# List of presidents pro tempore of the Nebraska Senate

The president pro tempore of the Nebraska Senate (previously the president of the Nebraska Territorial Council and the president of the Nebraska Senate) was an office in the Nebraska Legislature which existed from 1855 to 1936 when Nebraska had a bicameral legislature. This office was created when the Nebraska Territory was first established and remained after Nebraska became a state. Under the Nebraska Constitution of 1866, this office was referred to as the president of the Senate since Nebraska had no office of lieutenant governor, but after the constitution of 1875 was adopted, which provided for a lieutenant governor who was to be the president of the Senate, this office became known as the president pro tempore (or "temporary president") of the Nebraska Senate. When Nebraska voters adopted a unicameral legislature beginning in 1937, this office ceased to exist and was replaced by a single speaker of the Nebraska Legislature.

## Presidents of the Nebraska Territorial Council

The upper house of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature was called the Nebraska Territorial Council, and its presiding officer was called a president. Ten individuals served as president of the Nebraska Territorial Council during its twelve sessions before Nebraska became a state. The office was briefly split when a faction of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature broke off from the meeting at Omaha, Nebraska, and convened at Florence, Nebraska, in January 1858.
| # | Name | Session start | Session end | County of residence | Party | Notes |
| 1 | Joseph L. Sharp | Jan 16, 1855 | Mar 16, 1855 | Richardson | | |
| 2 | Benjamin R. Folsom | Dec 18, 1855 | Jan 26, 1856 | Burt | | |
| 3 | Leavitt L. Bowen | Jan 5, 1857 | Feb 18, 1857 | Douglas | Dem | |
| 4 | George L. Miller | Dec 8, 1857 | Jan 16, 1858 | Douglas | Dem | Remained president of the minority faction that remained at Omaha |
| – | Leavitt L. Bowen | Jan 8, 1858 | Jan 16, 1858 | Douglas | Dem | Elected president of the majority faction that went to Florence |
| 5 | Leavitt L. Bowen | Sep 21, 1858 | Nov 4, 1858 | Sarpy | Dem | |
| 6 | Edmund A. Donelan | Dec 5, 1859 | Jan 13, 1860 | Cass | Dem | |
| 7 | William H. Taylor | Dec 3, 1860 | Jan 11, 1861 | Otoe | Rep | |
| 8 | John Taffe | Dec 2, 1861 | Jan 10, 1862 | Dakota | Rep | |
| 9 | Edwin A. Allen | Jan 7, 1864 | Feb 15, 1864 | Washington | | |
| 10 | Oliver P. Mason | Jan 5, 1865 | Feb 13, 1865 | Otoe | Rep | Later served as a Nebraska Supreme Court justice |
| 11 | Oliver P. Mason | Jan 4, 1866 | Feb 12, 1866 | Otoe | Rep | Later served as a Nebraska Supreme Court justice |
| 12 | Eliphus H. Rogers | Jan 10, 1867 | Feb 18, 1867 | Dodge | | Later served as the second president of the Nebraska Senate |

## Presidents of the Nebraska Senate

After Nebraska became a state in 1867, the upper house of the Nebraska Legislature was called the Nebraska Senate and became the successor to the Territorial Council. Since the Nebraska Constitution of 1866 did not provide for an office of lieutenant governor, it empowered the Nebraska Senate to choose its own presiding officer, called the president of the Senate.
| # | Name | Tenure | Place of residence | Party | Notes |
| 1 | Frank Welch | 1866 | Decatur | Rep | |
| 2 | Eliphus H. Rogers | 1867–1868 | Dodge County | | Previously served as the last president of the Territorial Council |
| 3 | Edward B. Taylor | 1869–1870 | Douglas County | Rep | |
| 4 | Ebenezer E. Cunningham | 1871 | Richardson County | Rep | |
| 5 | Isaac S. Hascall | 1871–1872 | Douglas County | | Briefly was acting governor in 1872 as president while Acting Governor William H. James was absent from the state. |
| 6 | William A. Gwyer | 1873–1874 | Omaha | Rep | |
| 7 | Nathan K. Griggs | 1875 | Beatrice | Rep | |
| 8 | Guy C. Barton | 1876 | North Platte | Rep | |

