List of governors of New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of New Jersey
Coat of arms of New Jersey
Incumbent Phil Murphy since January 16, 2018
Style	Governor (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Residence	Drumthwacket
Seat	Trenton, New Jersey
Term length	Four years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	New Jersey Constitution of 1776
Precursor	Governor of New Jersey (Great Britain)
Inaugural holder	William Livingston
Formation	August 31, 1776 (248 years ago) (1776-08-31)
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey

The Governor of New Jersey is like the chief executive officer for the state of New Jersey. This person is the head of government for New Jersey. They are also the leader of the state's military forces.

The governor has important jobs. They make sure state laws are followed. They can also approve or reject bills from the New Jersey Legislature. The governor can call the legislature together for special meetings. They can also grant pardons, which means forgiving someone for a crime. However, they cannot do this for cases of treason or impeachment.

The first New Jersey State Constitution was written in 1776. It said that the governor would be chosen every year. The state legislature would elect them. The governor also led the upper house of the legislature, called the Legislative Council.

In 1844, a new constitution changed things. People could now vote directly for the governor. The governor no longer led the upper house, which was now called the Senate. The governor's term was also made longer, to three years. Governors could not serve two terms in a row.

The 1947 constitution made the term even longer, to four years. Governors can serve two terms in a row. But they can run again after a break. Some governors, like Joseph Bloomfield and A. Harry Moore, served multiple terms, but not always back-to-back.

Before 2006, if the governor's office was empty, the leader of the Senate would step in. They would act as governor. In 2006, a new rule created the job of lieutenant governor. This person is elected with the governor. If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor takes over. This new role started in 2010.

New Jersey has had 56 official governors. Only one of them has been a woman. Some people have also served as acting governors for a short time. The first governor was William Livingston. He served from 1776 to 1790. The current governor is Phil Murphy. He is the 56th governor and started his term on January 16, 2018.

New Jersey's Governors: A Historical Look

The New Jersey State House in Trenton, where the governor's office is located.

New Jersey was one of the original Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain. It became a state on December 18, 1787. Before that, it was a colony.

For a long time, New Jersey did not have a lieutenant governor. This is different from most other states. If the governor's job was empty, or if the governor couldn't do their duties, the president of the State Senate would become the acting governor. This person would still be a senator. This meant they had power in both the executive and legislative parts of the government.

The acting governor would serve until a new governor was elected. This happened if the governor died, resigned, or was removed from office. If there were more than 16 months left in the term, a special election would be held. If there were less than 16 months, the acting governor would serve until the end of the term.

For example, after Governor Christine Todd Whitman resigned in 2001, Donald DiFrancesco became acting governor. Later, John O. Bennett and Richard Codey also served as acting governors for short periods. These quick changes led New Jersey voters to approve a new rule in 2005. This rule created the office of lieutenant governor of New Jersey. This new role started with the elections in 2009.

List of New Jersey Governors

Here is a list of the governors who have led the State of New Jersey.

