List of governors of Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Governor of Arkansas
Flag of Arkansas
Great Seal of Arkansas
Incumbent Sarah Huckabee Sanders since January 10, 2023 (2023-01-10)
Government of Arkansas
Style	Governor (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Residence	Arkansas Governor's Mansion
Seat	State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Arkansas
Precursor	Governor of Arkansas Territory
Inaugural holder	James Sevier Conway
Formation	September 13, 1836 (188 years ago) (1836-09-13)
Succession	Line of succession
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
Salary	$158,739 (2022)

The governor of Arkansas is the main leader of the government in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The governor is in charge of the executive branch, which means they make sure state laws are followed. They can approve or reject new laws passed by the Arkansas General Assembly. They can also call special meetings of the legislature and grant pardons to people, except in cases of treason or impeachment.

Arkansas has had 46 elected governors. There have also been 11 acting governors. These acting governors took over when a governor resigned or passed away. Before Arkansas became a state, the Arkansas Territory had four governors. These were chosen by the president of the United States.

Orval Faubus served the longest term as governor. He was elected six times and served for 12 years (1955–1967). Bill Clinton served almost 12 years too. He was elected five times in two separate periods (1979–1981; 1983–1992). Mike Huckabee served 10 years (1996–2007). The shortest term for an elected governor was John Sebastian Little. He served only 38 days before he had a nervous breakdown. One of the acting governors after him, Jesse M. Martin, served only three days.

The current governor of Arkansas is Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She started her term on January 10, 2023.

Governors of Arkansas

Arkansas Territory Leaders

Arkansaw Territory was created on July 4, 1819. It was separated from the Missouri Territory. Robert Crittenden was the territorial secretary from 1819 to 1829. He often served as acting governor when the appointed governor was not in the state. This means Crittenden was the first person to act as governor. The first official governor, James Miller, arrived nine months after he was chosen.

Governors of Arkansas Territory

No.	Governor		Term in office	Appointed by
1		James Miller	March 3, 1819 – December 27, 1824 (resigned)	Monroe, JamesJames Monroe
2		George Izard	March 3, 1825 – November 22, 1828 (died in office)	Monroe, JamesJames Monroe
				Adams, John QuincyJohn Quincy Adams
3		John Pope	March 9, 1829 – March 9, 1835 (successor appointed)	Jackson, AndrewAndrew Jackson
4		William S. Fulton	March 9, 1835 – September 13, 1836 (statehood)	Jackson, AndrewAndrew Jackson

Governors of the State of Arkansas

Arkansas became a state on June 15, 1836. During the American Civil War, Arkansas left the Union on May 6, 1861. It joined the Confederacy on May 18, 1861. When the state capital, Little Rock, was captured in 1863, the state government moved. A new government was set up by the Union. This meant there were two governors at the same time for a while. After the war, Arkansas rejoined the Union on June 22, 1868.

The first Arkansas Constitution said governors would serve four-year terms. This was changed to two years in 1874. Then, in 1984, an amendment made terms four years again. Governors used to have no term limits. But in 1992, a new rule limited them to two terms.

Before 1864, if the governor's office became empty, the leader of the state senate would become acting governor. This sometimes caused the governorship to change hands very quickly. For example, after John Sebastian Little resigned in 1907, three different senate leaders acted as governor. If the senate leader could not serve, the speaker of the state house of representatives was next in line.

The 1864 constitution created the job of lieutenant governor. This person would also lead the senate and become acting governor if needed. The 1874 constitution removed this job. But an amendment in 1914 brought it back. Now, the lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor's office is empty. The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected together.

Arkansas was mostly a Democratic state before the Civil War. After the war, it elected three Republican governors. But then, it was 92 years before another Republican was chosen.