## Presidents pro tempore of the Nebraska Senate

When the Nebraska Constitution of 1875 created the office of Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, it declared that "[t]he lieutenant governor shall be president of the senate." The constitution of 1875 additionally provided that "the senate shall choose a temporary president, to preside when the Lieutenant Governor shall not attend as president, or shall act as Governor," thus transforming this office into the office of president pro tempore of the Nebraska Senate. This office was abolished after 1936 when Nebraska adopted a unicameral legislature.
| # | Name | Tenure | Place of residence | Party | Notes |
| 9 | George F. Blanchard | 1877–1878 | Fremont | Rep | |
| 10 | William Marshall | 1879–1880 | Fremont | Rep | |
| 11 | John B. Dinsmore | 1881–1882 | Sutton | Rep | |
| 12 | Alexander H. Conner | 1883–1884 | Kearney | Rep | |
| 13 | Church Howe | 1885–1886 | Howe | Rep | Later served as the 15th president pro tempore |
| 14 | George D. Meiklejohn | 1887–1888 | Fullerton | Rep | Later served as the Nebraska Lieutenant Governor |
| 15 | Church Howe | 1889–1890 | Howe | Rep | Previously served as the 13th president pro tempore |
| 16 | William A. Poynter | 1891–1892 | Albion | Fus | Later served as Governor of Nebraska |
| 17 | Erasmus M. Correll | 1893–1894 | Hebron | Rep | |
| 18 | John C. Watson | 1895–1896 | Nebraska City | Rep | Previously served as the speaker of the Nebraska House of Representatives |
| 19 | Frank T. Ransom | 1897–1898 | Omaha | Fus | |
| 20 | Adolphus R. Talbot | 1899–1900 | Lincoln | Rep | |
| 21 | Calvin F. Steele | 1901–1902 | Fairbury | Rep | Served during a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, meaning Steele was considered the acting lieutenant governor by virtue of his being president pro tempore of the Senate |
| 22 | William Henry Harrison | 1903–1904 | Grand Island | Rep | |
| 23 | William H. Jennings | 1905–1906 | Davenport | Rep | |
| 24 | Charles L. Saunders | 1907–1908 | Omaha | Rep | Later served as the 32nd president pro tempore; son of Alvin Saunders |
| 25 | George W. Tibbets | 1909–1910 | Hastings | Dem | |
| 26 | John H. Morehead | 1911–1912 | Falls City | Dem | Served during a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, meaning Morehead was considered the acting lieutenant governor by virtue of his being president pro tempore of the Senate; later served as Governor of Nebraska |
| 27 | James H. Kemp | 1913–1914 | Fullerton | Rep | |
| 28 | Phillip H. Kohl | 1915–1916 | Wayne | Dem | |
| 29 | John Mattes Jr. | 1917–1918 | Nebraska City | Dem | |
| 30 | Berton Kenyon Bushee | 1919–1920 | Kimball | Rep | |
| 31 | Richard S. Norval | 1921–1922 | Seward | Rep | |
| 32 | Charles L. Saunders | 1923–1924 | Omaha | Rep | Previously served as the 24th president pro tempore; son of Alvin Saunders |
| 33 | John W. Robbins | 1925–1926 | Omaha | Rep | |
| 34 | Perry A. C. Reed | 1927–1928 | Henderson | Rep | |
| 35 | John W. Cooper | 1929–1930 | Omaha | Rep | |
| 36 | John C. McGowan | 1931–1932 | Norfolk | Rep | |
| 37 | Frank McCarter | 1933–1934 | Bayard | Dem | |
| 38 | Cloyd L. Stewart | 1935 | Clay Center | Dem | Resigned from the Nebraska Senate |
| 39 | Arthur L. Neumann | 1935–1936 | Oakland | Dem | |