Governors of the State of New Jersey

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			William Livingston (1723–1790)	August 31, 1776 – July 25, 1790 (died in office)	Federalist	1776	Office did not exist
						1777
						1778
						1779
						1780
						1781
						1782
						1783
						1784
						1785
						1786
						1787
						1788
						1789
—			Elisha Lawrence (1746–1799)	July 25, 1790 – October 29, 1790 (successor took office)	Federalist	Vice-president of the Legislative Council acting
2			William Paterson (1745–1806)	October 29, 1790 – May 27, 1793 (resigned)	Federalist	1790
						1791
						1792
—			Thomas Henderson (1743–1824)	May 27, 1793 – June 3, 1793 (successor took office)	Federalist	Vice-president of the Legislative Council acting
3			Richard Howell (1754–1802)	June 3, 1793 – October 31, 1801 (did not run)	Federalist	1793
						1794
						1795
						1796
						1797
						1798
						1799
						1800
4			Joseph Bloomfield (1753–1823)	October 31, 1801 – October 28, 1802 (deadlocked election)	Democratic- Republican	1801
—			John Lambert (1746–1823)	October 28, 1802 – October 27, 1803 (successor took office)	Democratic- Republican	1802
4			Joseph Bloomfield (1753–1823)	October 27, 1803 – October 29, 1812 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	1803
						1804
						1805
						1806
						1807
						1808
						1809
						1810
						1811
5			Aaron Ogden (1756–1839)	October 29, 1812 – October 29, 1813 (lost election)	Federalist	1812
6			William Sanford Pennington (1757–1826)	October 29, 1813 – June 19, 1815 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1813
						1814
—			William Kennedy (1775–1826)	June 19, 1815 – October 26, 1815 (successor took office)	Democratic- Republican	Vice-president of the Legislative Council acting
7			Mahlon Dickerson (1770–1853)	October 26, 1815 – February 1, 1817 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1815
						1816
8			Isaac Halstead Williamson (1767–1844)	February 6, 1817 – October 30, 1829 (lost election)	Democratic- Republican	1817
						1818
						1819
						1820
						1821
						1822
						1823
						1824
						1825
						1826
						1827
						1828
—			Garret D. Wall (1783–1850)	October 30, 1829 – November 2, 1829 (declined)	Democratic	1829
9			Peter Dumont Vroom (1791–1873)	November 6, 1829 – October 26, 1832 (lost election)	Democratic
						1830
						1831
10			Samuel L. Southard (1787–1842)	October 26, 1832 – February 27, 1833 (resigned)	Whig	1832
11			Elias P. Seeley (1791–1846)	February 27, 1833 – October 25, 1833 (lost election)	Whig
9			Peter Dumont Vroom (1791–1873)	October 25, 1833 – November 3, 1836 (resigned)	Democratic	1833
						1834
						1835
12			Philemon Dickerson (1788–1862)	November 3, 1836 – October 27, 1837 (lost election)	Democratic	1836
13			William Pennington (1796–1862)	October 27, 1837 – October 27, 1843 (did not run)	Whig	1837
						1838
						1839
						1840
						1841
						1842
14			Daniel Haines (1801–1877)	October 27, 1843 – January 21, 1845 (did not run)	Democratic	1843
15			Charles C. Stratton (1796–1859)	January 21, 1845 – January 18, 1848 (term-limited)	Whig	1844
14			Daniel Haines (1801–1877)	January 18, 1848 – January 21, 1851 (term-limited)	Democratic	1847
16			George Franklin Fort (1809–1872)	January 21, 1851 – January 17, 1854 (term-limited)	Democratic	1850
17			Rodman M. Price (1816–1894)	January 17, 1854 – January 20, 1857 (term-limited)	Democratic	1853
18			William A. Newell (1817–1901)	January 20, 1857 – January 17, 1860 (term-limited)	Republican	1856
19			Charles Smith Olden (1799–1876)	January 17, 1860 – January 20, 1863 (term-limited)	Republican	1859
20			Joel Parker (1816–1888)	January 20, 1863 – January 16, 1866 (term-limited)	Democratic	1862
21			Marcus Lawrence Ward (1812–1884)	January 16, 1866 – January 19, 1869 (term-limited)	Republican	1865
22			Theodore Fitz Randolph (1826–1883)	January 19, 1869 – January 16, 1872 (term-limited)	Democratic	1868
20			Joel Parker (1816–1888)	January 16, 1872 – January 19, 1875 (term-limited)	Democratic	1871
23			Joseph D. Bedle (1831–1894)	January 19, 1875 – January 15, 1878 (term-limited)	Democratic	1874
24			George B. McClellan (1826–1885)	January 15, 1878 – January 18, 1881 (term-limited)	Democratic	1877
25			George C. Ludlow (1830–1900)	January 18, 1881 – January 15, 1884 (term-limited)	Democratic	1880
26			Leon Abbett (1836–1894)	January 15, 1884 – January 18, 1887 (term-limited)	Democratic	1883
27			Robert Stockton Green (1831–1895)	January 18, 1887 – January 21, 1890 (term-limited)	Democratic	1886
26			Leon Abbett (1836–1894)	January 21, 1890 – January 17, 1893 (term-limited)	Democratic	1889
28			George Theodore Werts (1846–1910)	January 17, 1893 – January 21, 1896 (term-limited)	Democratic	1892
29			John W. Griggs (1849–1927)	January 21, 1896 – January 31, 1898 (resigned)	Republican	1895
