List of governors of Virginia
The following is a list of the governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
List of governors
- Parties
Democratic Federalist Democratic-Republican Whig Republican Independent
| # | Picture | Governor | Took office | Left office | Lieutenant Governor | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100px | Patrick Henry | July 5, 1776 | June 1, 1779 | Office vacant
1776-1852 |
None | First under 1776 Constitution (limit of 3 one-year terms) |
| 2 | Thomas Jefferson | June 1, 1779 | June 3, 1781 | None | 3rd President of the United States | ||
| 3 | 75px | William Fleming | June 3, 1781 | June 12, 1781 | None | ||
| 4 | Thomas Nelson, Jr. | June 12, 1781 | November 22, 1781 | None | |||
| – | 75px | David Jameson | November 22, 1781 | December 1, 1781 | None | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| 5 | 75px | Benjamin Harrison V | December 1, 1781 | December 1, 1784 | None | ||
| 6 | 75px | Patrick Henry | December 1, 1784 | December 1, 1786 | None | Re-elected after 5-year hiatus (1 more than constitutional minimum) | |
| 7 | 75px | Edmund Randolph | December 1, 1786 | December 1, 1788 | None | First under U.S. statehood | |
| 8 | 75px | Beverley Randolph | December 1, 1788 | December 1, 1791 | None | ||
| 9 | 75px | Henry Lee III | December 1, 1791 | December 1, 1794 | Federalist | ||
| 10 | 75px | Robert Brooke | December 1, 1794 | December 1, 1796 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 11 | 75px | James Wood | December 1, 1796 | December 1, 1799 | Federalist | ||
| – | 75px | Hardin Burnley | December 7, 1799 | December 11, 1799 | |||
| – | 75px | John Pendleton, Jr. | December 11, 1799 | December 19, 1799 | |||
| 12 | 75px | James Monroe | December 19, 1799 | December 1, 1802 | Democratic-Republican | U.S. Senator 1790–1794, fifth President of the United States | |
| 13 | 75px | John Page | December 1, 1802 | December 7, 1805 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 14 | 75px | William H. Cabell | December 7, 1805 | December 1, 1808 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 15 | 75px | John Tyler, Sr. | December 1, 1808 | January 15, 1811 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| — | 75px | George William Smith | January 15, 1811 | January 19, 1811 | Democratic-Republican | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| 16 | 75px | James Monroe | January 19, 1811 | April 3, 1811 | Democratic-Republican | U.S. Senator 1790–94, Fifth President of the United States | |
| 17 | 75px | George William Smith | April 3, 1811 | December 26, 1811 | Democratic-Republican | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) Later elected in his own right Died in office | |
| N/A | 75px | Peyton Randolph | December 27, 1811 | January 3, 1812 | Democratic-Republican | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| 18 | 75px | James Barbour | January 3, 1812 | December 1, 1814 | Democratic-Republican | U.S. Senator 1815–1825 | |
| 19 | 75px | Wilson Cary Nicholas | December 1, 1814 | December 1, 1816 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 20 | 75px | James Patton Preston | December 1, 1816 | December 1, 1819 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 21 | 75px | Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. | December 1, 1819 | December 1, 1822 | Democratic-Republican | ||
| 22 | 75px | James Pleasants | December 1, 1822 | December 10, 1825 | Democratic-Republican | Resigned U.S. Senate to assume Governorship | |
| 23 | 75px | John Tyler | December 10, 1825 | March 4, 1827 | Democratic-Republican | Resigned to enter U.S. Senate 1827–1836, 10th United States President | |
