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The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee.

Tennessee has had 50 governors, including the incumbent, Bill Lee. Seven governors (John Sevier, William Carroll, Andrew Johnson, Robert Love Taylor, Gordon Browning, Frank G. Clement, and Buford Ellington) have served non-consecutive terms. This tally does not include William Blount (the territorial governor) or Robert L. Caruthers (who never took office), though the Blue Book includes them in its list of governors. All governors are counted only once, regardless of number of terms served (e.g., John Sevier is considered the 1st governor, rather than the 1st and 3rd governor). The Blue Book does not include Edward H. East in its list of governors.

Governors

Governor of Southwest Territory

The Territory South of the Ohio River, commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was organized on May 26, 1790.

Throughout its 6-year history, Southwest Territory had only one governor appointed by the federal government, William Blount.

Governor of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio

Governor		Term in office	Appointed by
	William Blount (1749–1800)	June 8, 1790 – March 28, 1796 (statehood)	George Washington

State of Tennessee

Southwest Territory was was admitted to the Union as Tennessee on June 1, 1796.

The first constitution of Tennessee, enacted in 1796, set a term of two years for the governor and provided that no person could serve as governor for more than 6 years in any 8-year period. The term of office was lengthened to four years, without the possibility of consecutive terms, by constitutional amendments adopted in 1953. Under the current provisions of the state constitution, as amended in 1978, the governor is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two terms consecutively. For a period of nearly five decades in the 20th century, the Tennessee Democratic Party held the Tennessee governorship continuously.

