List of governors of Maine facts for kids

Seal of the Governor of Maine

The Blaine House is where the governor of Maine lives. It's in Augusta, Maine, right across from the Maine State House.

The governor of Maine is like the boss of the state government in Maine. They are also in charge of Maine's military forces. The governor's job is to make sure state laws are followed. They can also approve or reject new laws passed by the Maine Legislature. The governor can call the legislature together at any time. They can also grant pardons, which means forgiving someone for a crime, unless it's a case of impeachment.

Maine has had 71 governors since it became a state. Some governors, like Edward Kent and John Fairfield, served more than one term, but not one right after the other. The governor who served the longest was Joseph E. Brennan, from 1979 to 1987. The shortest-serving governors were Nathaniel M. Haskell and Richard H. Vose, who each served for only one day! John W. Dana also served for one day in 1844, but he was later elected governor. The current governor is Janet Mills, who is a Democrat. She started her term on January 2, 2019.

Maine's Governors: A Look Back

Maine became a state on March 15, 1820. At first, the Maine Constitution said that a governor would serve for one year, starting on the first Wednesday of January. Later, in 1879, this was changed to two years. Then, in 1957, it was changed again to four years. The 1957 change also added a rule that governors couldn't serve more than two terms in a row. Maine does not have a lieutenant governor. If the governor's office becomes empty, the president of the Maine Senate takes over. Before 1964, the president of the senate would only act as governor, not officially become the governor.

