List of governors of California

The governor of California is the head of government of California, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The current governor is Gavin Newsom, who has been in office since 2019. 39 people have served as governor, over 40 distinct terms. Many have been influential nationwide in areas far-flung from state politics. Leland Stanford founded Stanford University in 1891. Earl Warren, later chief justice of the United States, won an election with the nominations of the three major parties – the only person to run essentially unopposed for governor of California. Ronald Reagan, who was president of the Screen Actors Guild and later president of the United States, and Arnold Schwarzenegger both came to prominence through acting. Gray Davis, the 37th governor of California, was the second governor in American history to be recalled by voters. The shortest tenure was that of Milton Latham, who served only five days before being elected to fill a vacant United States Senate seat. The longest tenure is that of Jerry Brown, who served as governor from 1975 to 1983 and again from 2011 to 2019, the only governor to serve non-consecutive terms. He is the son of former governor Pat Brown who served from 1959 to 1967.

Gavin Newsom, the 40th and current governor of California

List of governors

For the period before statehood, see list of governors of California before 1850.

California was obtained by the United States in the Mexican Cession following the Mexican–American War. Unlike most other states, it was never organized as a territory and was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850. The original California Constitution of 1849 called for elections every two years, with no set start date for the term. An amendment ratified in 1862 increased the term to four years.^[1] The 1879 constitution set the term to begin on the first Monday after January 1, following an election.^[a] In 1990, Proposition 140 led to a constitutional amendment^[2] implementing a term limit of two terms.^[3]

Prior to this limit, only one governor, Earl Warren, served more than two terms. Jerry Brown was elected to a third term in 2010, and then to a fourth and final term in 2014, because his previous terms were before the term limit was enacted. The 1849 constitution created the office of lieutenant governor, who, in cases of vacancy in the office of governor, becomes governor.^[4] The governor and the lieutenant governor are not formally elected on the same ticket.

