List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island

The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown.

In Rhode Island, the lieutenant governor and governor of Rhode Island are elected on separate tickets.

Seven lieutenant governors have served during a vacancy in the office of governor under the current 1842 constitution: Francis M. Dimond (1853), William C. Cozzens (1863), Charles D. Kimball (1901), Norman Case (1928), John Pastore (1945), and John S. McKiernan (1950).^[1]

Deputy governors of the Colony of Rhode Island

William Brenton, of Newport; November 1663 – 2 May 1666
Nicholas Easton, of Newport; 2 May 1666 – 5 May 1669
John Clarke, of Newport; 5 May 1669 – 4 May 1670
Nicholas Easton, of Newport; 4 May 1670 – 3 May 1671
John Clarke, of Newport; 3 May 1671 – 1 May 1672
John Cranston, of Newport; 1 May 1672 – 7 May 1673
William Coddington, of Newport; 7 May 1673 – 6 May 1674
John Easton, of Newport; 6 May 1674 – April 1676
John Cranston, of Newport; 3 May 1676 – 8 November 1678 (became governor)
James Barker, of Newport; 8 November 1678 – 7 May 1679
Walter Clarke, of Newport; 7 May 1679 – 5 May 1686
John Coggeshall, Jr., of Newport; 5 May 1686 – June 1686

The Royal Charter was suspended from 1686 until 1689.

John Coggeshall, Jr., of Newport; 18 April 1689 – 7 May 1690
John Greene, Jr., of Warwick; 7 May 1690 – May 1, 1700
Walter Clarke, of Newport; May 1, 1700 – May 23, 1714 (died in office)
Henry Tew, of Newport; June 15, 1714 – May 3, 1715
Joseph Jenckes, of Providence; May 3, 1715 – May 3, 1721
John Wanton, of Newport; May 3, 1721 – May 2, 1722
Joseph Jenckes, of Providence; May 2, 1722 – May 3, 1727
Jonathan Nichols, of Newport; May 3, 1727 – August 2, 1727 (died in office)
Thomas Frye, of East Greenwich; August 22, 1727 – May 7, 1729
John Wanton, of Newport; May 7, 1729 – May 5, 1734
George Hazard, of S. Kingstown; May 5, 1734 – before May 22, 1738 (died in office)
Daniel Abbott, of Providence; July 5, 1738 – May 1, 1740
Richard Ward, of Newport; May 1, 1740 – July 15, 1740 (became governor)
William Greene, of Newport; July 15, 1740 – May 4, 1743
Joseph Whipple, Jr., of Newport; May 4, 1743 – May 1, 1745
William Robinson, of S. Kingstown; May 1, 1745 – May 7, 1746
Joseph Whipple, Jr., of Newport; May 7, 1746 – May 6, 1747
William Robinson, of S. Kingstown; May 6, 1747 – May 4, 1748
William Ellery, Sr., of Newport; May 4, 1748 – May 2, 1750
Robert Hazard, of S. Kingstown; May 2, 1750 – May 1, 1751
Joseph Whipple, III, of Newport; May 1, 1751 – November 2, 1753 (resigned)
Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport; November 2, 1753 – May 1, 1754
John Gardner, of Newport; May 1, 1754 – May 7, 1755
Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport; May 7, 1755 – September 1756 (died in office)
John Gardner, of Newport; September 6, 1756 – January 1764 (died in office)
Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport; February 27, 1764 – May 1, 1765
Elisha Brown, of N. Providence; May 1, 1765 – May 6, 1767
Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport; May 6, 1767 – May 4, 1768
Nicholas Cooke, of Providence; May 4, 1768 – May 3, 1769
Darius Sessions, of Providence; May 3, 1769 – May 3, 1775
Nicholas Cooke, of Providence; May 3, 1775 – November 7, 1775 (became governor)
William Bradford, of Bristol; November 7, 1775 – May 6, 1778

Deputy and lieutenant governors of the State of Rhode Island

Name	Term start	Term end	Residence
William Bradford	Nov. 1775	May 1778	Bristol
Jabez Bowen	May 1778	May 1780	Providence
William West	May 1780	May 1781	Scituate
Jabez Bowen	May 1781	May 1786	Providence
Daniel Owen	May 1786	May 1790	Glocester
Samuel J. Potter	May 1790	Feb. 1799	S. Kingstown

The title of the office was changed to Lieutenant Governor in 1798.

