List of female governors in the United States facts for kids

As of January 2023, the map of all states based on whether their governors are male or female.

Pie chart based on number of male and female governors

     Male     Female

The number of female governors every state has had as of January 2023. Gray denotes 0      1      2      3      5

As of January 10, 2023, 49 women have served or are serving as the governor of a U.S. state (2 acting governors due to vacancies) and 3 women have served or are serving as the governor of an unincorporated U.S. territory. 2 women have served or are serving as Mayor of the District of Columbia. Currently, 12 women are serving as governors of U.S. states, along with the Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser and territorial governor Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam. Of the current state governors, 8 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans.

Madeleine Kunin is the oldest living former female governor at 90.

History

The first woman to act as governor was Carolyn B. Shelton, who served as Acting Governor of Oregon for one weekend – 9 a.m. Saturday, February 27, through 10 a.m. Monday, March 1, 1909. The outgoing governor, George Earle Chamberlain, had been elected to the U.S. Senate and had to leave for Washington, D.C., before his term was over; the incoming governor, Frank W. Benson, had become ill and could not assume office early. Chamberlain left Shelton, his secretary, in charge for the weekend. It was another three and a half years before women were allowed to vote in Oregon.

The first woman acting governor to be entrusted with substantial duties while in office was Soledad Chávez de Chacón, who held the powers and duties of Governor of New Mexico for two weeks in 1924 while Governor James F. Hinkle attended the Democratic Convention in New York. Lieutenant Governor José A. Baca had died in May, so Chacón, the Secretary of State, filled the position. Chacón said that she believed that her 1924 elevation was the first time in the United States that a woman had been called on to assume the responsibilities of the governor.

The first woman to assume office as governor pursuant to a special election was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming (widow of late Governor William B. Ross, served from January 1923 to October 1924), who was elected on November 4, 1924, and sworn in on January 5, 1925. Wyoming was the first state to provide women's suffrage after New Jersey had abolished it in 1807. Miriam A. Ferguson of Texas won the general election of November 3, 1924, and was sworn in on January 20, 1925. Her husband, former governor James Edward Ferguson, had been impeached and removed from office in 1917. The first woman elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a past state governor was Ella T. Grasso of Connecticut, elected in 1974 and sworn in on January 8, 1975.

To date, no woman has ever changed parties during her gubernatorial term or has been elected as a third party member or an independent.

Demographics

Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, and New Mexico are the only states to have elected women as governors from both major parties. Arizona was the first state where a woman followed another woman as governor (they were from different parties). Arizona also has had the most with 5, and is the first state to have 3 women in a row serve as governor.

A record 12 out of 50 state governorships have been held by women since Sarah Huckabee Sanders was inaugurated as Governor of Arkansas on January 10, 2023.

As of January 10, 2023, 18 states have never had a female governor: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. 4 states (Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah) have never seen a major party nominate a woman in a gubernatorial election, although one woman has served as governor of Utah and 9 consecutive lieutenant governors have been women in Minnesota, from 1983 to the present day.

3 women of color have been state governors: Susana Martinez and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico (both Hispanic) and Nikki Haley of South Carolina (Asian American). Martinez and Haley are both Republican; Lujan Grisham is a Democrat. Additionally, all 5 women who governed an insular area have been of an ethnic minority group: Sharon Pratt and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. (both African American), Sila María Calderón and Wanda Vázquez Garced of Puerto Rico (both Hispanic) and Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam (Pacific Islander), all Democratic, with the exception of Vázquez Garced, who is a Republican.

