The governor of California is the head of government of California, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The current governor is Gavin Newsom, who has been in office since 2019.
Thirty-nine people have served as governor, over 40 distinct terms. Many have been influential nationwide in areas far-flung from state politics. Leland Stanford founded Stanford University in 1891. Earl Warren, later Chief Justice of the United States, won an election with the nominations of the three major parties – the only person to run essentially unopposed for governor of California. Ronald Reagan, who was president of the Screen Actors Guild and later President of the United States, and Arnold Schwarzenegger both came to prominence through acting.
Gray Davis, the 37th governor of California, was the second governor in American history to be recalled by voters. The shortest tenure was that of Milton Latham, who served only five days before being elected to fill a vacant United States Senate seat. The longest tenure is that of Jerry Brown, who served as governor from 1975 to 1983 and again from 2011 to 2019, the only governor to serve non-consecutive terms. He is the son of former governor Pat Brown who served from 1959 to 1967.
List of governors
California was obtained by the United States in the Mexican Cession following the Mexican–American War. Unlike most other states, it was never organized as a territory, and was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.
The original California Constitution of 1849 called for elections every two years, with no set start date for the term. An amendment ratified in 1862 increased the term to four years.[1] The 1879 constitution set the term to begin on the first Monday after January 1, following an election.[a] In 1990, Proposition 140 led to a constitutional amendment[2] implementing a term limit of two terms.[3]
Prior to this limit, only one governor, Earl Warren, served more than two terms. Jerry Brown was elected to a third term in 2010, because his previous terms were before the term limit was enacted. The 1849 constitution created the office of lieutenant governor, who, in cases of vacancy in the office of governor, becomes governor.[4] The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on the same ticket.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[b] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807–1895) [5][6][7] | December 20, 1849[8][c] – January 9, 1851 (resigned)[d] | Nonpartisan[e] | 1849 | John McDougal | ||||
| 2 |  | John McDougal (1818–1866) [10][11][12] | January 9, 1851[13] – January 8, 1852 (did not run) | Nonpartisan[f] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | David C. Broderick[g] (acting) | ||||
| 3 |  | John Bigler (1805–1871) [14][15][16] | January 8, 1852[17] – January 9, 1856 (lost election) | Democratic[18] | 1851 | Samuel Purdy | ||||
| 1853 | ||||||||||
| 4 |  | J. Neely Johnson (1825–1872) [19][20][21] | January 9, 1856[22] – January 8, 1858 (did not run) | American[23] | 1855 | Robert M. Anderson | ||||
| 5 |  | John B. Weller (1812–1875) [24][25][26] | January 8, 1858[27] – January 9, 1860 (did not run) | Democratic[23] | 1857 | Joseph Walkup | ||||
| 6 |  | Milton Latham (1827–1882) [28][29][30] | January 9, 1860[31] – January 14, 1860 (resigned)[h] | Lecompton Democratic[23] | 1859 | John G. Downey | ||||
| 7 | _a.jpg) | John G. Downey (1827–1894) [32][33][34] | January 14, 1860[35] – January 10, 1862 (did not run) | Lecompton Democratic[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Isaac N. Quinn (acting) (term ended January 7, 1861) | ||||
| Pablo de la Guerra (acting) | ||||||||||
