Governor of Massachusetts

Just like the other 49 American states, Massachusetts has its own governor. The current governor is Maura Healey. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The first governor of Massachusetts was John Hancock.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 1780–present

This is a complete list of governors of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Acting governors, denoted as "A" instead of numbered, are included when the Governor resigned or died. Acting governors show a vacancy in the lieutenant governorship. They remain as Lieutenant Governors and merely act as governor. Lieutenant governors in Massachusetts do not ascend to the governorship upon death or resignation of their predecessor.

Political party	Number of governors
Democratic	20
Democratic-Republican	6
Federalist	3
Know Nothing	1
National Republican	1
No party affiliation	6
Republican	31
Whig	7

#	Governor	Party	Years	Lt. governor	Electoral history
1	John Hancock	None	October 25, 1780 – February 17, 1785	Thomas Cushing (1780–1788)	Resigned due to claimed illness (recurring gout).
A	Thomas Cushing	None	February 17, 1785 – May 27, 1785		Acted as governor for the remainder of Hancock's term. Lost election in his own right.
2	James Bowdoin	None	May 27, 1785 – May 30, 1787		Lost re-election.
3	John Hancock	None	May 30, 1787 – October 8, 1793		Died.
				Benjamin Lincoln (1788–1789)
				Samuel Adams (1789–1794)
4	Samuel Adams	None	October 8, 1793 – June 2, 1797		Acted as governor for the remainder of Hancock's term. Elected and re-elected in his own right until retirement.
				Moses Gill (1794–1800)
5	Increase Sumner	Federalist	June 2, 1797 – June 7, 1799		Died.
A	Moses Gill	None	June 7, 1799 – May 20, 1800		Acted as governor for most of the remainder of Sumner's term. Died ten days before its end.
A	Governor's Council	None	May 20, 1800 – May 30, 1800	None.	The council was headed by Thomas Dawes. this is the only time both the governorship and the lieutenant governorship were vacant.
6	Caleb Strong	Federalist	May 30, 1800 – May 29, 1807	Samuel Phillips Jr. (1801–1802)	Lost re-election.
				Edward Robbins (1802–1806)
7	James Sullivan	Democratic- Republican	May 29, 1807 – December 10, 1808	Levi Lincoln Sr.	Died.
A	Levi Lincoln Sr.	Democratic- Republican	December 10, 1808 – May 1, 1809		Acted as governor for the remainder of Sullivan's term. Lost election in his own right.
8	Christopher Gore	Federalist	May 1, 1809 – June 10, 1810	David Cobb	Lost re-election.
9	Elbridge Gerry	Democratic- Republican	June 10, 1810 – June 5, 1812	William Gray	Lost re-election.
10	Caleb Strong	Federalist	June 5, 1812 – May 30, 1816	William Phillips Jr.	Retired.
11	John Brooks	Federalist	May 30, 1816 – May 31, 1823		Retired.
12	William Eustis	Democratic- Republican	May 31, 1823 – February 6, 1825	Levi Lincoln Jr. (1823–1824)	Died.
				Marcus Morton (1824–1825)
A	Marcus Morton	Democratic- Republican	February 6, 1825 – May 26, 1825		Acted as governor for the remainder of Eustis's term. Retired.
13	Levi Lincoln Jr.	National Republican	May 26, 1825 – January 9, 1834	Thomas L. Winthrop (1826–1833)	Retired.
14	John Davis	Whig	January 9, 1834 – March 1, 1835	Samuel Turell Armstrong	Resigned to become US Senator.
A	Samuel Turell Armstrong	Whig	March 1, 1835 – January 13, 1836		Acted as governor for the remainder of Davis's term. Lost nomination. lost election as independent.
15	Edward Everett	Whig	January 13, 1836 – January 18, 1840	George Hull	Lost re-election
16	Marcus Morton	Democratic	January 18, 1840 – January 7, 1841		Lost re-election.
17	John Davis	Whig	January 7, 1841 – January 17, 1843		Lost re-election.
18	Marcus Morton	Democratic	January 17, 1843 – January 9, 1844	Henry H. Childs	Lost re-election.
19	George N. Briggs	Whig	January 9, 1844 – January 11, 1851	John Reed Jr.	Lost re-election.
