The governor of Alabama is the head of government of the U.S. state of Alabama. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Alabama's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.
| Governor of Alabama | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the governor | |
 Standard of the governor | |
| Government of Alabama | |
| Style |
|
| Status | |
| Residence | Alabama Governor's Mansion |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once consecutively |
| Precursor | Governor of Alabama Territory |
| Inaugural holder | William Wyatt Bibb |
| Formation | December 14, 1819 |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Alabama |
| Salary | $127,833 (2022)[1] |
| Website | governor |
There have officially been 54 governors of the state of Alabama; this official numbering skips acting and military governors.[2] The first governor, William Wyatt Bibb, served as the only governor of the Alabama Territory. Five people have served as acting governor, bringing the total number of people serving as governor to 59, spread over 63 distinct terms. Four governors have served multiple non-consecutive terms: Bibb Graves, Jim Folsom, and Fob James each served two, and George Wallace served three non-consecutive periods. Officially, these non-consecutive terms are numbered only with the number of their first term. William D. Jelks also served non-consecutive terms, but his first term was in an acting capacity.
The longest-serving governor was George Wallace, who served 16 years over four terms. The shortest term for a non-acting governor was that of Hugh McVay, who served four and a half months after replacing the resigning Clement Comer Clay. Lurleen Wallace, the first wife of George Wallace, was the first woman to serve as governor of Alabama, and the third woman to serve as governor of any state. The current governor is Republican Kay Ivey, who took office on April 10, 2017 following Robert J. Bentley's resignation amidst a corruption scandal. She is the second female governor of Alabama.
List of governors
Territory of Alabama
Alabama Territory was formed on March 3, 1817, from Mississippi Territory.[3] It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state; he became the first state governor.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820) [4][5][6][7] | September 25, 1817[a] – November 9, 1819 (elected state governor) | James Monroe |
State of Alabama
.svg)
Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819.[13] It seceded from the Union on January 11, 1861,[14] and was a founding member of the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861.[15] Following the end of the American Civil War, Alabama during Reconstruction was part of the Third Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. Alabama was readmitted to the Union on July 14, 1868.[16]
The first Alabama Constitution, ratified in 1819, provided that a governor be elected every two years, limited to serve no more than 4 out of every 6 years. This limit remained in place until the constitution of 1868, which simply allowed governors to serve terms of two years. The current constitution of 1901 increased terms to four years, but prohibited governors from succeeding themselves. An amendment in 1968 allowed governors to succeed themselves once; a governor serving two consecutive terms can run again after waiting out the next term.[17] The constitution had no set date for the commencement of a governor's term until 1901, when it was set at the first Monday after the second Tuesday in the January following an election. However, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that a governor's term ends at midnight at the end of Monday, and the next governor's term begins the next day, regardless of if they were sworn in on Monday.[17][18]
The office of lieutenant governor was created in 1868, abolished in 1875, and recreated in 1901. According to the current constitution, should the governor be out of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor, and if the office of governor becomes vacant the lieutenant governor ascends to the governorship.[19]
