Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Encyclopedia
The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. The Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...

 is elected every four years along with the Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....

 and Attorney General
Attorney General of Virginia
The Attorney General of Virginia is an executive office in the Government of Virginia. Attorneys General are elected for a four-year term in the year following a presidential election . There are no term limits restricting the number of terms someone can serve as Attorney General...

. The office is currently held by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 William T. Bolling
Bill Bolling
William T. "Bill" Bolling is the current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009 general elections. He is the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two...

. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately and thus may be of different political parties. The lieutenant governor's office is located in the Finance Building on Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

. The lieutenant governor serves as the President of the Senate of Virginia
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...

 and is first in the line of succession to the governor; in the event the governor dies, resigns, or otherwise leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Unlike the governor the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia can run for reelection.

Since the late 1920s, the lieutenant governor has been one of only three officials elected statewide in Virginia (along with the governor and attorney general). Since the governor can't succeed himself, whoever is elected lieutenant governor is almost always considered a leading candidate for governor. This is especially the case if the lieutenant governor and the attorney general come from different parties. For example, after Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...

 was elected lieutenant governor and Republican Jerry Kilgore was elected attorney general in 2001, it was virtually taken for granted that they would face each other in the 2005 election
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2005
The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2005 was a race for the Governor of Virginia, United States, held on November 8, 2005, and won by Democrat Tim Kaine. Virginia is the only state in the United States to prohibit governors from serving successive terms, so the popular incumbent, Mark R...

.

The office of Lieutenant Governor is of colonial origin and can be traced to the Virginia Council of London. The Council was appointed by the King, and in turn, the Council appointed the Lieutenant Governor or deputy. When the English crown forbade colonial Governor's absence from the colonies without leave in 1680, it became the Council’s duty to designate or send a deputy who could exercise all the powers of the Governor under the written instructions of both the crown and the Governor. Virginia’s first Constitution, adopted in 1776, provided a Council of State from which a President was annually selected from its members. The President acted as Lieutenant Governor in the case of the death, inability, or necessary absence of the Governor from the government. The Virginia Constitution of 1851 abolished the Governor’s Council of State and provided for the popular election of the Lieutenant Governor. Shelton Farrar Leake, from Albemarle County, was the first elected Lieutenant Governor, serving from 1852-1856.

Constitutionally, the Lieutenant Governor is president of the Senate of Virginia
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...

, as is the case with many other lieutenant governors in the United States. Unlike most of his counterparts, however, the lieutenant governor usually presides over the chamber.

List of Lieutenant Governors of Virginia

# Name From Term Notes
1 Shelton Leake
Shelton Leake
Shelton Farrar Leake was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and teacher from Virginia.Born near Hillsboro, Virginia, Leake completed preparatory studies, taught school, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1835, commencing practice in Charlottesville, Virginia...

Albemarle County, Virginia
Albemarle County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...

1852-1856
2 Elisha W. McComas
Elisha W. McComas
Elisha W. McComas was an American politician who served as lieutenant governor of Virginia in 1856 and 1857.McComas was living in Cabell County when he was elected Virginia's second lieutenant governor. He began his term on 1 January 1856 and resigned on 7 December 1857, when he was succeeded by...

Cabell County, West Virginia
Cabell County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 96,784 people, 41,180 households, and 25,490 families residing in the county. The population density was 344 people per square mile . There were 45,615 housing units at an average density of 162 per square mile...

 (then Virginia)
1856-1857
3 William Lowther "Mudwall" Jackson
William Lowther Jackson
William Lowther Jackson was a United States Army general.-References:...

Wood County, West Virginia
Wood County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 87,986 people, 36,275 households, and 24,884 families residing in the county. The population density was 240 people per square mile . There were 39,785 housing units at an average density of 108 per square mile...

 (then Virginia)
1857-1860
4. Robert Latane Montague
Robert Latane Montague
Robert Latané Montague was a prominent Virginia politician who served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War....

Middlesex County, Virginia
Middlesex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,932 people, 4,253 households, and 2,913 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile . There were 6,362 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...

1860-1864
5 Samuel Price
Samuel Price
Samuel Price was a United States Senator from West Virginia. Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, he moved with his parents to Preston County in 1815. He received a preparatory training, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1832, commencing the practice of his profession in Nicholas and...

Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Greenbrier County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,453 people, 14,571 households, and 9,922 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 people per square mile . There were 17,644 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...

 (then Virginia)
1864-1865
6 Daniel Polsley
Daniel Polsley
Daniel Haymond Polsley was a nineteenth century politician, lawyer, judge and editor from Virginia and West Virginia....

Mason County, West Virginia
Mason County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,957 people, 10,587 households, and 7,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile . There were 12,056 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...

