List of female governors in the United States facts for kids

Map of all states based on whether their governors are male or female as of January 2025      Male     Female

Many women have served as governors in the United States. A governor is the leader of a state, similar to a president for a country. As of July 2025, 51 women have been governors of U.S. states. Three women have also led U.S. territories, and two have been the mayor of Washington, D.C. Currently, 12 U.S. states have women governors. The territories of Guam and Puerto Rico also have women leaders. Most of the current female state governors are from the Democratic Party. The others are from the Republican Party.

History of Women Governors

The number of female governors every state has had as of January 2025. Gray denotes 0.      1      2      3      4      5

The very first woman to act as a governor was Carolyn B. Shelton. She was the Acting Governor of Oregon for one weekend in 1909. The governor before her had to leave early. The new governor was sick. So, Shelton, who was the governor's secretary, took charge for a short time. Women in Oregon could not even vote yet!

The first woman to have important duties as an acting governor was Soledad Chacón. She was the Acting Governor of New Mexico for two weeks in 1924. The governor was away at a meeting. The Lieutenant Governor had passed away. So, Chacón, who was the Secretary of State, stepped in. She believed it was the first time a woman in the U.S. had taken on a governor's responsibilities.

The first woman to become governor after a special election was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming. She was elected in November 1924 and started her term in January 1925. She became governor after her husband, who was the previous governor, passed away. Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote.

Miriam A. Ferguson of Texas was elected in November 1924 and took office in January 1925. Her husband had been removed from office earlier. The first woman elected governor who was not related to a former governor was Ella Grasso of Connecticut. She was elected in 1974 and started her term in January 1975.

Kay Ivey of Alabama is currently the longest-serving female governor in the nation. No woman governor has ever changed political parties while in office. Also, no woman has been elected governor as a third-party member or an independent.

Facts About Women Governors

As of July 2025, some states have elected women governors from both major parties. These states are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New Mexico. Arizona was the first state where one woman governor was followed by another woman governor. They were from different parties. Arizona has had the most women governors with five. It is also the first state to have three women serve as governor one after another.

A record 14 state governorships were held by women in January 2025. This happened after Kelly Ayotte became Governor of New Hampshire.

Currently, 18 states have never had a female governor. These include California, Florida, Illinois, and Virginia. Four states have never had a major party nominate a woman for governor. These are Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah. However, Olene Walker did serve as governor of Utah. Also, Minnesota has had nine women serve as lieutenant governors since 1983.

Three women of color have been state governors. They are Susana Martinez and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, who are Hispanic. Nikki Haley of South Carolina is Indian-American. Martinez and Haley are Republicans, while Lujan Grisham is a Democrat.

Six women who led U.S. territories or Washington, D.C., have been from ethnic minority groups. These include Sharon Pratt and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., who are African-American. Sila María Calderón, Wanda Vázquez Garced, and Jenniffer González-Colón of Puerto Rico are Hispanic. Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam is a Pacific Islander.

Governors Who Gave Birth While in Office

Some women governors have given birth while serving in office.

Women Leaders in Territories and Washington, D.C.

Women have also served as leaders in U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

Image	Name (lifespan)	Jurisdiction	Term start	Term end	Party	Notes	Departure
	Pratt, SharonSharon Pratt (born 1944)	District of Columbia	January 2, 1991	January 2, 1995	Democratic	First African American woman elected mayor of a major city. First woman as Mayor of the District of Columbia.	Lost renomination
	Calderón, SilaSila Calderón (born 1942)	Puerto Rico	January 2, 2001	January 2, 2005	Popular Democratic/ Democratic	First woman as Governor of Puerto Rico. First Hispanic American woman as governor.	Retired
	Bowser, MurielMuriel Bowser (born 1972)	District of Columbia	January 2, 2015	Incumbent	Democratic		Serving
	Guerrero, Lou LeonLou Leon Guerrero (born 1950)	Guam	January 7, 2019	Incumbent	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Guam. First Pacific Islander American woman as governor.	Serving
	Vázquez Garced, WandaWanda Vázquez Garced (born 1960)	Puerto Rico	August 7, 2019	January 2, 2021	New Progressive/ Republican	Became governor when the previous governor was removed.	Lost renomination
	Jenniffer González-Colón (born 1976)	Puerto Rico	January 2, 2025	Incumbent	New Progressive/ Republican		Serving

Facts About Women Governors

As of 2025, five states have elected women governors from both major parties. These states are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New Mexico. Arizona was the first state where one woman governor was followed by another. They were from different political parties. Arizona has had the most women governors with five. It is also the first state to have three women serve as governor one after another.