Histograph

State governors

Image	Name (lifespan)	State	Term start	Term end	Party	Notes	Departure	Time in office	Ref
	Ross, NellieNellie Ross (1876–1977)	Wyoming	January 5, 1925	January 3, 1927	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of Wyoming. First woman elected in a special election.	Lost reelection	1 year, 363 days
	Ferguson, Miriam A.Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961)	Texas	January 20, 1925	January 17, 1927	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Texas. First woman elected in a general election. First woman to serve non-consecutive terms as Governor.	Lost renomination	1 year, 362 days
			January 17, 1933	January 15, 1935			Retired	1 year, 363 days
	Wallace, LurleenLurleen Wallace (1926–1968)	Alabama	January 16, 1967	May 7, 1968	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Alabama. First and only woman to die in office as governor.	Died in office	1 year, 112 days
	Grasso, Ella T.Ella T. Grasso (1919–1981)	Connecticut	January 8, 1975	December 31, 1980	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Connecticut.	Resigned	5 years, 358 days
	Ray, Dixy LeeDixy Lee Ray (1914–1994)	Washington	January 12, 1977	January 14, 1981	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Washington.	Lost renomination	4 years, 2 days
	Roy, Vesta M.Vesta M. Roy (1925–2002)	New Hampshire	December 29, 1982	January 6, 1983	Republican	First and only woman as Acting Governor of New Hampshire. Elevated while President of the Senate. Shortest serving female governor.		8 days
	Collins, MarthaMartha Collins (born 1936)	Kentucky	December 13, 1983	December 8, 1987	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of Kentucky.	Term-limited	3 years, 360 days
	Kunin, MadeleineMadeleine Kunin (born 1933)	Vermont	January 10, 1985	January 10, 1991	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of Vermont. First foreign-born woman as governor.	Retired	6 years, 0 days
	Orr, Kay A.Kay A. Orr (born 1939)	Nebraska	January 9, 1987	January 9, 1991	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Nebraska. First woman elected to a governorship over another woman nominated by a major party. First Republican woman elected to a governorship.	Lost reelection	4 years, 0 days
	Mofford, RoseRose Mofford (1922–2016)	Arizona	April 4, 1988	March 6, 1991	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Arizona. Elevated from Secretary of State.	Retired	2 years, 336 days
	Finney, JoanJoan Finney (1925–2001)	Kansas	January 14, 1991	January 9, 1995	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Kansas. First woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election.	Retired	3 years, 360 days
	Roberts, BarbaraBarbara Roberts (born 1936)	Oregon	January 14, 1991	January 9, 1995	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Oregon.	Retired	3 years, 360 days
	Richards, AnnAnn Richards (1933–2006)	Texas	January 15, 1991	January 17, 1995	Democratic		Lost reelection	4 years, 2 days
	Todd Whitman, ChristineChristine Todd Whitman (born 1946)	New Jersey	January 18, 1994	January 31, 2001	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of New Jersey. First Republican woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election.	Resigned to become EPA Administrator	7 years, 13 days
	Shaheen, JeanneJeanne Shaheen (born 1947)	New Hampshire	January 9, 1997	January 9, 2003	Democratic	First woman elected Governor of New Hampshire. First woman elected as both Governor and U.S. Senator.	Retired	6 years, 0 days
	Hull, Jane DeeJane Dee Hull (1935–2020)	Arizona	September 5, 1997	January 6, 2003	Republican	Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right.	Term-limited	5 years, 123 days
	Hollister, NancyNancy Hollister (born 1949)	Ohio	December 31, 1998	January 11, 1999	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Ohio. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor.	Term ended	11 days
	Martz, JudyJudy Martz (1943–2017)	Montana	January 1, 2001	January 3, 2005	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Montana.	Retired	4 years, 2 days
	Minner, Ruth AnnRuth Ann Minner (1935–2021)	Delaware	January 3, 2001	January 20, 2009	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of Delaware. Longest serving female governor.	Term-limited	8 years, 17 days
	Swift, JaneJane Swift (born 1965)	Massachusetts	April 10, 2001	January 2, 2003	Republican	First woman as Acting Governor of Massachusetts. Elevated to acting governor while Lieutenant Governor. First to give birth while in office.	Retired	1 year, 267 days
	Lingle, LindaLinda Lingle (born 1953)	Hawaii	December 2, 2002	December 6, 2010	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Hawaii.	Term-limited	8 years, 4 days
	Granholm, JenniferJennifer Granholm (born 1959)	Michigan	January 1, 2003	January 1, 2011	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Michigan.	Term-limited	8 years, 0 days
	Napolitano, JanetJanet Napolitano (born 1957)	Arizona	January 6, 2003	January 21, 2009	Democratic	First woman to succeed another woman	Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security	6 years, 15 days