 (then Virginia)
1861-1863 Restored Government
7 Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper
Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper
Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper served as lieutenant governor of the Restored government of Virginia from November 1863 until June 1865 and then as lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia from June 1865 until September 1869.-Early life:Cowper was born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia....

Norfolk County, Virginia
Norfolk County, Virginia
Norfolk County was a county of the South Hampton Roads in eastern Virginia in the United States that was created in 1691. After the American Civil War, for a period of about 100 years, portions of Norfolk County were lost and the territory of the county reduced as they became parts of the separate...

1863-1865 Restored Government
8 Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper
Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper
Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper served as lieutenant governor of the Restored government of Virginia from November 1863 until June 1865 and then as lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia from June 1865 until September 1869.-Early life:Cowper was born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia....

Norfolk County, Virginia
Norfolk County, Virginia
Norfolk County was a county of the South Hampton Roads in eastern Virginia in the United States that was created in 1691. After the American Civil War, for a period of about 100 years, portions of Norfolk County were lost and the territory of the county reduced as they became parts of the separate...

1865-1869
9 John F. Lewis
John F. Lewis
John Francis Lewis was an American plantation owner and politician from Rockingham County, Virginia. He served two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and represented Virginia as a Republican in the United States Senate during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War.John F...

Rockingham County, Virginia
Rockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...

1869-1870
10 John Lawrence Marye, Jr.
John Lawrence Marye, Jr.
John Lawrence Marye Jr. , was a Conservative Party politician who served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1870 until 1874.Marye, from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, held office from January 1, 1870 until January 1, 1874....

Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,395 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 226 people per square mile . There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile...

1870-1874
11 Robert E. Withers
Robert E. Withers
Robert Enoch Withers was an American physician, military officer, newspaperman, politician and diplomat. He represented Virginia in the United States Senate and served as U.S. Consul in Hong Kong.-Biography:...

Campbell County, Virginia
Campbell County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,078 people, 20,639 households, and 14,694 families residing in the county. The population density was 101 people per square mile . There were 22,088 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...

1874-1875
12 Henry Wirtz Thomas
Henry Wirtz Thomas
Henry Wirtz Thomas , a Republican politician, served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1875 to 1878.Thomas, from Fairfax County, Virginia,served in office from March 1, 1875, until January 1, 1878....

Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

1875-1878
13 James A. Walker
James A. Walker
James Alexander Walker was a Virginia lawyer, politician, and Confederate general during the American Civil War, later serving as a United States Congressman for two terms...

Pulaski County, Virginia
Pulaski County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,127 people, 14,643 households, and 10,147 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 16,325 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile...

1878-1882
14 John F. Lewis
John F. Lewis
John Francis Lewis was an American plantation owner and politician from Rockingham County, Virginia. He served two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and represented Virginia as a Republican in the United States Senate during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War.John F...

Rockingham County, Virginia
Rockingham County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 67,725 people, 25,355 households, and 18,889 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 27,328 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...

1882-1886
15 John Edward "Parson" Massey
John Edward "Parson" Massey
John Edward Massey , a Democrat from Albemarle County, served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1886 to 1890.Massey, from Albemarle County, Virginia, held office from January 1, 1886, until January 1, 1890. His autobiography appeared posthumously in 1909, edited by Elizabeth H....

Albemarle County, Virginia
Albemarle County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...

1886-1890
16 James Hoge Tyler
James Hoge Tyler
James Hogue Tyler was a United States political figure. He was Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1890 to 1894, and the 43rd Governor of Virginia from 1898 to 1902. He compiled The Family of Hoge, published in 1927...

Pulaski County, Virginia
Pulaski County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,127 people, 14,643 households, and 10,147 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 16,325 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile...

1890-1894
17 Robert Craig Kent
Robert Craig Kent
Robert Craig Kent was an attorney and political figure from the Commonwealth of Virginia. A graduate of Princeton University, Kent was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1853 and commenced the practice of law in Wytheville...

Wythe County, Virginia
Wythe County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,599 people, 11,511 households, and 8,103 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile . There were 12,744 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...

1894-1898
18 Edward Echols
Edward Echols
Edward Echols was a U.S. political figure from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Echols held office as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1898 to 1902....

Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....

1898-1902
19 Joseph Edward Willard
Joseph Edward Willard
Joseph Edward Willard was a U.S. political figure from the Commonwealth of Virginia.-Biography:He served for eight years in the Virginia House of Delegates, prior to his election as the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He held that office from 1902 through 1906, leaving after an unsuccessful run...

Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

1902-1906
20 James Taylor Ellyson
James Taylor Ellyson
James Taylor Ellyson was a U.S. political figure from the Commonwealth of Virginia who served in a number of state political positions. Born in Richmond, Virginia, Ellyson began his political career as a member of the Richmond City Council...

Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

1906-1918
21 Benjamin Franklin Buchanan
Benjamin Franklin Buchanan
Benjamin Franklin Buchanan was an American politician who served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1918 to 1922....

