List of governors of Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Flag of the governor
Seal of the governor
Incumbent Josh Shapiro since January 17, 2023
Government of Pennsylvania
Style	Governor (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Residence	Governor's Residence
Term length	Four years, renewable once consecutively
Inaugural holder	Thomas Mifflin
Formation	December 21, 1790
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor
Salary	$201,729 (2020)

The governor of Pennsylvania is the head of government of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, as well as commander-in-chief of the state's national guard.

The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to approve or veto bills passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, as well as to convene the legislature. The governor may grant pardons except in cases of impeachment, but only when recommended by the Board of Pardons.

There have been seven presidents and 48 governors of Pennsylvania, with two governors (Robert E. Pattison and Gifford Pinchot) serving non-consecutive terms, totaling 55 terms in both offices. The longest term was that of the first governor, Thomas Mifflin, who served three full terms as governor in addition to two years as President of the Continental Congress. The shortest term belonged to John C. Bell Jr., who served only 19 days as acting governor after his predecessor, Edward Martin, resigned.

The current governor is Josh Shapiro, who took office on January 17, 2023.

Governors

Pennsylvania was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and was admitted as a state on December 12, 1787. Before it declared its independence, Pennsylvania was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Presidents of the Supreme Executive Council

The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 created the Supreme Executive Council as the state's executive branch, with a president as its head. The president was chosen annually by the council, though with no specific term dates.

The constitution created the position of "vice-president", though no provision was made if the office of the president became vacant, which occurred four times later. Contemporary sources continue to label the chief executive in such times as the vice-president, without any notion of succeeding in the presidency. One acting president, George Bryan, was subsequently recognized later as a full-fledged governor, due to his acting as president for over six months.

Presidents of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania

No.	President		Term in office	Vice-President
1		Thomas Wharton Jr. (1735–1778)	March 5, 1777 – May 23, 1778 (died in office)	Bryan, GeorgeGeorge Bryan
2		George Bryan (1731–1791)	May 23, 1778 – December 22, 1778 (left office)	acting as president
3		Joseph Reed (1741–1785)	December 22, 1778 – November 15, 1781 (term-limited)	Bryan, GeorgeGeorge Bryan (resigned October 11, 1779)
				Smith, MatthewMatthew Smith (resigned November 15, 1779)
				Moore, WilliamWilliam Moore
4		William Moore (1735–1793)	November 15, 1781 – November 7, 1782 (left office)	Potter, JamesJames Potter
5		John Dickinson (1732–1808)	November 7, 1782 – October 18, 1785 (term-limited)	Ewing, JamesJames Ewing
				Irvine, JamesJames Irvine (resigned October 10, 1785)
				Biddle, CharlesCharles Biddle
6		Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)	October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788 (term-limited)
				Muhlenberg, PeterPeter Muhlenberg (resigned October 14, 1788)
				Redick, DavidDavid Redick
7		Thomas Mifflin (1744–1800)	November 5, 1788 – December 21, 1790 (became state governor)	Ross, GeorgeGeorge Ross

Governors of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Five governors of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who have served since 1995, (left to right): Mark Schweiker, Tom Ridge, Tom Wolf, Tom Corbett and Ed Rendell, pose in front of the east facade of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg at Wolf's January 2015 gubernatorial inauguration

The 1790 constitution abolished the council and replaced the president with a governor, and established a three-year term for governor commencing on the third Tuesday of the December following the election, with governors not allowed to serve more than nine out of any twelve years. The 1838 constitution moved the start of the term to the third Tuesday of the January following the election, and allowed governors to only serve six out of any nine years. The 1874 constitution lengthened the term to four years, and prohibited governors from succeeding themselves. The current constitution of 1968 changed this to allow governors to serve two consecutive terms, with no lifetime limit.

Under the 1968 constitution, Milton Shapp was the first governor to serve two terms, and Tom Corbett was the first incumbent governor to lose a re-election bid.

If the office of governor becomes vacant through death, resignation, or conviction on impeachment, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term; if the office is only temporarily vacant due to disability of the governor, the lieutenant governor only acts out the duties of governor. Should both offices be vacant, the president pro tempore of the state senate becomes governor. The position of a lieutenant governor was created in the 1874 constitution; prior to then, the speaker of the senate would act as governor in cases of vacancy. Originally, the lieutenant governor could only act as governor; it was not until the 1968 constitution that the lieutenant governor could actually become the sitting governor in that fashion. The office of governor has been vacant for an extended period once before, a 17-day gap in 1848 between the resignation of the previous governor and the swearing in of his acting successor. Governors and lieutenant governors are elected on the same political party ticket.