—			Foster McGowan Voorhees (1856–1927)	January 31, 1898 – October 18, 1898 (resigned)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			David Ogden Watkins (1862–1938)	October 18, 1898 – January 17, 1899 (successor took office)	Republican	Speaker of the Assembly acting
30			Foster McGowan Voorhees (1856–1927)	January 17, 1899 – January 21, 1902 (term-limited)	Republican	1898
31			Franklin Murphy (1846–1920)	January 21, 1902 – January 17, 1905 (term-limited)	Republican	1901
32			Edward C. Stokes (1860–1942)	January 17, 1905 – January 21, 1908 (term-limited)	Republican	1904
33			John Franklin Fort (1852–1920)	January 21, 1908 – January 17, 1911 (term-limited)	Republican	1907
34			Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)	January 17, 1911 – March 1, 1913 (resigned)	Democratic	1910
—			James Fairman Fielder (1867–1954)	March 1, 1913 – October 28, 1913 (resigned)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
—			Leon Rutherford Taylor (1883–1924)	October 28, 1913 – January 20, 1914 (successor took office)	Democratic	Speaker of the Assembly acting
35			James Fairman Fielder (1867–1954)	January 20, 1914 – January 16, 1917 (term-limited)	Democratic	1913
36			Walter Evans Edge (1873–1956)	January 16, 1917 – May 16, 1919 (resigned)	Republican	1916
—			William Nelson Runyon (1871–1931)	May 16, 1919 – January 13, 1920 (senate term expired)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Clarence E. Case (1877–1961)	January 13, 1920 – January 20, 1920 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
37			Edward I. Edwards (1863–1931)	January 20, 1920 – January 15, 1923 (term-limited)	Democratic	1919
38			George Sebastian Silzer (1870–1940)	January 15, 1923 – January 19, 1926 (term-limited)	Democratic	1922
39			A. Harry Moore (1877–1952)	January 19, 1926 – January 15, 1929 (term-limited)	Democratic	1925
40			Morgan Foster Larson (1882–1961)	January 15, 1929 – January 19, 1932 (term-limited)	Republican	1928
39			A. Harry Moore (1877–1952)	January 19, 1932 – January 3, 1935 (resigned)	Democratic	1931
—			Clifford Ross Powell (1893–1973)	January 3, 1935 – January 8, 1935 (senate term expired)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Horace Griggs Prall (1881–1951)	January 8, 1935 – January 15, 1935 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
41			Harold G. Hoffman (1896–1954)	January 15, 1935 – January 18, 1938 (term-limited)	Republican	1934
39			A. Harry Moore (1877–1952)	January 18, 1938 – January 21, 1941 (term-limited)	Democratic	1937
42			Charles Edison (1890–1969)	January 21, 1941 – January 18, 1944 (term-limited)	Democratic	1940
36			Walter Evans Edge (1873–1956)	January 18, 1944 – January 21, 1947 (term-limited)	Republican	1943
43			Alfred E. Driscoll (1902–1975)	January 21, 1947 – January 19, 1954 (term-limited)	Republican	1946
						1949
44			Robert B. Meyner (1908–1990)	January 19, 1954 – January 16, 1962 (term-limited)	Democratic	1953
						1957
45			Richard J. Hughes (1909–1992)	January 16, 1962 – January 20, 1970 (term-limited)	Democratic	1961
						1965
46			William T. Cahill (1912–1996)	January 20, 1970 – January 15, 1974 (lost nomination)	Republican	1969
47			Brendan Byrne (1924–2018)	January 15, 1974 – January 19, 1982 (term-limited)	Democratic	1973
						1977
48			Thomas Kean (b. 1935)	January 19, 1982 – January 16, 1990 (term-limited)	Republican	1981
						1985
49			James Florio (1937–2022)	January 16, 1990 – January 18, 1994 (lost election)	Democratic	1989
50			Christine Todd Whitman (b. 1946)	January 18, 1994 – January 31, 2001 (resigned)	Republican	1993
						1997
51			Donald DiFrancesco (b. 1944)	January 31, 2001 – January 8, 2002 (senate term expired)	Republican	Succeeded from president of the Senate
—			John Farmer Jr. (b. 1957)	January 8, 2002 – January 8, 2002 (successor took office)	Republican	Attorney general acting
—			John O. Bennett (b. 1948)	January 8, 2002 – January 12, 2002 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
—			Richard Codey (b. 1946)	January 12, 2002 – January 15, 2002 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
52			Jim McGreevey (b. 1957)	January 15, 2002 – November 15, 2004 (resigned)	Democratic	2001
53			Richard Codey (b. 1946)	November 16, 2004 – January 17, 2006 (did not run)	Democratic	Succeeded from president of the Senate
54			Jon Corzine (b. 1947)	January 17, 2006 – January 19, 2010 (lost election)	Democratic	2005
55			Chris Christie (b. 1962)	January 19, 2010 – January 16, 2018 (term-limited)	Republican	2009		Guadagno, KimKim Guadagno
						2013
56			Phil Murphy (b. 1957)	January 16, 2018 – Incumbent	Democratic	2017		Oliver, SheilaSheila Oliver (died August 1, 2023)
						2021
							Vacant
								Way, TaheshaTahesha Way (appointed September 8, 2023)

See also

• Who takes over if the governor can't serve (New Jersey)
• New Jersey's State Legislatures