:Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

{{Short description|Second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina}}

{{Infobox official post

| post = Lieutenant Governor

| body =
North Carolina

| insignia = Seal of North Carolina.svg

| insigniasize = 150px

| insigniacaption = State seal

| imagesize = 200px

| image = Senator Rachel Hunt 2023-25 Legislative Portrait (cropped).jpg

| incumbent = Rachel Hunt

| incumbentsince = {{Start date|2025|1|1}}

| style = {{ublist|Lieutenant Governor
{{small|(informal)}}|The Honorable
{{small|(formal)}}|Madame President
{{small|(as President of the Senate)}}}}

| member_of = {{hlist|Council of State|Board of Education|Capital Planning Commission|Board of Community Colleges}}

| seat = Raleigh, North Carolina

| termlength = Four years, renewable once consecutively

| constituting_instrument = North Carolina Constitution of 1868

| inaugural = Tod R. Caldwell

| formation = 1868

| succession = First

| salary = {{US$|168,384|link=yes}} per year
(2025)

| residence = Hawkins-Hartness House (official office)

| website = {{Official website|ltgov.nc.gov}}

}}

The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member of the North Carolina Council of State, the lieutenant governor serves a four-year term with a two consecutive term limit. The current lieutenant governor is Rachel Hunt, a Democrat, who has held the office since 2025. The Constitution of North Carolina designates the lieutenant governor the ex officio president of the State Senate and a member of the State Board of Education. They are also required to serve as acting governor of the state in the event of the governor's absence, and assume the governorship in the event it becomes vacant.

Five lieutenant governors have succeeded to the governorship throughout the office's history due to a vacancy. The constitution allows the governor and General Assembly to assign the lieutenant governor additional duties, and the lieutenant governor has thus been accorded membership on and responsibility for several appointments on other state boards. Unlike other Council of State offices, there is no mechanism to fill a vacancy in the lieutenant governorship between elections. From its creation in 1868 up until the 1970s, the lieutenant governorship was a single-term, part-time position largely confined to legislative duties when the General Assembly was in session. Most of the candidates who sought the office were veteran legislators seeking a final prestigious accomplishment for their careers. In 1971, new legislation declared it a full-time job.

In 1972, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly expanded the office's resources to challenge the incoming Republican governor. In 1977, the lieutenant governor was constitutionally authorized to serve two consecutive terms. The office's political prominence increased over the years following the succession amendment and the legislature continued to expand its powers. Upon a Republican's assumption of lieutenant gubernatorial office in 1989, Democrats in the Senate modified the body's rules, stripping the office of its long-standing powers to appoint committees in that house and assign bills to those committees. With the shift away from legislative duties, the office became increasingly used as a means to enhance its incumbents' bids for higher office; lieutenant governors have often run for governor, but few have been successful.

History

Under North Carolina's first constitution in 1776, the state's executive authority was exercised by the governor. It accorded the duty of presiding over the North Carolina Senate to a speaker of the Senate, who was also to act as governor in case that office became vacant.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=21, 115}} The office of lieutenant governor was created by the state's 1868 constitution.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=21}} The lieutenant governor—who was to be chosen by popular election—replaced the speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=21, 115}} Furthermore, the constitution made the official an ex officio member of the newly created State Board of Education.{{sfn|Baxter|1990|p=13}}

From 1868 until 1970, presiding over the Senate was the lieutenant governor's primary role, and in that capacity they appointed senators to committees (a power accorded to them by Senate rules{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=5}}) and oversaw the passage of legislation.{{efn|Historically, some state statutes regarding this official's responsibilities have used "lieutenant governor" and "president of the Senate" interchangeably.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=10}}}} The job was a part-time position, since the lieutenant governor served only when the General Assembly was in session or in the absence of the governor.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2011|p=159}} What other functions they performed were largely ceremonial, and the office attracted little public attention.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=3}}{{sfn|Fleer|1994|pp=117–119}} From 1943 to 1954, by informal arrangement, the official chaired the State Board of Education.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=2}} Constitutional revisions which took effect in 1971 made the lieutenant governor a member of the Council of State.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=3}} The Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 affirmed the role of lieutenant governor as a full-time job.{{cite news| last = Tarleton| first = Larry| title = State Agencies Put In New Pigeonholes| newspaper = The Charlotte Observer| page = 14A| date = July 28, 1971| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107499983/passage-of-the-executive-reorganization/}} With the election of James Holshouser as governor in 1972—the first Republican to win the office in decades—the Democratic majority in the General Assembly was compelled to raise the stature of the office of the lieutenant governor, which was held by Democrat Jim Hunt. It raised the job's salary from $5,000 to $30,000 per year, increased the office operating budget, and expanded its staff from two to five.{{sfn|Coble|1989|p=158}}

