From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
President of the West Virginia Senate
American political office
American political office
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| post | President |
| body | the West Virginia Senate |
| insignia | File:Seal of West Virginia.svg |
| insigniasize | 120 |
| insigniacaption | Seal of West Virginia |
| incumbent | Randy Smith |
| incumbentsince | January 8, 2025 |
| department | West Virginia Senate |
| status | Presiding officer |
| seat | West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston |
| appointer | West Virginia Senate |
| constituting_instrument | West Virginia Constitution |
| formation | |
| first | John M. Phelps |
| succession | First |
| website | |
| native_name | Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia |
The president of the West Virginia Senate is a member of the West Virginia Senate who has been elected to be its president by the other senators. The current Senate president is Randy Smith, who has been in office since January 8, 2025.
In addition to serving as the Senate's presiding officer, the Senate President is also first in the line of succession to the office of governor of West Virginia (the Senate president does not succeed to that office, but rather assumes that office's powers and duties as acting governor, with the governorship remaining vacant). As stated in Article 7, Section 16 of the West Virginia Constitution: "In case of the death, conviction or impeachment, failure to qualify, resignation, or other disability of the governor, the president of the Senate shall act as governor until the vacancy is filled, or the disability removed." However, the Senate President may not always serve that role for the whole remainder of the gubernatorial term, as the constitution also states: "Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office of governor before the first three years of the term shall have expired, a new election for governor shall take place to fill the vacancy."
The West Virginia Constitution does not create or even mention the title of lieutenant governor. However, in 2000, the West Virginia Legislature adopted West Virginia Code chapter 6A, section 1-4(b), which says "the president of the Senate shall be additionally designated the title of lieutenant governor". Earl Ray Tomblin was the first Senate president to thus have the title lieutenant governor of West Virginia.
List
The presidents of the West Virginia Senate since 1863:
– 31; – 23
| # | Senate President | Term start | Term end | Party | Governor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:John phelps w virginia senate president.jpg | 60px]] | John Phelps | June 20, 1863 | January 19, 1864 | |
| 2 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:GovernorStevenson.gif | 60px]] | William Stevenson | January 19, 1864 | January 19, 1869 | |
| 3 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Daniel D.T. Farnsworth.png | 60px]] | Daniel Farnsworth | January 19, 1869 | January 17, 1871 | |
| A. | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Joseph T. Hoke | February 26, 1869 | March 4, 1869 | |||
| 3 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Daniel D.T. Farnsworth.png | 60px]] | Daniel Farnsworth | January 19, 1869 | January 17, 1871 | |
| 4 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Lewis Baker (politician).jpg | 60px]] | Lewis Baker | January 17, 1871 | January 16, 1872 | |
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | John Jacob | ||||||
| 5 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Captain Carlos Sperry.jpg | 60px]] | Carlos Sperry | January 16, 1872 | August 22, 1872 | |
| 6 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:DanielJohnson.jpg | 60px]] | Daniel Johnson | November 19, 1872 | January 10, 1877 | |
| 7 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:UlyssesArnett.jpg | 60px]] | Ulysses Arnett | January 10, 1877 | January 8, 1879 | |
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Henry Mathews | ||||||
| 8 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:DanielJohnson.jpg | 60px]] | Daniel Johnson | January 8, 1879 | January 12, 1881 | |
| 9 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Albert Summers | January 12, 1881 | January 10, 1883 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Jacob Jackson | ||||||
| 10 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Thomas Farnsworth | January 10, 1883 | January 14, 1885 | |||
| 11 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | George Price | January 14, 1885 | January 9, 1889 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Emmanuel Watson | ||||||
| 12 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Robert Carr | January 22, 1889 | January 14, 1891 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Aretas Fleming | ||||||
| 13 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | John McCreery | January 14, 1891 | January 11, 1893 | |||
| 14 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Rankin Wiley | January 11, 1893 | January 9, 1895 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | William MacCorkle | ||||||
| 15 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | William Worley | January 9, 1895 | January 13, 1897 | |||
| 16 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Nelson Whitaker | January 13, 1897 | January 11, 1899 | |||
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | George Atkinson | ||||||
| 17 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Oliver S. Marshall.png | 60px]] | Oliver Marshall | January 11, 1899 | January 9, 1901 | |
| 18 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Anthony Smith | January 9, 1901 | January 14, 1903 | |||
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | Albert White | ||||||
| 19 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Clark May | January 14, 1903 | January 11, 1905 | |||
| 20 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:G. A. Northcott (9980996244) (1).jpg | 60px]] | Gustavus Northcott | January 11, 1905 | January 9, 1907 | |
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | William Dawson | ||||||
