The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, behind the governor

Governor of Michigan

The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...

, and one of four great offices of state. The holder of this office is afforded the courtesy title

Courtesy title

A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...

 of the Honorable (abbreviated to Hon. or Hon'ble) for life.

The current lieutenant governor is Brian Calley

Brian Calley

Brian Calley , an American politician from the Republican Party is the 61st and current Lieutenant Governor of the State of Michigan...

, a Republican, who has held the office since January 1, 2011.

How the Lieutenant Governor is elected

In Michigan, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected as a ticket to serve a term of four years. The election takes place two years after each presidential election; thus, the next election will take place on November 4, 2014.

Nomination

Following the August primary election

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

 in each gubernatorial election year, the state's two largest political parties convene a state convention and nominate candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state

Secretary of State

Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....

 and attorney general

Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

, among other offices. Because the governor and lieutenant governor are elected as a ticket, the party's gubernatorial nominee usually makes the de facto decision as to whom the party will nominate for lieutenant governor, then convention delegates officially confirm the designation.

Historically, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected separately, leading to occasions where Republicans controlled one office and the Democrats another (as with George Romney

George W. Romney

George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...

 and T. John Lesinski

T. John Lesinski

Thaddeus John "T. John" Lesinski, , was politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Lesinski was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived in Detroit and Grosse Pointe Shores...

). This changed with the Michigan Constitution

Michigan Constitution

The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government....

 of 1963.

Election and inauguration

After the November general election, the governor and lieutenant governor take office on January 1. Thus, the winners of the 2010 election began their term on January 1, 2011.

Term limits

Like the governor, the lieutenant governor is allowed to serve up to two terms in office.

Duties of the Lieutenant Governor

There are three main duties assigned to the lieutenant governor: (1) to serve as acting governor while the governor is out of state; (2) to become governor in the event that the governor is unable to serve due to death, illness or incapacitation; and (3) to preside over the Michigan Senate

Michigan Senate

The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....

.

These days, the lieutenant governor also acts as an assistant to the governor. When the governor is unable to attend a function, for instance, the lieutenant governor may be sent in place of the governor. The lieutenant governor will also occasionally head blue-ribbon commissions into pressing public policy

Public policy

Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...

 issues.