	Sebelius, KathleenKathleen Sebelius (born 1948)	Kansas	January 13, 2003	April 28, 2009	Democratic	First woman who is the daughter of a former governor	Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services	6 years, 105 days
	Walker, OleneOlene Walker (1930–2015)	Utah	November 5, 2003	January 3, 2005	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Utah. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor.	Lost nomination for full term	1 year, 59 days
	Blanco, KathleenKathleen Blanco (1942–2019)	Louisiana	January 12, 2004	January 14, 2008	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of Louisiana.	Retired	4 years, 2 days
	Rell, JodiJodi Rell (born 1946)	Connecticut	July 1, 2004	January 5, 2011	Republican	Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right.	Retired	6 years, 188 days
	Gregoire, ChristineChristine Gregoire (born 1947)	Washington	January 12, 2005	January 16, 2013	Democratic		Retired	8 years, 4 days
	Palin, SarahSarah Palin (born 1964)	Alaska	December 4, 2006	July 26, 2009	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Alaska	Resigned	2 years, 234 days
	Perdue, BevBev Perdue (born 1947)	North Carolina	January 10, 2009	January 5, 2013	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of North Carolina.	Retired	3 years, 361 days
	Brewer, JanJan Brewer (born 1944)	Arizona	January 21, 2009	January 5, 2015	Republican	Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right.	Retired	5 years, 349 days
	Martinez, SusanaSusana Martinez (born 1959)	New Mexico	January 1, 2011	January 1, 2019	Republican	First woman as Governor of New Mexico. First Latina serving as Governor of a U.S. state.	Term-limited	8 years, 0 days
	Fallin, MaryMary Fallin (born 1954)	Oklahoma	January 10, 2011	January 14, 2019	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of Oklahoma.	Term-limited	8 years, 4 days
	Haley, NikkiNikki Haley (born 1972)	South Carolina	January 12, 2011	January 24, 2017	Republican	First and only woman as Governor of South Carolina. First Asian American woman serving as governor.	Resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations	6 years, 12 days
	Hassan, MaggieMaggie Hassan (born 1958)	New Hampshire	January 3, 2013	January 2, 2017	Democratic		Resigned to become a U.S. Senator.	3 years, 365 days
	Raimondo, GinaGina Raimondo (born 1971)	Rhode Island	January 6, 2015	March 2, 2021	Democratic	First and only woman as Governor of Rhode Island.	Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce	6 years, 55 days
	Brown, KateKate Brown (born 1960)	Oregon	February 18, 2015	January 9, 2023	Democratic	First openly bisexual governor and first openly LGBT elected governor. Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right.	Term-limited	7 years, 325 days
	Ivey, KayKay Ivey (born 1944)	Alabama	April 10, 2017	Incumbent	Republican	Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right.	Serving	7 years, 265 days
	Reynolds, KimKim Reynolds (born 1959)	Iowa	May 24, 2017	Incumbent	Republican	First woman as Governor of Iowa. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right.	Serving	7 years, 221 days
	Whitmer, GretchenGretchen Whitmer (born 1971)	Michigan	January 1, 2019	Incumbent	Democratic		Serving	5 years, 365 days
	Lujan Grisham, MichelleMichelle Lujan Grisham (born 1959)	New Mexico	January 1, 2019	Incumbent	Democratic		Serving	5 years, 365 days
	Mills, JanetJanet Mills (born 1947)	Maine	January 2, 2019	Incumbent	Democratic	First woman as Governor of Maine.	Serving	5 years, 364 days
	Noem, KristiKristi Noem (born 1971)	South Dakota	January 5, 2019	Incumbent	Republican	First woman as Governor of South Dakota.	Serving	5 years, 361 days
	Kelly, LauraLaura Kelly (born 1950)	Kansas	January 14, 2019	Incumbent	Democratic		Serving	5 years, 352 days
	Hochul, KathyKathy Hochul (born 1958)	New York	August 24, 2021	Incumbent	Democratic	First woman as Governor of New York. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right.	Serving	3 years, 129 days
	Hobbs, KatieKatie Hobbs (born 1969)	Arizona	January 2, 2023	Incumbent	Democratic		Serving	1 year, 364 days
	Healey, MauraMaura Healey (born 1971)	Massachusetts	January 5, 2023	Incumbent	Democratic	First woman elected as Governor of Massachusetts. First openly lesbian governor.	Serving	1 year, 361 days
	Kotek, TinaTina Kotek (born 1966)	Oregon	January 9, 2023	Incumbent	Democratic	First openly LGBT governor to succeed another openly LGBT governor.	Serving	1 year, 357 days
	Huckabee Sanders, SarahSarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982)	Arkansas	January 10, 2023	Incumbent	Republican	First woman as Governor of Arkansas.	Serving	1 year, 356 days

Number of female governors by party

Number of female governors per state

Pregnancy

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 and only 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	Elevated from Secretary of Justice when Pedro Pierluisi was removed quo warranto.	Lost renomination

Number by party

Timeline of women serving as governors

Elections with two female major party nominees

Incumbent governors are in bold.

See also

• List of first gentlemen in the United States
• List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
• List of female first ministers in Canada
• List of female heads of government in Australia