Governors of the State of California

No.	Governor				Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[b]
1				Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807–1895) [5][6][7]	December 20, 1849[8][c] – January 9, 1851 (resigned)[d]	Nonpartisan[e]	1849			John McDougal
2				John McDougal (1818–1866) [10][11][12]	January 9, 1851[13] – January 8, 1852 (did not run)	Nonpartisan[f]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			David C. Broderick[g] (acting)
3				John Bigler (1805–1871) [14][15][16]	January 8, 1852[17] – January 9, 1856 (lost election)	Democratic[18]	1851			Samuel Purdy
							1853
4				J. Neely Johnson (1825–1872) [19][20][21]	January 9, 1856[22] – January 8, 1858 (did not run)	American[23]	1855			Robert M. Anderson
5				John B. Weller (1812–1875) [24][25][26]	January 8, 1858[27] – January 9, 1860 (did not run)	Democratic[23]	1857			Joseph Walkup
6				Milton S. Latham (1827–1882) [28][29][30]	January 9, 1860[31] – January 14, 1860 (resigned)[h]	Lecompton Democratic[23]	1859			John G. Downey
7				John G. Downey (1827–1894) [32][33][34]	January 14, 1860[35] – January 10, 1862 (did not run)	Lecompton Democratic[36]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Isaac N. Quinn (acting) (term ended January 7, 1861)
										Pablo de la Guerra (acting)
8				Leland Stanford (1824–1893) [37][38][39]	January 10, 1862[40] – December 10, 1863 (did not run)[i]	Republican[36]	1861			John F. Chellis
9				Frederick Low (1828–1894) [42][43][44]	December 10, 1863[45] – December 5, 1867 (did not run)	Union[36]	1863[j]			Tim N. Machin
10				Henry Huntly Haight (1825–1878) [46][47][48]	December 5, 1867[49] – December 8, 1871 (lost election)	Democratic[36]	1867			William Holden
11				Newton Booth (1825–1892) [50][51][52]	December 8, 1871[53] – February 27, 1875 (resigned)[k]	Republican[36]	1871			Romualdo Pacheco
12				Romualdo Pacheco (1831–1899) [54][55][56]	February 27, 1875[57] – December 9, 1875 (did not run)	Republican[36]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			William Irwin[g] (acting)
13				William Irwin (1827–1886) [58][59][60]	December 9, 1875[61] – January 8, 1880 (did not run)	Democratic[36]	1875			James A. Johnson
14				George C. Perkins (1839–1923) [62][63][64]	January 8, 1880[65] – January 10, 1883 (did not run)	Republican[36]	1879			John Mansfield
15				George Stoneman (1822–1894) [66][67][68]	January 10, 1883[69] – January 8, 1887 (did not run)[70]	Democratic[36]	1882			John Daggett
16				Washington Bartlett (1824–1887) [71][72][73]	January 8, 1887[74] – September 12, 1887 (died in office)	Democratic[36]	1886			Robert Waterman[l]
17				Robert Waterman (1826–1891) [75][76][77]	September 12, 1887[78] – January 8, 1891 (did not run)	Republican[36]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Stephen M. White[g] (acting)
18				Henry Markham (1840–1923) [79][80][81]	January 8, 1891[82] – January 11, 1895 (did not run)	Republican[36]	1890			John B. Reddick
19				James Budd (1851–1908) [83][84][85]	January 11, 1895[86] – January 4, 1899 (did not run)[83]	Democratic[36]	1894			Spencer G. Millard[l] (died October 24, 1895)
								Vacant
										William T. Jeter (appointed October 26, 1895)
20				Henry T. Gage (1852–1924) [87][88][89]	January 4, 1899[90] – January 7, 1903 (lost nomination)[87]	Republican[36]	1898			Jacob H. Neff
21				George Pardee (1857–1941) [91][92][93]	January 7, 1903[94] – January 9, 1907 (lost nomination)[91]	Republican[36]	1902			Alden Anderson
22				James Gillett (1860–1937) [95][96][97]	January 9, 1907[98] – January 3, 1911 (did not run)[95]	Republican[36]	1906			Warren R. Porter
23				Hiram Johnson (1866–1945) [99][100][101]	January 3, 1911[102] – March 15, 1917 (resigned)[m]	Republican[36]	1910			Albert Joseph Wallace
						Progressive[36]	1914			John M. Eshleman (died February 28, 1916)
								Vacant
										William Stephens[l] (took office July 22, 1916)
24				William Stephens (1859–1944) [103][104][105]	March 15, 1917[106] – January 9, 1923 (lost nomination)[103]	Republican[36]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
							1918			C. C. Young
25				Friend Richardson (1865–1943) [107][108][109]	January 9, 1923[110] – January 4, 1927 (lost nomination)[111]	Republican[36]	1922
26				C. C. Young (1869–1947) [112][113][114]	January 4, 1927[115] – January 6, 1931 (lost nomination)[116]	Republican[36]	1926			Buron Fitts (resigned November 30, 1928)
								Vacant
										Herschel L. Carnahan (appointed December 4, 1928)
27				James Rolph (1869–1934) [117][118][119]	January 6, 1931[120] – June 2, 1934 (died in office)	Republican[36]	1930			Frank Merriam
28				Frank Merriam (1865–1955) [121][122][123]	June 2, 1934[124] – January 2, 1939 (lost election)	Republican[36]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
							1934			George J. Hatfield
29				Culbert Olson (1876–1962) [125][126][127]	January 2, 1939[128] – January 4, 1943 (lost election)	Democratic[36]	1938			Ellis E. Patterson
30				Earl Warren (1891–1974) [129][130][131]	January 4, 1943[132] – October 4, 1953 (resigned)[n]	Republican[o]	1942			Frederick F. Houser
							1946			Goodwin Knight
							1950
31				Goodwin Knight (1896–1970) [135][136][137]	October 5, 1953[138] – January 5, 1959 (did not run)[p]	Republican[36]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Harold J. Powers
							1954
32				Pat Brown (1905–1996) [139][140][141]	January 5, 1959[142] – January 2, 1967 (lost election)	Democratic[36]	1958			Glenn M. Anderson
							1962
33				Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) [143][144][145]	January 2, 1967[146] – January 6, 1975 (did not run)[143]	Republican[36]	1966			Robert Finch (resigned January 8, 1969)
										Edwin Reinecke (resigned October 2, 1974)
							1970
										John L. Harmer
34				Jerry Brown (b. 1938) [147][148][149]	January 6, 1975[150] – January 3, 1983 (did not run)	Democratic[36]	1974			Mervyn M. Dymally
							1978			Michael Curb[l]
35				George Deukmejian (1928–2018) [151][152]	January 3, 1983[153] – January 7, 1991 (did not run)	Republican[152]	1982			Leo T. McCarthy[g]
							1986
36				Pete Wilson (b. 1933) [154][155]	January 7, 1991[156] – January 4, 1999 (term-limited)[q]	Republican[155]	1990
							1994			Gray Davis[g]
37				Gray Davis (b. 1942) [158][159]	January 4, 1999[160] – November 17, 2003 (recalled)[r]	Democratic[159]	1998			Cruz Bustamante[g]
							2002
38				Arnold Schwarzenegger (b. 1947) [162][161]	November 17, 2003[163] – January 3, 2011 (term-limited)[q]	Republican[161]	2003 (recall)[r]
							2006			John Garamendi[g] (resigned November 3, 2009)
										Mona Pasquil[g] (acting)
										Abel Maldonado[l][s] (appointed April 27, 2010)
39				Jerry Brown (b. 1938) [148][164]	January 3, 2011[165] – January 7, 2019 (term-limited)[q]	Democratic[164]	2010
										Gavin Newsom[s] (took office January 10, 2011)
							2014
40				Gavin Newsom (b. 1967) [167][168]	January 7, 2019[169] – Incumbent[t]	Democratic[168]	2018			Eleni Kounalakis
							2021 (recall)[u]
							2022

