List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island

Seal of the lieutenant governor

The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown.

In Rhode Island, the lieutenant governor and governor of Rhode Island are elected on separate tickets.

Seven lieutenant governors have served during a vacancy in the office of governor under the current 1842 constitution: Francis M. Dimond (1853), William C. Cozzens (1863), Charles D. Kimball (1901), Norman Case (1928), John Pastore (1945), and John S. McKiernan (1950).[1]

Deputy governors of the Colony of Rhode Island

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John Clarke, Deputy Governor 1669–70, 1671–72

The Royal Charter was suspended from 1686 until 1689.

Deputy and lieutenant governors of the State of Rhode Island

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Image Name Party Term start Term end Residence
William Bradford Nov. 1775 May 1778 Bristol
Jabez Bowen May 1778 May 1780 Providence
William West May 1780 May 1781 Scituate
Jabez Bowen May 1781 May 1786 Providence
Daniel Owen May 1786 May 1790 Glocester
Samuel J. Potter May 1790 Feb. 1799 S. Kingstown

The title of the office was changed to Lieutenant Governor in 1798.

Image Name Party Term start Term end Residence Governor(s) served under
George Brown 1799 1800 S. Kingstown Arthur Fenner
Samuel J. Potter 1800 1803 S. Kingstown Arthur Fenner
Paul Mumford 1803 1805 Newport Arthur Fenner
Isaac Wilbour 1806 1807 Little Compton Isaac Wilbour
Constant Taber 1807 1808 Newport James Fenner
Simeon Martin Federalist 1808 1810 Newport James Fenner
Isaac Wilbour Democratic-Republican 1810 1811 Little Compton James Fenner
Simeon Martin Federalist 1811 1816 Newport William Jones
Jeremiah Thurston Federalist 1816 1817 Hopkinton William Jones
Edward Wilcox Democratic-Republican 1817 1821 Charlestown Nehemiah R. Knight
Caleb Earle Democratic-Republican 1821 1824 Providence William C. Gibbs
Charles Collins 1824 1833 Newport James Fenner
Lemuel H. Arnold
Jeffrey Hazard Democratic 1833 1835 Exeter John B. Francis
George Engs Whig 1835 1836 Newport John B. Francis
Jeffrey Hazard Democratic 1836 1837 Exeter John B. Francis
Benjamin Babock Thurston Democratic 1837 1838 Hopkinton John B. Francis
Joseph Childs Whig 1838 1839 Portsmouth William Sprague III
Byron Diman Whig 1840 1842 Bristol Samuel Ward King
Nathaniel Bullock 1842 1843 Bristol Samuel Ward King

