Seal of the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island

The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after

Daniel McKee Daniel James McKee (born June 16, 1951) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 76th governor of Rhode Island since March 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Rhode Island's 69th lieutenant governor from 2015 to ...

succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant governor and

governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...

are elected on separate

tickets Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...

. Seven lieutenant governors have served during a vacancy in the office of governor under the current 1842 constitution: Francis M. Dimond (1853), William C. Cozzens (1863), Charles D. Kimball (1901), Norman Case (1928), John Pastore (1945), and John S. McKiernan (1950).

Deputy governors of the
Colony of Rhode Island The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1 ...

William Brenton William Brenton (c. 1610–1674) was a colonial President, Deputy Governor, and Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and an early settler of Portsmouth and Newport in the Rhode Island colony. Austin and other hist ...

, of Newport; November 1663 – 2 May 1666 *

Nicholas Easton Nicholas Easton (1593–1675) was an early colonial President and Governor of Rhode Island. Born in Hampshire, England, he lived in the towns of Lymington and Romsey before immigrating to New England with his two sons in 1634. Once in the N ...

, of Newport; 2 May 1666 – 5 May 1669 * John Clarke, of Newport; 5 May 1669 – 4 May 1670 *

, of Newport; 4 May 1670 – 3 May 1671 * John Clarke, of Newport; 3 May 1671 – 1 May 1672 * John Cranston, of Newport; 1 May 1672 – 7 May 1673 *

William Coddington William Coddington (c. 1601 – 1 November 1678) was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He served as the judge of Portsmouth and Newport, governor of Portsmouth ...

, of Newport; 7 May 1673 – 6 May 1674 *

John Easton John Easton (1624–1705) was a political leader in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, devoting decades to public service before eventually becoming governor of the colony. Born in Hampshire, England, he sailed to New England ...

, of Newport; 6 May 1674 – April 1676 * John Cranston, of Newport; 3 May 1676 – 8 November 1678 (became governor) * James Barker, of Newport; 8 November 1678 – 7 May 1679 * Walter Clarke, of Newport; 7 May 1679 – 5 May 1686 *

John Coggeshall, Jr. John Coggeshall Jr. (c. 1624 - 1 October 1708) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The son of Rhode Island President John Coggeshall Sr., he was raised in the village of Castle Hedingham in northeaste ...

, of Newport; 5 May 1686 – June 1686 ''The Royal Charter was suspended from 1686 until 1689.'' *

, of Newport; 18 April 1689 – 7 May 1690 *

John Greene, Jr. John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony. Born in England, he was the son of John Green ...

, of Warwick; 7 May 1690 – May 1, 1700 * Walter Clarke, of Newport; May 1, 1700 – May 23, 1714 (died in office) * Henry Tew, of Newport; June 15, 1714 – May 3, 1715 * Joseph Jenckes, of Providence; May 3, 1715 – May 3, 1721 *

John Wanton John Wanton (December 24, 1672 – July 5, 1740) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for six consecutive terms from 1734 to 1740. He was the son of Edward Wanton who was a ship builder, and who became ...

, of Newport; May 3, 1721 – May 2, 1722 * Joseph Jenckes, of Providence; May 2, 1722 – May 3, 1727 * Jonathan Nichols, of Newport; May 3, 1727 – August 2, 1727 (died in office) *

Thomas Frye Thomas Frye (c. 1710 – 3 April 1762) was an Anglo-Irish artist, best known for his portraits in oil and pastel, including some miniatures and his early mezzotint engravings. He was also the patentee of the Bow porcelain factory, London, ...

, of East Greenwich; August 22, 1727 – May 7, 1729 *

, of Newport; May 7, 1729 – May 5, 1734 *

George Hazard George Hazard (9 October 1700 - 1738) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Life George Hazard was the son of George and Penelope (Arnold) Hazard of South Kingstown in the Rhode Island colony. His g ...

, of S. Kingstown; May 5, 1734 – before May 22, 1738 (died in office) *

Daniel Abbott Daniel Abbott (25 April 1682 – 7 November 1760) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He was the son of Daniel and Margaret (White) Abbott of Providence in the Rhode Island colony and was called Daniel ...

, of Providence; July 5, 1738 – May 1, 1740 * Richard Ward, of Newport; May 1, 1740 – July 15, 1740 (became governor) * William Greene, of Newport; July 15, 1740 – May 4, 1743 * Joseph Whipple, Jr., of Newport; May 4, 1743 – May 1, 1745 * William Robinson, of S. Kingstown; May 1, 1745 – May 7, 1746 * Joseph Whipple, Jr., of Newport; May 7, 1746 – May 6, 1747 * William Robinson, of S. Kingstown; May 6, 1747 – May 4, 1748 * William Ellery, Sr., of Newport; May 4, 1748 – May 2, 1750 *

Robert Hazard Robert Hazard (né Rimato, August 21, 1948 – August 5, 2008) was an American musician. He wrote, composed, and recorded the song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in 1979, which was covered in 1983 by Cyndi Lauper, who turned it into a ...

, of S. Kingstown; May 2, 1750 – May 1, 1751 * Joseph Whipple, III, of Newport; May 1, 1751 – November 2, 1753 (resigned) * Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport; November 2, 1753 – May 1, 1754 * John Gardner, of Newport; May 1, 1754 – May 7, 1755 * Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport; May 7, 1755 – September 1756 (died in office) * John Gardner, of Newport; September 6, 1756 – January 1764 (died in office) * Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport; February 27, 1764 – May 1, 1765 *

Elisha Brown Elisha Brown (25 May 1717 – 20 April 1802) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He was the son of James and Mary (Harris) Brown, and the great grandson of early Rhode Island settler and Baptist ministe ...

, of N. Providence; May 1, 1765 – May 6, 1767 * Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport; May 6, 1767 – May 4, 1768 *

Nicholas Cooke Nicholas Cooke (February 3, 1717September 14, 1782) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the American Revolutionary War, and after Rhode Island became a state, he continued in this position to become the ...

, of Providence; May 4, 1768 – May 3, 1769 *

Darius Sessions Darius Sessions (17 August 1717 – 27 April 1809) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the buildup to the American Revolutionary War. He was heavily involved in moderating the effects of th ...

, of Providence; May 3, 1769 – May 3, 1775 *

, of Providence; May 3, 1775 – November 7, 1775 (became governor) * William Bradford, of Bristol; November 7, 1775 – May 6, 1778

Deputy and lieutenant governors of the State of
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

The title of the office was changed to ''Lieutenant Governor'' in 1798.

Lieutenant governors under the constitution, 1843–present

Unusual candidacies

During the 2010 elections, the

Cool Moose Party Robert J. Healey Jr. (May 3, 1957 – March 20, 2016) was an American attorney, businessman, and political activist. He was the founder of Rhode Island's Cool Moose Party, the state's third-largest political party from 1994 until 2002, and was a ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

submitted Bob Healey as candidate for lieutenant governor. He ran on the proposition that he would attempt to abolish the office of lieutenant governor itself.

References

{{Rhode Island

Lieutenant governors of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gove ...

Lieutenant governor

Deputy governors of the Colony of Rhode Island The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1 ...

Lieutenant governors under the constitution, 1843–present

Unusual candidacies

References

Deputy governors of the
Colony of Rhode Island The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1 ...