From 1868 to 1977, the lieutenant governor and the governor were limited to standalone four-year terms. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow both the governor and the lieutenant governor to serve two consecutive terms.{{cite web| url = https://ltgov.nc.gov/about| title = About| publisher = Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina| access-date = August 27, 2022}} James C. Green, who served from 1977 to 1985, was the first lieutenant governor to serve consecutive terms.{{sfn|Coble|1989|p=159}}{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2011|pp=161–162}} The office's political prominence increased over the years following the succession amendment and the legislature continued to expand its powers.{{sfn|Coble|1989|pp=159–160}} Green led the Senate in an effort at the onset of his term to make the lieutenant governor the ex officio chair of the State Board of Education by law, directly challenging the authority of Hunt, who had since become governor and was responsible for recommending the board's chair. The proposal was ultimately defeated in the House of Representatives.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=2}}

Despite this, the legislature granted the lieutenant governor automatic membership on several state boards and significant appointment responsibilities.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=3–4}} By 1982, North Carolina had one of the most powerful lieutenant governorships in the country.{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=5}} By 1989, the lieutenant governor was responsible for 195 appointments to 87 state boards (106 of these were subject to legislative confirmation).{{sfn|Coble|1989|pp=159–160}} Despite this, the officials experienced mistrust from the Senate and faced several unsuccessful attempts to strip them of their appointive powers.{{sfn|Coble|1989|pp=160–161}}{{sfn|Adams|Bostic|1982|p=7}} From 1985 to 1989, Democrat Robert B. Jordan served as lieutenant governor while Republican James G. Martin served as governor, making him the de facto leader of the North Carolina Democratic Party.{{sfn|Coble|1989|p=161}} Upon Republican Jim Gardner's assumption of lieutenant gubernatorial office in 1989, Democrats in the Senate modified the body's rules, stripping the office of its powers to appoint committees in that house and assign bills to its committees.{{sfn|Coble|1989|pp=156, 162}}{{sfn|Fleer|1994|pp=117–118}} During Gardner's tenure, the office's staff was further expanded.{{sfn|Fleer|1994|p=117}} In 1997 the General Assembly debated modifying the constitution to provide for the election of the lieutenant governor on a joint ticket with the governor or to have the office assume the responsibilities of the North Carolina Secretary of State, but these proposals did not move forward.{{sfn|Fleer|2007|pp=276–277}} Another effort in 2015 to amend the constitution to provide for the office's joint ticket election with the governor failed.{{cite web| url = https://www.ednc.org/asknc-why-are-the-lieutenant-governor-and-governor-elected-separately/| title = AskNC: Why are the lieutenant governor and governor elected separately?| last = Urquhart| first = Molly Osborne| date = March 29, 2018| website = EdNC| publisher = EducationNC| access-date = August 27, 2022}}

