Only two individuals held the post of Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey during its colonial history. This position existed by direct commission from the British monarch only for two brief periods, 1702–09 and 1755–57. For most of the colonial period, in the event of the resignation, prolonged absence or death of the royal governor, the province would be administered by an "acting governor" who was the president of the Provincial Council (also called the "Governor's Council")—the upper house of the colonial legislature. The council presidency was an honorary ceremonial post given to the council's oldest member.Pulvis, Thomas L. Proprietors, Patronage and Paper Money: Legislative Politics in New Jersey 1703–76. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1986), passim.
