The
Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the
order of successionAn order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
of
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal,
impeachmentImpeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to consider whether or not to forcibly remove a government official from office. The impeachment itself brings the charges against the official...
, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the
Governor of WisconsinThe Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey in June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
. The position was first filled by
John Edwin HolmesJohn Edwin Holmes was the first Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He was ordained a Universalist minister in 1833 and preached for a short time in Michigan and Ohio. He soon began to study law in Illinois and joined the Democratic Party...
on June 7, 1848, the year that Wisconsin became a state.
The current lieutenant governor is
Barbara LawtonBarbara Lawton is an American politician from Green Bay, Wisconsin and member of the Democratic Party. She is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin and is currently running for Governor. She became the first woman elected to the position in 2002, as the running mate of current Democratic...
who was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.
The
Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the
order of successionAn order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
of
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal,
impeachmentImpeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to consider whether or not to forcibly remove a government official from office. The impeachment itself brings the charges against the official...
, absence from the state, or incapacity due to illness of the
Governor of WisconsinThe Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey in June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
. The position was first filled by
John Edwin HolmesJohn Edwin Holmes was the first Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He was ordained a Universalist minister in 1833 and preached for a short time in Michigan and Ohio. He soon began to study law in Illinois and joined the Democratic Party...
on June 7, 1848, the year that Wisconsin became a state.
The current lieutenant governor is
Barbara LawtonBarbara Lawton is an American politician from Green Bay, Wisconsin and member of the Democratic Party. She is the incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin and is currently running for Governor. She became the first woman elected to the position in 2002, as the running mate of current Democratic...
who was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. Her term is scheduled to last until 2011, and she is not
term limitA term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. Term limits are found usually in presidential and semi-presidential systems as a method to curb the potential for dictatorships, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
ed.
Succession to the governorship
Until 1979, the
Wisconsin ConstitutionThe Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens...
merely stated that in the event of the governor's death, resignation, removal from office,
impeachmentImpeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to consider whether or not to forcibly remove a government official from office. The impeachment itself brings the charges against the official...
, absence from the state or incapacity due to illness, "the powers and duties of the office [of Governor of Wisconsin] shall devolve upon the lieutenant governor".. Lieutenant governors who served as governor during this period are referred to as "
acting governorAn acting governor is a constitutional position created in some U.S. states when the governor dies in office or resigns. In some states, the governor may also be declared to be incapacitated and unable to function for various reasons, including illness and absence from the state for more than a...
s". In 1979, the constitution was
amendedAmendment may refer to:*A change made to a pending motion or bill by a motion to amend*A change made to a previously adopted law or motion*A change made to a contract*Constitutional amendment, a change made to a written constitution...
to make this more specific: in the event of the governor's death, resignation, or removal from office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor; in the event of the governor's impeachment, absence, or incapacity, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor until the governor is again able to serve.
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections and term of office
Under the original terms of the state constitution, the lieutenant governor was elected for a two-year term on a separate
ticketA ticket refers to a single election choice which fills more than one political office or seat. For example, in the U.S., the candidates for President and Vice President run on the same "ticket", because they are elected together on a single ballot question rather than separately.A ticket can also...
from the governor; because of this, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin have not always been of the same
partyA political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns...
. After a 1967 amendment, however, the two have been nominated, and voted upon, as a single ticket. The 1967 amendment also increased the terms of both the governor and lieutenant governor to four years. There is no
limitA term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. Term limits are found usually in presidential and semi-presidential systems as a method to curb the potential for dictatorships, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
to the number of terms a lieutenant governor may hold.
Vacancy
The original constitution made no provision for a vacancy in the office of the lieutenant governor; in the event of the lieutenant governor's death, resignation, or service as acting governor, the lieutenant governorship usually remained vacant until the end of the term. In 1938, following the resignation of lieutenant governor
Henry GundersonHenry A. Gunderson was a Wisconsin politician. He was born in Columbia County, Wisconsin in 1878; he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1900, and in 1903 he received a law degree from Columbia University. He returned to Wisconsin the next year, and practiced law in Portage. ...
, Governor
Philip La FollettePhilip Fox La Follette was an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin.La Follette was born in Madison, Wisconsin, a member of the politically-prominent La Follette family, the son of Robert M. La Follette, Sr. and Belle Case La Follette, brother of Robert M...
appointed
Herman EkernHerman L. Ekern was a Wisconsin politician. He was born in 1872 near Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin. He received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1894, and five years later was elected district attorney of Trempealeau County...
lieutenant governor to fill the vacancy. This appointment was challenged in court, and ruled valid in the case
State ex rel. Martin v. Ekern. In 1979 the constitution was amended to explicitly allow this: in the event of a vacancy in the office of the lieutenant governor, the governor nominates a candidate who becomes lieutenant governor for the remainder of the term upon his approval by the Wisconsin Assembly and
Wisconsin State SenateThe Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...
.
Removal
A lieutenant governor may be removed from office through an
impeachement trialImpeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to consider whether or not to forcibly remove a government official from office. The impeachment itself brings the charges against the official...
. He may also choose to resign from office. No lieutenant governor has ever been impeached; two have resigned.
Lieutenant gubernatorial powers
If the governor appoints the lieutenant governor to a statutory board, committee or commission on which he is entitled membership as his representative, the lieutenant governor has all the authority in that position that would be granted the governor.
Originally, the lieutenant governor also presided over the
state senateThe Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...
and cast a vote in the event of a tie; however, after an amendment to the
Wisconsin ConstitutionThe Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens...
in 1979, the senate chooses a senator to be presiding officer.
Lieutenant gubernatorial facts
Forty-one individuals have held the office of lieutenant governor since Wisconsin's admission to the
UnionThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1848, two of whom—
Warren KnowlesWarren Perley Knowles , born in River Falls, Wisconsin, was an American lawyer and politician from New Richmond, Wisconsin....
and
Jack OlsonJack B. Olson was an American businessman, politician, and Republican from the U.S. state of Wisconsin.Olson was born in Kilbourn in Columbia County, Wisconsin on August 29, 1920, to Jane Zimmerman Olson and Grover Olson. He graduated from Wisconsin Dells High School and attended Western Michigan...
—have served for non-consecutive terms.
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