Alabama was a strongly Democratic state before the Civil War, electing only candidates from the Democratic-Republican and Democratic parties. It had two Republican governors following Reconstruction, but after the Democratic Party re-established control, 112 years passed before voters chose another Republican.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[b][c][20] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820) [4][5][6][7] | November 9, 1819[21] – July 10, 1820 (died in office) | Democratic- Republican[22] | 1819 | Office did not exist | |||
| 2 |  | Thomas Bibb (1783–1839) [23][24][25] | July 10, 1820[d] – November 9, 1821 (did not run)[25] | Democratic- Republican[28] | Succeeded from president of the Senate | ||||
| 3 |  | Israel Pickens (1780–1827) [29][30][31] | November 9, 1821[32] – November 25, 1825 (term-limited)[e] | Democratic- Republican[22] | 1821 | ||||
| 1823 | |||||||||
| 4 |  | John Murphy (d. 1841) [34][35][36] | November 25, 1825[37] – November 21, 1829 (term-limited)[e] | Jackson Democrat[38] | 1825 | ||||
| 1827 | |||||||||
| 5 |  | Gabriel Moore (1785–1844) [39][40][41] | November 21, 1829[42] – March 3, 1831 (resigned)[f] | Jackson Democrat[38] | 1829 | ||||
| 6 |  | Samuel B. Moore (1789–1846) [43][44][45] | March 3, 1831[46] – November 26, 1831 (lost election) | Jackson Democrat[28] | Succeeded from president of the Senate | ||||
| 7 |  | John Gayle (1792–1859) [47][48][49] | November 26, 1831[50] – November 21, 1835 (term-limited)[e] | Jackson Democrat[51] | 1831 | ||||
| Democratic[51] | 1833 | ||||||||
| 8 |  | Clement Comer Clay (1789–1866) [52][53][54] | November 21, 1835[55] – July 17, 1837[g] (resigned)[h] | Democratic[51] | 1835 | ||||
| 9 |  | Hugh McVay (1766–1851) [58][59][60] | July 17, 1837[g] – November 21, 1837 (successor took office) | Democratic[28] | Succeeded from president of the Senate | ||||
| 10 |  | Arthur P. Bagby (1794–1858) [61][62][63] | November 21, 1837[64] – November 22, 1841 (term-limited)[e] | Democratic[65] | 1837 | ||||
| 1839 | |||||||||
| 11 |  | Benjamin Fitzpatrick (1802–1869) [66][67][68] | November 22, 1841[69] – December 9, 1845 (term-limited)[e] | Democratic[70] | 1841 | ||||
| 1843 | |||||||||
| 12 |  | Joshua L. Martin (1799–1856) [71][72][73] | December 9, 1845[74] – December 16, 1847 (did not run)[i] | Independent[j] | 1845 | ||||
| 13 |  | Reuben Chapman (1799–1882) [77][78][79] | December 16, 1847[80] – December 17, 1849 (lost nomination)[81] | Democratic[76] | 1847 | ||||
| 14 |  | Henry W. Collier (1801–1855) [82][83][84] | December 17, 1849[85] – December 20, 1853 (term-limited)[e] | Democratic[86] | 1849 | ||||
| 1851 | |||||||||
| 15 |  | John A. Winston (1812–1871) [87][88][89] | December 20, 1853[90] – December 1, 1857 (term-limited)[e] | Democratic[91] | 1853 | ||||
| 1855 | |||||||||
| 16 |  | Andrew B. Moore (1807–1873) [92][93][94] | December 1, 1857[95] – December 2, 1861 (term-limited)[e] | Democratic[96] | 1857 | ||||
| 1859 | |||||||||
| 17 |  | John Gill Shorter (1818–1872) [97][98][99] | December 2, 1861[100] – December 1, 1863 (lost election)[99] | Democratic[28] | 1861 | ||||
| 18 |  | Thomas H. Watts (1819–1892) [101][102][103] | December 1, 1863[104] – May 3, 1865[k] (arrested and removed)[l] | Whig[28] | 1863 | ||||
| — | Vacant | May 3, 1865[k] – June 21, 1865 | Office vacated after civil war | ||||||
| 19 |  | Lewis E. Parsons (1817–1895) [107][108][109] | June 21, 1865[110] – December 13, 1865 (successor took office) | Provisional governor appointed by President[28] | |||||
| 20 |  | Robert M. Patton (1809–1885) [111][112][113] | December 13, 1865[114] – July 13, 1868[m] (did not run) | Nonpartisan[n] | 1865 | ||||
| — |  | Wager Swayne (1834–1902) [122] | March 2, 1867[o] – January 11, 1868 (removed)[p] | Military occupation[q] | |||||