| 24 | 75px | William Branch Giles | March 4, 1827 | March 4, 1830 | Democratic | U.S. Senator 1804–1815 | |
| 25 | 75px | John Floyd | March 4, 1830 | March 31, 1834 | Democratic | First under 1830 constitution (limit of 1 four-year term) | |
| 26 | 75px | Littleton Waller Tazewell | March 31, 1834 | April 30, 1836 | Democratic | U.S. Senator 1824–1832 | |
| — | 75px | Wyndham Robertson | April 30, 1836 | March 31, 1837 | Whig | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| 27 | 75px | David Campbell | March 31, 1837 | March 31, 1840 | Democratic | ||
| 28 | 75px | Thomas Walker Gilmer | March 31, 1840 | March 20, 1841 | Whig | ||
| — | 75px | John M. Patton | March 20, 1841 | March 31, 1841 | Whig | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| — | 75px | John Rutherfoord | March 31, 1841 | March 31, 1842 | Democratic | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| — | 75px | John Munford Gregory | March 31, 1842 | January 1, 1843 | Whig | Acting Governor (member of Council of State) | |
| 29 | 75px | James McDowell | January 1, 1843 | January 1, 1846 | Democratic | ||
| 30 | 75px | William Smith | January 1, 1846 | January 1, 1849 | Democratic | ||
| 31 | 75px | John B. Floyd | January 1, 1849 | January 16, 1852 | Democratic | U.S. Secretary of War 1857–60 | |
| 32 | 75px | Joseph Johnson | January 16, 1852 | January 1, 1856 | Shelton Leake | Democratic | First under 1851 constitution (limit of 1 four-year term) First popularly elected governor |
| 33 | 75px | Henry A. Wise | January 1, 1856 | January 1, 1860 | Elisha W. McComas William Lowther Jackson |
Democratic | |
| 34 | 75px | John Letcher | January 1, 1860 | January 1, 1864 | Robert Latane Montague | Democratic | (On June 20, 1863, the new U.S. state of West Virginia was formed) |
| 35 | 75px | William Smith | January 1, 1864 | May 9, 1865 | Samuel Price | Democratic | |
| — | 75px | Francis Harrison Pierpont | May 9, 1865 | April 4, 1868 | None | Republican | Elected by Restored General Assembly (Union) |
| — | 75px | Henry H. Wells | April 4, 1868 | September 21, 1869 | None | Republican | Appointed Governor by U.S. military |
| 36 | 75px | Gilbert Carlton Walker | September 21, 1869 | January 1, 1874 | John F. Lewis John Lawrence Marye, Jr. |
Republican | Appointed Governor by U.S. military then elected as a Republican Governor later served as a Democratic Congressman |
| 37 | 75px | James L. Kemper | January 1, 1874 | January 1, 1878 | Robert E. Withers Henry Wirtz Thomas |
Democratic | |
| 38 | 75px | Frederick W. M. Holliday | January 1, 1878 | January 1, 1882 | James A. Walker | Democratic | |
| 39 | 75px | William E. Cameron | January 1, 1882 | January 1, 1886 | John F. Lewis | Re-adjuster | |
| 40 | 75px | Fitzhugh Lee | January 1, 1886 | January 1, 1890 | John E. Massey | Democratic | |
| 41 | 75px | Philip W. McKinney | January 1, 1890 | January 1, 1894 | James H. Tyler | Democratic | |
| 42 | 75px | Charles Triplett O'Ferrall | January 1, 1894 | January 1, 1898 | Robert C. Kent | Democratic | Resigned U. S. House seat to assume Governorship |
| 43 | 75px | James Hoge Tyler | January 1, 1898 | January 1, 1902 | Edward Echols | Democratic | |
| 44 | 75px | Andrew Jackson Montague | January 1, 1902 | February 1, 1906 | Joseph Edward Willard | Democratic | |
| 45 | 75px | Claude A. Swanson | February 1, 1906 | February 10, 1910 | James T. Ellyson | Democratic | U.S. Senator 1910–33 |
| 46 | 75px | William Hodges Mann | February 10, 1910 | February 1, 1914 | James T. Ellyson | Democratic | |
| 47 | 75px | Henry Carter Stuart | February 1, 1914 | February 1, 1918 | James T. Ellyson | Democratic | |
| 48 | 75px | Westmoreland Davis | February 1, 1918 | February 1, 1922 | Benjamin F. Buchanan | Democratic | |