Governors of the State of South Dakota

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			John Sevier (1745–1815)	March 30, 1796 – September 23, 1801	Democratic-Republican		Soldier, farmer	None
2			Archibald Roane (d. 1819)	September 23, 1801 – September 23, 1803	Democratic-Republican		Lawyer
1			John Sevier (1745–1815)	September 23, 1803 – September 20, 1809	Democratic-Republican		Soldier, farmer
3			Willie Blount (1768–1835)	September 20, 1809 – September 27, 1815	Democratic-Republican		Lawyer, planter
4			Joseph McMinn (1758–1824)	September 27, 1815 – October 1, 1821	Democratic-Republican		Merchant
5			William Carroll (1788–1844)	October 1, 1821 – October 1, 1827	Democratic-Republican		Merchant, soldier
6			Sam Houston (1793–1863)	October 1, 1827 – April 16, 1829	Democratic-Republican		Lawyer
7			William Hall (1775–1856)	April 16, 1829 – October 1, 1829	Democratic		Planter, soldier
5			William Carroll (1788–1844)	October 1, 1829 – October 12, 1835	Democratic		Merchant, soldier
8			Newton Cannon (1781–1841)	October 12, 1835 – October 14, 1839	Whig		Planter
9			James K. Polk (1795–1849)	October 14, 1839 – October 15, 1841	Democratic		Lawyer, politician
10			James C. Jones (1809–1859)	October 15, 1841 – October 14, 1845	Whig		Lawyer
11			Aaron V. Brown (1795–1859)	October 14, 1845 – October 17, 1847	Democratic		Lawyer
12			Neill S. Brown (1810–1886)	October 17, 1847 – October 16, 1849	Whig		Lawyer
13			William Trousdale (1790–1872)	October 16, 1849 – October 16, 1851	Democratic		Lawyer
14			William B. Campbell (1807–1867)	October 16, 1851 – October 17, 1853	Whig		Lawyer
15			Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)	October 17, 1853 – November 3, 1857	Democratic		Tailor, lawyer, politician
16			Isham G. Harris (1818–1897)	November 3, 1857 – March 12, 1862	Democratic		Lawyer, politician
15			Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)	March 12, 1862 – March 4, 1865	Unionist/Military		Lawyer, politician
—			Edward H. East (1830–1904)	March 4, 1865 – April 5, 1865	Republican		Lawyer
17			Parson Brownlow (1805–1877)	April 5, 1865 – February 25, 1869	Republican		Editor, preacher
18			Dewitt Clinton Senter (1830–1898)	February 25, 1869 – October 10, 1871	Republican		Lawyer
19			John C. Brown (1827–1889)	October 10, 1871 – January 18, 1875	Democratic		Lawyer
20			James D. Porter (1828–1912)	January 18, 1875 – February 16, 1879	Democratic	1874	Lawyer, educator
						1876
21			Albert S. Marks (1836–1891)	February 16, 1879 – January 17, 1881	Democratic	1878	Lawyer, judge
22			Alvin Hawkins (1821–1905)	January 17, 1881 – January 15, 1883	Republican	1880	Lawyer, judge
23			William B. Bate (1826–1905)	January 15, 1883 – January 17, 1887	Democratic	1882	Lawyer, politician
						1884
24			Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912)	January 17, 1887 – January 19, 1891	Democratic	1886	Lawyer, politician
						1888
25			John P. Buchanan (1847–1930)	January 19, 1891 – January 16, 1893	Democratic	1890	Farmer
26			Peter Turney (1827–1903)	January 16, 1893 – January 21, 1897	Democratic	1892	Lawyer, judge
						1894
24			Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912)	January 21, 1897 – January 16, 1899	Democratic	1896	Lawyer, politician
27			Benton McMillin (1845–1933)	January 16, 1899 – January 19, 1903	Democratic	1898	Lawyer, diplomat
						1900
28			James B. Frazier (1856–1937)	January 19, 1903 – March 21, 1905	Democratic	1902	Lawyer, politician
						1904
29			John I. Cox (1855–1946)	March 21, 1905 – January 17, 1907	Democratic		Lawyer
30			Malcolm R. Patterson (1861–1935)	January 17, 1907 – January 26, 1911	Democratic	1906	Lawyer, judge
						1908
31			Ben W. Hooper (1870–1957)	January 26, 1911 – January 17, 1915	Republican	1910	Lawyer
						1912
32			Thomas Clarke Rye (1863–1953)	January 17, 1915 – January 15, 1919	Democratic	1914	Lawyer, judge
						1916
33			Albert H. Roberts (1868–1946)	January 15, 1919 – January 15, 1921	Democratic	1918	Lawyer, judge
34			Alfred A. Taylor (1848–1931)	January 15, 1921 – January 16, 1923	Republican	1920	Lawyer
35			Austin Peay (1876–1927)	January 16, 1923 – October 3, 1927	Democratic	1922	Lawyer
						1924
						1926
36			Henry Hollis Horton (1866–1934)	October 3, 1927 – January 17, 1933	Democratic		Lawyer, farmer
						1928
						1930
37			Hill McAlister (1875–1959)	January 17, 1933 – January 15, 1937	Democratic	1932	Lawyer
						1934
38			Gordon Browning (1889–1976)	January 15, 1937 – January 16, 1939	Democratic	1936	Lawyer, judge
39			Prentice Cooper (1895–1969)	January 16, 1939 – January 16, 1945	Democratic	1938	Lawyer
						1940
						1942
40			Jim Nance McCord (1879–1968)	January 16, 1945 – January 16, 1949	Democratic	1944	Editor
						1946
38			Gordon Browning (1889–1976)	January 16, 1949 – January 15, 1953	Democratic	1950	Lawyer, judge
									Walter M. Haynes
41			Frank G. Clement (1920–1969)	January 15, 1953 – January 19, 1959	Democratic	1952	Lawyer		Jared Maddux
						1954
42			Buford Ellington (1907–1972)	January 19, 1959 – January 15, 1963	Democratic	1958	Farmer		William D. Baird
41			Frank G. Clement (1920–1969)	January 15, 1963 – January 16, 1967	Democratic	1962	Lawyer		James L. Bomar, Jr.
									Jared Maddux
42			Buford Ellington (1907–1972)	January 16, 1967 – January 16, 1971	Democratic	1966	Farmer		Frank Gorrell
43			Winfield Dunn (b. 1927)	January 16, 1971 – January 18, 1975	Republican	1970	Dentist		John S. Wilder
44			Ray Blanton (1930–1996)	January 18, 1975 – January 17, 1979	Democratic	1974	Farmer, businessman
45			Lamar Alexander (b. 1940)	January 20, 1979 – January 17, 1987	Republican	1978	Lawyer, politician
						1982
46			Ned McWherter (1930–2011)	January 17, 1987 – January 21, 1995	Democratic	1986	Businessman
						1990
47			Don Sundquist (b. 1936)	January 21, 1995 – January 18, 2003	Republican	1994	Businessman
						1998
48			Phil Bredesen (b. 1943)	January 18, 2003 – January 15, 2011	Democratic	2002	Businessman
						2006			Ron Ramsey
49			Bill Haslam (b. 1958)	January 15, 2011 – January 19, 2019	Republican	2010	Businessman
						2014
									Randy McNally
50			Bill Lee (b. 1959)	January 19, 2019 – present	Republican	2018	Businessman, farmer
						2022