| 21 |  | William Hugh Smith (1826–1899) [118][123][124] | July 13, 1868[m] – November 26, 1870[r] (lost election) | Republican[28] | 1868 | Andrew J. Applegate (died August 21, 1870) | |||
| Vacant | |||||||||
| 22 |  | Robert B. Lindsay (1824–1902) [126][127][128] | November 26, 1870[129] – November 25, 1872 (did not run)[128] | Democratic[28] | 1870[r] | Edward H. Moren | |||
| 23 |  | David P. Lewis (1820–1884) [130][131][132] | November 25, 1872[133][134] – November 24, 1874 (lost election) | Republican[28] | 1872 | Alexander McKinstry | |||
| 24 |  | George S. Houston (1811–1879) [135][136][137] | November 24, 1874[138] – November 27, 1878 (did not run)[s] | Democratic[28] | 1874 | Robert F. Ligon | |||
| 1876 | Office did not exist | ||||||||
| 25 |  | Rufus W. Cobb (1829–1913) [139][140][141] | November 27, 1878[142] – December 1, 1882 (did not run) | Democratic[28] | 1878 | ||||
| 1880 | |||||||||
| 26 |  | Edward A. O'Neal (1818–1890) [143][144][145] | December 1, 1882[146] – December 1, 1886 (did not run) | Democratic[28] | 1882 | ||||
| 1884 | |||||||||
| 27 |  | Thomas Seay (1846–1896) [147][148][149] | December 1, 1886[150] – December 1, 1890 (did not run)[t] | Democratic[28] | 1886 | ||||
| 1888 | |||||||||
| 28 |  | Thomas G. Jones (1844–1914) [151][152][153] | December 1, 1890[154] – December 1, 1894 (did not run)[153] | Democratic[28] | 1890 | ||||
| 1892 | |||||||||
| 29 |  | William C. Oates (1835–1910) [155][156][157] | December 1, 1894[158] – December 1, 1896 (did not run)[157] | Democratic[28] | 1894 | ||||
| 30 |  | Joseph F. Johnston (1843–1913) [159][160][161] | December 1, 1896[162] – December 1, 1900 (did not run)[u] | Democratic[28] | 1896 | ||||
| 1898 | |||||||||
| — |  | William D. Jelks (1855–1931) [163][164][165] | December 1, 1900 – December 26, 1900 (acting)[v] | Democratic[28] | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 31 |  | William J. Samford (1844–1901) [167][169][170] | December 1, 1900[v] – June 11, 1901 (died in office) | Democratic[28] | 1900 | ||||
| 32 | | William D. Jelks (1855–1931) [163][164][165] | June 11, 1901[171] – January 14, 1907 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | Succeeded from president of the Senate | ||||
| 1902 | Russell McWhortor Cunningham (acted as governor April 25, 1904–March 5, 1905)[x] | ||||||||
| 33 |  | B. B. Comer (1848–1927) [176][177][178] | January 14, 1907[179] – January 16, 1911 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1906 | Henry B. Gray | |||
| 34 |  | Emmet O'Neal (1853–1922) [180][181][182] | January 17, 1911[y] – January 18, 1915 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1910 | Walter D. Seed Sr. | |||
| 35 |  | Charles Henderson (1860–1937) [185][186][187] | January 19, 1915[188][y] – January 20, 1919 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1914 | Thomas Kilby | |||
| 36 |  | Thomas Kilby (1865–1943) [189][190][191] | January 21, 1919[192][y] – January 15, 1923 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1918 | Nathan Lee Miller | |||
| 37 |  | William W. Brandon (1868–1934) [193][194][195] | January 16, 1923[196][y] – January 17, 1927 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1922 | Charles S. McDowell (acted as governor July 10, 1924–July 11, 1924)[z] | |||
| 38 |  | Bibb Graves (1873–1942) [197][198][199] | January 18, 1927[200][y] – January 19, 1931 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1926 | William C. Davis | |||
| 39 | .jpg) | Benjamin M. Miller (1864–1944) [201][202][203] | January 20, 1931[204][y] – January 14, 1935 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1930 | Hugh Davis Merrill | |||
| 38 |  | Bibb Graves (1873–1942) [197][198][199] | January 15, 1935[205][y] – January 16, 1939 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1934 | Thomas E. Knight (died May 17, 1937) | |||
| Vacant | |||||||||
| 40 |  | Frank M. Dixon (1892–1965) [206][207][208] | January 17, 1939[209][y] – January 18, 1943 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1938 | Albert A. Carmichael | |||