| 21 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Joseph McDermott | January 9, 1907 | January 13, 1909 | |||
| 22 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Lewis Forman | January 13, 1909 | January 11, 1911 | |||
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | William Glasscock | ||||||
| 23 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Robert F. Kidd | January 17, 1911 | January 30, 1911 | |||
| 24 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:GovernorHatfield.gif | 60px]] | Henry Hatfield | January 30, 1911 | January 24, 1913 | |
| 25 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Samuel Woods | January 24, 1913 | January 13, 1915 | |||
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | Henry Hatfield | ||||||
| 26 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Edward T. England, West Virginia Congressman.jpg | 60px]] | Edward England | January 13, 1915 | January 10, 1917 | |
| 27 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Wells Goodykoontz (West Virginia Congressman).jpg | 60px]] | Wells Goodykoontz | January 10, 1917 | January 8, 1919 | |
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | John Cornwell | ||||||
| 28 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Charles Sinsel | January 8, 1919 | January 12, 1921 | |||
| 29 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Gohen Arnold | January 12, 1921 | January 10, 1923 | |||
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | Ephraim Morgan | ||||||
| 30 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Harry Schaffer | January 10, 1923 | January 14, 1925 | |||
| 31 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Charles Coffman | January 14, 1925 | April 15, 1925 | |||
| 32 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Mont Z. White (8413570654).jpg | 60px]] | Montezuma White | April 15, 1925 | January 11, 1933 | |
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | Howard Gore | ||||||
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | William Conley | ||||||
| 33 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Albert Mathews | January 11, 1933 | January 9, 1935 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Herman Kump | ||||||
| 34 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Charles Hodges | January 9, 1935 | January 11, 1939 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Homer Holt | ||||||
| 35 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | William LaFon | January 11, 1939 | January 8, 1941 | |||
| 36 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Byron Randolph | January 8, 1941 | January 13, 1943 | |||
| 37 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | James Paull | January 13, 1943 | January 10, 1945 | |||
| 38 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Arnold Vickers | January 10, 1945 | January 12, 1949 | |||
| 39 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | W. Broughton Johnston | January 12, 1949 | January 14, 1953 | |||
| 40 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Ralph J. Bean (cropped).jpg | 60px]] | Ralph Bean | January 14, 1953 | January 11, 1961 | |
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | Cecil Underwood | ||||||
| 41 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Howard Carson | January 11, 1961 | January 8, 1969 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Hulett Smith | ||||||
| 42 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Lloyd G Jackson.jpg | 60px]] | Lloyd Jackson | January 8, 1969 | January 13, 1971 | |
| 43 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Hans McCourt.jpg | 60px]] | E. Hansford McCourt | January 13, 1971 | January 10, 1973 | |
| 44 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | William Brotherton | January 10, 1973 | January 14, 1981 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Jay Rockefeller | ||||||
| 45 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Warren McGraw | January 14, 1981 | January 9, 1985 | |||
| 46 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dan Tonkovich | January 9, 1985 | January 11, 1989 | |||
| 47 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Larry Tucker | January 11, 1989 | September 7, 1989 | |||
| 48 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Keith Burdette | September 12, 1989 | January 3, 1995 | |||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Gaston Caperton | ||||||
| 49 | Democratic Party (United States)}} | [[File:Earl Ray Tomblin 2 (cropped).jpg | 60px]] | Earl Ray Tomblin | January 3, 1995 | November 13, 2011 | |
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | Cecil Underwood | ||||||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Bob Wise | ||||||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Joe Manchin | ||||||
| Democratic Party (United States)}}" | |||||||
| 50 | Democratic Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Jeff Kessler.jpg | 60px]] | Jeff Kessler | November 15, 2010 | November 14, 2011 | |
| November 14, 2011 | January 14, 2015 | ||||||
| 51 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Bill Cole.png | 60px]] | Bill Cole | January 14, 2015 | January 11, 2017 | |
| 52 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | [[File:Mitch Carmichael official portrait.jpg | 60px]] | Mitch Carmichael | January 11, 2017 | January 13, 2021 | |
| Republican Party (United States)}}" | |||||||
| 53 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Craig Blair | January 13, 2021 | January 8, 2025 | |||
| 54 | Republican Party (United States)}}" | Randy Smith | January 8, 2025 | Incumbent |
References
References
- . (2004). ["Constitution of West Virginia"](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/WV_CON.cfm). *State of West Virginia*.
- . (2017). ["West Virginia Code: Additional successors to office of governor"](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/ChapterEntire.cfm?chap=06a&art=1§ion=4#01). *State of West Virginia*.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about President of the West Virginia Senate — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report