# Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

The lieutenant governor of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Fifty individuals have held the office of lieutenant governor since statehood. The incumbent is Peggy Flanagan, a DFLer and the first Native American elected to a statewide executive office in Minnesota's history.

## Powers and duties

The lieutenant governor assists the governor in carrying out the functions of the executive branch, as well as serving in the governor's place in the event of his or her absence or disability. The governor, as prescribed by law, may file a written order with the secretary of state to delegate to the lieutenant governor any powers, duties, responsibilities, or functions otherwise performed by the governor. As a key member of the governor's cabinet, the lieutenant governor is consulted on all major policy and budgetary decisions. Moreover, the lieutenant governor is a statutory member of the Executive Council and chairs the Capitol Area Architectural Planning Board, among other responsibilities.

## History

In 1886, elections were moved from odd years to even years. Beginning with the 1962 election, the term of the lieutenant governor increased from two to four years. Prior to the 1974 election, governors and lieutenant governors were elected on separate ballots, with the lieutenant governor having independent legislative authority as president of the senate. Since 1974, the lieutenant governor has been relieved of the duty to preside over the state senate and is elected on a joint ticket with the governor. Marlene Johnson, elected in 1982 as the running mate of Rudy Perpich, was the first female lieutenant governor of Minnesota. All eight of her successors in that office have also been women.