20	George S. Boutwell	Democratic	January 11, 1851 – January 14, 1853	Henry W. Cushman	Retired.
21	John H. Clifford	Whig	January 14, 1853 – January 12, 1854	Elisha Huntington	Retired.
22	Emory Washburn	Whig	January 12, 1854 – January 4, 1855	William C. Plunkett	Lost re-election.
23	Henry Gardner	Know-Nothing	January 4, 1855 – January 7, 1858	Simon Brown (1855–1856)	Lost re-election.
				Henry W. Benchley (1856–1858)
24	Nathaniel Prentice Banks	Republican	January 7, 1858 – January 3, 1861	Eliphalet Trask	Retired to run for president.
25	John Albion Andrew	Republican	January 3, 1861 – January 4, 1866	John Z. Goodrich (1861)	Retired.
				John Nesmith (1862)
				Joel Hayden (1863–1866)
26	Alexander H. Bullock	Republican	January 4, 1866 – January 7, 1869	William Claflin	Retired.
27	William Claflin	Republican	January 7, 1869 – January 4, 1872	Joseph Tucker (1869–1873)	Retired.
28	William B. Washburn	Republican	January 4, 1872 – April 29, 1874		Resigned to become US Senator.
				Thomas Talbot (1873–1875)
A	Thomas Talbot	Republican	April 29, 1874 – January 7, 1875		Acted as governor for the remainder of Washburn's term. Lost election in his own right.
29	William Gaston	Democratic	January 7, 1875 – January 6, 1876	Horatio G. Knight	Lost re-election.
30	Alexander H. Rice	Republican	January 6, 1876 – January 2, 1879		Retired.
31	Thomas Talbot	Republican	January 2, 1879 – January 8, 1880	John Davis Long	Retired.
32	John Davis Long	Republican	January 8, 1880 – January 4, 1883	Byron Weston	Retired.
33	Benjamin F. Butler	Democratic	January 4, 1883 – January 3, 1884	Oliver Ames	Lost re-election.
34	George D. Robinson	Republican	January 3, 1884 – January 6, 1887		Retired.
35	Oliver Ames	Republican	January 6, 1887 – January 7, 1890	John Q. A. Brackett	Retired.
36	John Q. A. Brackett	Republican	January 7, 1890 – January 8, 1891	William H. Haile (1890–1893)	Lost re-election.
37	William E. Russell	Democratic	January 8, 1891 – January 4, 1894		Retired.
				Roger Wolcott (1893–1897)
38	Frederic T. Greenhalge	Republican	January 4, 1894 – March 5, 1896		Died.
39	Roger Wolcott	Republican	March 5, 1896 – January 4, 1900		Acted as governor for the remainder of Greenhalge's term. Elected and re-elected in own right until retirement.
				Winthrop Murray Crane (1897–1900)
40	Winthrop Murray Crane	Republican	January 4, 1900 – January 8, 1903	John L. Bates	Retired.
41	John L. Bates	Republican	January 8, 1903 – January 5, 1905	Curtis Guild Jr.	Retired.
42	William L. Douglas	Democratic	January 5, 1905 – January 4, 1906		Retired.
43	Curtis Guild Jr.	Republican	January 4, 1906 – January 7, 1909	Eben Sumner Draper	Retired.
44	Eben Sumner Draper	Republican	January 7, 1909 – January 5, 1911	Louis A. Frothingham	Lost re-election.
45	Eugene Noble Foss	Democratic	January 5, 1911 – January 8, 1914	Louis A. Frothingham (1911–1912)	Did not stand for renomination as Democrat. defeated as independent in general election.
				Robert Luce (1912–1913)
				David I. Walsh (1913–1914)
46	David I. Walsh	Democratic	January 8, 1914 – January 6, 1916	Edward P. Barry (1914–1915)	Lost re-election.
				Grafton D. Cushing (1915–1916)
47	Samuel W. McCall	Republican	January 6, 1916 – January 2, 1919	Calvin Coolidge	Retired.
48	Calvin Coolidge	Republican	January 2, 1919 – January 6, 1921	Channing H. Cox	Retired Vice President of the United States 1921-1923 President of the United States 1923-1929
49	Channing H. Cox	Republican	January 6, 1921 – January 8, 1925	Alvan T. Fuller	Elected in 1920 (first two-year term). Re-elected in 1922. Retired.
50	Alvan T. Fuller	Republican	January 8, 1925 – January 3, 1929	Frank G. Allen	Retired.
51	Frank G. Allen	Republican	January 3, 1929 – January 8, 1931	William S. Youngman	Lost re-election.
52	Joseph B. Ely	Democratic	January 8, 1931 – January 3, 1935	William S. Youngman (1929–1933)	Retired.
				Gaspar G. Bacon (1933–1935)