Governors of Arkansas

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			James Sevier Conway	September 13, 1836 – November 4, 1840 (did not run)	Democratic	1836	Office did not exist
2			Archibald Yell	November 4, 1840 – April 29, 1844 (resigned)	Democratic	1840
—			Samuel Adams	April 29, 1844 – November 9, 1844 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
3			Thomas Stevenson Drew	November 9, 1844 – January 10, 1849 (resigned)	Democratic	1844
						1848
—			Richard C. Byrd	January 10, 1849 – April 19, 1849 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
4			John Selden Roane	April 19, 1849 – November 15, 1852 (did not run)	Democratic	1849 (special)
5			Elias Nelson Conway	November 15, 1852 – November 15, 1860 (term-limited)	Democratic	1852
						1856
6			Henry Massey Rector	November 15, 1860 – November 3, 1862 (resigned)	Independent Democratic	1860
—			Thomas Fletcher	November 3, 1862 – November 15, 1862 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
7			Harris Flanagin	November 15, 1862 – June 1, 1865 (government in exile disestablished)	Independent	1862
8			Isaac Murphy	January 20, 1864 – July 2, 1868 (did not run)	Independent	Provisional governor appointed by constitutional convention
						1864		Bliss, Calvin C.Calvin C. Bliss
9			Powell Clayton	July 2, 1868 – March 17, 1871 (resigned)	Republican	1868		Johnson, James M.James M. Johnson (resigned March 14, 1871)
							Vacant
—			Ozra Amander Hadley	March 17, 1871 – January 6, 1873 (successor took office)	Republican	President of the Senate acting
10			Elisha Baxter	January 6, 1873 – November 12, 1874 (did not run)	Republican	1872		Smith, Volney V.Volney V. Smith
11			Augustus Hill Garland	November 12, 1874 – January 11, 1877 (did not run)	Democratic	1874	Office did not exist
12			William Read Miller	January 11, 1877 – January 13, 1881 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1876
						1878
13			Thomas James Churchill	January 13, 1881 – January 13, 1883 (did not run)	Democratic	1880
14			James Henderson Berry	January 13, 1883 – January 15, 1885 (did not run)	Democratic	1882
15			Simon Pollard Hughes Jr.	January 15, 1885 – January 17, 1889 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1884
						1886
16			James Philip Eagle	January 17, 1889 – January 14, 1893 (did not run)	Democratic	1888
						1890
17			William Meade Fishback	January 14, 1893 – January 18, 1895 (did not run)	Democratic	1892
18			James Paul Clarke	January 18, 1895 – January 18, 1897 (did not run)	Democratic	1894
19			Daniel Webster Jones	January 18, 1897 – January 18, 1901 (did not run)	Democratic	1896
						1898
20			Jeff Davis	January 18, 1901 – January 18, 1907 (did not run)	Democratic	1900
						1902
						1904
21			John Sebastian Little	January 18, 1907 – February 11, 1907 (resigned)	Democratic	1906
—			John Isaac Moore	February 11, 1907 – May 14, 1907 (legislature adjourned)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
—			Xenophon Overton Pindall	May 14, 1907 – January 11, 1909 (senate term expired)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
—			Jesse M. Martin	January 11, 1909 – January 14, 1909 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
22			George Washington Donaghey	January 14, 1909 – January 16, 1913 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1908
						1910
23			Joseph Taylor Robinson	January 16, 1913 – March 8, 1913 (resigned)	Democratic	1912
—			William Kavanaugh Oldham	March 8, 1913 – March 13, 1913 (new president of the senate elected)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
—			Junius Marion Futrell	March 13, 1913 – August 6, 1913 (successor took office)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
24			George Washington Hays	August 6, 1913 – January 10, 1917 (did not run)	Democratic	1913 (special)
						1914
25			Charles Hillman Brough	January 10, 1917 – January 12, 1921 (did not run)	Democratic	1916
						1918
26			Thomas Chipman McRae	January 12, 1921 – January 14, 1925 (did not run)	Democratic	1920
						1922
27			Tom Terral	January 14, 1925 – January 11, 1927 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1924
28			John Ellis Martineau	January 11, 1927 – March 14, 1928 (resigned)	Democratic	1926		Parnell, HarveyHarvey Parnell
29			Harvey Parnell	March 14, 1928 – January 10, 1933 (did not run)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1928		Cazort, LeeLee Cazort
						1930		Wilson, Lawrence EleryLawrence Elery Wilson
30			Junius Marion Futrell	January 10, 1933 – January 12, 1937 (did not run)	Democratic	1932		Cazort, LeeLee Cazort
						1934
31			Carl E. Bailey	January 12, 1937 – January 14, 1941 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1936		Bailey, Robert L.Robert L. Bailey
						1938
32			Homer Martin Adkins	January 14, 1941 – January 9, 1945 (did not run)	Democratic	1940
						1942		Shaver, James L.James L. Shaver
33			Benjamin T. Laney	January 9, 1945 – January 11, 1949 (did not run)	Democratic	1944
						1946		Gordon, Nathan GreenNathan Green Gordon
34			Sid McMath	January 11, 1949 – January 13, 1953 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1948
						1950
35			Francis Cherry	January 13, 1953 – January 11, 1955 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1952
36			Orval Faubus	January 11, 1955 – January 10, 1967 (did not run)	Democratic	1954
						1956
						1958
						1960
						1962
						1964
37			Winthrop Rockefeller	January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 (lost election)	Republican	1966		Britt, MauriceMaurice Britt
						1968
38			Dale Bumpers	January 12, 1971 – January 3, 1975 (resigned)	Democratic	1970		Riley, Bob C.Bob C. Riley
						1972
—			Bob C. Riley	January 3, 1975 – January 14, 1975 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
39			David Pryor	January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979 (resigned)	Democratic	1974		Purcell, JoeJoe Purcell
						1976
—			Joe Purcell	January 3, 1979 – January 9, 1979 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
40			Bill Clinton	January 9, 1979 – January 13, 1981 (lost election)	Democratic	1978		Purcell, JoeJoe Purcell
41			Frank D. White	January 13, 1981 – January 11, 1983 (lost election)	Republican	1980		Bryant, WinstonWinston Bryant
42			Bill Clinton	January 11, 1983 – December 12, 1992 (resigned)	Democratic	1982
						1984
						1986
						1990		Tucker, Jim GuyJim Guy Tucker
43			Jim Guy Tucker	December 12, 1992 – July 15, 1996 (resigned)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
								Huckabee, MikeMike Huckabee (elected November 20, 1993)
						1994
44			Mike Huckabee	July 15, 1996 – January 9, 2007 (term-limited)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
								Rockefeller, Winthrop PaulWinthrop Paul Rockefeller (elected November 19, 1996) (died July 16, 2006)
						1998
						2002
							Vacant
45			Mike Beebe	January 9, 2007 – January 13, 2015 (term-limited)	Democratic	2006		Halter, BillBill Halter
						2010		Darr, MarkMark Darr (resigned February 1, 2014)
							Vacant
46			Asa Hutchinson	January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023 (term-limited)	Republican	2014		Griffin, TimTim Griffin
						2018
47			Sarah Huckabee Sanders	January 10, 2023 – Incumbent	Republican	2022		Rutledge, LeslieLeslie Rutledge

Timeline of Arkansas Governors

This timeline shows when each governor served. You can see how long each person was in office.

Timeline of Arkansas governors

More Information

• List of Arkansas General Assemblies