Governors of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Thomas Mifflin (1744–1800)	December 21, 1790 – December 17, 1799 (term-limited)	None	1790	Office did not exist
					Democratic- Republican	1793
						1796
2			Thomas McKean (1734–1817)	December 17, 1799 – December 20, 1808 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1799
						1802
						1805
3			Simon Snyder (1759–1819)	December 20, 1808 – December 16, 1817 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1808
						1811
						1814
4			William Findlay (1768–1846)	December 16, 1817 – December 19, 1820 (lost election)	Democratic- Republican	1817
5			Joseph Hiester (1752–1832)	December 19, 1820 – December 16, 1823 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	1820
6			John Andrew Shulze (1775–1852)	December 16, 1823 – December 15, 1829 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	1823
						1826
7			George Wolf (1777–1840)	December 15, 1829 – December 15, 1835 (lost election)	Democratic- Republican	1829
						1832
8			Joseph Ritner (1780–1869)	December 15, 1835 – January 15, 1839 (lost election)	Anti-Masonic	1835
9			David R. Porter (1788–1867)	January 15, 1839 – January 21, 1845 (term-limited)	Democratic	1838
						1841
10			Francis R. Shunk (1788–1848)	January 21, 1845 – July 9, 1848 (resigned)	Democratic	1844
						1847
11			William F. Johnston (1808–1872)	July 9, 1848 – January 20, 1852 (lost election)	Whig	Speaker of the Senate acting
						1848
12			William Bigler (1814–1880)	January 20, 1852 – January 16, 1855 (lost election)	Democratic	1851
13			James Pollock (1810–1890)	January 16, 1855 – January 19, 1858 (did not run)	Whig	1854
14			William F. Packer (1807–1870)	January 19, 1858 – January 15, 1861 (did not run)	Democratic	1857
15			Andrew Gregg Curtin (d. 1894)	January 15, 1861 – January 15, 1867 (term-limited)	Republican	1860
						1863
16			John W. Geary (1819–1873)	January 15, 1867 – January 21, 1873 (term-limited)	Republican	1866
						1869
17			John F. Hartranft (1830–1889)	January 21, 1873 – January 21, 1879 (term-limited)	Republican	1872
						1875		Latta, JohnJohn Latta
18			Henry M. Hoyt (1830–1892)	January 21, 1879 – January 16, 1883 (term-limited)	Republican	1878		Stone, Charles WarrenCharles Warren Stone
19			Robert E. Pattison (1850–1904)	January 16, 1883 – January 18, 1887 (term-limited)	Democratic	1882		Black, Chauncey ForwardChauncey Forward Black
20			James A. Beaver (1837–1914)	January 18, 1887 – January 20, 1891 (term-limited)	Republican	1886		Davies, William T.William T. Davies
19			Robert E. Pattison (1850–1904)	January 20, 1891 – January 15, 1895 (term-limited)	Democratic	1890		Watres, Louis ArthurLouis Arthur Watres
21			Daniel H. Hastings (1849–1903)	January 15, 1895 – January 17, 1899 (term-limited)	Republican	1894		Lyon, WalterWalter Lyon
22			William A. Stone (1846–1920)	January 17, 1899 – January 20, 1903 (term-limited)	Republican	1898		Gobin, John P. S.John P. S. Gobin
23			Samuel W. Pennypacker (1843–1916)	January 20, 1903 – January 15, 1907 (term-limited)	Republican	1902		Brown, William M.William M. Brown
24			Edwin Sydney Stuart (1853–1937)	January 15, 1907 – January 17, 1911 (term-limited)	Republican	1906		Murphy, Robert S.Robert S. Murphy
25			John K. Tener (1863–1946)	January 17, 1911 – January 19, 1915 (term-limited)	Republican	1910		Reynolds, John MerrimanJohn Merriman Reynolds
26			Martin Grove Brumbaugh (1862–1930)	January 19, 1915 – January 21, 1919 (term-limited)	Republican	1914		McClain, Frank B.Frank B. McClain