53	James Michael Curley	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 7, 1937	Joseph L. Hurley	Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate
54	Charles F. Hurley	Democratic	January 7, 1937 – January 5, 1939	Francis E. Kelly	Lost renomination.
55	Leverett Saltonstall	Republican	January 5, 1939 – January 4, 1945	Horace T. Cahill	Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate
56	Maurice J. Tobin	Democratic	January 4, 1945 – January 2, 1947	Robert F. Bradford	Lost re-election.
57	Robert F. Bradford	Republican	January 2, 1947 – January 6, 1949	Arthur W. Coolidge	Elected in 1946. Lost re-election.
58	Paul A. Dever	Democratic	January 6, 1949 – January 8, 1953	Charles F. Sullivan	Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Lost re-election.
59	Christian A. Herter	Republican	January 8, 1953 – January 3, 1957	Sumner G. Whittier	Elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Retired.
60	Foster Furcolo	Democratic	January 3, 1957 – January 5, 1961	Robert F. Murphy (1957–1960)	Elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Retired to run for U.S. Senator.
61	John Volpe	Republican	January 5, 1961 – January 3, 1963	Edward F. McLaughlin Jr.	Elected in 1960. Lost re-election.
62	Endicott Peabody	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – January 7, 1965	Francis Bellotti	Elected in 1962. Lost renomination.
63	John Volpe	Republican	January 7, 1965 – January 22, 1969	Elliot Richardson (1965–1967)	Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966 (first four-year term). Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
				Francis Sargent (1967–1969)
64	Francis Sargent	Republican	January 22, 1969 – January 2, 1975		Acted as governor for the remainder of Volpe's term. Elected in own right in 1970. Lost re-election.
				Donald Dwight (1971–1975)
65	Michael Dukakis	Democratic	January 2, 1975 – January 4, 1979	Thomas P. O'Neill III	Elected in 1974. Lost renomination.
66	Edward J. King	Democratic	January 4, 1979 – January 6, 1983		Elected in 1978. Lost renomination.
67	Michael Dukakis	Democratic	January 6, 1983 – January 3, 1991	John Kerry (1983–1985)	Elected in 1982. Elected in 1986. Retired.
				Vacant (1985–1987)
				Evelyn Murphy (1987–1991)
68	Bill Weld	Republican	January 3, 1991 – July 29, 1997	Paul Cellucci (1991–1999)	Elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1994. Resigned when nominated U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, but was not confirmed to the office.
A 69	Paul Cellucci	Republican	July 29, 1997 – April 10, 2001		Acted as governor for the remainder of Weld's term. Elected in own right in 1998. Resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to Canada.
				Jane Swift (1999–2003)
A	Jane Swift	Republican	April 10, 2001 – January 2, 2003		Acted as governor for the remainder of Cellucci's term. Retired.
70	Mitt Romney	Republican	January 2, 2003 – January 4, 2007	Kerry Healey	Elected in 2002. Retired.
71	Deval Patrick	Democratic	January 4, 2007 – January 8, 2015	Tim Murray (2007–2013)	Elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2010. Retired.
				Vacant
72	Charlie Baker	Republican	January 8, 2015 – January 5, 2023	Karyn Polito	Elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2018. Retired.
73	Maura Healey	Democratic	January 5, 2023 – present.	Kim Driscoll	Elected in 2022.

Governor Of Massachusetts Media

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  James Bowdoin II by Feke full length

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  Samuel Adams by John Singleton Copley

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  Massachusetts justice and governor Increase Sumner

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  John Singleton Copley - Portrait of Govenor Moses Gill - 07.117 - Rhode Island School of Design Museum

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  Portrait of Caleb Strong (1745-1819) (frame cropped)