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The governor of Virginia is the state's head of government and commander-in-chief of the state's official national guard. The first Constitution of 1776 created the office of governor, to be elected annually by the Virginia State Legislature. The governor could serve up to three years at a time, and once out of office, could not serve again for four years. The 1830 constitution changed the thrice-renewable one-year term length to a non-renewable three-year term, and set the start date at the first day in January following an election. This constitution also prevented governors from succeeding themselves, a prohibition that exists to the present day. The 1851 Constitution increased terms to four years and made the office elected by the people, rather than the legislature. The commencement of the Governor's term was moved to the first day in February by the 1902 Constitution, and then to the Saturday after the second Wednesday in January by the 1971 and current Constitution.

If the office of governor is vacant due to disqualification, death, or resignation, the lieutenant governor of Virginia becomes governor. The office of lieutenant governor was created in 1851. Prior to that a Council of State existed; it chose from among its members a president who would be "lieutenant-governor" and would act as governor when there was a vacancy in that office.

Officially, there have been 74 governors of Virginia; the acting governors are not counted.

President of the Committee for Public Safety

Parties:

#	Picture	President	Took office	Left office	Party
1		Edmund Pendleton	August 16, 1775	July 5, 1776	None

List of governors (1776–1852)

Virginia was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and was admitted as a state on June 25, 1788. Before it declared its independence, Virginia was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain. It seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861, and was admitted to the Confederate States of America on May 7, 1861. Following the end of the American Civil War, Virginia during Reconstruction constituted the First Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. Virginia was readmitted to the Union on January 26, 1870.

The federal government recognized the Restored Government of Virginia, based in Wheeling, as the legitimate government in Virginia on June 25, 1861. It elected its own slate of governors, and after West Virginia was split from Virginia on June 20, 1863, the restored government relocated to Alexandria.

Governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Patrick Henry (1736–1799)	July 6, 1776 – June 1, 1779 (term-limited)	None	1776	Office did not exist
						1777
						1778
2			Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)	June 1, 1779 – June 4, 1781 (did not run)	None	1779
						1780
3			William Fleming (1727–1795)	June 4, 1781 – June 12, 1781 (did not run)	None	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
4			Thomas Nelson Jr. (1738–1789)	June 12, 1781 – November 22, 1781 (resigned)	None	1781 (special)
–			David Jameson (1723–1793)	November 22, 1781 – December 1, 1781 (did not run)	None	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
5			Benjamin Harrison V (1726–1791)	December 1, 1781 – November 30, 1784 (term-limited)	None	1781
						1782
						1783
6			Patrick Henry (1736–1799)	November 30, 1784 – November 30, 1786 (did not run)	None	1784
						1785
7			Edmund Randolph (1753–1813)	November 30, 1786 – November 12, 1788 (did not run)	None	1786
						1787
8			Beverley Randolph (1754–1797)	November 12, 1788 – December 1, 1791 (term-limited)	None	1788
						1789
						1790
9			Henry Lee III (1756–1818)	December 1, 1791 – December 1, 1794 (term-limited)	Federalist	1791
						1792
						1793
10			Robert Brooke (d. 1800)	December 1, 1794 – November 30, 1796 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	1794
						1795
11			James Wood (1741–1813)	November 30, 1796 – December 19, 1799 (term-limited)	Federalist	1796
						1797
						1798
12			James Monroe (1758–1831)	December 19, 1799 – December 24, 1802 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1799
						1800
						1801
13			John Page (1743–1808)	December 24, 1802 – December 11, 1805 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1802
						1803
						1804
14			William H. Cabell (1772–1853)	December 11, 1805 – December 12, 1808 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1805
						1806
						1807
15			John Tyler Sr. (1747–1813)	December 12, 1808 – January 15, 1811 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1808
						1809
						1810
—			George William Smith (1762–1811)	January 15, 1811 – January 19, 1811 (lost election)	Democratic- Republican	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
16			James Monroe (1758–1831)	January 19, 1811 – April 3, 1811 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1811 special
17			George William Smith (1762–1811)	April 3, 1811 – December 26, 1811 (died in office)	Democratic- Republican	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
						1811
—			Peyton Randolph (1779–1828)	December 27, 1811 – January 4, 1812 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
18			James Barbour (1775–1842)	January 4, 1812 – December 11, 1814 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	Jan. 1812
						1812
						1813
19			Wilson Cary Nicholas (1761–1820)	December 11, 1814 – December 11, 1816 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	1814
						1815
20			James Patton Preston (1774–1843)	December 11, 1816 – December 11, 1819 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1816
						1817
						1818
21			Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. (1768–1828)	December 11, 1819 – December 11, 1822 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1819
						1820
						1821
22			James Pleasants (1769–1836)	December 11, 1822 – December 11, 1825 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1822
						1823
						1824
23			John Tyler (1790–1862)	December 11, 1825 – March 4, 1827 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1825
24			William Branch Giles (1762–1830)	March 4, 1827 – March 4, 1830 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1827
						1828
						1829
25			John Floyd (1783–1837)	March 4, 1830 – March 31, 1834 (term-limited)	Democratic	1830
						1831
26			Littleton Waller Tazewell (1774–1860)	March 31, 1834 – March 30, 1836 (resigned)	Democratic	1834
—			Wyndham Robertson (1803–1888)	March 30, 1836 – March 31, 1837 ()	Whig	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
27			David Campbell (1779–1859)	March 31, 1837 – March 31, 1840 (term-limited)	Democratic	1837
28			Thomas Walker Gilmer (1802–1844)	March 31, 1840 – March 20, 1841 (resigned)	Whig	1840
—			John M. Patton (1797–1858)	March 20, 1841 – March 31, 1841 (successor took office)	Whig	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
—			John Rutherfoord (1792–1866)	March 31, 1841 – March 31, 1842 (successor took office)	Democratic	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
—			John Munford Gregory (1804–1884)	March 31, 1842 – January 5, 1843 (successor took office)	Whig	Senior member of Governor's Council acting
29			James McDowell (1775–1851)	January 5, 1843 – January 1, 1846 (term-limited)	Democratic	1842
30			William Smith (1797–1887)	January 1, 1846 – January 1, 1849 (term-limited)	Democratic	1845
31			John B. Floyd (1806–1863)	January 1, 1849 – January 1, 1852 (term-limited)	Democratic	1848

