As of September 8, 2023, there are 22 women currently serving (excluding acting capacity) as lieutenant governors in the United States. Overall, 119 women have served (including acting capacity).
Women have been elected lieutenant governor in 40 of the 50 states. The states that have the position of lieutenant governor and have not yet elected a woman are Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. The states that do not have the position of lieutenant governor are Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon and Wyoming. The holders of the first in line to the governorship there, either the secretary of state or senate president, are listed here separately.
14 female lieutenant governors have become governors of their respective states, and six female secretaries of state have become governors of their respective states.
Nancy E. Dick is the oldest living former female lieutenant governor, at the age of 94. __TOC__
The first woman to become lieutenant governor was Matilda Dodge Wilson (R), who was appointed lieutenant governor of Michigan in 1940 by Luren Dickinson.[1] The first woman elected as lieutenant governor was Consuelo N. Bailey (R) of Vermont, who was elected in 1954.[2]
In 1978, Jean King (D) was elected as the first female Asian-American lieutenant governor, when she was elected lieutenant governor of Hawaii.[3] In 2002, Jennette Bradley (R) was elected as the first female African-American lieutenant governor, when she was elected lieutenant governor of Ohio.[4] In 2014, Evelyn Sanguinetti (R) was elected as the first female Hispanic or Latino lieutenant governor, when she was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois.[5]
Kentucky was the first state to hold a transfer of power from one female lieutenant governor to another, when Martha Layne Collins was elected to succeed Thelma Stovall in 1979.
Minnesota has had the most female lieutenant governors or other deputy leaders of any state in the Union, with nine consecutive female lieutenant governors since 1983. However, no female politician has been nominated for governor by any major statewide party in any of Minnesota's gubernatorial elections.[6]
No state ever had both a female governor and permanent female lieutenant governor at the same time until Arkansas and Massachusetts achieved this feat as a result of the 2022 gubernatorial elections. In New York, Andrea Stewart-Cousins became acting Lieutenant Governor on Kathy Hochul's succeeding Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York during his third term on August 24, 2021.
From 1997 to 2009, Arizona had two female governors and two concurrently serving female secretaries of state.
| Name (lifespan) | Image | State | Party | Term start | Term end | Length of service | Left for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1978 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1979 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1979 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1982 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 1982 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 1983 (elected); Governor of Kentucky (1983–1987) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Democratic (DFL) | Lost reelection | |||||||
| Democratic–NPL | Died | |||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1990 (dropped out of primary) | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 1998 (dropped out of primary) | ||||||||
| Resigned | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 1994 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| A Connecticut Party | Retired to run as the A Connecticut Party nominee for governor in 1994 (defeated) | |||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1995 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| 3–4 months | Retired | |||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Became Governor of Utah (2003–2005) | ||||||||
| Term-limited and ran as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2000 (elected); governor of Delaware (2001–2009) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Term-limited and ran as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2002 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2002 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1998 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
 Guam | Retired to run for Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Guam (2003–2019) | |||||||
| Retired to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 1998 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 1998 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Became Governor of Connecticut (2004–2011) | ||||||||
| Became Governor of Ohio (1998–1999) | ||||||||
| Resigned to become U.S. senator from Kansas (1996) | ||||||||
| Retired to become the U.S. representative from Oklahoma 5th (2007–2011) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2002 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2003 (elected); governor of Louisiana (2004–2008) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Republican nominee for governor in 2000 (elected); governor of Montana (2001–2005) | ||||||||
| Retired to become a judge of the New York Court of Claims | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 2006 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Independence | ||||||||
| Became Acting Governor of Massachusetts (2001–2003) | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 2002 (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Republican nominee for Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (elected) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for governor in 2008 (elected); governor of North Carolina (2009–2013) | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democrat nominee for governor in 2010 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Republican nominee for governor in 2006 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Democrat nomination for governor in 2010 (dropped out of primary) | ||||||||
| Resigned to become Ohio State Treasurer | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democrat nominee for governor in 2006 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Died | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democrat nominee for governor in 2010 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Term-limited and ran as the Republican nominee for governor in 2017 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Democratic (DFL) | Retired | |||||||
| Resigned | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for Republican nomination for 2018 Ohio gubernatorial election (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Retired to run as the Democratic nominee for Illinois Comptroller in 2014 (defeated) | ||||||||
| Became Governor of Iowa (2017–present) | ||||||||
| Became Governor of Alabama (2017–present) | ||||||||
| Resigned | ||||||||
| Resigned | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Became Governor of New York (2021–present) | ||||||||
| Democratic (DFL) | Resigned to become U.S. senator from Minnesota (2018–present) | |||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for Democratic nomination for 2018 Colorado gubernatorial election (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Died | ||||||||
| Retired | ||||||||
| Retired to run for the Republican nomination for 2022 Idaho gubernatorial election (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Democratic (DFL) | Incumbent | Serving | ||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Resigned to serve as Senior Advisor to Governors in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | ||||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Retired to run for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives (defeated in primary) | ||||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| New lieutenant governor appointed | ||||||||
| Lost reelection | ||||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| New lieutenant governor sworn in | ||||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
| Incumbent | Serving | |||||||
) | Incumbent | Serving | ||||||