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| President of the West Virginia Senate | |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia | |
 | |
| West Virginia Senate | |
| Status | Presiding officer |
| Seat | West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston |
| Appointer | West Virginia Senate |
| Constituting instrument | West Virginia Constitution |
| Formation | June 20, 1863 |
| First holder | John M. Phelps |
| Succession | First |
| Website | www |
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 Craig Blair, who has been in office since January 2021.
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."[1] 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."[1]
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".[2] 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:
Democratic – 31; Republican – 22
| # | Senate President | Term start | Term end | Party | Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
John Phelps
1821 – August 26, 1884 |
June 20, 1863 | January 19, 1864 | Republican | Arthur Boreman | ||
| 2 | 
|
William Stevenson
March 18, 1820 – November 29, 1883 |
January 19, 1864 | January 19, 1869 | Republican | |||
| 3 | 
|
Daniel Farnsworth
December 23, 1819 – December 5, 1892 |
January 19, 1869 | January 17, 1871 | Republican | |||
| A. | Joseph T. Hoke
February 6, 1835 – July 27, 1910 |
February 26, 1869 | March 4, 1869 | Republican | Daniel Farnsworth (acting) | |||
| 3 |
|
Daniel Farnsworth
December 23, 1819 – December 5, 1892 |
January 19, 1869 | January 17, 1871 | Republican | William Stevenson | ||
| 4 | .jpg)
|
Lewis Baker
November 11, 1832 – April 30, 1899 |
January 17, 1871 | January 16, 1872 | Democratic | | ||
| John Jacob | ||||||||
| 5 | 
|
Carlos Sperry
July 28, 1832 – May 9, 1905 |
January 16, 1872 | August 22, 1872 | Democratic | |||
| 6 | 
|
Daniel Johnson
April 28, 1836 – December 18, 1893 |
November 19, 1872 | January 10, 1877 | Democratic | |||
| 7 | 
|
Ulysses Arnett
November 7, 1820 – December 1, 1880 |
January 10, 1877 | January 8, 1879 | Democratic | | ||
| Henry Mathews | ||||||||
| 8 |
|
Daniel Johnson
April 28, 1836 – December 18, 1893 |
January 8, 1879 | January 12, 1881 | Democratic | |||
| 9 | Albert Summers
January 1, 1824 – April 1, 1901 |
January 12, 1881 | January 10, 1883 | Democratic | | |||
| Jacob Jackson | ||||||||
| 10 | Thomas Farnsworth
May 17, 1829 – October 12, 1916 |
January 10, 1883 | January 14, 1885 | Democratic | ||||
| 11 | George Price
November 9, 1848 – February 6, 1938 |
January 14, 1885 | January 9, 1889 | Democratic | | |||
| Emmanuel Watson | ||||||||
| 12 | Robert Carr
November 17, 1845 – May 6, 1925 |
January 22, 1889 | January 14, 1891 | Democratic | | |||
| Aretas Fleming | ||||||||
| 13 | John McCreery
July 31, 1845 – May 22, 1917 |
January 14, 1891 | January 11, 1893 | Democratic | ||||
| 14 | Rankin Wiley
April 6, 1853 – February 21, 1929 |
January 11, 1893 | January 9, 1895 | Democratic | | |||
| William MacCorkle | ||||||||
| 15 | William Worley
August 1, 1846 – October 7, 1928 |
January 9, 1895 | January 13, 1897 | Republican | ||||
| 16 | Nelson Whitaker
November 9, 1839 – December 28, 1909 |
January 13, 1897 | January 11, 1899 | Republican | | |||
| George Atkinson | ||||||||
| 17 | 
|
Oliver Marshall
September 24, 1850 – May 19, 1934 |
January 11, 1899 | January 9, 1901 | Republican | |||
| 18 | Anthony Smith
January 9, 1844 – July 10, 1927 |
January 9, 1901 | January 14, 1903 | Republican | | |||
| Albert White | ||||||||
| 19 | Clark May
July 14, 1869 – April 25, 1908 |
January 14, 1903 | January 11, 1905 | Republican | ||||
| 20 | _(1).jpg)
|
Gustavus Northcott
April 4, 1861 – December 8, 1938 |
January 11, 1905 | January 9, 1907 | Republican | | ||
| William Dawson | ||||||||
| 21 | Joseph McDermott
July 28, 1871 – December 12, 1930 |
January 9, 1907 | January 13, 1909 | Republican | ||||
| 22 | Lewis Forman
January 7, 1855 – January 3, 1933 |
January 13, 1909 | January 11, 1911 | Republican | | |||
| William Glasscock | ||||||||
| 23 | Robert F. Kidd
February 11, 1853 – June 8, 1930 |
January 17, 1911 | January 30, 1911 | Democratic | ||||
| 24 | 
|
Henry Hatfield
September 15, 1875 – October 13, 1962 |
January 30, 1911 | January 24, 1913 | Republican | |||
| 25 | Samuel Woods
August 31, 1856 – June 1, 1937 |
January 24, 1913 | January 13, 1915 | Democratic | | |||
| Henry Hatfield | ||||||||
| 26 | 
|
Edward England
September 29, 1869 – September 9, 1934 |
January 13, 1915 | January 10, 1917 | Republican | |||
| 27 | .jpg)
|
Wells Goodykoontz
June 3, 1872 – March 2, 1944 |
January 10, 1917 | January 8, 1919 | Republican | | ||
| John Cornwell | ||||||||
| 28 | Charles Sinsel
June 5, 1864 – December 8, 1923 |
January 8, 1919 | January 12, 1921 | Republican | ||||
| 29 | Gohen Arnold
January 5, 1885 – June 9, 1939 |
January 12, 1921 | January 10, 1923 | Republican | | |||
| Ephraim Morgan | ||||||||
| 30 | Harry Schaffer
January 22, 1885 – July 3, 1971 |
January 10, 1923 | January 14, 1925 | Republican | ||||
| 31 | Charles Coffman
August 30, 1875 – August 15, 1929 |
January 14, 1925 | April 15, 1925 | Republican | ||||
| 32 | .jpg)
|
Montezuma White
September 6, 1872 – May 10, 1945 |
April 15, 1925 | January 11, 1933 | Republican | | ||
| Howard Gore | ||||||||
| William Conley | ||||||||
| 33 | Albert Mathews
July 31, 1872 – December 5, 1958 |
January 11, 1933 | January 9, 1935 | Democratic | | |||
| Herman Kump | ||||||||
| 34 | Charles Hodges
September 27, 1892 – May 1, 1968 |
January 9, 1935 | January 11, 1939 | Democratic | | |||
| Homer Holt | ||||||||
| 35 | William LaFon
March 8, 1888 – February 4, 1941 |
January 11, 1939 | January 8, 1941 | Democratic | ||||
| 36 | Byron Randolph
June 12, 1906 – November 7, 1979 |
January 8, 1941 | January 13, 1943 | Democratic | Matthew Neely | |||
| 37 | James Paull
May 3, 1901 – March 8, 1983 |
January 13, 1943 | January 10, 1945 | Democratic | ||||