| 8 |  | Leland Stanford (1824–1893) [37][38][39] | January 10, 1862[40] – December 10, 1863 (did not run)[i] | Republican[36] | 1861 | John F. Chellis | ||||
| 9 |  | Frederick Low (1828–1894) [42][43][44] | December 10, 1863[45] – December 5, 1867 (did not run) | Union[36] | 1863[j] | Tim N. Machin | ||||
| 10 | .jpg) | Henry Huntly Haight (1825–1878) [46][47][48] | December 5, 1867[49] – December 8, 1871 (lost election) | Democratic[36] | 1867 | William Holden | ||||
| 11 | .jpg) | Newton Booth (1825–1892) [50][51][52] | December 8, 1871[53] – February 27, 1875 (resigned)[k] | Republican[36] | 1871 | Romualdo Pacheco | ||||
| 12 |  | Romualdo Pacheco (1831–1899) [54][55][56] | February 27, 1875[57] – December 9, 1875 (did not run) | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | William Irwin[g] (acting) | ||||
| 13 |  | William Irwin (1827–1886) [58][59][60] | December 9, 1875[61] – January 8, 1880 (did not run) | Democratic[36] | 1875 | James A. Johnson | ||||
| 14 | .jpg) | George C. Perkins (1839–1923) [62][63][64] | January 8, 1880[65] – January 10, 1883 (did not run) | Republican[36] | 1879 | John Mansfield | ||||
| 15 |  | George Stoneman (1822–1894) [66][67][68] | January 10, 1883[69] – January 8, 1887 (did not run)[70] | Democratic[36] | 1882 | John Daggett | ||||
| 16 |  | Washington Bartlett (1824–1887) [71][72][73] | January 8, 1887[74] – September 12, 1887 (died in office) | Democratic[36] | 1886 | Robert Waterman[l] | ||||
| 17 |  | Robert Waterman (1826–1891) [75][76][77] | September 12, 1887[78] – January 8, 1891 (did not run) | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Stephen M. White[g] (acting) | ||||
| 18 | .jpg) | Henry Markham (1840–1923) [79][80][81] | January 8, 1891[82] – January 11, 1895 (did not run) | Republican[36] | 1890 | John B. Reddick | ||||
| 19 |  | James Budd (1851–1908) [83][84][85] | January 11, 1895[86] – January 4, 1899 (did not run)[83] | Democratic[36] | 1894 | Spencer G. Millard[l] (died October 24, 1895) | ||||
| Vacant | ||||||||||
| William T. Jeter (appointed October 26, 1895) | ||||||||||
| 20 | .jpg) | Henry T. Gage (1852–1924) [87][88][89] | January 4, 1899[90] – January 7, 1903 (lost nomination)[87] | Republican[36] | 1898 | Jacob H. Neff | ||||
| 21 |  | George Pardee (1857–1941) [91][92][93] | January 7, 1903[94] – January 9, 1907 (lost nomination)[91] | Republican[36] | 1902 | Alden Anderson | ||||
| 22 | .jpg) | James Gillett (1860–1937) [95][96][97] | January 9, 1907[98] – January 3, 1911 (did not run)[95] | Republican[36] | 1906 | Warren R. Porter | ||||
| 23 | .jpg) | Hiram Johnson (1866–1945) [99][100][101] | January 3, 1911[102] – March 15, 1917 (resigned)[m] | Republican[36] | 1910 | Albert Joseph Wallace | ||||
| Progressive[36] | 1914 | John M. Eshleman (died February 28, 1916) | ||||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||||
| William Stephens[l] (took office July 22, 1916) | ||||||||||
| 24 | .jpg) | William Stephens (1859–1944) [103][104][105] | March 15, 1917[106] – January 9, 1923 (lost nomination)[103] | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | ||||
| 1918 | C. C. Young | |||||||||
| 25 | .jpg) | Friend Richardson (1865–1943) [107][108][109] | January 9, 1923[110] – January 4, 1927 (lost nomination)[111] | Republican[36] | 1922 | |||||
| 26 |  | C. C. Young (1869–1947) [112][113][114] | January 4, 1927[115] – January 6, 1931 (lost nomination)[116] | Republican[36] | 1926 | Buron Fitts (resigned November 30, 1928) | ||||
| Vacant | ||||||||||
| Herschel L. Carnahan (appointed December 4, 1928) | ||||||||||
| 27 |  | James Rolph (1869–1934) [117][118][119] | January 6, 1931[120] – June 2, 1934 (died in office) | Republican[36] | 1930 | Frank Merriam | ||||