27			William Cameron Sproul (1870–1928)	January 21, 1919 – January 16, 1923 (term-limited)	Republican	1918		Beidleman, Edward E.Edward E. Beidleman
28			Gifford Pinchot (1865–1946)	January 16, 1923 – January 18, 1927 (term-limited)	Republican	1922		Davis, David J.David J. Davis
29			John Stuchell Fisher (1867–1940)	January 18, 1927 – January 20, 1931 (term-limited)	Republican	1926		James, ArthurArthur James
28			Gifford Pinchot (1865–1946)	January 20, 1931 – January 15, 1935 (term-limited)	Republican	1930		Shannon, Edward C.Edward C. Shannon
30			George Howard Earle III (1890–1974)	January 15, 1935 – January 17, 1939 (term-limited)	Democratic	1934		Kennedy, ThomasThomas Kennedy
31			Arthur James (1883–1973)	January 17, 1939 – January 19, 1943 (term-limited)	Republican	1938		Lewis, Samuel S.Samuel S. Lewis
32			Edward Martin (1879–1967)	January 19, 1943 – January 2, 1947 (resigned)	Republican	1942		Bell Jr., John C.John C. Bell Jr.
33			John C. Bell Jr. (1892–1974)	January 2, 1947 – January 21, 1947 (successor took office)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
34			James H. Duff (1883–1969)	January 21, 1947 – January 16, 1951 (term-limited)	Republican	1946		Strickler, DanielDaniel Strickler
35			John S. Fine (1893–1978)	January 16, 1951 – January 18, 1955 (term-limited)	Republican	1950		Wood, Lloyd H.Lloyd H. Wood
36			George M. Leader (1918–2013)	January 18, 1955 – January 20, 1959 (term-limited)	Democratic	1954		Furman, Roy E.Roy E. Furman
37			David L. Lawrence (1889–1966)	January 20, 1959 – January 15, 1963 (term-limited)	Democratic	1958		Davis, John MorganJohn Morgan Davis
38			William Scranton (1917–2013)	January 15, 1963 – January 17, 1967 (term-limited)	Republican	1962		Shafer, Raymond P.Raymond P. Shafer
39	.		Raymond P. Shafer (1917–2006)	January 17, 1967 – January 19, 1971 (term-limited)	Republican	1966		Broderick, Raymond J.Raymond J. Broderick
40			Milton Shapp (1912–1994)	January 19, 1971 – January 16, 1979 (term-limited)	Democratic	1970		Kline, ErnestErnest Kline
						1974
41			Dick Thornburgh (1932–2020)	January 16, 1979 – January 20, 1987 (term-limited)	Republican	1978		Scranton III, WilliamWilliam Scranton III
						1982
42			Bob Casey Sr. (1932–2000)	January 20, 1987 – January 17, 1995 (term-limited)	Democratic	1986		Singel, MarkMark Singel
						1990
43			Tom Ridge (b. 1945)	January 17, 1995 – October 5, 2001 (resigned)	Republican	1994		Schweiker, MarkMark Schweiker
						1998
44			Mark Schweiker (b. 1953)	October 5, 2001 – January 21, 2003 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor		Jubelirer, RobertRobert Jubelirer
45			Ed Rendell (b. 1944)	January 21, 2003 – January 18, 2011 (term-limited)	Democratic	2002		Knoll, Catherine BakerCatherine Baker Knoll (died November 12, 2008)
						2006
								Scarnati, JoeJoe Scarnati (acting)
46			Tom Corbett (b. 1949)	January 18, 2011 – January 20, 2015 (lost election)	Republican	2010		Cawley, JimJim Cawley
47			Tom Wolf (b. 1948)	January 20, 2015 – January 17, 2023 (term-limited)	Democratic	2014		Stack, MikeMike Stack
						2018		Fetterman, JohnJohn Fetterman (resigned January 3, 2023)
								Ward, KimKim Ward (acting)
48			Josh Shapiro (b. 1973)	January 17, 2023 – Incumbent	Democratic	2022		Davis, AustinAustin Davis

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Pennsylvania
• List of Pennsylvania gubernatorial elections
• List of Pennsylvania state legislatures
• List of colonial governors of Pennsylvania