10 Oldest Active/Current Lieutenant Governors in the U.S.

The oldest active lieutenant governors in the U.S. range in age from mid-60s to late-70s. Nearly all of them have had years of experience in state politics, while others have held leadership roles outside of elected office. A majority of these older lieutenant governors are Republicans, while the majority of the youngest lieutenant governors are democrats.

Although it is a high office position, lieutenant governors are often criticized for not having much to do besides filling in for a governor, should something happen to them. In fact, many lieutenant governors do go on to become governor or use the position to run for a seat in U.S. Congress.

10. Kevin Meyer (May 9, 1956 – Present)

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Kevin Meyer has been the 14^th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska since 2018. Prior to this position, Meyer was a member of the Alaska Senate from 2009 to 2018. From 2015 to 2017, Meyer was the President of the Alaska Senate. Meyer entered politics in 2000, when he was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives.

Outside of politics, Meyer works as an investment recovery coordinator for ConocoPhillips. In 2013, Meyer came under fire for using his Alaska Senate position to pass Senate Bill 21, restructuring the state of Alaska’s tax code for oil companies and reducing their tax burden. This bill has greatly benefitted ConocoPhillips. However, Meyer did ask to be recused from voting on the bill, but under Alaska’s legislative rules, Meyer was required to vote.

Did You Know?

During the 2020 elections, Kevin Meyer once again faced negative criticism when he decided to mail absentee ballot applications to voters 65 and older, but not to younger voters. The Disability Law Center of Alaska and other plaintiffs are suing Lieutenant Governor Meyer and the State of Alaska on the grounds that this constitutes unconstitutional discrimination.

9. Kristen Juras (October 16, 1955 – Present)

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Kristen Juras is currently the 37^th Lieutenant Governor of Montana. This is the first time Juras has served in an elected political position. In 2016, Juras attempted to run for the Montana Supreme Court seat vacated by Patricia O’Brien Cotter. She lost to Dirk Sandefur.

Juras earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1982. After graduation, Juras went into practice in Georgia and Oklahoma City before returning to Montana in 1988. Juras worked as an adjunct law professor at the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law for several years.

Did You Know?

Kristen Juras is the sister of country singer Wylie Gustafson, who is known for his band, “Wylie & The Wild West.”

8. Mike Foley (April 5, 1954 – Present)

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Mike Foley has been the 41^st Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska since 2015. Prior to taking office as lieutenant governor, Foley was the Auditor of Nebraska from 2007 to 2015. Foley also served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 2001 to 2007.

Before launching his political career in 2000, Foley was the director of financial analysis for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in Washington, DC. for 18 years. Prior to that position Foley was a consultant with Kirschner Associates.

Did You Know?

While attending college, Mike Foley held summer positions in the offices of the United States Department of Transportation and the United States International Trade Commission.

7. Denny Heck (July 29, 1952 – Present)

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Denny Heck is currently the 17^th Lieutenant Governor of Washington, a position he won in the 2020 elections. Before serving as lieutenant governor, Heck was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 until he became lieutenant governor in 2021. Heck previously served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 1977 to 1985. During this time, he served as the the Majority Leader and Chief Clerk of the Washington House of Representatives.

Heck entered politics not long after graduating from Portland State University in 1975. After his time in the Washington House of Representatives, Heck was the chief of staff for Governor Booth Gardner during his second term (1989–1993).

Did You Know?

Denny Heck is the co-founder with Christopher Hedrick of Intrepid Learning Solutions, a company specializing in business oriented education and training programs. Heck served as a board director of the company from 1999 until 2012.

6. Sheila Oliver (July 14, 1952 – Present)

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Sheila Oliver has been serving as the 2^nd Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey since 2018. Prior to 2010, New Jersey was one of the few states that did not have a lieutenant governor. Oliver is only the fourth African American woman to become a lieutenant governor in America, and the first of which to be a Democrat.

