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List of Governors of California

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Number of Governors of California by party affiliation
Party Governors
Republican 22
Democratic 15
American 1
The following is a list of Governors of the State of California. The governor is the highest executive authority in California and commander-in-chief of the state militia, with the duty to enforce the laws of the state and the ability to veto bills passed by the legislature. The governor is also a member of the Regents of the University of California, the governing board of the University of California. Since becoming a state in 1850, 38 people have served as governor, all men, and there have been no non-consecutive terms.

According to the California Elections Code, elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November (§1001). The original California Constitution of 1849 had two-year terms for governor, increased to four years in an amendment ratified September 3 1862. In 1990, the electorate adopted an amendment to Article 5, §2 implementing a term limit of two terms; prior to this limit, only one governor had been elected to more than two terms, Earl Warren. The term of office of a governor begins on the first Monday after January 1 after the election.

Many governors of California have been influential nationwide, in areas far-flung from politics. Leland Stanford founded Stanford University in 1891. Earl Warren, the longest-serving governor, won an election with the nominations of the three major parties - the only person ever to run essentially unopposed for governor of California. He later became Chief Justice of the United States. Ronald Reagan, who was president of the Screen Actors Guild and later President of the United States, and current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger both came to prominence through acting. Gray Davis was the first governor of California, and second governor in American history, to be recalled by voters.

Governors

California was obtained by the United States in the Mexican Cession following the Mexican-American War. It bypassed territoryhood and was admitted as a state on September 9 1850. For the Spanish, Mexican, Bear Flag, military and territorial governors of Alta California prior to statehood, see list of pre-statehood governors of California. There have been 38 governors, each one serving a single distinct term.

# Picture Name Took office Left office Party Lieutenant Governor Terms
1 Peter Hardeman Burnett December 20 1849 January 9 1851 Democratic John McDougall ½
2 John McDougall January 9 1851 January 8 1852 Democratic David C. Broderick ½
3 John Bigler January 8 1852 January 9 1856 Democratic Samuel Purdy 2
4 J. Neely Johnson January 9 1856 January 8 1858 American Robert M. Anderson 1
5 John B. Weller January 8 1858 January 9 1860 Democratic John Walkup 1
6 Milton Latham January 9 1860 January 14 1860 Lecompton Democratic John G. Downey ½
7 John G. Downey January 14 1860 January 10 1862 Lecompton Democratic Isaac N. Quinn ½
Pablo de la Guerra
8 Leland Stanford January 10 1862 December 10 1863 Republican John F. Chellis 1
9 Frederick Low December 10 1863 December 5 1867 Unionist Republican Tim N. Machin 1
10 Henry Huntly Haight December 5 1867 December 8 1871 Democratic William Holden 1
11 Newton Booth December 8 1871 February 27 1875 Republican Romualdo Pacheco ½
12 Romualdo Pacheco February 27 1875 December 9 1875 Republican

 William Irwin ½
13 William Irwin December 9 1875 January 8 1880 Democratic James A. Johnson 1
14 George Clement Perkins January 8 1880 January 10 1883 Republican John Mansfield 1
15 George Stoneman January 10 1883 January 8 1887 Democratic John Daggett 1
16 Washington Bartlett January 8 1887 September 12 1887 Democratic

 Robert Waterman ½
17 Robert Waterman September 12 1887 January 8 1891 Republican

 Stephen M. White ½
18 Henry Markham January 8 1891 January 11 1895 Republican John B. Reddick 1
19 James Budd January 11 1895 January 4 1899 Democratic

 Spencer G. Millard 1
William T. Jeter
20 Henry Gage January 4 1899 January 6 1903 Republican Jacob H. Neff 1
21 George Pardee January 6 1903 January 9 1907 Republican Alden Anderson 1
22 James Gillett January 9 1907 January 3 1911 Republican Warren R. Porter 1
23 Hiram Johnson January 3 1911 March 15 1917 Republican, Progressive A. J. Wallace 1½
John M. Eshleman
William Stephens
24 William Stephens March 15 1917 January 9 1923 Republican vacant 1½
Clement C. Young
25 Friend Richardson January 9 1923 January 4 1927 Republican Clement C. Young 1
26 Clement C. Young January 4 1927 January 6 1931 Republican Buron Fitts 1
H. L. Carnahan
27 James Rolph Jr. January 6 1931 June 2 1934 Republican Frank Merriam ½
28 Frank Merriam June 2 1934 January 2 1939 Republican vacant 1½
George J. Hatfield
29 Culbert Olson January 2 1939 January 4 1943 Democratic Ellis E. Patterson 1
30 Earl Warren January 4 1943 October 5 1953 Republican, multiple Frederick F. Houser 2½
Goodwin Jess Knight
31 Goodwin Jess Knight October 5 1953 January 5 1959 Republican Harold J. Powers 1½
32 Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown, Sr. January 5 1959 January 3 1967 Democratic Glenn M. Anderson 2
33 Ronald Reagan January 3 1967 January 6 1975 Republican Robert Finch 2
Edwin Reinecke
John L. Harmer
34 Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. January 6 1975 January 3 1983 Democratic Mervyn M. Dymally 2
Michael Curb
35 George Deukmejian January 3 1983 January 7 1991 Republican

 Leo T. McCarthy 2
36 Pete Wilson January 7 1991 January 4 1999 Republican

 Leo T. McCarthy 2
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis
37 Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis January 4 1999 November 17 2003 Democratic Cruz Bustamante 1½
38 Arnold Schwarzenegger November 17 2003 Incumbent Republican

 Cruz Bustamante ½
John Garamendi

Notes

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented California except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Name Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
John Bigler 1852–1856 Ambassador to Chile
John B. Weller 1858–1860 S U.S. Representative from Ohio, Ambassador to Mexico
Milton Latham 1860 H S*
Leland Stanford 1862–1863 S
Frederick Low 1863–1867 H Ambassador to the Great Qing Empire (China)
Newton Booth 1871–1875 S*
Romualdo Pacheco 1875 H Ambassador to all of Central America, Guatemala, and Honduras
George Clement Perkins 1880–1883 S
Henry Markham 1891–1895 H
James Budd 1895–1899 H
Henry Gage 1899–1903 Ambassador to Portugal
James Gillett 1907–1911 H
Hiram Johnson 1911–1917 S
William Stephens 1917–1923 H
Earl Warren 1943–1953 Chief Justice of the United States*
Ronald Reagan 1967–1975 President of the United States
Pete Wilson 1991–1999 S

Living former governors

As of March 2008, four former governors were alive, the oldest being George Deukmejian (1983–1991, born 1928). The most recent governor to die was Ronald Reagan (1967–1975), on June 5 2004.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. 1975–1983 April 7 1938
George Deukmejian 1983–1991 July 6 1928
Pete Wilson 1991–1999 August 23 1933
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. 1999–2003 December 26 1942

See also

References

General

External links



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