Governors under the constitution of 1851

Governors are elected to one term of four years, cannot run for consecutive terms.

Governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia (1851–present)

No.	Governor			Party	Term in office	Time in Office	Election	Lieutenant Governor		Notes
32			Joseph Johnson	Democratic	January 1, 1852 – January 1, 1856 (term limited)	4 years	1851		Shelton Leake	First popularly elected
33			Henry A. Wise	Democratic	January 1, 1856 – January 1, 1860 (term limited)	4 years	1855		Elisha W. McComas
									William Lowther Jackson
34			John Letcher	Democratic	January 1, 1860 – January 1, 1864 (Overthrown)	1 year, 5 months undisputed; 4 years total	1859		Robert Latane Montague	Disputed with Francis Harrison Pierpont from May 15, 1861 onward.
-			William Smith	Democratic	January 1, 1864 – May 9, 1865	1 year, 4 months	1863		Samuel Price	Disputed with Francis Harrison Pierpont throughout
State government dissolved
35			Francis Harrison Pierpont	Republican	May 15, 1861 – April 4, 1868	7 years	Elected by Wheeling Convention		Daniel Polsley
									Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper
—			Henry H. Wells	Republican	April 4, 1868 – September 21, 1869 (Acting)	1.5 years	Appointed by First Military District
36			Gilbert Carlton Walker	Republican	September 21, 1869 – January 1, 1870	1 year, 3 months	Appointed by First Military District		John F. Lewis
	State government reestablished with popular elections
			Gilbert Carlton Walker	Democratic	January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1874 (term limited)	4 years	1869		John Lawrence Marye Jr.	Switched from Republican to Democratic Party
37			James L. Kemper	Democratic	January 1, 1874 – January 1, 1878 (term limited)	4 years	1873		Robert E. Withers
									Henry Wirtz Thomas
38			Frederick Holiday	Democratic	January 1, 1878 – January 1, 1882 (term limited)	4 years	1877		James A. Walker
39			William E. Cameron	Readjuster	January 1, 1882 – January 1, 1886 (term limited)	4 years	1881		John F. Lewis
40			Fitzhugh Lee	Democratic	January 1, 1886 – January 1, 1890 (term limited)	4 years	1885		John E. Massey
41			Philip W. McKinney	Democratic	January 1, 1890 – January 1, 1894 (term limited)	4 years	1889		James H. Tyler
42			Charles Triplett O'Ferrall	Democratic	January 1, 1894 – January 1, 1898 (term limited)	4 years	1893		Robert C. Kent
43			James Hoge Tyler	Democratic	January 1, 1898 – January 1, 1902 (term limited)	4 years	1897		Edward Echols
44			Andrew Jackson Montague	Democratic	January 1, 1902 – February 1, 1906 (term limited)	4 years, 1 month	1901		Joseph Edward Willard
45			Claude A. Swanson	Democratic	February 1, 1906 – February 1, 1910 (term limited)	4 years	1905		James Taylor Ellyson
46			William Hodges Mann	Democratic	February 1, 1910 – February 1, 1914 (term limited)	4 years	1909
47			Henry Carter Stuart	Democratic	February 1, 1914 – February 1, 1918 (term limited)	4 years	1913
48			Westmoreland Davis	Democratic	February 1, 1918 – February 1, 1922 (term limited)	4 years	1917		Benjamin Franklin Buchanan
