Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
Encyclopedia
The Lieutenant Governor of Maryland is the second highest ranking official in the executive branch of the state government
of Maryland
in the United States. He or she is elected on the same ticket as the Governor of Maryland
and must meet the same qualifications.
The current Lieutenant Governor is Anthony G. Brown
.
. Under that system of government, the Lt. Governor served as president of the Senate
and would assume the office of governor if the incumbent should die, resign, be removed, or be disqualified.
The state's present constitution, adopted in 1867, abolished the Lt. Governorship. However, the position was re-established by a Constitutional amendment ratified on November 4, 1970.
In practice, Maryland's Lieutenant Governor attends cabinet meetings, chairs various task forces and commissions, represents the state at ceremonial functions and at events with or without the Governor, and advises the Governor. If there is a vacancy in the office of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the Governor. A vacancy in the Lieutenant Governorship is filled by a person nominated by the Governor and confirmed by a majority vote of the General Assembly voting in joint session.
Government of Maryland
The government of Maryland is conducted according to the Maryland Constitution. The United States is a federation; consequently, the government of Maryland, like the other 49 state governments, has exclusive authority over matters that lie entirely within the state's borders, except as limited by...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in the United States. He or she is elected on the same ticket as the Governor of Maryland
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
and must meet the same qualifications.
The current Lieutenant Governor is Anthony G. Brown
Anthony G. Brown
Anthony G. Brown is a Democratic Party politician from the State of Maryland and is the current Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. He was elected as Maryland’s eighth Lieutenant Governor in 2006 on a ticket with Governor Martin O'Malley. Both were reelected in 2010. He is the second African...
.
History
The position was first created by the Maryland Constitution of 1864Maryland Constitution of 1864
The Maryland Constitution of 1864 was the third of the four constitutions which have governed the U.S. state of Maryland. A controversial product of the Civil War and in effect only until 1867, when the state's present constitution was adopted, the 1864 document was short-lived.-Drafting:The 1864...
. Under that system of government, the Lt. Governor served as president of the Senate
President of the Senate
The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...
and would assume the office of governor if the incumbent should die, resign, be removed, or be disqualified.
The state's present constitution, adopted in 1867, abolished the Lt. Governorship. However, the position was re-established by a Constitutional amendment ratified on November 4, 1970.
Duties and responsibilities
Under the 1970 amendment, the Lieutenant Governor "shall have only the duties delegated to him by the Governor." Maryland's Lieutenant Governorship is thus weaker than the office in several, but not all, other states which have one. For instance, in many states, including Texas, the Lieutenant Governor is the President of the State's Senate and in California the Lieutenant Governor assumes all of the Governor's powers when he or she is out of the state. In both of those states, as in some others, the Lieutenant Governor is elected in his or her own right, independently of the state's Governor.In practice, Maryland's Lieutenant Governor attends cabinet meetings, chairs various task forces and commissions, represents the state at ceremonial functions and at events with or without the Governor, and advises the Governor. If there is a vacancy in the office of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the Governor. A vacancy in the Lieutenant Governorship is filled by a person nominated by the Governor and confirmed by a majority vote of the General Assembly voting in joint session.
Lt. Governors under the Maryland Constitution of 1864
| # | Name | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher C. Cox Christopher C. Cox Christopher C. Cox was a United States politician from Maryland.Born in Baltimore, Cox was a member of the National Union Party, a coalition of Democrats loyal to the Union and Republicans during the Civil War.... |
Unionist Union (American Civil War) During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the... |
1865–1868 |
Lt. Governors under the Maryland Constitution of 1867
Constitution amended November 4, 1970 to create Lt. Governor position.| # | Name | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Blair Lee III Blair Lee III Blair Lee III was an American Democratic politician. He served as the Secretary of State of Maryland from 1969 to 1971... |
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... |
1971–1979 |
| 3 | Samuel W. Bogley | Democrat | 1979–1982 |
| 4 | J. Joseph Curran, Jr. | Democrat | 1983–1987 |
| 5 | Melvin A. Steinberg | Democrat | 1987–1995 |
| 6 | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend , is an American attorney who was the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Maryland in 2002. In 2010 she became the chair of the non-profit American Bridge, an organization that will raise funds for Democratic... |
Democrat | 1995–2003 |
| 7 | Michael S. Steele Michael S. Steele Michael Stephen Steele is an American politician who served as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee from January 2009 until January 2011. From 2003 to 2007, he was the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, the first African American elected to statewide... |
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... |
2003–2007 |
| 8 | Anthony G. Brown Anthony G. Brown Anthony G. Brown is a Democratic Party politician from the State of Maryland and is the current Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. He was elected as Maryland’s eighth Lieutenant Governor in 2006 on a ticket with Governor Martin O'Malley. Both were reelected in 2010. He is the second African... |
Democrat | 2007– |
See also
- Governor of MarylandGovernor of MarylandThe Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
- Government of MarylandGovernment of MarylandThe government of Maryland is conducted according to the Maryland Constitution. The United States is a federation; consequently, the government of Maryland, like the other 49 state governments, has exclusive authority over matters that lie entirely within the state's borders, except as limited by...
- Lieutenant Governor (United States)