- List of Governors of Michigan
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The Seal and Flag of the Governor of MichiganThe Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. His/her powers and responsibilities are provided for under Article V of the Constitution of Michigan. Rick Snyder is the incumbent governor, having taken office on January 1, 2011.
Contents
Courtesy title
The governor of Michigan traditionally receives the courtesy title of His/Her Excellency, though it has fallen out of use in recent years. [1] More commonly, the governor, as with other elected state office-holders, is addressed as The Honorable (abbreviated The Hon. or Hon.).
Territorial governors
Prior to becoming its own territory, parts of Michigan were part of Northwest Territory (see List of Governors of Ohio), Indiana Territory (see List of Governors of Indiana) and Illinois Territory (see List of Governors of Illinois).
The following are governors of the Territory of Michigan and the State of Michigan.
Name Dates served William Hull March 1, 1805 to October 29, 1813 Lewis Cass October 29, 1813 to August 6, 1831 George Bryan Porter August 6, 1831 to July 6, 1834 Stevens T. Mason[1] July 6, 1834 to September 15, 1835 John S. Horner[2] September 15, 1835 to July 3, 1836 State governors
From statehood until the election of 1966, governors were elected to two-year terms. Elections are held in November and the governor assumes office the following January, except in the case of death or resignation. From statehood until 1851, elections were held in odd-numbered years. A new state constitution was drafted in 1850 and took effect in 1851. As part of the process bringing the constitution into effect, there was a single one-year term of governor in 1851. Thereafter elections were held on even years.
The constitution adopted in 1963 changed the governor's term to four years, starting in 1967. Since then, gubernatorial elections have been offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, gubernatorial elections were in 1998 and 2002). The winner of the gubernatorial election takes office at noon on January 1 of the year following the election.
In 1992, an amendment to the Constitution of Michigan imposed a lifetime term limit of two four-year terms for the office of governor. Prior to this, they were not limited as to how many terms they could serve. John Engler, who was in the midst of his first term as Governor when the governor at the time, was allowed to run for two more terms in 1994 and 1998 before being prevented from running again in 2002.
# Name Took office Left office Party Lt. Governor Notes 1 Stevens T. Mason[2] October 6, 1835 January 7, 1840 Democratic Edward Mundy 2 William Woodbridge January 7, 1840 February 23, 1841 Whig J. Wright Gordon [3] 3 J. Wright Gordon February 23, 1841 January 3, 1842 Whig Thomas J. Drake [4] 4 John S. Barry January 3, 1842 January 5, 1846 Democratic Origen D. Richardson 5 Alpheus Felch January 5, 1846 March 3, 1847 Democratic William L. Greenly [3] 6 William L. Greenly March 4, 1847 January 3, 1848 Democratic Charles P. Bush [4] 7 Epaphroditus Ransom January 3, 1848 January 7, 1850 Democratic William M. Fenton 8 John S. Barry January 7, 1850 January 1, 1852 Democratic William M. Fenton 9 Robert McClelland[5] January 1, 1852 March 7, 1853 Democratic Calvin Britain [6] Andrew Parsons 10 Andrew Parsons March 8, 1853 January 3, 1855 Democratic George Griswold [4] 11 Kinsley S. Bingham January 3, 1855 January 5, 1859 Republican George Coe 12 Moses Wisner January 5, 1859 January 2, 1861 Republican Edmund B. Fairfield 13 Austin Blair January 2, 1861 January 3, 1865 Republican James M. Birney Joseph R. Williams Henry T. Backus Charles S. May 14 Henry H. Crapo January 3, 1865 January 6, 1869 Republican Ebenezer Grosvenor Dwight May 15 Henry P. Baldwin January 6, 1869 January 1, 1873 Republican Morgan Bates 16 John J. Bagley January 1, 1873 January 3, 1877 Republican Henry H. Holt 17 Charles Croswell January 3, 1877 January 1, 1881 Republican Alonzo Sessions 18 David Jerome January 1, 1881 January 1, 1883 Republican Moreau S. Crosby 19 Josiah Begole January 1, 1883 January 1, 1885 Democratic Moreau S. Crosby 20 Russell Alger January 1, 1885 January 1, 1887 Republican Archibald Buttars 21 Cyrus G. Luce January 1, 1887 January 1, 1891 Republican James H. MacDonald William Ball 22 Edwin B. Winans January 1, 1891 January 1, 1893 Democratic John Strong 23 John T. Rich January 1, 1893 January 1, 1897 