President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate explained

The President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate (also known more commonly as the "President pro-tem") is a constitutionally-created office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The incumbent holder of the office is Republican Kim Ward.

Overview

The position of President pro tempore replaced the abolished position of Speaker of the Senate in the Constitution of 1874.[1]

The office is filled through election by the full Senate membership, though its holder typically comes from the majority party. The President pro tempore is designated as second in the gubernatorial succession, behind the Lieutenant Governor.[2] [3]

Duties

The President pro tempore presides over the Senate in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor and appoints committee chairpersons, votes on all bills, and is the leader of the Senate. In issues involving both chambers of the General Assembly, the President pro tempore confers with the Speaker of the House.

List of speakers of the Pennsylvania Senate

NamePolitical partyCountyDates served
Samuel PowellFederalistDelaware, Philadelphia County1792-1793
Anthony MorrisFederalistPhiladelphia County1793-1794
William BinghamFederalistDelaware, Philadelphia County1794-1795
Robert Hare Sr.FederalistDelaware, Philadelphia County1795-1799
John WoodsFederalistAllegheny, Washington County1799-1801
Samuel MaclayDemocratic RepublicanNorthumberland County1801-1802
John PearsonDemocratic RepublicanLancaster County1802-1803
Robert WhitehillDemocratic RepublicanCumberland County1803-1805
James Young BradyConstitutionalistArmstrong, Indiana, Jefferson, Westmoreland County1805-1806
John Francis SteeleDemocratic RepublicanLancaster County1805-1806
Presely Carr Lane Sr.Democratic RepublicanFayette, Greene, Westmoreland County1806-1814
Walter LowrieDemocratic RepublicanAllegheny, Beaver, Butler County1813-1814
John TodDemocratic RepublicanBedford, Cambria, Somerset County1814-1816
Isaac Weaver Jr.Democratic RepublicanGreene, Washington County1817-1820
William MarksDemocraticAllegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler County1820-1825
Philip Swenk MarkleyDemocraticMontgomery County1821-1822
Thomas Burnside Sr.DemocraticCentre, Clearfield, McKean, Potter, Tioga County1825-1826
Alexander Mahon Sr.DemocraticCumberland, Perry County1825-1828
William George Hawkins Sr.DemocraticFayette, Greene, Washington County1831-1832
Thomas RinglandDemocraticGreene, Washington County1833-1834
Jesse Reading BurdenDemocraticPhiladelphia County1833-1834
Thomas Scott CunninghamDemocraticCrawford, Erie, Mercer County1835-1836
Jesse Reading BurdenWhigPhiladelphia County1837-1838
Charles Bingham PenroseWhigAdams, Cumberland, Franklin, Perry, Philadelphia County1838-1839
William Tennet RogersDemocraticBucks County1839
Ebeneezer Kingsbury Jr.DemocraticLuzerne, Monroe, Pike, Wayne County1841
John StrohmAnti-MasonicLancaster, York County1841
Charles Bingham PenroseWhigAdams, Cumberland, Franklin, Perry, Philadelphia County1841
John Hoge EwingWhigWashington County1842
William Hiester Jr.WhigLancaster, York County1842
Benjamin CrispinDemocraticPhiladelphia County1843
William BiglerDemocraticArmstrong, Camrbia, Clarion, Clearfield, Indiana County1844-1845
John Benton SterigereDemocraticChester, Delaware, Montgomery County1845
William Pendleton WilcoxDemocraticJefferson, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Venango, Warren County1845
Daniel Lee Sherwood Jr.DemocraticTioga, Bradford County1846
Charles L. Gibbons Sr.WhigPhiladelphia County1847
William Sterling RossImprovement DemocratColumbia, Luzerne County1847
William Williamson Jr.WhigChester, Delaware County1847
William Freame JohnstonWhigChester, Cambria, Clearfield, Indiana County1848
George DarsieWhigAllegheny, Butler County1848-1849
Valentine BestDemocraticColumbia, Luzerne County1849
Benjamin MatthiasWhigPhiladelphia County1851
Christan MyersWhigArmstrong, Clarion, Indiana County1852
John Hoge WalkerWhigCrawford, Erie County1852
Thomas Erskin CarsonWhigAdams, Franklin County1853
John Christian KunkelWhigDauphin, Northumberland County1853
Byron Delano HamlinDemocratClearfield, Elk, Forest, McKean,Potter, Tioga County1855
William Muhlenberg HiesterDemocratBerks County1855
William McKinney PiattDemocratBradford, Susquehanna, Wyoming County1855-1856
Nathaniel Borrodaille BrowneDemocratPhiladelphia County1856
Darwin Abel FinneyWhigCrawford, Erie County1857
David TaggartWhigDauphin, Northumberland County1857
John M. Cresswell Jr.DemocraticBlair, Cambria, Clearfield, Huntingdon County1858
William Henry WelshDemocraticYork County1858
Jacob TurneyDemocraticFayette, Westmoreland County1859
William Miller FrancisRepublicanLawrence, Mercer, Venango County1860
Robert Moffett PalmerRepublicanSchuylkill County1860-1861
Louis Williams Hall Sr.RepublicanBlair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry County1861-1862
George van Eman LawrenceRepublicanBeaver, Greene, Washington County1863
John P. Penny Sr.RepublicanAllegheny County1863-1864
Louis Williams Hall Sr.RepublicanBlair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry County1864
William J. TurrellRepublicanBradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wyoming County1865
David FlemingRepublicanDauphin, Lebanon County1866
Louis Williams Hall Sr.RepublicanBlair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry County1866-1867
James Leonard GrahamRepublicanAllegheny County1868
Wilmer WorthingtonRepublicanChester, Delaware, Montgomery County1869
Charles Henderson StinsonRepublicanChester, Delaware, Montgomery County1869-1870
Albert Gallatin BrodheadDemocraticCarbon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Wayne County1871
William Andrew WallaceDemocraticBlair, Cambria, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk County1871
James Smith RutanRepublicanAllegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington County1872
George Holmes AndersonRepublicanAllegheny County1873
George H. CutlerRepublicanErie, Warren County1874
Butler B. StrangRepublicanCameron, McKean, Potter, Tioga County1874
Henry Lloyd WhiteRepublicanArmstorong, Cambria, Indiana, Jefferson, Westmoreland County1874
Elisha W. DavisRepublicanPhiladelphia County1875-1876

