President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate

The President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate (more commonly, "Pro-Tem") is the highest-ranking (internally elected) officer of one house of the North Carolina General Assembly. The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, but the President Pro-Tem actually holds most of the power and presides in the absence of the Lt. Governor. He or she, a senior member of the party with a majority of seats, appoints senators to committees and also appoints certain members of state boards and commissions. From 1777 to 1868, North Carolina had no Lieutenant Governor, and the highest-ranking officer of the Senate was known as the "Speaker". The Speaker of the Senate was next in line if the office of Governor became vacant. This occurred on two occasions.

President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate
Senate Chambers
Incumbent
Philip E. Berger
since 2011
North Carolina Senate
StatusPresiding officer
SeatNorth Carolina State Legislative Building, Raleigh, North Carolina
NominatorMajor parties (normally)
AppointerThe North Carolina Senate
Term lengthtwo years (currently)
Constituting instrumentNorth Carolina Constitution
Formation1777
First holderSamuel Ashe

Presidents Pro-Tem are elected at the beginning of each biennial session, currently in January of odd-numbered years. Between 1868 and 1992, it was rare for a President Pro-Tem to serve more than two terms. Marc Basnight, however, became arguably the most powerful North Carolina Senate leader in history and one of the state's most influential politicians when he served a record nearly 18 years as President Pro-Tem.

North Carolina Senate presiding officers

Speakers
Allen Jones, 1778–1779
Abner Nash, 1779–1780
Alexander Martin, 1785

The following members were elected speakers of the Senate[1][2][3][4]:

Presidents Pro Tempore
James L. Robinson 1876–1877

The following members were elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate[1][2][12][4][13]:

  • Charles S. Winstead 1868–1869[13]
  • Edward Jenner Warren 1870–1872[14]
  • James Turner Morehead, Jr. 1872–1875 [15][16]
  • James L. Robinson 1876–1877
  • William A. Graham 1879–1880
  • William T. Dortch 1881–1883
  • E.T. Boykin 1885–1887
  • Edwin W. Kerr 1889
  • W. D. Turner 1891
  • John L. King 1893
  • E. L. Franck, Jr. 1895–1897
  • R. L. Smith 1899–1900
  • F. A. Whitaker 1899—1900
  • Henry A. London 1901–1903
  • Charles A. Webb 1905–1908
  • Whitehead Klutz 1909
  • Henry N. Pharr 1911–1913
  • Oliver Max Gardner 1915
  • Fordyce C. Harding 1917
  • Lindsay C. Warren 1919–1920
  • William L. Long 1921–1924
  • William H. S. Burgwyn 1925
  • William L. Long 1927
  • Thomas L. Johnson 1929
  • Rivers D. Johnson 1931
  • William G. Clark 1933
  • Paul D. Grady 1935
  • Andrew H. Johnston 1937–1938
  • James A. Bell 1937–1938
  • Whitman E. Smith 1939
  • John D. Larkins, Jr. 1941
  • John H. Price 1943
  • Archie C. Gay 1945
  • Joseph L. Blythe 1947
  • James C. Pittman 1949
  • Rufus G. Rankin 1951
  • Edwin Pate 1953
  • Paul E. Jones 1955–1956
  • Claude Currie 1957
  • Robert F. Morgan 1959
  • William L. Crew 1961
  • Ralph H. Scott 1963 [17]
  • Robert B. Morgan 1965–1966
  • Herman A. Moore 1967
  • Neill H. McGeachy 1969
  • Frank N. Patterson, Jr. 1971
  • Gordon P. Allen 1971–1974
  • John T. Henley 1975–1978
  • W. Craig Lawing 1979–1984
  • J. J. Harrington 1985–1988
  • Henson P. Barnes 1989–1992
  • Marc Basnight 1993–2010
  • Phil Berger 2011–present

See also

References
  1. Connor, R.D.D. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina (PDF). Raleigh: North Carolina Historical Commission. p. 453-. Retrieved April 27, 2019., Alternate link
  2. Wheeler, John H. (1874). "The Legislative Manual and Political Register of the State of North Carolina". Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  3. "Session Laws: North Carolina". HeinOnline. New York: William S. Hein & Co., Inc. Retrieved March 22, 2019. (subscription required)
  4. Lewis, J.D. "NC Revolution State House 1780". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  5. Carraway, Gertrude (1979). "James Coor". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  6. Robinson, Blackwell P. (1979). "David Caldwell". NCPedia. Retrieved Oct 3, 2019.
  7. Keating, Mary R. (1996). "Hugh Waddell". NCPedia. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  8. "North Carolina portrait index, 1700-1860". NCDCR.gov. 1963. p. 234.
  9. Murphy, Eva (1988). "Andrew Joyner". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  10. Johnston, Hugh Buckner (1996). "Louis Dicken Wilson". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  11. Humber, John L. (1986). "Calvin Graves". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  12. "Session Laws: North Carolina". HeinOnline. New York: William S. Hein & Co., Inc. Retrieved March 22, 2019. (subscription required)
  13. Cheney, John L. Jr. (1974). North Carolina Government, 1585–1974. pp. 447-448.
  14. Alexander, Roberta Sue (1996). "Edward Jenner Warren". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  15. R. F. Armfield was at some point elected President pro tempore but then immediately became President of the Senate due to the vacancy in the office that resulted when Lt. Gov. Curtis Hooks Brogden succeeded to the governorship. (see NC Manual of 1913, p. 476, where Armfield is listed as president of the Senate)
  16. Powell, William S. (1991). "James Turner Morehead, Jr". Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  17. Clarence Stone was elected President pro tempore when the 1963 legislature convened, but since President of the Senate (Lt. Governor) Harvey Cloyd Philpott had died, Stone immediately became President of the Senate. The Senate then elected Scott as President pro tem. (News & Observer blog comment by state legislative drafting director Gerry Cohen)
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