Three lieutenant governors assumed the office of governor upon the death of the incumbent: Curtis H. Brogden in 1874, Thomas M. Holt in 1891, and Luther H. Hodges in 1954. Tod R. Caldwell in 1870 assumed the office upon the previous governor's impeachment and removal, and Thomas J. Jarvis assumed it in 1879 upon the incumbent's resignation.{{sfn|Coble|1989|p=165}} Historically, the lieutenant governorship was often sought by veteran state legislators as a final prestigious accomplishment for their careers. With the shift away from legislative duties after the 1970s, the office became increasingly used as a means to enhance incumbents' bids for higher office;{{cite web| url = https://www.wral.com/what-does-the-nc-lieutenant-governor-actually-do-/11723127/| title = What does the NC lieutenant governor actually do?| last = Wig| first = Jennifer| date = October 31, 2012| website = WRAL| publisher = Capitol Broadcasting Company| access-date = August 27, 2022}}{{sfn|Fleer|2007|p=106}} lieutenant governors have often run for governor, but few have been successful.{{cite news| last = Beckwith| first = Ryan Teague| title = A curse on lieutenant governors?| newspaper = The News & Observer | date = September 17, 2008| url = http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/a_curse_on_lieutenant_governors| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081023211856/http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/a_curse_on_lieutenant_governors| archive-date = October 23, 2008| access-date = August 13, 2022}}{{sfn|Fleer|2007|p=276}}{{cite web| url = https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/lieutenant-governor/| title = Lieutenant Governor| last = Kickler| first = Troy L.| date = 2007| website = North Carolina History Project| publisher = John Locke Foundation| access-date = August 27, 2022}}{{cite news| last = Chidi| first = George| title = The culture war in North Carolina is playing out in the race for governor| newspaper = The Guardian | date = April 28, 2024| url = https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/28/north-carolina-mark-robinson-josh-stein-governor| access-date = May 2, 2024}} Bev Perdue was the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor,{{cite web| url = https://www.wral.com/perdue-becomes-n-c-s-first-female-governor/3886614/| title = Perdue becomes N.C.'s first female governor| date = November 5, 2008| website = WRAL| publisher = Capitol Broadcasting Company| access-date = August 27, 2022}} while Mark Robinson, sworn in in 2021, was the first black person to ever be elected to the office.{{cite web | url = https://ncpolicywatch.com/2020/11/04/election-2020-gov-cooper-wins-reelection-margins-tight-in-several-council-of-state-contests/ | title = Election 2020: Gov. Cooper wins reelection, margins tight in several Council of State contests | last = Childress | first = Greg | date = November 4, 2020 | website = NC Policy Watch | publisher = NC Justice Center | access-date = April 16, 2022 | archive-date = April 19, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220419164210/https://ncpolicywatch.com/2020/11/04/election-2020-gov-cooper-wins-reelection-margins-tight-in-several-council-of-state-contests/ | url-status = live}}{{cite web|date=January 9, 2021 |title=North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, state officials sworn in during inauguration ceremony |url=https://www.wxii12.com/article/north-carolina-governor-cooper-officials-sworn-covid/35167602# |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=WXII 12 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109182720/https://www.wxii12.com/article/north-carolina-governor-cooper-officials-sworn-covid/35167602 |url-status=live}} The incumbent, Rachel Hunt, was sworn in on January 1, 2025.{{cite web| url = https://www.wral.com/story/new-north-carolina-governor-josh-stein-sworn-in-as-another-democrat-succeeds-roy-cooper/21790130/| title = North Carolina's latest Democratic governor is sworn in| agency = Associated Press| website = WRAL-TV| publisher = Capitol Broadcasting Company| access-date = January 2, 2025}}

Election

As with other state officials, only qualified voters in North Carolina are eligible to be elected lieutenant governor. Unlike most other candidates, who must be at least 21 years of age, any potential lieutenant governor—like the governor—must be at least 30 years of age.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=164, 166}} They must also have been a citizen of the United States for at least five years and a resident of North Carolina for at least two years preceding election. Like the governor, the lieutenant governor is elected every four years thereafter, but is elected on their own ticket.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=113–114}} Contested elections for the office of lieutenant governor are resolved by a majority vote of the General Assembly.{{cite web| url = https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/elections/nc-general-assembly-how-to-overturn-an-election/| title = How to Overturn an Election| last = Billman| first = Jeffrey| date = May 5, 2022| website = The Assembly| access-date = October 21, 2022}} Their term of office begins on January 1 following their election.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=113}} They serve for a four-year term and until their successor has assumed office.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=113–114, 167–168}} The lieutenant governor is limited to serving two consecutive terms in office, with no limits on nonconsecutive terms.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=114}}

Powers, duties, and structure

File:Hawkins-Hartness House, Raleigh, NC (28221581198).jpg (pictured) in Raleigh.]]

The lieutenant governor is the only officer in North Carolina vested with responsibilities in both the executive and legislative branches of state government.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2011|p=159}} The constitution designates the lieutenant governor the President of the Senate.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=122}} In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house,{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2011|p=159}}{{cite web| url = https://www.ncleg.gov/Help/Topic/73| title = Lieutenant Governor| publisher = North Carolina General Assembly| access-date = August 22, 2022}} but have little influence over its workflow.{{cite web| url = https://www.wral.com/lt-gov-dan-forest-/11958910/| title = Lt. Gov. Dan Forest| date = January 9, 2013| website = WRAL| publisher = Capitol Broadcasting Company| access-date = August 27, 2022}} They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=99, 122}} In the event of a gubernatorial vacancy, the constitution requires the lieutenant governor to assume the governorship. If the governor is temporarily incapacitated or absent, the lieutenant governor is to serve as acting governor.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=122}}{{efn|There is little case law in North Carolina concerning the lieutenant governor's role when the governor is absent from the state. Legal analysts disagree over the applicability of succession in the circumstances of travel in recent years, as the governor may be able to maintain contact their subordinates while away from the state.{{cite web| url = https://www.wral.com/story/does-lt-gov-mark-robinson-become-governor-if-gov-roy-cooper-leaves-the-state/21543139/| title = Does Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson become governor if Gov. Roy Cooper leaves the state?| last = Specht| first = Paul| date = July 26, 2024| website = WRAL-TV| publisher = Capitol Broadcasting Company| access-date = July 28, 2024}}}} In the event the governor-elect fails to qualify for their office, the lieutenant governor-elect becomes governor.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=114}}

