Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

The lieutenant governor of Louisiana is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current lieutenant governor is Billy Nungesser, a Republican. The lieutenant governor is also the commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. Paul J. Hardy, who served from 1988 to 1992, was the first Republican to be elected to the position since the Reconstruction Era. History The office was established by the Louisiana Constitution of 1845. Prior to that, the successor to the governor in the event of his death or resignation was the President of the Louisiana State Senate. A number of state senate presidents succeeded governors before the 1845 Constitution was adopted, including Henry S. Thibodaux, Armand Beauvais and Jacques Dupre. The lieutenant governor presided over the Louisiana Senate from 1845 until the adoption of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. Under the new constitution, the lieutenant governor was—effective in 1976—primarily tasked with serving as acting governor in the governor's absence from the state and succeeding to gubernatorial office in the event it became vacant. The document also allowed the governor and the Louisiana State Legislature to delegate responsibilities upon the lieutenant governor at their discretion. In 1986, the legislature placed the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism under the lieutenant governor's purview, enabling them to appoint the department's leaders.