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Lieutenant Governor of Illinois facts for kids

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Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Seal of Illinois.svg
Great Seal of the State of Illinois
Juliana Stratton 2023 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Juliana Stratton

since January 14, 2019
Government of Illinois
Term length 4 years, no term limits
Inaugural holder Pierre Menard
Formation 1818
Salary $139,200

The lieutenant governor of Illinois is the second highest executive of the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run on a joint ticket and are directly elected by popular vote. Gubernatorial candidates select their running mates when filing for office and appear on the primary election ballot together. When the governor of Illinois becomes unable to discharge the duties of that office, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor. If the governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Under the Illinois Constitution, the Attorney General is next in line of succession to the Governor's office after the lieutenant governor, but does not succeed to the lieutenant governor's office. From the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich in 2009, until the inauguration of Sheila Simon in 2011, Attorney General Lisa Madigan would have become governor if Pat Quinn had vacated the office. Historically, the lieutenant governor has been from either the Democratic Party or Republican Party. The current lieutenant governor is Democrat Juliana Stratton.

Prior to the 1970 Constitution, governors and lieutenant governors were separately elected. The 1970 Constitution introduced joint elections for governor and lieutenant governor, though the candidates were nominated in separate primaries. Following the 1986 and 2010 elections, in which the Democratic nominees for Governor were forced to run with extreme or disfavored lieutenant-gubernatorial nominees, the Illinois General Assembly abolished the separate-primary requirement. The 2014 gubernatorial election was the first one to take place in which gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates ran on the same ticket in the primary election.

Duties

The lieutenant governor of Illinois handles a variety of responsibilities which have been delegated to the office via statute. These duties include serving as Chairman of the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, Chairman of Rural Bond Bank of Illinois, head of the Illinois Main Street Program, and Chairman of the Illinois River Coordinating Council.

In addition to these duties, the lieutenant governor can take on other duties as assigned by the governor or initiate duties of his or her own. An example of this is work by former Lt. Gov. Corrine Wood on women's health issues. The lieutenant governor also serves as a surrogate speaker for the governor around the state and as a representative for state government. The lieutenant governor is a member of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.

Prior to the adoption of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, the lieutenant governor also served as the president of the Senate. Losing this position made the lieutenant governor's job less significant, and contributed to the "boredom" cited by Jim Thompson's first lieutenant governor, Dave O'Neal, who resigned from the office in 1981.

Under the Illinois state Constitution Article V section 7. "If the Lieutenant Governor fails to qualify or if his office becomes vacant, it shall remain vacant until the end of the term." Illinois thus had no lieutenant governor during the two-year interim between Pat Quinn's elevation to the governor's office upon Rod Blagojevich's impeachment conviction, and Sheila Simon's election and inauguration as lieutenant governor.

Like the governor, the lieutenant governor has suites of offices in both Springfield and Chicago.

Qualifications

The lieutenant governor of Illinois serves four-year terms. Inauguration takes place on the second Monday in January following a gubernatorial election. A lieutenant governor is

  • required to be at least twenty-five years old,
  • required to be a United States citizen,
  • required to have been a resident of Illinois for the three years previous to election,
  • barred from other government positions during the term.

List of lieutenant governors of Illinois

On three occasions, prior to a 1970 change to the state constitution, the lieutenant governor was of a different political party from the governor. In each instance a Democratic lieutenant governor served under a Republican governor. After the lieutenant governor comes the attorney general.

# Image Lt. governor Party Commission date End date Governor Party Term
1 Pierre Menard.jpg Pierre Menard Democratic-Republican October 6, 1818 December 5, 1822 Shadrach Bond Democratic-

Republican

1818–1822
2 Adolphus Hubbard Democratic-

Republican

December 5, 1822 December 6, 1826 Edward Coles Democratic-

Republican

1822–1826
3 William Kinney Democratic December 6, 1826 December 9, 1830 Ninian Edwards Democratic-

Republican

1826–1830
4 ZadokCasey.jpg Zadok Casey Democratic December 9, 1830 March 1, 1833 John Reynolds Democratic 1830–1834
5 William Lee Davidson Ewing bioguide.jpg William Lee D. Ewing Democratic March 1, 1833 December 5, 1834
Office vacant: November 17 – December 5, 1834 William Lee Davidson Ewing Democratic 1834
6 Alexander Jenkins Democratic December 5, 1834 December 9, 1836

Resigned

Joseph Duncan Democratic 1834–1838
7 William H. Davidson Democratic December 9, 1836

Acting

December 7, 1838
8 Stinson Anderson Democratic December 7, 1838 December 8, 1842 Thomas Carlin Democratic 1838–1842
9 John Moore Democratic December 8, 1842 December 9, 1846 Thomas Ford Democratic 1842–1846
10 Joseph Wells Democratic December 9, 1846 January 8, 1849 Augustus C. French Democratic 1846–1853
11 William McMurtry Democratic January 8, 1849 January 10, 1853
12 Gustav-Koerner.jpg Gustavus Koerner Democratic January 10, 1853 January 12, 1857 Joel Aldrich Matteson Democratic 1853–1857
13 John.Wood.png John Wood Republican January 12, 1857 March 20, 1860 William Henry Bissell Republican 1857–1860
14 Thomas Marshall Democratic January 7, 1861 January 14, 1861 John Wood Republican 1860–1861
15 Hoffmann photo 1860s.jpg Francis Hoffmann Republican January 14, 1861 January 16, 1865 Richard Yates Republican 1861–1865
16 William Bross.jpg William Bross Republican January 16, 1865 January 11, 1869 Richard J. Oglesby Republican 1865–1869
17 Painting of Lt. Governor John Dougherty.jpg John Dougherty Republican January 11, 1869 January 13, 1873 John M. Palmer Republican 1869–1873
18 John.L.Beveridge.1 (1).jpg John Lourie Beveridge Republican January 13, 1873 January 23, 1873

