In total, 72 governors of U.S. states have been born outside the current territory of the United States . Joe Lombardo of Nevada, born in Japan, is the only current governor to have been born outside the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Jennifer Granholm of Michigan (whose terms both ended in January 2011), and Kate Brown of Oregon (whose term ended in January 2023) are the other most recent foreign-born governors.
Kate Brown , Governor of Oregon from July 2016 to 2023, was born in Spain, making her the second most recent U.S. governor who was born outside the United States. Her father was an American citizen serving there in the United States Air Force.
Arnold Schwarzenegger , Governor of California from 2003 to 2011, born in Austria, is the third most recent U.S. governor to have been born outside of the country.
John H. Sununu , Governor of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989, was the first U.S. governor who was born in the Caribbean .
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo , Governor of New Mexico from 1919 to 1921, was the first U.S. governor who was born in Latin America .
Knute Nelson , Governor of Minnesota from 1893 to 1895, was the first U.S. governor who was born in Scandinavia .
Jacob Dolson Cox , Governor of Ohio from 1866 to 1868, was the first U.S. governor who was born outside the United States, but still within the Americas .
John A. Treutlen , Governor of Georgia from 1777 to 1778, was the first U.S. governor who was born in a non-English-speaking country .
Of the fifty states, 30 (or 60 percent) have had at least one governor born outside the United States. 19 states have had multiple governors who were born outside the United States. Georgia has had six foreign-born governors, who all served in office during the 18th century. The other states with the most foreign-born governors are Wisconsin (five), Michigan , Minnesota , North Dakota , Ohio , and Oregon (four each). Additionally, from 1905 to 1921 Utah had three consecutive foreign-born governors (John Cutler , William Spry , and Simon Bamberger ).
Of the 72 foreign-born governors, 59 were born in Europe and thirteen were born in North America, including the Caribbean. A total of 30 U.S. governors have been born on the present territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (fifteen in England, seven in Scotland, six in Northern Ireland, and two in Wales), with another 2 born on territory of the Republic of Ireland while part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , and 2 while part of the pre-union Kingdom of Ireland . Nine governors have been born within the present territory of Canada, seven Germany, five Norway, five Sweden, three France, three Mexico, and one Austria.
Only three foreign-born women have served as U.S. governors – Madeleine Kunin of Vermont, who was born in Switzerland; Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, who was born in Canada; and Kate Brown of Oregon, who was born in Spain.
Governors who were succeeded by other foreign-born governors are marked with a dagger (†). Governors who were preceded by other foreign-born governors are marked with a section sign (§).
More information Name, State ...
Name
State
Birthplace (current country)
Then the territory of
Term start
Term end
John McKinly
Delaware
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Ireland
February 12, 1777
September 22, 1777
Button Gwinnett †
Georgia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
March 4, 1777
May 8, 1777
John A. Treutlen §[1]
Georgia
Germany
Holy Roman Empire
May 8, 1777
January 10, 1778
John Wereat
Georgia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
August 6, 1779
January 4, 1780
William Fleming
Virginia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
June 4, 1781
June 12, 1781
Thomas Burke
North Carolina
Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
June 26, 1781
April 22, 1782
Edward Telfair
Georgia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
January 9, 1786
January 9, 1787
November 11, 1789
November 7, 1793
Samuel Johnston
North Carolina
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
December 20, 1787
December 17, 1789
George Handley
Georgia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
January 7, 1788
January 7, 1789
William Paterson
New Jersey
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Ireland
October 29, 1790
March 30, 1793
James Jackson
Georgia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
January 12, 1798
March 3, 1801
William Davie
North Carolina
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
December 7, 1798
November 23, 1799
Edward Tiffin †
Ohio
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Great Britain
March 3, 1803
March 4, 1807
Thomas Kirker §
Ohio
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Ireland
March 4, 1807
December 12, 1808
Pierre Derbigny
Louisiana
France
Kingdom of France
December 15, 1828
October 6, 1829
Arthur MacArthur Sr.