| 41 |  | Chauncey Sparks (1884–1968) [210][211][212] | January 19, 1943[213][y] – January 20, 1947 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1942 | Leven H. Ellis | |||
| 42 |  | Jim Folsom (1908–1987) [214][215][216] | January 21, 1947[217][y] – January 15, 1951 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1946 | James C. Inzer | |||
| 43 |  | Gordon Persons (1902–1965) [218][219][220] | January 16, 1951[221][y] – January 17, 1955 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1950 | James Allen | |||
| 42 | | Jim Folsom (1908–1987) [214][215][216] | January 18, 1955[222][y] – January 19, 1959 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1954 | William G. Hardwick | |||
| 44 |  | John M. Patterson (1921–2021) [223][224][225] | January 20, 1959[226][y] – January 14, 1963 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1958 | Albert Boutwell | |||
| 45 | _(3x4).jpg) | George Wallace (1919–1998) [227][228][229] | January 15, 1963[230][y] – January 16, 1967 (term-limited)[w] | Democratic[28] | 1962 | James Allen | |||
| 46 |  | Lurleen Wallace (1926–1968) [227][231][232] | January 17, 1967[233][y] – May 7, 1968 (died in office) | Democratic[28] | 1966 | Albert Brewer (acted as governor July 25, 1967)[aa] | |||
| 47 |  | Albert Brewer (1928–2017) [235][236][237] | May 7, 1968[238] – January 18, 1971 (lost nomination)[235] | Democratic[28] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 45 | | George Wallace (1919–1998) [227][228][229] | January 19, 1971[239][y] – January 15, 1979 (term-limited)[ab] | Democratic[28] | 1970 | Jere Beasley (acted as governor June 5, 1972–July 7, 1972)[ac] | |||
| 1974 | |||||||||
| 48 | .jpg) | Fob James (b. 1934) [243][244] | January 16, 1979[245][y] – January 17, 1983 (did not run)[244] | Democratic[244] | 1978 | George McMillan | |||
| 45 | | George Wallace (1919–1998) [227][228][229] | January 18, 1983[246][y] – January 19, 1987 (did not run)[229] | Democratic[229] | 1982 | Bill Baxley | |||
| 49 |  | H. Guy Hunt (1933–2009) [247][248] | January 20, 1987[249][y] – April 22, 1993 (removed from office)[ad] | Republican[248] | 1986 | Jim Folsom Jr.[ae] | |||
| 1990 | |||||||||
| 50 |  | Jim Folsom Jr. (b. 1949) [252][253] | April 22, 1993[250] – January 16, 1995 (lost election) | Democratic[253] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 48 | | Fob James (b. 1934) [243][244] | January 17, 1995[254][y] – January 18, 1999 (lost election) | Republican[244] | 1994 | Don Siegelman[ae] | |||
| 51 | .jpg) | Don Siegelman (b. 1946) [255][256] | January 19, 1999[257][y] – January 20, 2003 (lost election) | Democratic[256] | 1998 | Steve Windom[af] | |||
| 52 | .jpg) | Bob Riley (b. 1944) [258][259] | January 21, 2003[260][y] – January 17, 2011 (term-limited)[ab] | Republican[259] | 2002 | Lucy Baxley[ae] | |||
| 2006 | Jim Folsom Jr.[ae] | ||||||||
| 53 | .jpg) | Robert J. Bentley (b. 1943) [261][262] | January 18, 2011[263][y] – April 10, 2017 (resigned)[ag] | Republican[262] | 2010 | Kay Ivey | |||
| 2014 | |||||||||
| 54 | .jpg) | Kay Ivey (b. 1944) [265][266] | April 10, 2017[267] – Incumbent[ah] | Republican[266] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 2018 | Will Ainsworth | ||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||
See also
Notes
References
- General
- "Alabama Governors". Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Former Alabama Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. I. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466015. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). Biographical directory of American territorial governors. Meckler. ISBN 978-0-930466-11-4. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5646-8.
- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 978-0-930466-17-6.
- "Our Campaigns - Governor of Alabama - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "Our Campaigns - Governor of Alabama (CSA) - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- Specific
External links