The constitution makes the lieutenant governor ex offico a member of the North Carolina Board of Education{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=122}} and one of the ten state officers who comprise the Council of State.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=125}} They are also ex officio a member of the North Carolina Capital Planning Commission, the State Board of Community Colleges, and the State Board of Economic Development.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2011|p=159}} They have the power to appoint some members of other executive state boards,{{sfn|Cooper|Knotts|2012|p=145}} though state law does not grant them the power to create their own official boards.{{cite web| url = https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/mark-robinson-super-secret-indoctrination-task-force/| title = Mark Robinson's Super-Secret Indoctrination Task Force| last = Billman| first = Jeffrey| date = July 22, 2021| website = The Assembly| access-date = February 6, 2023}} The constitution allows the governor and General Assembly to assign the lieutenant governor additional duties.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=122}} State law empowers the lieutenant governor to oversee the awarding of the North Carolina Medal of Valor for law enforcement officers.{{cite news| last1 = Ingram| first1 = Kyle| last2 = Perez Uribe Guinassi| first2 = Luciana | title = Mark Robinson presents inaugural police award, dodges questions about 'killing' comments| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = July 10, 2024| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article289920799.html| access-date = July 10, 2024}}

The lieutenant governor's office is located in the Hawkins-Hartness House on Blount Street in Raleigh.{{cite web| url = https://ltgov.nc.gov/about/hawkins-hartness-house| title = Hawkins-Hartness House| publisher = Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina| access-date = August 22, 2022}} They also have an office in the North Carolina State Legislative Building.{{cite web| url = https://www.ncleg.gov/Files/About/BuildingBrochure.pdf| title = North Carolina State Legislative Building| publisher = North Carolina General Assembly| access-date = August 23, 2022}}{{cite news| last = Vaughan | first = Dawn Baumgartner| title = NC Gov Cooper Won't Be Harris VP. Was Mark Robinson a Factor| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = July 31, 2024| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article290565514.html| access-date = August 4, 2024}} They retain a staff to assist in carrying out their functions.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|2011|p=159}} As of January 2025, the office has eight employees retained under the terms of the State Human Resources Act.{{cite web| url = https://oshr.nc.gov/january-2025-state-employee-statistics| title = January 2025 Employee Statistics| publisher = North Carolina Office of State Human Resources| access-date = April 14, 2025}} They are provided with a security detail supplied by the North Carolina Highway Patrol.{{cite web| url = https://www.wunc.org/2024-01-17/report-friend-donor-to-nc-insurance-commissioner-earned-84-000-a-year-as-his-personal-driver| title = Report: Friend, donor to NC insurance commissioner earned $84,000 a year as his personal driver| last = de la Canal| first = Nick| date = January 17, 2024| website = WUNC 91.5| publisher = WUNC North Carolina Public Radio| access-date = January 24, 2024}}{{cite news| last1 = Kane| first1 = Dane| last2 = Ingram| first2 = Kyle| title = Insurance commissioner pays friend & donor a high wage to drive him on state business| newspaper = The News & Observer | date = January 16, 2024| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article283962883.html| access-date = January 24, 2024}} As with all Council of State officers, the lieutenant governor's salary is fixed by the General Assembly and cannot be reduced during their term of office.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=122, 125}} As of 2025, the lieutenant governor's annual salary is $168,384.{{cite news| last = Vaughan| first = Dawn Baumgartner| title = NC Gov. Josh Stein’s Cabinet salaries are mostly higher than Cooper’s. See the data| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = March 31, 2025| url = https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article302784414.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250331161049/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article302784414.html| archive-date = March 31, 2025}}

Removal and vacancies

Unlike with other officers on the Council of State, the governor of North Carolina cannot appoint an interim officer in the event the lieutenant governor's office becomes vacant. In such an instance, the lieutenant governor's role in the Senate is assumed by the president pro tempore.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=124}} In the event that the lieutenant governor is impeached by the North Carolina House of Representatives, the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides over the court of impeachment, composed at minimum of a majority of the members of the State Senate. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the senators present constitutes a conviction and thus removal and future disqualification from holding office.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|p=129}} Avenues for removing the lieutenant governor from office in circumstances other than impeachment—such as a lack of physical or mental capacity—may be determined by law.{{sfn|Orth|Newby|2013|pp=129–130}}