List of presidents pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate

NamePolitical partyCountyDates elected
George H. CutlerRepublicanErie County1875
RepublicanPhiladelphia County1875,76
John Christopher NewmyerRepublicanAllegheny County1876,77
Thomas Valentine CooperRepublicanDelaware County1877,78
Andrew Jackson HerrRepublicanDauphin County1878,79
John LamonRepublicanPhiladelphia County1879
William Imlay NewellRepublicanPhiladelphia County1881
Hugh McNeilRepublicanAllegheny County1881
John Edgar ReyburnRepublicanPhiladelphia County1883
Amos Herr MylinRepublicanLancaster County1883,85
George Handy SmithRepublicanPhiladelphia County1885,87
John C. GradyRepublicanPhiladelphia County1887,89
Boies PenroseRepublicanPhiladelphia County1889,91
John Peter Shindel GobinRepublicanLebanon County1891,93
Charles Wesley ThomasRepublicanPhiladelphia County1893,95
Samuel John Milton McCarrellRepublicanDauphin County1895,97
Daniel Spindler WaltonRepublicanGreene County1897
William Preston SnyderRepublicanChester County1899, 1901
John Morin ScottRepublicanPhiladelphia County1901,03
William Cameron SproulRepublicanDelaware County1903,05
Cyrus E. WoodsRepublicanWestmoreland County1905,07
Albert Everton SissonRepublicanErie County1907,09
William E. CrowRepublicanFayette County1911
George M. WertzRepublicanCambria County1911
Daniel P. GerberichRepublicanLebanon County1913
Charles H. KlineRepublicanAllegheny County1913,15
Edward E. BeidlemanRepublicanDauphin County1915,17
Clarence Jay BuckmanRepublicanBucks County1917,19
Frank E. BaldwinRepublicanPotter County1919,21
Thomas Lawrence EyreRepublicanChester County1921,23
John G. HomsherRepublicanLancaster County1923,25
Samuel W. SalusRepublicanPhiladelphia County1923,25
Horace W. SchantzRepublicanLehigh County1927,29
Augustus F. Daix Jr.RepublicanPhiladelphia County1929,31
James S. BoydRepublicanMontgomery County1931,33
Harry B. ScottRepublicanCentre County1933
John G. HomsherRepublicanLancaster County1935
Harvey D. HuffmanDemocraticMonroe County1937
John S. RiceDemocraticAdams County1938
Frederick T. GelderRepublicanSusquehanna County1939
Charles H. EalyRepublicanSomerset County1941,43
M. Harvey TaylorRepublicanDauphin County1945,47,49,51,53,55,57,59
Weldon Brinton HeyburnRepublicanDelaware County1947
Anthony J. DiSilvestroDemocraticPhiladelphia County1961
M. Harvey TaylorRepublicanDauphin County1963
James S. BergerRepublicanPotter County1964 (acting), 1965
Stanley G. StroupRepublicanBedford County1966 (acting)
Robert D. FlemingRepublicanAllegheny County1967,69,70
Martin L. MurrayDemocraticLuzerne County1971,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80
Henry G. Hager IIIRepublicanLycoming County1981,82,83,84
Robert C. JubelirerRepublicanBlair County1984,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92
Robert J. MellowDemocraticLackawanna County1992,93,94
Robert C. JubelirerRepublicanBlair County1994,95,96,97,97,99; 2000,01,02,03,04,05,06
Joseph B. Scarnati IIIRepublicanJefferson County2006,07,08,09,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19
Jacob Doyle Corman IIIRepublicanCentre County2020,21
Kim WardRepublicanWestmoreland County2022, 23

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Senate of Pennsylvania. November 12, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20011004192948/http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/VC/visitor_info/blue/senate.htm. October 4, 2001. dead.
  2. Web site: The Constitution of Pennsylvania: Article IV §13 — When Lieutenant Governor to act as Governor.. Pennsylvania General Assembly. August 23, 2019.
  3. Web site: The Constitution of Pennsylvania: Article IV §14 — Vacancy in office of Lieutenant Governor. Pennsylvania General Assembly. August 23, 2019.

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