Smyth County, Virginia
Smyth County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 people per square mile . There were 15,111 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

1918-1922
22 Junius Edgar West
Junius Edgar West
Junius Edgar West was a Virginia politician and businessman who was born in Sussex County, Virginia, on July 12, 1866, and whose long and distinguished career culminated in two terms as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia....

Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...

1922-1930
23 James H. Price
James H. Price
James Hubert Price was an American politician. Price was a Richmond, Virginia attorney and businessman. In the 1937 general election, he defeated Republican candidate John Powell Royall, a former State Senator...

Richmond 1930-1938
24 Saxon Winston Holt
Saxon Winston Holt
Saxon Winston Holt , a Democrat, served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1938 until 1940.Holt, from Newport News, Virginia, held office from January 19, 1938, until his death on March 31, 1940. His unexpired term went unfilled....

Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...

1938-1940 died in office then vacancy
25 William M. Tuck
William M. Tuck
William Munford Tuck served as the 55th Governor of Virginia from 1946 to 1950 as a Democrat.He was the youngest son of Halifax County, Virginia tobacco warehouseman Robert James Tuck and Virginia Susan Fritts. Tuck graduated from the College of William and Mary, earning a teacher's certificate....

South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia 1942-1946
26 Lewis Preston Collins II
Lewis Preston Collins II
Lewis Preston "Pat" Collins served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1946 to 1952. He was usually known as L. Preston Collins or Pat Collins.-Early life:...

Smyth County, Virginia
Smyth County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,081 people, 13,493 households, and 9,607 families residing in the county. The population density was 73 people per square mile . There were 15,111 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

1946-1952 died in office
27 Allie Edward Stokes Stephens
Allie Edward Stokes Stephens
Allie Edward Stokes Stephens, usually known as A. E. S. Stephens , was a Democrat who served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1952 to 1962....

Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Isle of Wight County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 35,270 people, 11,319 households, and 8,670 families residing in the county. The population density was 94 people per square mile . There were 12,066 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

1952-1962 filled Collins term
28 Mills E. Godwin, Jr. Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...

1962-1966
29 Fred G. Pollard
Fred G. Pollard
Frederick Gresham Pollard of Richmond, Virginia was a lawyer and politician. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. - Early life :...

Richmond 1966-1970
30 J. Sargeant Reynolds
J. Sargeant Reynolds
Julian Sargeant Reynolds of Richmond, Virginia was a teacher, businessman, and politician. He served in both the House and Senate of the Virginia General Assembly and served as Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the first Republican to serve in that position since Reconstruction...

Richmond 1970-1971 died in office
31 Henry Howell
Henry Howell
Henry Evans Howell, Jr. , nicknamed "Howlin'" Henry Howell, was an American politician from the U.S. state of Virginia...

Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

1971-1974 filled Reynolds term
32 John N. Dalton
John N. Dalton
John Nichols Dalton was the 63rd Governor of the U.S. state of Virginia from 1978 to 1982. Born in Emporia, Virginia, Dalton also served in both houses of the General Assembly and as Lieutenant Governor. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the...

 (R)
Radford, Virginia
Radford, Virginia
Radford is a city in Virginia, United States. The population was 16,408 in 2010. For statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Radford with neighboring Montgomery County, including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, calling the combination the...

1974-1978
33 Chuck Robb
Chuck Robb
Charles Spittal "Chuck" Robb is an American politician. He served as the 64th Governor of Virginia from 1982 to 1986, and as a United States senator from 1989 until 2001. In 2004, he chaired the Iraq Intelligence Commission.-Early life:...

 (D)
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

1978-1982
34 Richard Joseph Davis
Richard Joseph Davis
Richard Joseph 'Dick' Davis Jr. was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1982-1986. He also ran for United States Senate in 1982, but lost to Republican candidate Paul S. Trible Jr....

 (D)
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...

1982-1986
35 Douglas Wilder
Douglas Wilder
Lawrence Douglas "Doug" Wilder is an American politician, the first African American to be elected as governor of Virginia, and the second to serve as governor of a U.S. state. Wilder served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. When earlier elected as Lieutenant Governor, he was...

 (D)
Richmond 1986-1990
36 Don Beyer
Don Beyer
Donald Sternoff "Don" Beyer, Jr. is the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In addition, he owns automobile dealerships in Virginia, and has a long record involved in community, political and philanthropic work....

 (D)
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

1990-1998
37 John H. Hager
John H. Hager
John Henry Hager is an American politician who served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from July 2007 until May 2008...

 (R)
Richmond 1998-2002
38 Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...

 (D)
Richmond 2002-2006
39 Bill Bolling
Bill Bolling
William T. "Bill" Bolling is the current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009 general elections. He is the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two...

 (R)
Hanover County, Virginia
Hanover County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 32,196 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...

2006-

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