List of lieutenant governors of Vermont

The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont lieutenant governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presiding over the Vermont Senate, casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate when required, and acceding to the governorship in case of a vacancy.[2][3][4] As a member of the state senate's Committee on Committees, the lieutenant governor plays a role in determining committee assignments for individual senators, as well as selecting committee chairs, vice chairs, and clerks.[5][6][7]

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Coat of arms of Vermont
Incumbent
David Zuckerman
since January 5, 2023
Term lengthTwo years, no term limit
Inaugural holderJonathan Hunt
Formation1791; Constitution of Vermont
SuccessionEvery two years, unless re-elected.
Salary$78,145[1]

Mountain rule

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From the founding of the Republican Party in the 1850s until the 1960s only Republicans won general elections for Vermont's statewide offices. One method that made this possible was imposition of the "Mountain Rule." Under the provisions of the Mountain Rule, one U.S. Senator was a resident of the east side of the Green Mountains and one resided on the west side, and the governorship and lieutenant governorship alternated between residents of the east and west side. Nominees for governor and lieutenant governor were allowed two one-year terms, and later one two-year term. For nearly 100 years likely Republican candidates for office in Vermont agreed to abide by the Mountain Rule in the interests of party unity. Several factors led to the eventual weakening of the Mountain Rule, including: the longtime political dispute between the Proctor (conservative) and Aiken-Gibson (liberal) wings of the party; primaries rather than conventions to select nominees; the direct election of U.S. Senators; and several active third parties, including the Progressives, the Prohibition Party, and the Local Option movement. In the 1960s the rise of the Vermont Democratic Party and the construction of Interstate 89 also contributed to the end of the Mountain Rule. Though I-89 is a north–south route, it traverses Vermont from east to west and changed the way Vermonters view how the state is divided.[8][9]

Vacancies

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Vermont has no provision for filling the lieutenant governor's office in the event of a vacancy,[10] and it has been vacant four times.[11] Thomas Chittenden died in August 1797 while serving as governor, and Lieutenant Governor Paul Brigham served until the end of Chittenden's term in October.[11] Brigham, the winner of that year's September election for lieutenant governor, began his new term in October and was succeeded as governor by Isaac Tichenor.[11] In February 1870, Governor Peter T. Washburn died and George Whitman Hendee became governor.[11] The lieutenant governor's office remained vacant until George N. Dale, the winner of that September's election, took office in October.[11] In January 1950, Governor Ernest W. Gibson Jr. resigned and Harold J. Arthur became governor.[11] The lieutenant governor's office was vacant until Joseph B. Johnson, the winner of the 1950 election, took office in January 1951.[11] In August 1991, Governor Richard A. Snelling died and Howard Dean succeeded him.[10] The lieutenant governorship remained vacant until Snelling's widow Barbara, the winner of the 1992 election, took office in January 1993.[12]

List of lieutenant governors

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This is a list of lieutenant governors of Vermont in chronological order:[13][14]

#ImageNamePartyTermGovernor(s) served under
1 Joseph Marsh1778–1779Thomas Chittenden
2Benjamin Carpenter1779–1781Thomas Chittenden
3Elisha Payne1781–1782Thomas Chittenden
4Paul Spooner1782–1787Thomas Chittenden
5 Joseph Marsh1787–1790Moses Robinson
6 Peter Olcott1790–1791Thomas Chittenden

State of Vermont

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Parties

  Democratic (7)  Democratic-Republican (5)  Federalist (1)  Republican/National Union (57)  Whig/National Republican/Anti-Masonic (10)
  Progressive (1)

