Pro tempore (abbreviated pro tem or p.t.) is a Latin phrase which means "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who temporarily acts in place of an elected or appointed official. Should the official, a mayor for example, be absent or unavailable for any reason, the pro tempore becomes the acting official (acting mayor in this case). The president pro tempore of the United States Senate has been elected by the Senate since it began 1789. In academic use a professor pro tempore is usually a temporary position. In legal use a judge pro tempore is often an attorney who has been temporarily appointed by a judge. It is also found as a phrase in many kinds of documents to simply mean "for the time being."