Name	Party	Term start	Term end	Residence	Governor(s) served under
George Brown		1799	1800	S. Kingstown	Arthur Fenner
Samuel J. Potter		1800	1803	S. Kingstown	Arthur Fenner
Paul Mumford		1803	1805	Newport	Arthur Fenner
Isaac Wilbour		1806	1807	Little Compton	Isaac Wilbour
Constant Taber		1807	1808	Newport	James Fenner
Simeon Martin	Federalist	1808	1810	Newport	James Fenner
Isaac Wilbour	Democratic-Republican	1810	1811	Little Compton	James Fenner
Simeon Martin	Federalist	1811	1816	Newport	William Jones
Jeremiah Thurston	Federalist	1816	1817	Hopkinton	William Jones
Edward Wilcox	Democratic-Republican	1817	1821	Charlestown	Nehemiah R. Knight
Caleb Earle	Democratic-Republican	1821	1824	Providence	William C. Gibbs
Charles Collins		1824	1833	Newport	James Fenner Lemuel H. Arnold
Jeffrey Hazard	Democratic	1833	1835	Exeter	John B. Francis
George Engs	Whig	1835	1836	Newport	John B. Francis
Jeffrey Hazard	Democratic	1836	1837	Exeter	John B. Francis
Benjamin Babock Thurston	Democratic	1837	1838	Hopkinton	John B. Francis
Joseph Childs	Whig	1838	1839	Portsmouth	William Sprague III
Byron Diman	Whig	1840	1842	Bristol	Samuel Ward King
Nathaniel Bullock		1842	1843	Bristol	Samuel Ward King