#ImageNamePartyTermGovernor(s) served under
1 Peter Olcott1791–1794Thomas Chittenden
2 Jonathan Hunt1794–1796Thomas Chittenden
3 Paul BrighamDemocratic-Republican1796–1813Thomas Chittenden
himself
Isaac Tichenor
Israel Smith
Isaac Tichenor
Jonas Galusha
4William ChamberlainFederalist1813–1815Martin Chittenden
5 Paul BrighamDemocratic-Republican1815–1820Jonas Galusha
6William CahoonDemocratic-Republican1820–1822Richard Skinner
7 Aaron LelandDemocratic-Republican1822–1827Richard Skinner
Cornelius P. Van Ness
Ezra Butler
8Henry OlinDemocratic-Republican1827–1830Ezra Butler
9Mark RichardsNational Republican1830–1831Samuel C. Crafts
10Lebbeus EgertonAnti-Masonic1831–1835William A. Palmer
11 Silas H. JennisonWhig / Anti-Masonic1835–1836Silas H. Jennison
12 David M. CampWhig1836–1841Silas H. Jennison
13 Waitstill R. RanneyWhig1841–1843Charles Paine
14 Horace EatonWhig1843–1846John Mattocks
William Slade
15 Leonard SargeantWhig1846–1848Horace Eaton
16 Robert PierpointWhig1848–1850Carlos Coolidge
17 Julius ConverseWhig1850–1852Charles K. Williams
18 William C. KittredgeWhig1852–1853Erastus Fairbanks
19 Jefferson P. KidderDemocratic1853–1854John S. Robinson
20 Ryland FletcherRepublican1854–1856Stephen Royce
21James M. SladeRepublican1856–1858Ryland Fletcher
22Burnham MartinRepublican1858–1860Hiland Hall
23 Levi UnderwoodRepublican1860–1862Hiland Hall
Erastus Fairbanks
24 Paul DillinghamRepublican / National Union1862–1865Frederick Holbrook
J. Gregory Smith
25 Abraham B. GardnerRepublican1865–1867Paul Dillingham
26 Stephen ThomasRepublican1867–1869John B. Page
27 George W. HendeeRepublican1869–1870Peter T. Washburn
28 George N. DaleRepublican1870–1872George W. Hendee
John W. Stewart
29 Russell S. TaftRepublican1872–1874Julius Converse
30Lyman G. HinckleyRepublican1874–1876Asahel Peck
31 Redfield ProctorRepublican1876–1878Horace Fairbanks
32 Eben Pomeroy ColtonRepublican1878–1880Redfield Proctor
33 John L. BarstowRepublican1880–1882Roswell Farnham
34 Samuel E. PingreeRepublican1882–1884John L. Barstow
35 Ebenezer J. OrmsbeeRepublican1884–1886Samuel E. Pingree
36 Levi K. FullerRepublican1886–1888Ebenezer J. Ormsbee
37 Urban A. WoodburyRepublican1888–1890William P. Dillingham
38 Henry A. FletcherRepublican1890–1892Carroll S. Page
39 Farrand Stewart StranahanRepublican1892–1894Levi K. Fuller
40 Zophar M. MansurRepublican1894–1896Urban A. Woodbury
41 Nelson W. FiskRepublican1896–1898Josiah Grout
42 Henry C. BatesRepublican1898–1900Edward C. Smith
43 Martin F. AllenRepublican1900–1902William W. Stickney
44 Zed S. StantonRepublican1902–1904John G. McCullough
45 Charles H. StearnsRepublican1904–1906Charles J. Bell
46 George H. ProutyRepublican1906–1908Fletcher D. Proctor
47 John A. MeadRepublican1908–1910George H. Prouty
48 Leighton P. SlackRepublican1910–1912John A. Mead
49 Frank E. HoweRepublican1912–1915Allen M. Fletcher
50 Hale K. DarlingRepublican1915–1917Charles W. Gates
51 Roger W. HulburdRepublican1917–1919Horace F. Graham
52 Mason S. StoneRepublican1919–1921Percival W. Clement
53 Abram W. FooteRepublican1921–1923James Hartness
54 Franklin S. BillingsRepublican1923–1925Redfield Proctor Jr.
55 Walter K. FarnsworthRepublican1925–1927Franklin S. Billings
56 Hollister JacksonRepublican1927–1927John E. Weeks
57 Stanley C. WilsonRepublican1929–1931John E. Weeks
58 Benjamin WilliamsRepublican1931–1933Stanley C. Wilson
59 Charles M. SmithRepublican1933–1935Stanley C. Wilson
60 George D. AikenRepublican1935–1937Charles Manley Smith
61 William H. WillsRepublican1937–1941George D. Aiken
62 Mortimer R. ProctorRepublican1941–1945William H. Wills
63 Lee E. EmersonRepublican1945–1949Mortimer R. Proctor
Ernest W. Gibson Jr.
64 Harold J. ArthurRepublican1949–1950Ernest W. Gibson Jr.
65 Joseph B. JohnsonRepublican1951–1955Lee E. Emerson
66 Consuelo N. BaileyRepublican1955–1957Joseph B. Johnson
67 Robert T. StaffordRepublican1957–1959Joseph B. Johnson
68 Robert S. BabcockRepublican1959–1961Robert T. Stafford
69 Ralph A. FooteRepublican1961–1965F. Ray Keyser Jr.
Philip H. Hoff
70 John J. DaleyDemocratic1965–1969Philip H. Hoff
71 Thomas L. HayesRepublican1969–1971Deane C. Davis
72 John S. BurgessRepublican1971–1975Deane C. Davis
Thomas P. Salmon
73 Brian D. BurnsDemocratic1975–1977Thomas P. Salmon
74 T. Garry BuckleyRepublican1977–1979Richard Snelling
75 Madeleine KuninDemocratic1979–1983Richard Snelling
76 Peter P. SmithRepublican1983–1987Richard Snelling
Madeleine Kunin
77 Howard DeanDemocratic1987–1991Madeleine Kunin
Richard Snelling
78Barbara SnellingRepublican1993–1997Howard Dean
79Doug RacineDemocratic1997–2003Howard Dean
80 Brian DubieRepublican2003–2011Jim Douglas
81 Phil ScottRepublican2011–2017Peter Shumlin
82 David ZuckermanProgressiveDemocratic2017–2021Phil Scott
83 Molly GrayDemocratic2021–2023Phil Scott
84 David ZuckermanProgressiveDemocratic2023–presentPhil Scott
  • Italics denote a governor of a different party than the lieutenant governor.

References

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