| 49 | 75px | Elbert Lee Trinkle | February 1, 1922 | February 1, 1926 | Junius E. West | Democratic | |
| 50 | 75px | Harry F. Byrd | February 1, 1926 | January 15, 1930 | Junius E. West | Democratic | U.S. Senator 1933–65 |
| 51 | 75px | John Garland Pollard | January 15, 1930 | January 17, 1934 | James H. Price | Democratic | |
| 52 | 75px | George C. Peery | January 17, 1934 | January 15, 1938 | James H. Price | Democratic | |
| 53 | 75px | James H. Price | January 15, 1938 | January 21, 1942 | Saxon W. Holt | Democratic | |
| 54 | 75px | Colgate Darden | January 21, 1942 | January 16, 1946 | William M. Tuck | Democratic | |
| 55 | 75px | William M. Tuck | January 16, 1946 | January 18, 1950 | Lewis Preston Collins II | Democratic | |
| 56 | 75px | John S. Battle | January 18, 1950 | January 20, 1954 | Lewis Preston Collins II Allie Edward Stakes Stephens |
Democratic | |
| 57 | 75px | Thomas B. Stanley | January 20, 1954 | January 11, 1958 | Allie Edward Stakes Stephens | Democratic | |
| 58 | 75px | J. Lindsay Almond | January 11, 1958 | January 13, 1962 | Allie Edward Stakes Stephens | Democratic | |
| 59 | 75px | Albertis Harrison | January 13, 1962 | January 15, 1966 | Mills Godwin | Democratic | |
| 60 | 75px | Mills Godwin | January 15, 1966 | January 17, 1970 | Fred G. Pollard | Democratic | |
| 61 | 75px | Linwood Holton | January 17, 1970 | January 12, 1974 | J. Sargeant Reynolds (Democratic) Henry Howell (Democratic) |
Republican | |
| 62 | 75px | Mills Godwin | January 12, 1974 | January 14, 1978 | John N. Dalton | Republican | |
| 63 | 75px | John Dalton | January 14, 1978 | January 16, 1982 | Chuck Robb (Democratic) | Republican | |
| 64 | 75px | Chuck Robb | January 16, 1982 | January 18, 1986 | Dick Davis | Democratic | U.S. Senator 1989–2001 |
| 65 | 75px | Gerald Baliles | January 18, 1986 | January 13, 1990 | Douglas Wilder | Democratic | |
| 66 | 75px | Douglas Wilder | January 13, 1990 | January 15, 1994 | Don Beyer | Democratic | First African-American governor elected in American history |
| 67 | 75px | George Allen | January 15, 1994 | January 17, 1998 | Don Beyer (Democratic) | Republican | U.S. Senator 2001–2007 |
| 68 | 75px | Jim Gilmore | January 17, 1998 | January 12, 2002 | John H. Hager | Republican | |
| 69 | 75px | Mark Warner | January 12, 2002 | January 14, 2006 | Tim Kaine | Democratic | U.S. Senator 2009–present |
| 70 | 75px | Tim Kaine | January 14, 2006 | January 16, 2010 | Bill Bolling (Republican) | Democratic | First Catholic Governor, U.S. Senator 2013–present, nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2016 |
| 71 | 75px | Bob McDonnell | January 16, 2010 | January 11, 2014 | Bill Bolling | Republican | |
| 72 | 75px | Terry McAuliffe | January 11, 2014 | January 13, 2018 | Ralph Northam | Democratic | |
| 73 | 94x94px | Ralph Northam | January 13, 2018 | January 15, 2022 | Justin Fairfax | Democratic | |
| 74 | 94x94px | Glenn Youngkin | January 15, 2022 | Incumbent | Winsome Sears | Republican |
List Of Governors Of Virginia Media
- Youngkin Governor Portrait.jpg
Governor Glenn Youngkin Official Photo
- Patrick henry (3x4 Cropped).JPG
Patrick henry (3x4 Cropped)
- Mather Brown - Thomas Jefferson - Google Art Project (3x4 cropped).jpg
Mather Brown - Thomas Jefferson - Google Art Project (3x4 cropped)
- Thomas Nelson Jr., by Mason Chamberlin (3x4 cropped).jpg
Thomas Nelson Jr., by Mason Chamberlin (3x4 cropped)
- Benjamin Harrison V portrait (3x4 cropped).jpg
Benjamin Harrison V portrait (3x4 cropped)
- Patrick henry (3x4 Cropped).JPG
Patrick henry (3x4 Cropped)
- Edmund Randolph (3x4 cropped).jpg
Edmund Randolph (3x4 cropped)