Wisconsin
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
March 21, 1856
March 25, 1856
John G. Downey
California
Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 14, 1860
January 10, 1862
Edward Salomon
Wisconsin
Germany
Kingdom of Prussia
April 19, 1862
January 4, 1864
Michael Hahn
Louisiana
Germany
Kingdom of Bavaria
March 4, 1864
March 4, 1865
Jacob Dolson Cox
Ohio
Canada
British Empire
January 8, 1866
January 13, 1868
Robert B. Lindsay
Alabama
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
November 26, 1870
November 17, 1872
Thomas L. Young
Ohio
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
March 2, 1877
January 14, 1878
William E. Smith
Wisconsin
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 7, 1878
January 2, 1882
George P. Wetmore
Rhode Island
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
May 26, 1885
May 29, 1887
Frank Bell
Nevada
Canada
British Empire
September 21, 1890
January 5, 1891
James E. Boyd
Nebraska
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 8, 1891
January 13, 1893
Knute Nelson
Minnesota
Norway
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 4, 1893
January 31, 1895
John Peter Altgeld
Illinois
Germany
Nassau
January 10, 1893
January 11, 1897
Frederic T. Greenhalge
Massachusetts
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 4, 1894
March 5, 1896
John Edward Jones †
Nevada
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 7, 1895
April 10, 1896
Roger Allin
North Dakota
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 10, 1895
January 6, 1897
Reinhold Sadler §
Nevada
Poland
Kingdom of Prussia
April 10, 1896
January 5, 1903
John Lind
Minnesota
Sweden
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 2, 1899
January 7, 1901
Fred M. Warner
Michigan
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 1, 1905
January 2, 1911
John Cutler †
Utah
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 2, 1905
January 4, 1909
Frank R. Gooding
Idaho
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 2, 1905
January 4, 1909
John McLane
New Hampshire
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 5, 1905
January 3, 1907
James O. Davidson
Wisconsin
Norway
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 1, 1906
January 2, 1911
William Spry §†
Utah
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 4, 1909
January 1, 1917
Aram J. Pothier [2]
Rhode Island
Canada
British Empire
January 5, 1909
January 5, 1915
January 6, 1925
February 4, 1928
Adolph Eberhart
Minnesota
Sweden
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
September 21, 1909
January 5, 1915
Oswald West †
Oregon
Canada
British Empire
January 11, 1911
January 12, 1915
John K. Tener
Pennsylvania
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 17, 1911
January 19, 1915
James Withycombe §
Oregon
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 12, 1915
March 3, 1919
Moses Alexander †
Idaho
Germany
Kingdom of Bavaria
January 4, 1915
January 6, 1919
Simon Bamberger §[3]
Utah
Germany
Hesse-Darmstadt
January 1, 1917
January 3, 1921
Octaviano Larrazolo
New Mexico
Mexico
Mexico
January 1, 1919
January 1, 1921
D. W. Davis §
Idaho
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 6, 1919
January 1, 1923
Ragnvald Nestos
North Dakota
Norway
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
November 23, 1921
January 7, 1925
Roland H. Hartley
Washington
Canada
British Empire
January 12, 1925
January 9, 1933
A. W. Norblad
Oregon
Sweden
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
December 21, 1929
January 12, 1931
Frank Henry Cooney
Montana
Canada
British Empire
March 13, 1933
December 15, 1935
Walter Welford
North Dakota
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
February 2, 1935
January 6, 1937
Hjalmar Petersen
Minnesota
Denmark
Denmark
August 22, 1936
January 4, 1937
Julius P. Heil
Wisconsin
Germany
German Empire
January 2, 1939
January 4, 1943
John Moses
North Dakota
Norway
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 5, 1939
January 4, 1945
Sigurd Anderson
South Dakota
Norway
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 2, 1951
January 4, 1955
Christian Herter
Massachusetts
France
French Third Republic
January 8, 1953
January 3, 1957
J. Hugo Aronson
Montana
Sweden
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 5, 1953
January 2, 1961
Joseph B. Johnson
Vermont
Sweden
United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway
January 6, 1955
January 8, 1959
John Swainson †
Michigan
Canada
British Empire
January 1, 1961
January 1, 1963
John N. Dempsey
Connecticut
Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
January 21, 1961
January 6, 1971
George Romney §
Michigan
Mexico
Mexico
January 1, 1963
January 22, 1969
Samuel H. Shapiro
Illinois
Estonia
Russian Empire
May 21, 1968
January 13, 1969
Raúl Héctor Castro
Arizona
Mexico
Mexico
January 6, 1975
October 20, 1977
John Sununu
New Hampshire
Cuba
Cuba
January 6, 1983
January 4, 1989
Madeleine Kunin
Vermont
Switzerland
Switzerland
January 10, 1985
January 10, 1991
Stan Stephens
Montana
Canada
British Empire
January 2, 1989
January 4, 1993
Lowell Weicker
Connecticut
France
French Third Republic
January 9, 1991
January 4, 1995
Jennifer Granholm
Michigan
Canada
Canada
January 1, 2003
January 1, 2011
Arnold Schwarzenegger
California
Austria
Allied-occupied Austria
November 13, 2003
January 3, 2011
Kate Brown
Oregon
Spain
Spanish State
February 18, 2015
January 9, 2023
Joe Lombardo
Nevada
Japan
Japan
January 2, 2023
present
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