{{anchor|List}}List of lieutenant governors

;Parties

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! #!! Image!! Lieutenant governor!! Term of office!! Political party!!Governor(s)
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|1	100px	Tod R. Caldwell	1868–1870{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Republican	William W. Holden (R)
colspan=6 align=center\|Office vacant from 1870–1873
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|2	100px	Curtis H. Brogden	1873 – July 1874{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Republican	Tod R. Caldwell (R)
colspan=6 align=center\|Office vacant from July 1874 – January 1, 1877
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|3	100px	Thomas J. Jarvis	January 1, 1877 – February 5, 1879{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Zebulon B. Vance (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|4	100px	James L. Robinson	February 5, 1879{{efn\|Due to his position as President Pro Tempore of the state senate, Robinson became an (unofficial) acting lieutenant governor in 1879 after the succession of Lieutenant Governor Thomas J. Jarvis to the Governorship. Robinson would be elected in his own merit as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina the following year in 1880 and officially take office in 1881}}– October 31, 1884{{efn\|Robinson would officially resign and step down as Lieutenant Governor on October 31, 1884 in order to be listed on the ballot as a candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives}}{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Thomas J. Jarvis (D)
colspan=6 align=center\|Office vacant from October 31, 1884 – January 21, 1885
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|5	100px	Charles M. Stedman	January 21, 1885 – January 17, 1889{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Alfred Moore Scales (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|6	100px	Thomas M. Holt	January 17, 1889 – April 7, 1891{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Daniel Gould Fowle (D)
colspan=6 align=center\|Office vacant April 7, 1891 – {{Data missing\|?\|date=January 2025}}, 1893
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|7	100px	Rufus A. Doughton	1893–1897{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Elias Carr (D)
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|8	100px	Charles A. Reynolds	1897–1901{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Republican	Daniel Lindsay Russell (R)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|9	100px	Wilfred D. Turner	1901–1905{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Charles Brantley Aycock (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|10	100px	Francis D. Winston	1905–1909{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Robert Broadnax Glenn (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|11	100px	William C. Newland	1909–1913{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	William Walton Kitchin (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|12	100px	Elijah L. Daughtridge	January 15, 1913 – January 11, 1917{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Locke Craig (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|13	100px	Oliver Max Gardner	January 11, 1917 – January 12, 1921{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Thomas Walter Bickett (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|14	100px	William B. Cooper	1921–1925{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Cameron A. Morrison (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|15	100px	J. Elmer Long	1925–1929{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Angus Wilton McLean (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|16	100px	Richard T. Fountain	1929–1933{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Oliver Max Gardner (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|17	100px	Alexander H. Graham	1933–1937{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	John C. B. Ehringhaus (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|18	100px	Wilkins P. Horton	1937–1941{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Clyde R. Hoey (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|19	100px	Reginald L. Harris	1941–1945{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|20	100px	Lynton Y. Ballentine	January 4, 1945 – January 6, 1949{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	R. Gregg Cherry (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|21	100px	Hoyt Patrick Taylor	January 6, 1949 – January 8, 1953{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	W. Kerr Scott (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|22	100px	Luther H. Hodges	January 8, 1953 – November 7, 1954{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	William B. Umstead (D)
colspan=6 align=center\|Office vacant November 7, 1954 – {{Data missing\|?\|date=January 2025}}, 1957
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|23	100px	Luther E. Barnhardt	1957 – January 5, 1961{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Luther H. Hodges (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|24	100px	Harvey Cloyd Philpott	January 5 – August 19, 1961{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|pp=161–162}}	Democratic	Terry Sanford (D)
colspan=6 align=center\|Office vacant August 19, 1961 – January 8, 1965
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|25	100px	Robert W. Scott	January 8, 1965 – January 3, 1969{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Dan K. Moore (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|26	100px	Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr.	January 3, 1969 – January 6, 1973{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Robert W. Scott (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|27	100px	Jim Hunt	January 5, 1973 – January 8, 1977{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	{{Party shading/Republican}}\|James Holshouser (R)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|28	100px	James C. Green	January 8, 1977 – January 5, 1985{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	Jim Hunt (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|29	100px	Robert B. Jordan	January 5, 1985 – January 7, 1989{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Democratic	rowspan=2; {{Party shading/Republican}}\|James G. Martin (R)
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|30	100px	Jim Gardner	January 7, 1989 – January 9, 1993{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=161}}	Republican
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|31	100px	Dennis Wicker	January 9, 1993 – January 6, 2001{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=162}}	Democratic	Jim Hunt (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|32	100px	Bev Perdue	January 6, 2001 – January 10, 2009{{sfn\|North Carolina Manual\|2011\|p=162}}	Democratic	Mike Easley (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|33	100px	Walter Dalton	January 10, 2009 – January 7, 2013{{cite web\| url = https://wlos.com/news/local/stretch-of-us-74-in-rutherford-county-named-in-honor-of-walter-dalton\| title = Stretch of U.S. 74 in Rutherford County named in honor of Walter Dalton\| date = April 12, 2021\| website = WLOS News 13\| publisher = Sinclair Broadcast Group\| access-date = August 27, 2022}}	Democratic	Bev Perdue (D)
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|rowspan=2\| 34	rowspan=2\|100px	rowspan=2\| Dan Forest	rowspan=2\| January 7, 2013 – January 9, 2021{{cite news\| last = Nagem\| first = Sarah\| title = Lowery, Townsend win primaries for NC House seat representing Robeson County \| newspaper = Border Belt Independent\| date = May 17, 2022\| url = https://borderbelt.org/lowery-wins-nc-house-seat-for-gop/\| access-date = August 27, 2022}}	rowspan=2\| Republican	Pat McCrory (R) (2013–2017)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|Roy Cooper (D) (2017–2021)
{{Party shading/Republican}} \|35	100px	Mark Robinson	January 9, 2021 – January 1, 2025	Republican	{{Party shading/Democratic}}\|Roy Cooper (D)
{{Party shading/Democratic}} \|36	100px	Rachel Hunt	January 1, 2025 – present	Democratic	Josh Stein (D)