| 28 | .jpg) | Frank Merriam (1865–1955) [121][122][123] | June 2, 1934[124] – January 2, 1939 (lost election) | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | ||||
| 1934 | George J. Hatfield | |||||||||
| 29 | .jpg) | Culbert Olson (1876–1962) [125][126][127] | January 2, 1939[128] – January 4, 1943 (lost election) | Democratic[36] | 1938 | Ellis E. Patterson | ||||
| 30 | .jpg) | Earl Warren (1891–1974) [129][130][131] | January 4, 1943[132] – October 4, 1953 (resigned)[n] | Republican[o] | 1942 | Frederick F. Houser | ||||
| 1946 | Goodwin Knight | |||||||||
| 1950 | ||||||||||
| 31 | .jpg) | Goodwin Knight (1896–1970) [135][136][137] | October 5, 1953[138] – January 5, 1959 (did not run)[p] | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Harold J. Powers | ||||
| 1954 | ||||||||||
| 32 |  | Pat Brown (1905–1996) [139][140][141] | January 5, 1959[142] – January 2, 1967 (lost election) | Democratic[36] | 1958 | Glenn M. Anderson | ||||
| 1962 | ||||||||||
| 33 |  | Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) [143][144][145] | January 2, 1967[146] – January 6, 1975 (did not run)[143] | Republican[36] | 1966 | Robert Finch (resigned January 8, 1969) | ||||
| Edwin Reinecke (resigned October 2, 1974) | ||||||||||
| 1970 | ||||||||||
| John L. Harmer | ||||||||||
| 34 | .jpg) | Jerry Brown (b. 1938) [147][148][149] | January 6, 1975[150] – January 3, 1983 (did not run) | Democratic[36] | 1974 | Mervyn M. Dymally | ||||
| 1978 | Michael Curb[l] | |||||||||
| 35 |  | George Deukmejian (1928–2018) [151][152] | January 3, 1983[153] – January 7, 1991 (did not run) | Republican[152] | 1982 | Leo T. McCarthy[g] | ||||
| 1986 | ||||||||||
| 36 |  | Pete Wilson (b. 1933) [154][155] | January 7, 1991[156] – January 4, 1999 (term-limited)[q] | Republican[155] | 1990 | |||||
| 1994 | Gray Davis[g] | |||||||||
| 37 |  | Gray Davis (b. 1942) [158][159] | January 4, 1999[160] – November 17, 2003 (recalled)[r] | Democratic[159] | 1998 | Cruz Bustamante[g] | ||||
| 2002 | ||||||||||
| 38 |  | Arnold Schwarzenegger (b. 1947) [162][161] | November 17, 2003[163] – January 3, 2011 (term-limited)[q] | Republican[161] | 2003 (recall)[r] | |||||
| 2006 | John Garamendi[g] (resigned November 3, 2009) | |||||||||
| Mona Pasquil[g] (acting) | ||||||||||
| Abel Maldonado[l][s] (appointed April 27, 2010) | ||||||||||
| 39 |  | Jerry Brown (b. 1938) [148][164] | January 3, 2011[165] – January 7, 2019 (term-limited)[q] | Democratic[164] | 2010 | |||||
| Gavin Newsom[s] (took office January 10, 2011) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||||
| 40 | .jpg) | Gavin Newsom (b. 1967) [167][168] | January 7, 2019[169] – Incumbent[t] | Democratic[168] | 2018 | Eleni Kounalakis | ||||
| 2021 (recall)[u] | ||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||
See also
Notes
References
- General
- "Governors of California". California State Library. Official Site of the State of California. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- "Former California Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. I. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466015. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- 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.
- Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 978-0-930466-17-6.
- "Our Campaigns - Governor of California - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- Constitutions
- "Constitution of the State of California". Legislative Counsel of California. 1879. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
- "Constitution of the State of California". California Secretary of State. 1849. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- Specific
External links
