Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma - History

History

The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma traces its history back to the pre-state era of Oklahoma Territory. Though there was no office title the “Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma Territory,” there was a Secretary of Oklahoma Territory which served as the immediate successor should the Governorship of Oklahoma Territory become vacant. This power was exercised twice in the Territory’s history: when Secretary Robert Martin replaced Governor George Washington Steele, and again when Secretary William C. Grimes replaced Governor William Miller Jenkins. Aside from its succession function, the Secretary would serve as a chief aid to the Governor.

When the Oklahoma Constitution was adopted in 1907, the office of Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma was created. Though based on the idea of the Territorial Secretary, the Lieutenant Governor followed suit of the other state Lieutenant Governors and was modeled after the Vice President of the United States. The authors of the Oklahoma Constitution placed the Lieutenant Governor as the ex officio President of the Oklahoma Senate. This allowed the Lieutenant Governor, the second-ranking executive branch official, considerable legislative power. However, the Lieutenant Governor could only vote in order to break a tie.

Though in the early years of Oklahoma’s history the Lieutenant Governor played a large role in crafting legislation, in more recent years, that role has shifted to the President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, the Senate’s number two. This has not been due to any law or court ruling, but simply as a matter of fact. Instead, Governors have tended to appoint their Lieutenants as the head of a board, agency, or commission within the executive branch. This has transformed the Lieutenant Governor into something of what the Territorial Secretary was: a chief aid to the Governor with powers and responsibilities determined by the Governor.