Lieutenant governors under the constitution, 1843–present

No.	Name	Party	Term start	Term end	Governor(s) served under	Residence
1	Byron Diman	Law & Order	1843	1846	James Fenner Charles Jackson	Bristol
2	Elisha Harris	Whig	1846	1847	Byron Diman	Coventry
3	Edward W. Lawton	Whig	1847	1849	Elisha Harris	Newport
4	Thomas Whipple	Whig	1849	1851	Henry B. Anthony	Coventry
5	William Beach Lawrence	Democratic	1851	1852	Philip Allen	Newport
6	Samuel G. Arnold	Whig	1852	1853	Philip Allen	Providence
7	Francis M. Dimond	Democratic	1853	1854	himself	Bristol
8	John J. Reynolds	Whig	1854	1855	William W. Hoppin	N. Kingstown
9	Anderson C. Rose	American	1855	1856	William W. Hoppin	New Shoreham
10	Nicholas Brown III	American	1856	1857	William W. Hoppin	Warwick
11	Thomas G. Turner	Republican	1857	1859	Elisha Dyer	Warren
12	Isaac Saunders	American Republican	1859	1860	Thomas G. Turner	Scituate
13	J. Russell Bullock	Democratic	1860	1861	William Sprague IV	Bristol
14	Samuel G. Arnold	Democratic & Constitutional Unionist	1861	1862	William Sprague IV	Providence
15	Seth Padelford	Republican	1863	1865	William C. Cozzens James Y. Smith	Providence
16	Duncan Pell		1865	1866	James Y. Smith	Newport
17	William Greene	Republican	1866	1868	Ambrose Everett Burnside	Warwick
18	Pardon Stevens	Republican	1868	1872	Ambrose Everett Burnside Seth Padelford	Newport
19	Charles Cutler	Democratic	1872	1873	Seth Padelford	Warren
20	Charles C. Van Zandt	Republican	1873	1875	Henry Howard	Newport
21	Henry Tillinghast Sisson	Republican	1875	1877	Henry Lippitt	Little Compton
22	Albert Howard	Republican	1877	1880	Charles C. Van Zandt	E. Providence
23	Henry Fay	Republican	1880	1883	Alfred H. Littlefield	Newport
24	Oscar Rathbun	Republican	1883	1885	Augustus O. Bourn	Woonsocket
25	Lucius B. Darling	Republican	1885	1887	George P. Wetmore	Pawtucket
26	Samuel R. Honey	Democratic	1887	1888	John W. Davis	Newport
27	Enos Lapham	Republican	1888	1889	Royal C. Taft	Warwick
28	Daniel Littlefield	Republican	1889	1890	Herbert W. Ladd	Central Falls
29	William T. C. Wardwell	Democratic	1890	1891	John W. Davis	Bristol
30	Henry A. Stearns	Republican	1891	1892	Herbert W. Ladd	Lincoln
31	Melville Bull	Republican	1892	1894	D. Russell Brown	Middletown
32	Edwin Allen	Republican	1894	1897	D. Russell Brown Charles W. Lippitt	Hopkinton
33	Aram J. Pothier	Republican	1897	1898	Elisha Dyer, Jr.	Woonsocket
34	William Gregory	Republican	1898	1900	Elisha Dyer, Jr.	N. Kingstown
35	Charles D. Kimball	Republican	1900	1901	William Gregory	Providence
36	George L. Shepley	Republican	1902	1903	Charles D. Kimball	Providence
37	Adelard Archambault	Democratic	1903	1904	Lucius F. C. Garvin	Woonsocket
38	George H. Utter	Republican	1904	1905	Lucius F. C. Garvin	Westerly
39	Frederick H. Jackson	Republican	1905	1908	George H. Utter	Providence
40	Ralph Watrous	Republican	1908	1909	James H. Higgins	Warwick
41	Arthur W. Dennis	Republican	1909	1910	Aram J. Pothier	Providence
42	Zenas Work Bliss	Republican	1910	1913	Aram J. Pothier	Cranston
43	Rosewell Burchard	Republican	1913	1915	Aram J. Pothier	L. Compton
44	Emery J. San Souci	Republican	1915	1921	R. Livingston Beeckman	Providence
45	Harold Gross	Republican	1921	1923	Emery J. San Souci	Providence
46	Felix A. Toupin	Democratic	1923	1925	William S. Flynn	Lincoln
47	Nathaniel W. Smith	Republican	1925	1927	Aram J. Pothier	S. Kingstown
48	Norman S. Case	Republican	1927	1928	Aram J. Pothier	Providence
49	James G. Connolly	Republican	1929	1933	Norman S. Case	Pawtucket
50	Robert E. Quinn	Democratic	1933	1937	Theodore Francis Green	W. Warwick
51	Raymond E. Jordan	Democratic	1937	1939	Robert E. Quinn	Pawtucket
52	James O. McManus	Republican	1939	1941	William Henry Vanderbilt III	W. Warwick
53	Louis W. Cappelli	Democratic	1941	1944	J. Howard McGrath	Providence
54	John O. Pastore	Democratic	1945	1945	J. Howard McGrath	Providence
55	John S. McKiernan	Democratic	1945	1957	John O. Pastore himself Dennis J. Roberts	Providence
56	Armand H. Cote	Democratic	1957	1959	Dennis J. Roberts	Pawtucket
57	John A. Notte, Jr.	Democratic	1959	1961	Christopher Del Sesto	Providence
58	Edward P. Gallogly	Democratic	1961	1965	John A. Notte, Jr. John Chafee	Providence
59	Giovanni Folcarelli	Democratic	1965	1967	John Chafee	Scituate
60	Joseph O'Donnell, Jr.	Republican	1967	1969	John Chafee	N. Smithfield
61	J. Joseph Garrahy	Democratic	1969	1977	Frank Licht Philip W. Noel	Providence
62	Thomas R. DiLuglio	Democratic	1977	1985	J. Joseph Garrahy	Johnston
63	Richard A. Licht	Democratic	1985	1989	Edward D. DiPrete	Providence
64	Roger N. Begin	Democratic	1989	1993	Edward D. DiPrete Bruce Sundlun	Woonsocket
65	Robert Weygand	Democratic	1993	1997	Bruce Sundlun Lincoln C. Almond	E. Providence
66	Bernard Jackvony	Republican	1997	1999	Lincoln C. Almond	E. Greenwich
67	Charles Fogarty	Democratic	1999	2007	Lincoln C. Almond Donald Carcieri	Glocester
68	Elizabeth H. Roberts	Democratic	2007	2015	Donald Carcieri Lincoln Chafee	Cranston
69	Daniel McKee	Democratic	2015	2021	Gina Raimondo	Cumberland
70	Sabina Matos	Democratic	2021	present	Daniel McKee	Providence

Unusual candidacies

During the 2010 elections, the Cool Moose Party of Rhode Island submitted Bob Healey as candidate for lieutenant governor. He ran on the proposition that he would attempt to abolish the office of lieutenant governor itself.^[2]

References

^ McGowan, Dan (January 11, 2021). "How many times have there been a gubernatorial vacancy in Rhode Island?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
^ "Votehealey.com - Robert J. Healey Jr. For Rhode Island Governor". Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2010.

[1] McGowan, Dan (January 11, 2021). "How many times have there been a gubernatorial vacancy in Rhode Island?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 17, 2022.

[2] "Votehealey.com - Robert J. Healey Jr. For Rhode Island Governor". Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2010.

[1]

[2]

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