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Tennessee

Notes

1. The range given is from the date the governor was confirmed by the Senate, or appointed by the President during a Senate recess, to the date the governor's successor was confirmed, unless noted.
2. Blount was nominated on June 7, 1790; confirmed by the Senate on June 8; and took the oath of office on September 20. He was reconfirmed by the Senate on December 11, 1794.
3. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.

References

General

• "Former Tennessee Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
• Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. III. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466008. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
• Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
• McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). Biographical directory of American territorial governors. Westport, CT : Meckler. ISBN 978-0-930466-11-4. Retrieved January 19, 2023.

Specific

1. Office of the Governor
2. "Past Governors Archived July 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine," Tennessee Blue Book (2011–2012), pp. 547, 553.
3. 1 Stat. 123
4. ^ McMullin pp. 287–289
5. ^ U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 1st Cong., 2nd sess., 7-8 June 1790, 50. Accessed July 5, 2023.
6. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 3rd Cong., 1st sess., 11 December 1794, 165. Accessed July 5, 2023.
7. 1 Stat. 491
8. Jonathan M. Atkins. "William Carroll" in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture (online edition). Accessed January 27, 2012.
9. ^ "Government", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
10. Government and politics in Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press. 2001. p. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-57233-141-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
11. Harris continued issuing edicts as governor throughout the Civil War. Confederate Tennesseans elected Robert L. Caruthers as Harris's successor in 1863, but Caruthers never took office.
12. East was Tennessee Secretary of State from 1862–1865, appointed by Andrew Johnson, the military governor of the state under Union occupation during the Civil War. After Johnson was inaugurated as Vice President of the United States on March 4, 1865, East became the Acting Governor of Tennessee until Parson Brownlow, the "elected" governor of Tennessee, was inaugurated on April 5, 1865. The official Tennessee Blue Book does not include East in its list of former governors.
13. Peay was the only Governor of Tennessee to die in office, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Henry Horton.
14. Lee's second term began on January 21, 2023 and will expire January 16, 2027; He will be term-limited

External links

• Tennessee Blue Book: Historical Listings of Constitutional Officers
• Tennessee Blue Book: Past Governors of Tennessee

v t e Governor of Tennessee (list)
Sevier Roane Sevier Blount McMinn Carroll Houston Hall Carroll Cannon Polk Jones A. Brown N. Brown Trousdale Campbell Johnson Harris Johnson East Brownlow Senter J. Brown Porter Marks Hawkins Bate R. Taylor Buchanan Turney R. Taylor McMillin Frazier Cox Patterson Hooper Rye Roberts A. Taylor Peay Horton McAlister Browning Cooper McCord Browning Clement Ellington Clement Ellington Dunn Blanton Alexander McWherter Sundquist Bredesen Haslam Lee
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