Jude Hofschneider

Jude Hofschneider (born September 12, 1966) is an American Republican politician from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. He served as the 9th Lieutenant Governor. He was automatically elevated to this position on February 20, 2013, when the former lieutenant governor, Eloy S. Inos, assumed the governorship.

Hofschneider graduated from Reynolds High School in 1988. His initial civil service job was as a soil and water conservation coordinator. He went on to receive an associate degree from Northern Marianas College in 1996. Hofschneider then served as an environmental specialist in the Tinian Department of Public Works, and later the deputy director of that agency. He continued his education online through the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Phoenix.

Municipal office

In 2004, Hofschneider was elected to the Tinian & Aguiguan Municipal Council. He served for two years on the Association of Mariana Islands Mayors and Municipal Councilors (AMIM).

Commonwealth Legislature

In 2006, Hofschneider won election to the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature as a senator. In his seven years serving with that body, he acted in a variety of roles. From 2010 to 2013 he was the vice president of the Senate. In January 2013, he won election to the presidency of the Senate.

Lieutenant Governorship

Hofschneider took up the lieutenant governorship in February 2013. He has served as acting governor while the governor was out of the commonwealth. His term ended in 2015.