See also

• California portal

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § California
• List of California state legislatures
• List of governors of California before 1850
• Spouses of the governor of California

Notes

1. The rule of the term beginning on the first Monday after January 1 does not seem to have been followed until 1939; all terms between 1880 and 1931, except for 1923, began on the "wrong" day, often just one or two days off. This is well sourced, and it is unknown why the terms did not match the constitution, or why they began to match the constitution in 1939.
2. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
3. A civilian government was formed in late 1849 prior to official statehood, and operated as the state government for ten months before official statehood was granted.^[6]
4. Burnett abruptly resigned after his first annual address was criticized by the legislature.^[6]
5. The 1849 election was non-partisan;^[5][9] sources say Burnett was an Independent Democrat.^[7]
6. The 1849 election was non-partisan;^[5][9] sources say McDougal was an Independent Democrat.^[12]
7. Represented the Democratic Party
8. Latham resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[29]
9. Stanford withdrew after losing the early primaries of the Union/Republican nomination.^[41]
10. First term under an 1862 constitutional amendment, which lengthened terms to four years.^[1]
11. Booth resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[51]
12. Represented the Republican Party
13. Johnson resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[100]
14. Warren resigned, having been appointed Chief Justice of the United States.^[130] His resignation letter specified he would leave office at "12 o'clock midnight, Sunday, Oct 4, 1953".^[133]
15. Warren ran as a Republican for his first and third terms. For his second term, he won the nomination of the Republican, Democratic, and Progressive parties.^[134]
16. Knight instead ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate.^[135]
17. Under a 1990 amendment to the constitution, governors may not serve more than two terms.^[157]
18. Davis was recalled and Schwarzenegger elected to replace him in a special election.^[161]
19. Newsom delayed his swearing in as lieutenant governor until January 10, 2011, to remain mayor of San Francisco; Maldonado stayed on as lieutenant governor until then.^[166]
20. Newsom's second term began on January 6, 2023,^[170] and will expire on January 4, 2027; he will be term-limited.
21. Newsom survived a recall election.^[171]