlos Coolidge 1853–1854 Whig 12 James M. Hotchkiss 1856 Republican 13 Augustus P. Hunton 1857 Republican 14 Lucius E. Chittenden 1857–1858 Republican 15 Bliss N. Davis 1859 Republican 16 George Wilkins 1860 Republican 17 Frederick E. Woodbridge 1861 Republican 18 Thomas E. Powers 1861 Republican 19 George F. Edmunds 1861–1862 Republican 20 Henry E. Stoughton 1863 Republican 21 Leverett B. Englesby 1864 Republican 22 Worthington C. Smith 1865 Republican 23 Seneca M. Dorr 1865–1866 Republican 24 George W. Hendee 1867–1868 Republican 25 George N. Dale 1869 Republican 26 Charles H. Heath 1870 Republican 27 Lyman G. Hinckley 1872 Republican 28 Redfield Proctor 1874 Republican 29 William W. Grout 1876 Republican 30 Loveland Munson 1878 Republican 31 Philip K. Gleed 1880 Republican 32 Justus Dartt 1882 Republican 33 Laforrest H. Thompson 1884 Republican 34 Henry C. Bates 1886–1888 Republican 35 Frank A. Dwinell 1890 Republican 36 Alfred A. Hall 1892 Republican 37 Frank Plumley 1894 Republican 38 Ashbel A. Dean 1896 Republican 39 John G. McCullough 1898 Republican 40 Frederick W. Baldwin 1900 Republican 41 Chauncey W. Brownell 1902 Republican 42 George H. Prouty 1904 Republican 43 William J. Van Patten 1906 Republican 44 Ernest W. Gibson Sr. 1908 Republican 45 Max L. Powell 1910 Republican 46 Frederick H. Babbitt 1912 Republican 47 Max L. Powell 1915 Republican 48 William R. Fairchild 1917 Republican 49 Martin S. Vilas 1919 Republican 50 Harvey R. Kingsley 1921 Republican 51 Walter K. Farnsworth 1923 Republican 52 Edward H. Edgerton 1925 Republican 53 Levi P. Smith 1927–1929 Republican 54 William H. Wills 1931 Republican 55 Charles B. Adams 1933 Republican 56 William H. Wills 1935 Republican 57 Ernest W. Dunklee 1937 Republican 58 Mortimer R. Proctor 1939 Republican 59 Joseph H. Denny 1941 Republican 60 Lee E. Emerson 1943 Republican 61 John A. M. Hinsman 1945 Republican 62 Carroll L. Coburn 1947 Republican 63 Asa S. Bloomer 1949 Republican 64 Merrill W. Harris 1951 Republican 65 Carleton G. Howe 1953 Republican 66 Asa S. Bloomer 1955 Republican 67 Robert S. Babcock 1957 Republican 68 Asa S. Bloomer 1959–1963 Republican 69 John H. Boylan 1963–1965 Republican 70 George W. F. Cook 1965–1969 Republican 71 Edward G. Janeway 1969–1975 Republican 72 Robert A. Bloomer 1975–1985 Republican 73 Peter Welch 1985–1989 Democratic 74 Douglas Racine 1989–1993 Democratic 75 John H. Bloomer 1993–1995 Republican 76 Stephen W. Webster 1995–1997 Republican 77 Peter Shumlin 1997–2003 Democratic 78 Peter Welch 2003–2007 Democratic 79 Peter Shumlin 2007–2011 Democratic 80 John F. Campbell 2011–2017 Democratic 81 Tim Ashe 2017–2021 Democratic/Progressive 82 Becca Balint 2021–2023 Democratic 83 Philip Baruth 2023– Democratic/Progressive

See also List of Vermont General Assemblies

References

Sources Internet

Books

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