Notes

References

Works cited

{{cite news| last1 = Adams| first1 = Steve| last2 = Bostic| first2 = Richard| title = The Lieutenant Governor – A Legislative or Executive Office?| magazine = N.C. Insight| pages = 2–10| publisher = N.C. Center for Public Policy Research| date = November 1982| url = https://nccppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/The_Lieutenant_Governor.pdf}}
{{cite news| last = Baxter| first = Andy| title = A Short Constitutional History of Public School Governance in North Carolina, 1776-1990| magazine = N.C. Insight| pages = 13–14| publisher = N.C. Center for Public Policy Research| date = September 1990| url = https://nccppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/A_Short_Constitutional_History_of_Public_School_Governance_in_NC.pdf}}
{{cite magazine| last = Coble| first = Ran| title = The Lieutenant Governorship in North Carolina : An Office in Transition| magazine = N.C. Insight| pages = 157–165| publisher = N.C. Center for Public Policy Research| date = April 1989| url = https://nccppr.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/The_Lt._Governorship_in_NC.pdf}}
{{cite book| editor-last = Cooper| editor-first = Christopher A.| editor-last2 = Knotts| editor-first2 = H. Gibbs| title = The New Politics of North Carolina| publisher = University of North Carolina Press|location=Chapel Hill| date = 2012| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FaQKnGIU-TwC| isbn = 9781469606583}}
{{cite book| last = Fleer| first = Jack| title = Governors Speak| publisher = University Press of America| date = 2007| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7h3qP1caWdAC| isbn = 9780761835646}}
{{cite book| last = Fleer| first = Jack D.| title = North Carolina Government & Politics| publisher = University of Nebraska Press| date = 1994| location = Lincoln| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=B8Cac_fbUtUC| isbn = 9780803268852}}
{{cite book| title = North Carolina Manual| publisher = North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State| date = 2011| location = Raleigh| url = https://www.sosnc.gov/static_forms/publications/nc_manual/2011_2012/Council_Of_State_Executive.pdf| oclc = 2623953| ref = {{harvid|North Carolina Manual|2011}}}}
{{cite book| last1 = Orth| first1 = John V.| last2 = Newby| first2 = Paul M.| title = The North Carolina State Constitution| publisher = Oxford University Press| date = 2013| edition = second| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oZlpAgAAQBAJ| isbn = 9780199300655}}

{{Subject bar|portal1=United States|portal2=Politics|commons=y|commons-search=Category:Lieutenant Governors of North Carolina|d=y|d-search=Q1538949}}

Category:State agencies of North Carolina

Lieutenant governors