Lieutenant governors under the constitution, 1843–present

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No. Image Name Party Term start Term end Governor(s) served under Residence
1 Byron Diman Law & Order 1843 1846 James Fenner
Charles Jackson
Bristol
2 Elisha Harris Whig 1846 1847 Byron Diman Coventry
3 Edward W. Lawton Whig 1847 1849 Elisha Harris Newport
4 Thomas Whipple Whig 1849 1851 Henry B. Anthony Coventry
5 William Beach Lawrence Democratic 1851 1852 Philip Allen Newport
6 Samuel G. Arnold Whig 1852 1853 Philip Allen Providence
7 Francis M. Dimond Democratic 1853 1854 himself Bristol
8 John J. Reynolds Whig 1854 1855 William W. Hoppin N. Kingstown
9 Anderson C. Rose American 1855 1856 William W. Hoppin New Shoreham
10 Nicholas Brown III American 1856 1857 William W. Hoppin Warwick
11 Thomas G. Turner Republican 1857 1859 Elisha Dyer Warren
12 Isaac Saunders American Republican 1859 1860 Thomas G. Turner Scituate
13 J. Russell Bullock Democratic 1860 1861 William Sprague IV Bristol
14 Samuel G. Arnold Democratic & Constitutional Unionist 1861 1862 William Sprague IV Providence
15 Seth Padelford Republican 1863 1865 William C. Cozzens
James Y. Smith
Providence
16 Duncan Pell 1865 1866 James Y. Smith Newport
17 William Greene Republican 1866 1868 Ambrose Everett Burnside Warwick
18 Pardon Stevens Republican 1868 1872 Ambrose Everett Burnside
Seth Padelford
Newport
19 Charles Cutler Democratic 1872 1873 Seth Padelford Warren
20 Charles C. Van Zandt Republican 1873 1875 Henry Howard Newport
21 Henry Tillinghast Sisson Republican 1875 1877 Henry Lippitt Little Compton
22 Albert Howard Republican 1877 1880 Charles C. Van Zandt E. Providence
23 Henry Fay Republican 1880 1883 Alfred H. Littlefield Newport
24 Oscar Rathbun Republican 1883 1885 Augustus O. Bourn Woonsocket
25 Lucius B. Darling Republican 1885 1887 George P. Wetmore Pawtucket
26 Samuel R. Honey Democratic 1887 1888 John W. Davis Newport
27 Enos Lapham Republican 1888 1889 Royal C. Taft Warwick
28 Daniel Littlefield Republican 1889 1890 Herbert W. Ladd Central Falls
29 William T. C. Wardwell Democratic 1890 1891 John W. Davis Bristol
30 Henry A. Stearns Republican 1891 1892 Herbert W. Ladd Lincoln
31 Melville Bull Republican 1892 1894 D. Russell Brown Middletown
32 Edwin Allen Republican 1894 1897 D. Russell Brown
Charles W. Lippitt
Hopkinton
33 Aram J. Pothier Republican 1897 1898 Elisha Dyer, Jr. Woonsocket
34 William Gregory Republican 1898 1900 Elisha Dyer, Jr. N. Kingstown
35 Charles D. Kimball Republican 1900 1901 William Gregory Providence
36 George L. Shepley Republican 1902 1903 Charles D. Kimball Providence
37 Adelard Archambault Democratic 1903 1904 Lucius F. C. Garvin Woonsocket
38 George H. Utter Republican 1904 1905 Lucius F. C. Garvin Westerly
39 Frederick H. Jackson Republican 1905 1908 George H. Utter Providence
40 Ralph Watrous Republican 1908 1909 James H. Higgins Warwick
41 Arthur W. Dennis Republican 1909 1910 Aram J. Pothier Providence
42 Zenas Work Bliss Republican 1910 1913 Aram J. Pothier Cranston
43 Rosewell Burchard Republican 1913 1915 Aram J. Pothier L. Compton
44 Emery J. San Souci Republican 1915 1921 R. Livingston Beeckman Providence
45 Harold Gross Republican 1921 1923 Emery J. San Souci Providence
46 Felix A. Toupin Democratic 1923 1925 William S. Flynn Lincoln
47 Nathaniel W. Smith Republican 1925 1927 Aram J. Pothier S. Kingstown
48 Norman S. Case Republican 1927 1928 Aram J. Pothier Providence
49 James G. Connolly Republican 1929 1933 Norman S. Case Pawtucket
50 Robert E. Quinn Democratic 1933 1937 Theodore Francis Green W. Warwick
51 Raymond E. Jordan Democratic 1937 1939 Robert E. Quinn Pawtucket
52 James O. McManus Republican 1939 1941 William Henry Vanderbilt III W. Warwick
53 Louis W. Cappelli Democratic 1941 1944 J. Howard McGrath Providence
54 John O. Pastore Democratic 1945 1945 J. Howard McGrath Providence
55 John S. McKiernan Democratic 1945 1957 John Pastore
himself
Dennis J. Roberts
Providence
56 Armand H. Cote Democratic 1957 1959 Dennis J. Roberts Pawtucket
57 John A. Notte, Jr. Democratic 1959 1961 Christopher Del Sesto Providence
58 Edward P. Gallogly Democratic 1961 1965 John A. Notte Jr.
John Chafee
Providence
59 Giovanni Folcarelli Democratic 1965 1967 John Chafee Scituate
60 Joseph O'Donnell, Jr. Republican 1967 1969 John Chafee N. Smithfield
61 J. Joseph Garrahy Democratic 1969 1977 Frank Licht
Philip Noel
Providence
62 Thomas R. DiLuglio Democratic 1977 1985 J. Joseph Garrahy Johnston
63 Richard A. Licht Democratic 1985 1989 Edward D. DiPrete Providence
64 Roger N. Begin Democratic 1989 1993 Edward D. DiPrete
Bruce Sundlun
Woonsocket
65 Robert Weygand Democratic 1993 1997 Bruce Sundlun
Lincoln Almond
E. Providence
66 Bernard Jackvony Republican 1997 1999 Lincoln Almond E. Greenwich
67 Charles Fogarty Democratic 1999 2007 Lincoln Almond
Donald Carcieri
Glocester
68 Elizabeth H. Roberts Democratic 2007 2015 Donald Carcieri
Lincoln Chafee
Cranston
69 Daniel McKee Democratic 2015 2021 Gina Raimondo Cumberland
70 Sabina Matos Democratic 2021 present Daniel McKee Providence

Unusual candidacies

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During the 2010 elections, the Cool Moose Party of Rhode Island submitted Bob Healey as candidate for lieutenant governor. He ran on the proposition that he would attempt to abolish the office of lieutenant governor itself.[2]

References

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  1. ^ McGowan, Dan (January 11, 2021). "How many times have there been a gubernatorial vacancy in Rhode Island?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  2. ^ "Votehealey.com - Robert J. Healey Jr. For Rhode Island Governor". Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2010.