49			Elbert Lee Trinkle	Democratic	February 1, 1922 – February 1, 1926 (term limited)	4 years	1921		Junius Edgar West
50			Harry F. Byrd	Democratic	February 1, 1926 – January 15, 1930 (term limited)	4 years	1925
51			John Garland Pollard	Democratic	January 15, 1930 – January 16, 1934 (term limited)	4 years	1929		James Hubert Price
52			George C. Peery	Democratic	January 17, 1934 – January 18, 1938 (term limited)	4 years	1933
53			James Hubert Price	Democratic	January 19, 1938 – January 20, 1942 (term limited)	4 years	1937		Saxon W. Holt (Died)
									Vacant
54			Colgate Darden	Democratic	January 21, 1942 – January 15, 1946 (term limited)	4 years	1941		William M. Tuck
55			William M. Tuck	Democratic	January 16, 1946 – January 17, 1950 (term limited)	4 years	1945		Lewis Preston Collins II (Died)
56			John S. Battle	Democratic	January 18, 1950 – January 19, 1954 (term limited)	4 years	1949
									Vacant
									Allie Edward Stakes Stephens
57			Thomas B. Stanley	Democratic	January 20, 1954 – January 11, 1958 (term limited)	4 years	1953
58			J. Lindsay Almond	Democratic	January 11, 1958 – January 13, 1962 (term limited)	4 years	1957
59			Albertis Harrison	Democratic	January 13, 1962 – January 15, 1966 (term limited)	4 years	1961		Mills Godwin
60			Mills Godwin	Democratic	January 15, 1966 – January 17, 1970 (term limited)	4 years	1965		Fred G. Pollard
61			Linwood Holton	Republican	January 17, 1970 – January 12, 1974 (term limited)	4 years	1969		J. Sargeant Reynolds (Died)
									Vacant
									Henry Howell
62			Mills Godwin	Republican	January 12, 1974 – January 14, 1978 (term limited)	4 years	1973		John N. Dalton	2nd time Changed parties
63			John N. Dalton	Republican	January 14, 1978 – January 16, 1982 (term limited)	4 years	1977		Chuck Robb
64			Chuck Robb	Democratic	January 16, 1982 – January 11, 1986 (term limited)	4 years	1981		Gerald L. Baliles
65			Gerald Baliles	Democratic	January 11, 1986 – January 13, 1990 (term limited)	4 years	1985		Douglas Wilder
66			Douglas Wilder	Democratic	January 13, 1990 – January 15, 1994 (term limited)	4 years	1989		Don Beyer	First African American elected governor in U.S. history
67			George Allen	Republican	January 15, 1994 – January 17, 1998 (term limited)	4 years	1993
68			Jim Gilmore	Republican	January 17, 1998 – January 12, 2002 (term limited)	4 years	1997		John H. Hager
69			Mark Warner	Democratic	January 12, 2002 – January 14, 2006 (term limited)	4 years	2001		Tim Kaine
70			Tim Kaine	Democratic	January 14, 2006 – January 16, 2010 (term limited)	4 years	2005		Bill Bolling
71			Bob McDonnell	Republican	January 16, 2010 – January 11, 2014 (term limited)	4 years	2009
72			Terry McAuliffe	Democratic	January 11, 2014 – January 13, 2018 (term limited)	4 years	2013		Ralph Northam
73			Ralph Northam	Democratic	January 13, 2018 – January 15, 2022 (term limited)	4 years	2017		Justin Fairfax
74			Glenn Youngkin	Republican	January 15, 2022 – Incumbent	2 years, 352 days	2021		Winsome Sears

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Virginia
• List of Virginia state legislatures
• First ladies of Virginia