Succeeded Oglesby

Richard J. Oglesby Republican 1873
19 John Early Illinois.PNG John Early Republican January 23, 1873

Acting

January 8, 1875 John Lourie Beveridge Republican 1873–1877
20 Archibald Glenn Democratic January 8, 1875

Acting

January 8, 1877 John Lourie Beveridge Republican 1873–1877
21 Andrew Shuman (1830–1890).png Andrew Shuman Republican January 8, 1877 January 10, 1881 Shelby Moore Cullom Republican 1877–1883
22 John.Marshall.Hamilton.jpg John Marshall Hamilton Republican January 10, 1881 February 6, 1883

Succeeded Cullom

23 William J. Campbell.png William J. Campbell Republican February 6, 1883

Acting

January 30, 1885 John Marshall Hamilton Republican 1883–1885
24 Reception to the members of the Ninety-sixth Regiment, Illinois Infantry Volunteers (1893) (14762787595).jpg John Smith Republican January 30, 1885 January 14, 1889 Richard J. Oglesby Republican 1885–1889
25 Lyman Beecher Ray.png Lyman Ray Republican January 14, 1889 January 10, 1893 Joseph W. Fifer Republican 1889–1893
26 Joseph B. Gill Democratic January 10, 1893 January 11, 1897 John Peter Altgeld Democratic 1893–1897
27 William Northcott.png William Northcott Republican January 11, 1897 January 9, 1905 John R. Tanner Republican 1897–1901
Richard Yates Republican 1901–1905
28 The Forum (1919) (14781691365).jpg Lawrence Sherman Republican January 9, 1905 January 18, 1909 Charles S. Deneen Republican 1905–1913
29 John G. Oglesby 2 (1).jpg John G. Oglesby Republican January 18, 1909 February 3, 1913
30 O'HARA, BARRATT LT. GOV. LCCN2016859345 (1).jpg Barratt O'Hara Democratic February 3, 1913 January 8, 1917 Edward F. Dunne Democratic 1913–1917
31 John G. Oglesby 2 (1).jpg John G. Oglesby Republican January 8, 1917 January 10, 1921 Frank O. Lowden Republican 1917–1921
32 Fred E. Sterling - 3409861149 (3x4).jpg Fred E. Sterling Republican January 10, 1921 January 9, 1933 Len Small Republican 1921–1929
Louis L. Emmerson Republican 1929–1933
33 Thomas F. Donovan (3x4a).jpg Thomas Donovan Democratic January 9, 1933 January 4, 1937 Henry Horner Democratic 1933–1940
34 John H. Stelle (IL).png John H. Stelle Democratic January 4, 1937 October 6, 1940

Succeeded Horner

Office vacant: October 6, 1940 – January 13, 1941 John H. Stelle Democratic 1940–1941
35 Hugh W. Cross Republican January 13, 1941 January 10, 1949 Dwight H. Green Republican 1941–1949
36 COL Sherwood Dixon.jpg Sherwood Dixon Democratic January 10, 1949 January 12, 1953 Adlai E. Stevenson II Democratic 1949–1953
37 John William Chapman circa 1927 (1).jpg John William Chapman Republican January 12, 1953 January 9, 1961 William G. Stratton Republican 1953–1961
38 Samuel H. Shapiro (IL).png Samuel H. Shapiro Democratic January 9, 1961 May 21, 1968

Succeeded Kerner

Otto Kerner, Jr. Democratic 1961–1968
Office vacant: May 21, 1968 – January 13, 1969 Samuel H. Shapiro Democratic 1968–1969
39 Paul Simon (US Senator from Illinois) (1).jpg Paul Simon Democratic January 13, 1969 January 8, 1973 Richard Buell Ogilvie Republican 1969–1973
40 Attorney General Neil Hartigan (cropped).jpg Neil Hartigan Democratic January 8, 1973 January 10, 1977 Dan Walker Democratic 1973–1977
41 Dave O’Neal.jpg Dave O'Neal Republican January 10, 1977 July 31, 1981

Resigned

James R. Thompson Republican 1977–1991
Office vacant: July 31, 1981 – January 10, 1983
42 2007 Governor George Ryan crop4 (1).JPG George H. Ryan Republican January 10, 1983 January 14, 1991
43 Bob Kustra.jpg Bob Kustra Republican January 14, 1991 July 1, 1998

Resigned

James Edgar Republican 1991–1999
Office vacant: July 1, 1998 – January 11, 1999
44 Corinne Wood Republican January 11, 1999 January 13, 2003 George H. Ryan Republican 1999–2003
45 PatQuinnin2006 (a).jpg Pat Quinn Democratic January 13, 2003 January 29, 2009

Succeeded Blagojevich

Rod R. Blagojevich Democratic 2003–2009
Office vacant: January 29, 2009 – January 10, 2011 Pat Quinn Democratic 2009–2015
46 Sheila Simon (a).jpg Sheila Simon Democratic January 10, 2011 January 12, 2015
47 Evelyn Sanguinetti 2015 (cropped).jpg Evelyn Sanguinetti Republican January 12, 2015 January 14, 2019 Bruce Rauner Republican 2015–2019
48 Juliana Stratton (cropped).jpg Juliana Stratton Democratic January 14, 2019 Incumbent J. B. Pritzker Democratic 2019–present
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