Governors of the State of Maine

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election
1			William King (1768–1852)	May 31, 1820 – May 28, 1821 (resigned)	Democratic– Republican	1820
2			William D. Williamson (1779–1846)	May 28, 1821 – December 25, 1821 (resigned)	Democratic– Republican	President of the Senate acting
3			Benjamin Ames (1778–1835)	December 25, 1821 – January 2, 1822 (resigned)	Democratic– Republican	Speaker of the House acting
4			Daniel Rose (1772–1833)	January 2, 1822 – January 4, 1822 (successor took office)	Democratic– Republican	President of the Senate acting
5			Albion Parris (1788–1857)	January 4, 1822 – January 3, 1827 (did not run)	Democratic– Republican	1821
						1822
						1823
						1824
						1825
6			Enoch Lincoln (1788–1829)	January 3, 1827 – October 8, 1829 (died in office)	Democratic– Republican	1826
						1827
						1828
7			Nathan Cutler (1775–1861)	October 8, 1829 – February 5, 1830 (presidency expired)	Democratic– Republican	President of the Senate acting
8			Joshua Hall (1768–1862)	February 5, 1830 – February 10, 1830 (successor took office)	Democratic– Republican	Speaker of the House acting
9			Jonathan G. Hunton (1781–1851)	February 10, 1830 – January 8, 1831 (lost election)	National Republican	1829
10			Samuel E. Smith (1788–1860)	January 8, 1831 – January 2, 1834 (did not run)	Democratic	1830
						1831
						1832
11			Robert P. Dunlap (1794–1859)	January 2, 1834 – January 3, 1838 (did not run)	Democratic	1833
						1834
						1835
						1836
12			Edward Kent (1802–1877)	January 19, 1838 – January 2, 1839 (lost election)	Whig	1837
13			John Fairfield (1797–1847)	January 2, 1839 – January 12, 1841 (lost election)	Democratic	1838
						1839
14			Richard H. Vose (1803–1864)	January 12, 1841 – January 13, 1841 (successor took office)	Whig	President of the Senate acting
15			Edward Kent (1802–1877)	January 13, 1841 – January 5, 1842 (lost election)	Whig	1840
16			John Fairfield (1797–1847)	January 5, 1842 – March 7, 1843 (resigned)	Democratic	1841
						1842
17			Edward Kavanagh (1795–1844)	March 7, 1843 – January 1, 1844 (resigned)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
18			David Dunn (1811–1894)	January 1, 1844 – January 3, 1844 (resigned)	Democratic	Speaker of the House acting
19			John W. Dana (1808–1867)	January 3, 1844 – January 5, 1844 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
20			Hugh J. Anderson (1801–1881)	January 5, 1844 – May 18, 1847 (did not run)	Democratic	1843
						1844
						1845
21			John W. Dana (1808–1867)	May 18, 1847 – May 13, 1850 (did not run)	Democratic	1846
						1847
						1848
22			John Hubbard (1794–1869)	May 13, 1850 – January 18, 1853 (lost election)	Democratic	1849
						1850
23			William G. Crosby (1805–1881)	January 18, 1853 – January 6, 1855 (did not run)	Whig	1852
						1853
24			Anson Morrill (1803–1887)	January 6, 1855 – January 4, 1856 (lost election)	Republican	1854
25			Samuel Wells (1801–1868)	January 4, 1856 – January 8, 1857 (lost election)	Democratic	1855
26			Hannibal Hamlin (1809–1891)	January 8, 1857 – February 26, 1857 (resigned)	Republican	1856
27			Joseph H. Williams (1814–1896)	February 26, 1857 – January 8, 1858 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
28			Lot M. Morrill (1813–1883)	January 8, 1858 – January 3, 1861 (did not run)	Republican	1857
						1858
						1859
29			Israel Washburn Jr. (1813–1883)	January 3, 1861 – January 8, 1863 (did not run)	Republican	1860
						1861
30			Abner Coburn (1803–1885)	January 8, 1863 – January 7, 1864 (did not run)	Republican	1862
31			Samuel Cony (1811–1870)	January 7, 1864 – January 3, 1867 (did not run)	Republican	1863
						1864
						1865
32			Joshua Chamberlain (1828–1914)	January 3, 1867 – January 5, 1871 (did not run)	Republican	1866
						1867
						1868
						1869
33			Sidney Perham (1819–1907)	January 5, 1871 – January 8, 1874 (did not run)	Republican	1870
						1871
						1872
34			Nelson Dingley Jr. (1832–1899)	January 8, 1874 – January 6, 1876 (did not run)	Republican	1873
						1874
35			Seldon Connor (1839–1917)	January 6, 1876 – January 8, 1879 (lost election)	Republican	1875
						1876
						1877
36			Alonzo Garcelon (1813–1906)	January 8, 1879 – January 17, 1880 (did not run)	Democratic	1878
37			Daniel F. Davis (1843–1897)	January 17, 1880 – January 13, 1881 (lost election)	Republican	1879
38			Harris M. Plaisted (1828–1898)	January 13, 1881 – January 4, 1883 (lost election)	Greenback/ Democratic	1880
39			Frederick Robie (1822–1912)	January 4, 1883 – January 6, 1887 (did not run)	Republican	1882
						1884
40			Joseph R. Bodwell (1818–1887)	January 6, 1887 – December 15, 1887 (died in office)	Republican	1886
41			Sebastian Streeter Marble (1817–1902)	December 15, 1887 – January 3, 1889 (lost nomination)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
42			Edwin C. Burleigh (1843–1916)	January 3, 1889 – January 5, 1893 (did not run)	Republican	1888
						1890
43			Henry B. Cleaves (1840–1912)	January 5, 1893 – January 7, 1897 (did not run)	Republican	1892
						1894
44			Llewellyn Powers (1836–1908)	January 7, 1897 – January 3, 1901 (did not run)	Republican	1896
						1898
45			John Fremont Hill (1855–1912)	January 3, 1901 – January 5, 1905 (did not run)	Republican	1900
						1902
46			William T. Cobb (1857–1937)	January 5, 1905 – January 7, 1909 (did not run)	Republican	1904
						1906
47			Bert M. Fernald (1858–1926)	January 7, 1909 – January 5, 1911 (lost election)	Republican	1908
48			Frederick W. Plaisted (1865–1943)	January 5, 1911 – January 2, 1913 (lost election)	Democratic	1910
49			William T. Haines (1854–1919)	January 2, 1913 – January 7, 1915 (lost election)	Republican	1912
50			Oakley C. Curtis (1865–1924)	January 7, 1915 – January 4, 1917 (lost election)	Democratic	1914
51			Carl Milliken (1877–1961)	January 4, 1917 – January 6, 1921 (lost nomination)	Republican	1916
						1918
52			Frederic Hale Parkhurst (1864–1921)	January 6, 1921 – January 31, 1921 (died in office)	Republican	1920
53			Percival P. Baxter (1876–1969)	January 31, 1921 – January 8, 1925 (did not run)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
						1922
54			Ralph Owen Brewster (1888–1961)	January 8, 1925 – January 3, 1929 (did not run)	Republican	1924
						1926
55			William Tudor Gardiner (1892–1953)	January 3, 1929 – January 5, 1933 (did not run)	Republican	1928
						1930
56			Louis J. Brann (1876–1948)	January 5, 1933 – January 7, 1937 (did not run)	Democratic	1932
						1934
57			Lewis O. Barrows (1893–1967)	January 7, 1937 – January 2, 1941 (did not run)	Republican	1936
						1938
58			Sumner Sewall (1897–1965)	January 2, 1941 – January 4, 1945 (did not run)	Republican	1940
						1942
59			Horace Hildreth (1902–1988)	January 4, 1945 – January 6, 1949 (did not run)	Republican	1944
						1946
60			Frederick G. Payne (1904–1978)	January 6, 1949 – December 25, 1952 (resigned)	Republican	1948
						1950
—			Burton M. Cross (1902–1998)	December 26, 1952 – January 7, 1953 (presidency expired)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Nathaniel M. Haskell (1912–1983)	January 7, 1953 – January 8, 1953 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
61			Burton M. Cross (1902–1998)	January 8, 1953 – January 6, 1955 (lost election)	Republican	1952
62			Edmund Muskie (1914–1996)	January 6, 1955 – January 2, 1959 (resigned)	Democratic	1954
						1956
63			Robert Haskell (1903–1987)	January 3, 1959 – January 8, 1959 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
64			Clinton Clauson (1895–1959)	January 8, 1959 – December 30, 1959 (died in office)	Democratic	1958
65			John H. Reed (1921–2012)	December 30, 1959 – January 5, 1967 (lost election)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
						1960 (special)
						1962
66			Kenneth M. Curtis (b. 1931)	January 5, 1967 – January 2, 1975 (term-limited)	Democratic	1966
						1970
67			James B. Longley (1924–1980)	January 2, 1975 – January 3, 1979 (did not run)	Independent	1974
68			Joseph E. Brennan (1934–2024)	January 4, 1979 – January 8, 1987 (term-limited)	Democratic	1978
						1982
70			John R. McKernan Jr. (b. 1948)	January 8, 1987 – January 5, 1995 (term-limited)	Republican	1986
						1990
71			Angus King (b. 1944)	January 5, 1995 – January 8, 2003 (term-limited)	Independent	1994
						1998
72			John Baldacci (b. 1955)	January 8, 2003 – January 5, 2011 (term-limited)	Democratic	2002
						2006
73			Paul LePage (b. 1948)	January 5, 2011 – January 2, 2019 (term-limited)	Republican	2010
						2014
74			Janet Mills (b. 1947)	January 2, 2019 – Incumbent	Democratic	2018
						2022

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § Maine
• List of Maine state legislatures