In 2017, Oliver also won re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly since New Jersey allows people to run for two elective offices simultaneously. However, people are allowed to only hold one office, and Oliver, of course, chose to be lieutenant governor and resigned from her seat in the General Assembly.

Did You Know?

Since it is a fairly new role, Sheila Oliver is the first Black woman to serve as lieutenant governor in New Jersey. Oliver is also the first woman of color elected to statewide office in the state.

5. Suzanne Crouch (February 27, 1952 – Present)

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Suzanne Crouch is the second oldest female lieutenant governor. She has served as the 52^nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana since 2017. Before becoming lieutenant governor, Crouch was the 56^th Auditor of Indiana. Crouch also previously served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2005 to 2014.

Before starting her political career in 2005, Crouch was a member of Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners and served as President until the end of her term. Crouch was also Vanderburgh County Auditor for two terms in the 1990s.

Did You Know?

While Suzanne Crouch served as Vanderburgh County Republican Central Committee Chairman, a majority of Republicans were elected to County Council, the first time in 60 years that Republicans controlled that body.  

4. Dan Patrick (April 4, 1950 – Present)

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Dan Patrick is a former conservative talk radio host, who has now been in politics since the early 2000s. Patrick is currently the 42^nd Lieutenant Governor of Texas, a position he has held since 2015. Before this, Patrick was a member of the Texas Senate from 2007 to 2015.

Patrick spent several decades in radio and local television, beginning in 1968 when he was just 18 years old. After college, in 1977, Patrick became a television broadcaster at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Patrick eventually became the lead sportscaster with KHOU-TV in Houston. He became a conservative talk radio host in the 1990s and rose to influence and fame in conservative circles. Patrick leveraged this fame to run for political office.

Did You Know?

Dan Patrick is responsible for launching Rush Limbaugh’s radio career. As the owner of AM 700 KSEV, Patrick took a chance on a then unknown Limbaugh in 1989. 

3. Dianne Primavera (January 28, 1950 – Present)

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Dianne Primavera is currently the oldest female lieutenant governor in the U.S. Primavera has been serving as the 50^th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado since 2019. She was previously a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017 and 2007 to 2011.

Primavera earned a a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Regis University in 1972 and a master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975. She worked for several years as a case manager and was later employed as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Colorado Department of Social Services. Primavera eventually became a supervisor.

Did You Know?

In addition to her political career, Dianne Primavera has served as the CEO of Susan G. Komen Colorado, one of the largest organizations in the country dedicated to breast cancer prevention, research, treatment, and education.

2. Delbert Hosemann (June 30, 1947 – Present)

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Delbert Hosemann is currently the 33^rd Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi and one of the few lieutenant governors in their 70s. Hosemann first stepped into politics in 2007 when he was elected Secretary of State of Mississippi. He served in that position until 2020 when he was elected lieutenant governor.

Hosemann earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1972. He practiced law for several years and Hosemann is currently a partner with Phelps Dunbar LLP. Before attending law school, Hosemann served in the United States Army Reserve.

Did You Know?

As Secretary of State of Mississippi, Delbert Hosemann was instrumental in acquiring over 20,000 acres of now public land and his office raised more than $1 billion for public education by the end of his third term.

1. Randy McNally (January 30, 1944 – Present)

photo source: Wikimedia Commons

At the age of 77 years, 10 months, and 23 days, Randy McNally is currently the oldest lieutenant governor in the United States. McNally concurrently serves as the Speaker of the Tennessee Senate. He has been a member of the the Tennessee Senate from the 5^th district since 1987.

Before joining the Tennessee Senate, McNally was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. While he has had a long career in state politics, McNally has never attempted to run for a seat in U.S. Congress. As a young man, before state politics, McNally worked as a pharmacist in chain drug stores.

Did You Know?

Randy McNally was a key part of the Operation Rocky Top investigation in the late 1980s, when he worked undercover to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation obtain evidence on political corruption in the Tennessee state government.