Notes

1. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
2. Jefferson refused re-election and left office at the end of his term. As the legislature had not yet elected a successor, due in part to chaos stemming from the Raid on Richmond, Fleming acted as governor until the next election.
3. Nelson resigned due to ill health.
4. Many sources say that Hardin Burnley acted as governor, either from February 7, 1799, or December 7, serving until he resigned due to poor health on December 11, at which time John Pendleton Jr. took over as acting governor until Monroe became governor on December 19. However, details of their terms are sparse and it's unknown how official their capacity was, and Sobel's entry on Wood mentions no acting governors and says that he left office on December 19.
5. Tyler resigned, having been appointed the United States District Court for the District of Virginia.
6. Monroe resigned, having been appointed United States Secretary of State.
7. Tyler resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.
8. Tazewell resigned over disagreements with the General Assembly.
9. Gilmer had been elected to the United States House of Representatives, but delayed his resignation, finally resigning due to a disagreement with the General Assembly on extradition.
10. ^ After Gilmer's resignation, Patton acted as governor until the election, but the General Assembly failed to elect a successor, so the senior members of the Governor's Council each acted as governor for a year.
11. Years are rounded
12. The United States government no longer recognized Letcher as Virginia's governor. Instead, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Francis Harrison Pierpont as governor.
13. Inauguration day moved one month later
14. Youngkin's term will expire on January 17, 2026. He will be term-limited.
15. As of January 1, 2025

References

General

• "Former Virginia Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
• Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. IV. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466008. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
• Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved June 15, 2023.

Specific

1. ^ 1776 Const.
2. 1830 Const. Art IV section 1.
3. VA Const. Art V sec 1
4. 1851 Const. art V section 1.
5. 1851 Const. Art V section 2.
6. 1902 Const. Art V section 69.
7. VA Const. art V section 1.
8. VA Const. Art V section 16.
9. 1851 Const. art V section 8.
10. 1830 Const. art IV section 5.
11. "Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Virginia; June 26, 1788". The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
12. "Secession Ordinances of 13 Confederate States". University of Houston. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
13. An Act to admit the Commonwealth of Virginia as a member of the Confederate States of America Archived August 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 8, 2015
14. 16 Stat. 62
15. ^ "Patrick Henry". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
16. "Fifth Virginia Revolutionary Convention Elected Patrick Henry Governor, June 29, 1776". edu.lva.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
17. "Thomas Jefferson". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
18. "Thomas Jefferson's Election to Governor; an excerpt from the Journal of the House of Delegates (June 1, 1779)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
19. ^ "William Fleming". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
20. ^ Kallenbach pp. 613–616
21. ^ "Governor of Virginia". Monticello. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
22. "Thomas Nelson". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
23. "David Jameson". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
24. ^ History, The Hornbook of Virginia. "Governors of Virginia". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
25. "Benjamin Harrison". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
26. ^ "Edmund Randolph". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023. Cite error: The named reference "nga-randolph" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
27. ^ Sobel p. 1623 Cite error: The named reference "sobel-randolph" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
28. Sobel pp. 1623–1624
29. "Henry Lee". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
30. Sobel pp. 1624–1625
31. "Robert Brooke". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
32. ^ Sobel pp. 1625–1626
33. "James Wood". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
34. Dicken, Emma (1946). Our Burnley ancestors and allied families / compiled by Emma Dicken. New York : Hobson Book Press, 1946.
35. “From James Madison to James Monroe, 21 March 1785,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-08-02-0137. Accessed July 17, 2023
36. "Hardin Burnley". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
37. "John Pendleton". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
38. ^ Sobel pp. 1626–1627
39. ^ "James Monroe". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
40. Sobel pp. 1627–1628
41. "John Page". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
42. Sobel p. 1628
43. "William Henry Cabell". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
44. ^ Sobel pp. 1628–1629 Cite error: The named reference "sobel-tyler" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
45. ^ "John Tyler Sr". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023. Cite error: The named reference "nga-tyler" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
46. ^ Sobel pp. 1629–1630 Cite error: The named reference "sobel-smith" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
47. ^ "George William Smith". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023. Cite error: The named reference "nga-smith" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
48. Sobel pp. 1630–1631
49. "James Barbour". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
50. Sobel pp. 1631–1632
51. "Wilson Cary Nicholas". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
52. Sobel p. 1632
53. "James Patton Preston". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
54. Sobel pp. 1633–1634
55. "James Pleasants". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
56. Sobel pp. 1635–1636
57. "William Branch Giles". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
58. ^ Sobel p. 1636 Cite error: The named reference "sobel-floyd" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
59. ^ "John Floyd Sr". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023. Cite error: The named reference "nga-floyd" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
60. ^ Sobel pp. 1636–1637
61. "Littleton Waller Tazewell". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
62. Sobel pp. 1637–1638
63. "Wyndham Robertson". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
64. Sobel p. 1638
65. "David Campbell". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
66. ^ Sobel pp. 1638–1639
67. "Thomas Walker Gilmer". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
68. Sobel p. 1639
69. "John Mercer Patton". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
70. Sobel p. 1640
71. "John Rutherfoord". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
72. Sobel pp. 1640–1641
73. "John Munford Gregory". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
74. Sobel p. 1641
75. "James McDowell". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2023.

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