Lieutenant Governor of Maryland


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 Boyd Rutherford.

History

The position was first created by the Maryland Constitution of 1864. Under that system of government, the lieutenant 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 lieutenant governorship. However, the position was re-established by a constitutional amendment ratified on November 3, 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 that 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 the governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor becomes 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.

List of lieutenant governors

;Parties

Lieutenant Governors under the Maryland Constitution of 1864

Lieutenant Governors under the Maryland Constitution of 1867

Constitution amended November 4, 1970 to create the office of Lieutenant Governor.
#ImageLt. GovernorPartyTerm startTerm endGovernor
2Blair Lee IIIDemocrat20 January 197117 January 1979Marvin Mandel
3Samuel W. BogleyDemocrat17 January 197919 January 1983Harry Hughes
4J. Joseph Curran, Jr.Democrat19 January 198321 January 1987Harry Hughes
5Melvin A. SteinbergDemocrat21 January 198718 January 1995William D. Schaefer
6Kathleen Kennedy TownsendDemocrat18 January 199515 January 2003Parris Glendening
7Michael SteeleRepublican15 January 200317 January 2007Bob Ehrlich
8Anthony G. BrownDemocrat17 January 200721 January 2015Martin O'Malley
9Boyd RutherfordRepublican21 January 2015IncumbentLarry Hogan

Living former Lieutenant Governors of Maryland

, there are six former lieutenant governors of Maryland who are currently living at this time, the oldest lieutenant governor of Maryland being J. Joseph Curran, Jr.. The most recent death of a former lieutenant governor of Maryland was that of Blair Lee III, on October 25, 1985.
Lt. GovernorLt. Gubernatorial termDate of birth
Samuel W. Bogley1979-1983
J. Joseph Curran Jr.1983-1987
Melvin A. Steinberg1987-1995
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend1995-2003
Michael S. Steele2003-2007
Anthony G. Brown2007-2015