List of Lieutenant Governors

1 Edward Mundy Edward Mundy (politician) Edward Mundy was a politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan, serving as its first Lieutenant Governor.-Biography:...	D	1835-1840
2 James Wright Gordon James Wright Gordon James Wright Gordon , usually referred to as J. Wright Gordon, was a Whig politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Gordon was born in Plainfield, Connecticut and studied law.-Life and politics in Michigan:...	W	1840-1841
3 Thomas J. Drake Thomas J. Drake For other Thomas Drakes, please see Thomas Drake Thomas Jefferson Drake was a politician from the U.S...	W	1841
4 Origen D. Richardson Origen D. Richardson Origen Drew Richardson was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, and in the Nebraska Territory.-Biography:Richardson was born in Woodstock, Vermont, where he studied and practiced law...	W	1842-1846
5 William L. Greenly William L. Greenly William L. Greenly was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan serving as the sixth Governor of Michigan.-Early life in New York:Greenly was born in Hamilton, New York...	D	1846-1847
6 Charles P. Bush Charles P. Bush Charles P. Bush was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Bush was born in Ithaca, New York and moved to Michigan in 1836, becoming one of the first residents of Handy....	D	1847
7 William M. Fenton William M. Fenton William Matthew Fenton was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Early life:Fenton was born in Norwich, New York in 1808 and graduated at the top of his class in 1826 at Hamilton College. In 1827, he sailed four years on the ocean, becoming mate of a merchant vessel...	D	1848-1851
8 Calvin Britain Calvin Britain Calvin Britain was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Britain was born in Jefferson County, New York. He came to Michigan in 1827 and was the first settler in the town of St. Joseph. He laid out the village of St. Joseph, first known as Newburyport...	D	1852-1853
9 Andrew Parsons Andrew Parsons Andrew Parsons was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Early life in New York:Parsons was born in Hoosick, New York...	D	1853
10 George Griswold George Griswold George R. Griswold was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Griswold was born in the U.S. state of New York and later moved to Detroit, Michigan and practiced law....	D	1853-1855
11 George Coe George Coe (Michigan politician) George Alonzo Coe was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Coe was born in Rush, New York and moved to Illinois at a young age. He was raised on his father’s farm until the age of fourteen and then attended school until of age...	R	1855-1859
12 Edmund B. Fairfield	R	1859-1861
13 James M. Birney James M. Birney James M. Birney was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Birney was born in Danville, Kentucky, the eldest son of Agatha and James Gillespie Birney, who was a presidential candidate for the Liberty Party in the 1840 and 1844 elections. James M. Birney spent his early years in...	R	1861
14 Joseph R. Williams Joseph R. Williams Joseph Rickelson Williams was an American politician and the first president for the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first Land-Grant Institution to be established in the United States and now one of the largest universities in the United States, Michigan State University.-Early...	R	1861
15 Henry T. Backus Henry T. Backus Henry Titus Backus was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan and judge from the Arizona Territory.-Early life:...	R	1861-1863
16 Charles S. May Charles S. May Charles Sedgwick May was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Early life:May was born in Sandisfield, Massachusetts and at the age of four moved to Richland, Michigan. He worked there on a farm until the age of fifteen and became a student of the State University at Kalamazoo...	R	1863-1865
17 Ebenezer O. Grosvenor Ebenezer O. Grosvenor Ebenezer Oliver Grosvenor, Jr. was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Early life:Grosvenor was born in Stillwater, New York and received a common school and academic education...	R	1865-1867
18 Dwight May Dwight May Dwight May was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Early life:May was born in Sandisfield, Massachusetts to Rockwell and Celestia May and moved to Richland, Michigan at the approximate age of twelve...	R	1867-1869
19 Morgan Bates Morgan Bates Morgan Bates was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Early life and publishing career:Bates was born near Glens Falls, New York. He apprenticed as a printer at Sandy Hill and worked as a journeyman printer in Albany and other places...	R	1869-1873
20 Henry H. Holt Henry H. Holt Henry H. Holt was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Holt was born in Camden, New York and received an academic education, studied law and graduated from union law college of Ohio...	R	1873-1877
21 Alonzo Sessions Alonzo Sessions Alonzo Sessions was a politician from the U. S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Sessions was born to Amasa and Pheobe Sessions in Marcellus, New York acquired and early education and taught school...	R	1877-1881
22 Moreau S. Crosby	R	1881-1885
23 Archibald Buttars	R	1885-1887
24 James H. MacDonald	R	1887-1889
25 William Ball	R	1889
26 John Strong John Strong (Michigan politician) John Strong, Jr. was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.- Early life and family :Strong, the son of John Strong Sr. , from Wroxton, Oxfordshire, England, was a first generation American born in a log cabin in Greenfield Township, Michigan, which is now part of Detroit. He received a...	D	1891-1893
27 J. Wight Giddings	R	1893-1895
28 Alfred Milnes Alfred Milnes Alfred Milnes was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Early life:Milnes was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. His parents, Henry and Mary Ann Milnes joined the LDS Church and left England with their family in 1854. After a sixty day voyage from Liverpool, they arrived in New...	R	1895
29 Joseph R. McLaughlin Joseph R. McLaughlin (Michigan politician) Joseph R. McLaughlin was an entrepreneur and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, serving as Lieutenant Governor from 1895 to 1897....	R	1895-1897
30 Thomas B. Dunstan	R	1897-1899
31 Orrin W. Robinson Orrin W. Robinson Orrin Williams Robinson was a politician and businessman from the U.S. state of Michigan. He ran a successful logging operation in the Upper Peninsula and was elected to serve in both houses of the Michigan Legislature and two terms as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, from 1899 to...	R	1899-1903
32 Alexander Maitland	R	1903-1907
33 Patrick H. Kelley Patrick H. Kelley Patrick Henry Kelley was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He served as U.S. Representative from Michigan's 6th congressional district from 1915-1923.-Biography:...	R	1907-1911
34 John Q. Ross	R	1911-1915
35 Luren D. Dickinson	R	1915-1921
36 Thomas Read	R	1921-1925
37 George W. Welsh	R	1925-1927
38 Luren D. Dickinson	R	1927-1933
39 Allen E. Stebbins	D	1933-1935
40 Thomas Read	R	1935-1937
41 Leo J. Nowicki	D	1937-1939
42 Luren D. Dickinson	R	1939
43 Matilda Dodge Wilson Matilda Dodge Wilson Matilda Dodge Wilson , was born Matilda Rausch in Walkerton, Ontario, Canada. She was the widow of John Francis Dodge who co-founded the Dodge motor car company in Detroit with his brother Horace Elgin Dodge. Wilson co-founded the Oakland campus of Michigan State University, now Oakland...	R	1940-41
44 Frank Murphy	D	1941-1943
45 Eugene C. Keyes	R	1943-1945
46 Vernon J. Brown	R	1945-1947
47 Eugene C. Keyes	R	1947-1949
48 John W. Connolly	D	1949-1951
49 William C. Vandenberg	R	1951-1953
50 Clarence A. Reid	R	1953-1955
51 Philip A. Hart	D	1955-1959
52 John B. Swainson	D	1959-1961
53 T. John Lesinski T. John Lesinski Thaddeus John "T. John" Lesinski, , was politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Lesinski was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived in Detroit and Grosse Pointe Shores...	D	1961-1965
54 William G. Milliken	R	1965-1969
55 Thomas F. Schweigert	R	1970
56 James H. Brickley James H. Brickley James H. Brickley was the 54th and 56th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1982-1999.-Biography:Brickley was born in Flint, Michigan...	R	1971-1975
57 James Damman James Damman James Damman was an American, Republican politician from Michigan.Born in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, Damman served on the Troy, Michigan city commission and served in the Michigan House of Representatives for two terms, and then Lieutenant Governor of Michigan 1975-1979. He also worked for his...	R	1975-1979
58 James H. Brickley James H. Brickley James H. Brickley was the 54th and 56th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1982-1999.-Biography:Brickley was born in Flint, Michigan...	R	1979-1983
59 Martha W. Griffiths	D	1983-1991
60 Connie Binsfeld Connie Binsfeld Connie Berube Binsfeld is a retired Republican politician from the U.S. State of Michigan.-Biography:...	R	1991-1999
61 Dick Posthumus Dick Posthumus Richard Posthumus is an American farmer, businessman, and politician. He was the 59th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and majority leader of the Michigan Senate. In 2002, he was the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan....	R	1999-2003
62 John D. Cherry, Jr.	D	2003-2011
63 Brian Calley Brian Calley Brian Calley , an American politician from the Republican Party is the 61st and current Lieutenant Governor of the State of Michigan...	R	2011-present

External links

• Office of the Lieutenant Governor
• Lt. Governor Cherry's reelection page
• Lt. Governor’s Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth