The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852.
The lieutenant governor becomes
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 ...
if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the
Ohio State Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship occurred. Until 1978, lieutenant governors were elected separately but concurrently with the governor (not on a "ticket"). Thus, there were several occasions when the lieutenant governor was from a different party than the governor. This was changed by constitutional amendment. In 1974,
Richard F. Celeste was the last lieutenant governor to be elected separately. In 1978,
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...
became the first lieutenant governor to be elected on the same ticket with the governor.
From 1852 to 1979, the lieutenant governor also served as the
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the
Ohio State Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
. More recently, Ohio governors have generally named the lieutenant governor to head an agency of state government. An example of this is
Bruce Edward Johnson, who served as Director of the Ohio Department of Development, as did his successor,
Lee Fisher
Lee Irwin Fisher (born August 7, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and academic. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 64th lieutenant governor of Ohio, with Governor Ted Strickland, from 20 ...
. Recent Lt. Governor Mary Taylor was the director of the
Ohio Department of Insurance
The Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) is an Ohio state government Ohio Rev. Code § 121.01 ''et seq.'' administrative agency. The ODI provides consumer protection through education and regulation while promoting a stable and competitive environme ...
, until she was replaced by Jillian Froment in 2017.
The 28th lieutenant governor of Ohio,
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
, later served as 29th
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
.
List of lieutenant governors
;Parties
Living former lieutenant governors
, there are nine living former lieutenant governors from Ohio, the oldest being
Richard Celeste
Richard Frank Celeste (born November 11, 1937) is an American former diplomat, university administrator and politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991.
Early life and career ...
(1975–1979, born 1937). The most recent lieutenant governor to die was
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, th ...
(served 1979) on June 12, 2016. The most recently serving lieutenant governor to die was
Myrl Shoemaker
Myrl Howard Shoemaker (April 14, 1913 – July 30, 1985) was an American politician of the Democratic party who served as the 57th lieutenant governor of Ohio from 1983 until his death in 1985.
Shoemaker served for 24 years in the Ohio House of ...
(served 1983–1985), who died in office on July 30, 1985.
See also
*
List of Ohio lieutenant gubernatorial elections
The voters of the U.S. state of Ohio elect a lieutenant governor for a four-year term. Starting in 1978, the lieutenant governor is elected in tandem with the governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or politic ...
*
List of governors of Ohio
*
List of United States senators from Ohio
Ohio was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, and elects U.S. senators to Class 1 and Class 3. Its current U.S. senators are Democrat Sherrod Brown (serving since 2007) and Republican Rob Portman (serving since 2011), making it one of seve ...
*
List of United States representatives from Ohio
*
List of Ohio politicians
This is a list of politicians from the U.S. state of Ohio.
Current Government and Congressional Delegation Statewide Elected Executive Officials
* Governor: Mike DeWine ( R)
* Lieutenant Governor: Jon Husted (R)
* Attorney General: Dav ...
References
{{Ohio statewide elected officials
Lieutenant Governor
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 ...
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
1852 establishments in Ohio