A new record was set in January 2025. At that time, 14 out of 50 state governorships were held by women. This happened when Kelly Ayotte became Governor of New Hampshire.

As of 2025, 18 states have never had a female governor. These include California, Florida, Illinois, and Virginia. Four states (Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah) have never had a major party nominate a woman for governor. However, one woman has served as governor of Utah. Also, Minnesota has had 9 women serve as lieutenant governors in a row since 1983.

Three women of color have been state governors. Susana Martinez and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico are both Hispanic. Nikki Haley of South Carolina is Indian-American. Martinez and Haley are Republicans, while Lujan Grisham is a Democrat.

Six women who governed U.S. territories or Washington, D.C., have been from ethnic minority groups. Sharon Pratt and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., are African-American. Sila María Calderón, Wanda Vázquez Garced, and Jenniffer González-Colón of Puerto Rico are Hispanic. Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam is Pacific Islander. Most of these women are Democrats, except for Vázquez Garced and Gonzalez-Colon, who are Republicans.

Number of Women Governors Over Time

Images for kids

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  Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman to serve as governor.

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  Miriam A. Ferguson, the first woman elected in a general election.

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  Lurleen Wallace, the first woman to die in office as governor.

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  Ella Grasso, the first woman elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a former state governor.

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  Dixy Lee Ray, the first woman as Governor of Washington.

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  Vesta M. Roy, the shortest serving female governor.

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  Martha Layne Collins, the first woman as Governor of Kentucky.

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  Madeleine Kunin, the first foreign-born woman as governor.

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  Kay A. Orr, the first Republican woman elected to a governorship.

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  Rose Mofford, the first woman as Governor of Arizona.

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  Joan Finney, the first woman as Governor of Kansas.

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  Barbara Roberts, the first woman as Governor of Oregon.

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  Ann Richards, Governor of Texas.

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  Christine Todd Whitman, the first woman as Governor of New Jersey.

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  Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman elected Governor of New Hampshire.

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  Jane Dee Hull, Governor of Arizona.

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  Nancy Hollister, the first woman as Governor of Ohio.

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  Judy Martz, the first woman as Governor of Montana.

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  Ruth Ann Minner, the first woman as Governor of Delaware.

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  Jane Swift, the first acting Governor of Massachusetts.

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  Linda Lingle, the first woman as Governor of Hawaii.

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  Jennifer Granholm, the first woman as Governor of Michigan.

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  Janet Napolitano, the first woman to succeed another woman as governor.

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  Kathleen Sebelius, the first governor who is the daughter of a former governor.

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  Olene Walker, the first woman as Governor of Utah.

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  Kathleen Blanco, the first woman as Governor of Louisiana.

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  Jodi Rell, Governor of Connecticut.

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  Christine Gregoire, Governor of Washington.

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  Sarah Palin, the first woman as Governor of Alaska.

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  Bev Perdue, the first woman as Governor of North Carolina.

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  Jan Brewer, Governor of Arizona.

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  Susana Martinez, the first Latina to serve as Governor of a U.S. state.

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  Mary Fallin, the first woman as Governor of Oklahoma.

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  Nikki Haley, the first Indian American woman serving as governor.

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  Maggie Hassan, Governor of New Hampshire.

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  Gina Raimondo, the first woman as Governor of Rhode Island.

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  Kate Brown, the first openly bisexual governor.

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  Kay Ivey, the longest serving female governor.

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  Kim Reynolds, the first woman as Governor of Iowa.

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  Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan.

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  Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of New Mexico.

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  Janet Mills, the first woman as Governor of Maine.

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  Kristi Noem, the first woman as Governor of South Dakota.

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  Laura Kelly, Governor of Kansas.

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  Kathy Hochul, the first woman as Governor of New York.

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  Katie Hobbs, Governor of Arizona.

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  Maura Healey, the first openly lesbian governor.

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  Tina Kotek, the first openly LGBT governor to succeed another openly LGBT governor.

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  Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the first woman as Governor of Arkansas.

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  Bethany Hall-Long, Governor of Delaware.

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  Kelly Ayotte, Governor of New Hampshire.

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  Sharon Pratt Kelly, the first African American woman elected mayor of a major city.

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  Sila María Calderón, the first woman as Governor of Puerto Rico.

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  Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, D.C.

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  Lou Leon Guerrero, the first woman as Governor of Guam.

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  Wanda Vázquez Garced, Governor of Puerto Rico.

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  Jenniffer González-Colón, Governor of Puerto Rico.