## List
### Parties

Democratic  Democratic–Farmer–Labor  Farmer–Labor  Republican/Independent Republican  Reform/Independence
| No. | Lt. Governor | Took office | Left office | Governor(s) served under | Party |
| 1 | William Holcombe | May 24, 1858 | January 2, 1860 | Henry H. Sibley | Democratic |
| 2 | Ignatius L. Donnelly | January 2, 1860 | March 4, 1863 | Alexander Ramsey | Republican |
| 3 | Henry Adoniram Swift | March 4, 1863 | July 10, 1863 | Alexander Ramsey | Republican |
| Office vacant from July 10, 1863 – January 11, 1864 |||||||
| 4 | Charles D. Sherwood | January 11, 1864 | January 8, 1866 | Stephen Miller | Republican |
| 5 | Thomas H. Armstrong | January 8, 1866 | January 7, 1870 | William R. Marshall | Republican |
| 6 | William H. Yale | January 7, 1870 | January 9, 1874 | Horace Austin | Republican |
| 7 | Alphonso Barto | January 9, 1874 | January 7, 1876 | Cushman K. Davis | Republican |
| 8 | James Wakefield | January 7, 1876 | January 10, 1880 | John S. Pillsbury | Republican |
| 9 | Charles A. Gilman | January 10, 1880 | January 4, 1887 | John S. Pillsbury Lucius F. Hubbard | Republican |
| 10 | Albert E. Rice | January 4, 1887 | January 5, 1891 | Andrew R. McGill William R. Merriam | Republican |
| 11 | Gideon S. Ives | January 5, 1891 | January 3, 1893 | William R. Merriam Knute Nelson | Republican |
| 12 | David Marston Clough | January 3, 1893 | January 31, 1895 | Knute Nelson | Republican |
| 13 | Frank A. Day | January 31, 1895 | January 5, 1897 | David M. Clough | Republican |
| 14 | John L. Gibbs | January 5, 1897 | January 3, 1899 | David M. Clough | Republican |
| 15 | Lyndon Ambrose Smith | January 3, 1899 | January 5, 1903 | John Lind (Democratic) Samuel R. Van Sant (Republican) | Republican |
| 16 | Ray W. Jones | January 5, 1903 | January 7, 1907 | Samuel R. Van Sant John A. Johnson | Republican |
| 17 | Adolph Olson Eberhart | January 7, 1907 | September 21, 1909 | John A. Johnson (Democratic) | Republican |
| 18 | Edward Everett Smith | September 25, 1909 | January 3, 1911 | Adolph O. Eberhart | Republican |
| 19 | Samuel Y. Gordon | January 3, 1911 | January 7, 1913 | Adolph O. Eberhart | Republican |
| 20 | Joseph A. A. Burnquist | January 7, 1913 | December 30, 1915 | Adolph O. Eberhart Winfield S. Hammond | Republican |
| Office vacant from December 30, 1915 – October 28, 1916 |||||||
| 21 | George H. Sullivan | October 28, 1916 | January 2, 1917 | J. A. A. Burnquist | Republican |
| 22 | Thomas Frankson | January 2, 1917 | January 4, 1921 | J. A. A. Burnquist | Republican |
| 23 | Louis L. Collins | January 4, 1921 | January 6, 1925 | J. A. O. Preus | Republican |
| 24 | William I. Nolan | January 6, 1925 | June 1929 | Theodore Christianson | Republican |
| 25 | Charles Edward Adams | June 25, 1929 | January 6, 1931 | Theodore Christianson | Republican |
| 26 | Henry M. Arens | January 6, 1931 | January 3, 1933 | Floyd B. Olson | Farmer–Labor |
| 27 | Konrad K. Solberg | January 3, 1933 | January 8, 1935 | Floyd B. Olson | Farmer–Labor |
| 28 | Hjalmar Petersen | January 8, 1935 | August 24, 1936 | Floyd B. Olson | Farmer–Labor |
| * | William B. Richardson$^1$ | August 24, 1936 | January 1, 1937 | Hjalmar Petersen | Republican |
| 29 | Gottfrid Lindsten | January 5, 1937 | January 2, 1939 | Elmer A. Benson | Farmer–Labor |
| 30 | C. Elmer Anderson | January 2, 1939 | January 4, 1943 | Harold Stassen | Republican |
| 31 | Edward John Thye | January 4, 1943 | April 27, 1943 | Harold Stassen | Republican |
| 32 | Archie H. Miller | May 6, 1943 | January 2, 1945 | Edward John Thye | Republican |
| 33 | C. Elmer Anderson | January 2, 1945 | September 27, 1951 | Luther W. Youngdahl | Republican |
| Office vacant from September 27, 1951 – January 5, 1953 |||||||
| 34 | Ancher Nelsen | January 5, 1953 | May 1, 1953 | C. Elmer Anderson | Republican |
| Office vacant from May 1, 1953 – September 3, 1954 |||||||
| 35 | Donald O. Wright$^2$ | September 3, 1954 | January 3, 1955 | C. Elmer Anderson | Republican |
| 36 | Karl Rolvaag | January 3, 1955 | January 8, 1963 | Orville L. Freeman Elmer L. Andersen | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 37 | Alexander M. Keith | January 8, 1963 | January 2, 1967 | Elmer L. Andersen Karl F. Rolvaag | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 38 | James B. Goetz | January 2, 1967 | January 4, 1971 | Harold LeVander | Republican |
| 39 | Rudy Perpich | January 4, 1971 | December 29, 1976 | Wendell R. Anderson | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 40 | Alec G. Olson$^3$ | December 29, 1976 | January 4, 1979 | Rudy Perpich | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 41 | Lou Wangberg | January 4, 1979 | January 3, 1983 | Al Quie | Independent Republican |
| 42 | Marlene Johnson | January 3, 1983 | January 7, 1991 | Rudy Perpich | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 43 | Joanell Dyrstad | January 7, 1991 | January 3, 1995 | Arne H. Carlson | Independent Republican |
| 44 | Joanne Benson | January 3, 1995 | January 4, 1999 | Arne H. Carlson | IR/Republican |
| 45 | Mae Schunk | January 4, 1999 | January 6, 2003 | Jesse Ventura | Reform/Independence |
| 46 | Carol Molnau | January 6, 2003 | January 3, 2011 | Tim Pawlenty | Republican |
| 47 | Yvonne Prettner Solon | January 3, 2011 | January 5, 2015 | Mark Dayton | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 48 | Tina Smith | January 5, 2015 | January 2, 2018 | Mark Dayton | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
| 49 | Michelle Fischbach$^4$ | January 2, 2018 | January 7, 2019 | Mark Dayton | Republican |
| 50 | Peggy Flanagan | January 7, 2019 | Incumbent | Tim Walz | Democratic–Farmer–Labor |
1 Richardson was actually president pro tem of the Minnesota Senate; became acting lieutenant governor when lieutenant governor Hjalmar Petersen became governor on the death of Floyd B. Olson, but Richardson was never sworn in.
2 Wright was president pro tem of the Minnesota Senate and assumed the office of lieutenant governor in 1954 after Lieutenant Governor Ancher Nelsen resigned to become administrator of the Rural Electric Administration.
3 As president of the Minnesota Senate, Olson assumed office of lieutenant governor when Rudy Perpich, then lieutenant governor, became governor on the resignation of Wendell Anderson; Anderson arranged with Perpich to be appointed to the United States Senate after the resignation of Walter Mondale, who had been elected vice president.
4 As president of the Minnesota Senate, Fischbach became lieutenant governor following the resignation of Tina Smith. Smith was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Al Franken. Fischbach resigned from the state Senate and took the oath of office for lieutenant governor on May 25, 2018.

## Note on Minnesota political parties names

* Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party: On April 15, 1944, the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.
* Republican Party of Minnesota: From November 15, 1975, to September 23, 1995, the name of the state Republican party was the Independent Republican party (IR). The party has always been affiliated with the national Republican Party.
* Independence Party of Minnesota: The party was founded under this name in 1992. In 1995 the IPM affiliated with the national Reform Party and renamed itself the Reform Party of Minnesota. In 2000 the Reform Party of Minnesota disaffiliated with the national Reform party and returned to the name Independence party.