Republican J. Wight Giddings Alfred Milnes Joseph R. McLaughlin 24 Hazen S. Pingree January 1, 1897 January 1, 1901 Republican Thomas B. Dunstan Orrin W. Robinson 25 Aaron T. Bliss January 1, 1901 January 1, 1905 Republican Orrin W. Robinson Alexander Maitland 26 Fred M. Warner January 1, 1905 January 2, 1911 Republican Alexander Maitland Patrick H. Kelley 27 Chase Osborn January 2, 1911 January 1, 1913 Republican John Q. Ross 28 Woodbridge Nathan Ferris January 1, 1913 January 1, 1917 Democratic John Q. Ross Luren Dickinson 29 Albert Sleeper January 1, 1917 January 1, 1921 Republican Luren Dickinson 30 Alex Groesbeck January 1, 1921 January 1, 1927 Republican Thomas Read George W. Welsh 31 Fred Green January 1, 1927 January 1, 1931 Republican Luren Dickinson 32 Wilber Marion Brucker January 1, 1931 January 1, 1933 Republican Luren Dickinson 33 William Comstock January 1, 1933 January 1, 1935 Democratic Allen E. Stebbins 34 Frank Fitzgerald January 1, 1935 January 1, 1937 Republican Thomas Read 35 Frank Murphy January 1, 1937 January 1, 1939 Democratic Leo J. Nowicki 36 Frank Fitzgerald January 1, 1939 March 16, 1939 Republican Luren Dickinson [7] 37 Luren Dickinson March 16, 1939 January 1, 1941 Republican Matilda Dodge Wilson [4] 38 Murray Van Wagoner January 1, 1941 January 1, 1943 Democratic Frank Murphy 39 Harry Kelly January 1, 1943 January 1, 1947 Republican Eugene C. Keyes Vernon J. Brown 40 Kim Sigler January 1, 1947 January 1, 1949 Republican Eugene C. Keyes 41 G. Mennen Williams January 1, 1949 January 1, 1961 Democratic John W. Connolly William C. Vandenberg Clarence A. Reid Philip A. Hart John B. Swainson 42 John Swainson January 1, 1961 January 1, 1963 Democratic T. John Lesinski 43 George W. Romney January 1, 1963 January 22, 1969 Republican T. John Lesinski [8] William Milliken 44 William Milliken January 22, 1969 January 1, 1983 Republican Thomas F. Schweigert [9] James H. Brickley James Damman James H. Brickley 45 James Blanchard January 1, 1983 January 1, 1991 Democratic Martha Griffiths 46 John Engler January 1, 1991 January 1, 2003 Republican Connie Binsfeld [10] Dick Posthumus 47 Jennifer Granholm January 1, 2003 January 1, 2011 Democratic John D. Cherry, Jr. 48 Rick Snyder January 1, 2011 Incumbent Republican Brian Calley See also
Notes
- ^ George Bryan Porter died in office on July 6, 1834. Territorial Secretary, Stevens T. Mason, was authorized to become Acting Governor, though there was no formal succession and he was never officially named as Territorial Governor.
- ^ a b On August 29, 1835, in order to appease Ohio over the Toledo War border dispute, President Andrew Jackson appointed Charles Shuler, a judge in Pennsylvania, to replace Stevens T. Mason as Secretary and Acting Governor. Shuler declined the appointment. On September 15, Jackson appointed John S. Horner as Secretary and Acting Governor to replace Mason, though Horner did not commence his duties until September 21, 1835. In October 1835, Michigan authorized a state constitution and elected Mason as governor of the new state, although the U.S. Congress did not recognize the state until 1837. Horner was mostly ignored by the people of Michigan and he became Secretary of Wisconsin Territory in July 1836.
- ^ a b Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ a b c d As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
- ^ After a new state constitution was drafted in 1850, McClelland was elected to a single one-year term in 1851. He was then re-elected to a full two-year term in 1852.
- ^ Resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior.
- ^ Died in office.
- ^ Resigned to become United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
- ^ As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
- ^ Binsfeld served during the first two terms; Posthumus served the third term.
Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Michigan. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
Living former governors
As of April 2011[update], four former governors were alive, the oldest being William Milliken (1969–1983, born 1922). The most recent governor to die was George W. Romney (1963–1969), on July 26, 1995.
Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth Age William Milliken 1969–1983 March 26, 1922 89 James Blanchard 1983–1991 August 8, 1942 69 John Engler 1991–2003 October 12, 1948 63 Jennifer Granholm 2003–2011 February 5, 1959 52 External links
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