The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. The

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presiding over the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

, casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate when required, and acceding to the governorship in case of a vacancy. 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 A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vari ...

, vice chairs, and

clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...

Mountain rule

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 The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is in ...

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 Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidates for office in

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 Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

(liberal) wings of the party; primaries rather than conventions to select nominees; the direct election of

U.S. Senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

; and several active third parties, including the

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

, the Prohibition Party, and the Local Option movement. In the 1960s the rise of the

Vermont Democratic Party The Vermont Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Vermont. From the time of the American Civil War until the 1960s, Vermont was an almost exclusively Republican state, with Republicans dominating Vermo ...

and the construction of

Interstate 89 Interstate 89 (I-89) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States traveling from Bow, New Hampshire, to the Canadian border between Highgate Springs, Vermont, and Saint-Armand, Quebec. As with all odd-numbered ...

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.

Vacancies

Vermont has no provision for filling the lieutenant governor's office in the event of a vacancy, and it has been vacant four times.

Thomas Chittenden Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730August 25, 1797) was an American politician from Vermont, who was a leader of the territory for nearly two decades. Chittenden was the first and third governor of the state of Vermont, serving from 1778 to 1789 ...

died in August 1797 while serving as governor, and Lieutenant Governor

Paul Brigham Paul Brigham (January 1746June 15, 1824) was an American Revolutionary soldier and Democratic-Republican politician. He was the second lieutenant governor of Vermont after that state was admitted to the Union in 1791, and upon the death of Vermo ...

served until the end of Chittenden's term in October. 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 Isaac Tichenor (February 8, 1754December 11, 1838) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the third and fifth governor of Vermont and United States Senator from Vermont. Biography Tichenor was born in Newark in the Province of ...

. In February 1870, Governor

Peter T. Washburn Peter Thacher Washburn (September 7, 1814 – February 7, 1870) was a Vermont lawyer, politician and soldier. A veteran of the American Civil War, he served as the 31st governor of Vermont as a Republican from 1869 to 1870, and was the first Ver ...

died and

George Whitman Hendee George Whitman Hendee (November 30, 1832 – December 6, 1906) was a Vermont lawyer, banker, and politician who served as President of the Vermont State Senate, the 27th lieutenant governor, 32nd governor of Vermont, and a U.S. Representative. ...

became governor. The lieutenant governor's office remained vacant until

George N. Dale George N. Dale (February 19, 1834 – January 29, 1903) was a Vermont lawyer and politician who served as the 28th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1870 to 1872. He was the father of Porter Hinman Dale, who served as a member of the United S ...

, the winner of that September's election, took office in October. In January 1950, Governor Ernest W. Gibson Jr. resigned and

Harold J. Arthur Harold John Arthur (February 9, 1904 – July 19, 1971) was the List of Governors of Vermont, 68th governor of Vermont from 1950 to 1951. He also served as the List of lieutenant governors of Vermont, 64th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 194 ...

became governor. The lieutenant governor's office was vacant until

Joseph B. Johnson Joseph Blaine Johnson (August 29, 1893 – October 25, 1986) was an American politician who served as the 70th governor of Vermont from 1955 to 1959. Biography Born in Helsingborg, Sweden, Johnson moved with his family from Sweden to Springfie ...

, the winner of the 1950 election, took office in January 1951. In August 1991, Governor

Richard A. Snelling Richard Arkwright Snelling (February 18, 1927August 13, 1991) was an American businessman and politician. He was most notable for his service as the List of Governors of Vermont, 76th and 78th governor of Vermont from 1977 to 1985 and from Janu ...

died and

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 200 ...

succeeded him. The lieutenant governorship remained vacant until Snelling's widow Barbara, the winner of the 1992 election, took office in January 1993.

List of lieutenant governors

Here is a list of

lieutenant governors A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in chronological order:General Election Results, Vermont Lieutenant Governor, 1818 to 2011
Vermont Secretary of State, State Archives and Records Administration, 2011

As the independent
Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

As the U.S. state of Vermont

;Parties (7) (5) (1) (57) (10) (1) * ''Italics'' denote a governor of a different party than the lieutenant governor.

Living former lieutenant governors

, there are eight living former lieutenant governors of Vermont, the oldest being Madeleine Kunin (served 1979–1983, born 1933). The most recent and most recently serving lieutenant governor of Vermont was Barbara W. Snelling (served 1993–1997, born 1928) on November 2, 2015.

References

External links

Office of Lt. Governor David Zuckerman
{{Vermont statewide elected officials

Lieutenant Governors A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...