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President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate

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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 tempore actually holds most of the power and presides in the absence of the Lt. Governor. The president pro tempore, 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
State seal
Incumbent
Phil Berger
since January 26, 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 tempore 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 tempore 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 tempore.

History

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Upon Republican Jim Gardner's assumption of lieutenant gubernatorial office in 1989, Democrats in the Senate modified the body's rules, transferring the powers to appoint committees and assign bills away from the lieutenant governor and to the president pro tempore. This dramatically increased the influence of the latter position.[1]

Powers and duties

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The president pro tempore is responsible for appointing the members of the Senate's committees at the opening of each legislative session.[2] They also have the power to appoint some members of state executive boards.[3]

North Carolina Senate presiding officers

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Speakers

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

The following members were elected speakers of the Senate:[4][5][6][7]

Presidents pro tempore

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James L. Robinson 1876–1877

The following members were elected president pro tempore of the Senate:[4][5][7][15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ McLaughlin, Mike (January 1994). "President Pro Tem's Office Evolves into Senate Power Center" (PDF). N.C. Insight. N.C. Center for Public Policy Research. pp. 40–41.
  2. ^ "Structure of the North Carolina General Assembly". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  3. ^ Cooper & Knotts 2012, p. 145.
  4. ^ a b Connor, R. D. D. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina (PDF). Raleigh: North Carolina Historical Commission. pp. 453–. Retrieved April 27, 2019., Alternate link
  5. ^ a b Wheeler, John H. (1874). "The Legislative Manual and Political Register of the State of North Carolina". Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "Session Laws: North Carolina". HeinOnline. New York: William S. Hein & Co., Inc. Retrieved March 22, 2019. (subscription required)
  7. ^ a b Lewis, J. D. "NC Revolution State House 1780". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Carraway, Gertrude (1979). "James Coor". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  9. ^ Robinson, Blackwell P. (1979). "David Caldwell". NCPedia. Retrieved Oct 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Keating, Mary R. (1996). "Hugh Waddell". NCPedia. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  11. ^ "North Carolina portrait index, 1700-1860". NCDCR.gov. 1963. p. 234.
  12. ^ a b c Murphy, Eva (1988). "Andrew Joyner". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  13. ^ Johnston, Hugh Buckner (1996). "Louis Dicken Wilson". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Humber, John L. (1986). "Calvin Graves". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Cheney, John L. Jr. (1974). North Carolina Government, 1585–1974. pp. 447–448.
  16. ^ Alexander, Roberta Sue (1996). "Edward Jenner Warren". NCPedia. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  17. ^ 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)
  18. ^ Powell, William S. (1991). "James Turner Morehead, Jr". Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  19. ^ Hunt, James L. "The Making of a Populist: Marion Butler, 1863-1895: Part I." The North Carolina Historical Review, vol. 62, no. 1, 1985, pp. 53–77. "Butler vigorously attacked Kerr and other conservative Democrats."
  20. ^ Biographical Sketches of the members of the General Assembly, 1895
  21. ^ T. 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)

Works cited

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