Lieutenant Governor of New York

Lieutenant Governor of New York
Seal of New York
Incumbent Kathy Hochul since January 1, 2015
Style	The Honorable
Term length	Four years, no term limit
Inaugural holder	Pierre Van Cortlandt 1778
Formation	New York State Constitution
Succession	First

The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of New York State. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term. Official duties dictated to the lieutenant governor under the present state constitution are to serve as President of the State Senate, serve as acting governor in the absence of the governor from the state or the disability of the governor, or to become governor in the event of the governor's death, resignation or removal from office via impeachment. Additional statutory duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve on the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments, the State Defense Council, and on the Board of Trustees of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The office is currently held by Kathy Hochul.

Most lieutenant governors take on other duties as assigned to them by the governor. For example, Mary Donohue took on duties in the areas of small business, school violence, and land-use planning, along with serving as a surrogate speaker for the governor in upstate New York. Donohue's predecessor, Betsy McCaughey Ross, worked on Medicare and education policy, prior to her falling out with Gov. George Pataki. Democrat Stan Lundine, who served under Gov. Mario Cuomo, was active on technology and housing issues during his two terms in office.