List of governors of California facts for kids
The governor of California is like the chief executive of the state. They are in charge of making sure state laws are followed and presenting the state's budget each year. The governor also gives a "State of the State" speech to the California State Legislature. They are also the leader of California's military forces, the California National Guard.
The current governor is Gavin Newsom, who started his term in 2019. California has had 39 different people serve as governor. Some of them became very famous across the country. For example, Leland Stanford started Stanford University in 1891. Earl Warren later became the Chief Justice of the United States. He was the only person to run for governor of California almost without anyone running against him.
Two famous actors, Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, also became governors. Ronald Reagan later became the president of the United States. Gray Davis, the 37th governor, was one of only two governors in American history to be removed from office by voters in a special recall election.
The governor who served the shortest time was Milton Latham. He was governor for only five days before being chosen for a seat in the United States Senate. The governor who served the longest was Jerry Brown. He was governor from 1975 to 1983 and again from 2011 to 2019. He is the only governor to serve terms that were not back-to-back. His father, Pat Brown, was also a governor from 1959 to 1967.

Becoming Governor of California
California became part of the United States after the Mexican–American War. It joined the U.S. as the 31st state on September 9, 1850. Unlike most other states, California was never a territory first.
The first California Constitution in 1849 said that elections for governor would happen every two years. In 1862, a change was made to make the term four years long. The 1879 constitution set the governor's term to start on the first Monday after January 1, following an election.
Term Limits for Governors
In 1990, a rule called Proposition 140 was passed. This rule changed the constitution to limit governors to serving only two terms. Before this rule, only one governor, Earl Warren, served more than two terms.
Jerry Brown was elected for a third term in 2010 and a fourth term in 2014. This was allowed because his first two terms were before the term limit rule was put in place.
The 1849 constitution also created the job of lieutenant governor. If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor takes over as governor. The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected together on the same ballot.
No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||||
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1 | ![]() |
Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807–1895) |
December 20, 1849 – January 9, 1851 (resigned) |
Nonpartisan | 1849 | John McDougal | ||||
2 | ![]() |
John McDougal (1818–1866) |
January 9, 1851 – January 8, 1852 (did not run) |
Nonpartisan | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
David C. Broderick (acting) |
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3 | ![]() |
John Bigler (1805–1871) |
January 8, 1852 – January 9, 1856 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1851 | Samuel Purdy | ||||
1853 | ||||||||||
4 | ![]() |
J. Neely Johnson (1825–1872) |
January 9, 1856 – January 8, 1858 (did not run) |
American | 1855 | Robert M. Anderson | ||||
5 | ![]() |
John B. Weller (1812–1875) |
January 8, 1858 – January 9, 1860 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1857 | Joseph Walkup | ||||
6 | ![]() |
Milton S. Latham (1827–1882) |
January 9, 1860 – January 14, 1860 (resigned) |
Lecompton Democratic |
1859 | John G. Downey | ||||
7 | ![]() |
John G. Downey (1827–1894) |
January 14, 1860 – January 10, 1862 (did not run) |
Lecompton Democratic |
Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Isaac N. Quinn (acting) (term ended January 7, 1861) |
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Pablo de la Guerra (acting) |
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8 | ![]() |
Leland Stanford (1824–1893) |
January 10, 1862 – December 10, 1863 (did not run) |
Republican | 1861 | John F. Chellis | ||||
9 | ![]() |
Frederick Low (1828–1894) |
December 10, 1863 – December 5, 1867 (did not run) |
Union | 1863 | Tim N. Machin | ||||
10 | ![]() |
Henry Huntly Haight (1825–1878) |
December 5, 1867 – December 8, 1871 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1867 | William Holden | ||||
11 | ![]() |
Newton Booth (1825–1892) |
December 8, 1871 – February 27, 1875 (resigned) |
Republican | 1871 | Romualdo Pacheco | ||||
12 | ![]() |
Romualdo Pacheco (1831–1899) |
February 27, 1875 – December 9, 1875 (did not run) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
William Irwin (acting) |
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13 | ![]() |
William Irwin (1827–1886) |
December 9, 1875 – January 8, 1880 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1875 | James A. Johnson | ||||
14 | ![]() |
George C. Perkins (1839–1923) |
January 8, 1880 – January 10, 1883 (did not run) |
Republican | 1879 | John Mansfield | ||||
15 | ![]() |
George Stoneman (1822–1894) |
January 10, 1883 – January 8, 1887 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1882 | John Daggett | ||||
16 | ![]() |
Washington Bartlett (1824–1887) |
January 8, 1887 – September 12, 1887 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1886 | Robert Waterman | ||||
17 | ![]() |
Robert Waterman (1826–1891) |
September 12, 1887 – January 8, 1891 (did not run) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Stephen M. White (acting) |
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18 | ![]() |
Henry Markham (1840–1923) |
January 8, 1891 – January 11, 1895 (did not run) |
Republican | 1890 | John B. Reddick | ||||
19 | ![]() |
James Budd (1851–1908) |
January 11, 1895 – January 4, 1899 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1894 | Spencer G. Millard (died October 24, 1895) |
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Vacant | ||||||||||
William T. Jeter (appointed October 26, 1895) |
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20 | ![]() |
Henry T. Gage (1852–1924) |
January 4, 1899 – January 7, 1903 (lost nomination) |
Republican | 1898 | Jacob H. Neff | ||||
21 | ![]() |
George Pardee (1857–1941) |
January 7, 1903 – January 9, 1907 (lost nomination) |
Republican | 1902 | Alden Anderson | ||||
22 | ![]() |
James Gillett (1860–1937) |
January 9, 1907 – January 3, 1911 (did not run) |
Republican | 1906 | Warren R. Porter | ||||
23 | ![]() |
Hiram Johnson (1866–1945) |
January 3, 1911 – March 15, 1917 (resigned) |
Republican | 1910 | Albert Joseph Wallace | ||||
Progressive | 1914 | John M. Eshleman (died February 28, 1916) |
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Vacant | ||||||||||
William Stephens (took office July 22, 1916) |
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24 | ![]() |
William Stephens (1859–1944) |
March 15, 1917 – January 9, 1923 (lost nomination) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | ||||
1918 | C. C. Young | |||||||||
25 | ![]() |
Friend Richardson (1865–1943) |
January 9, 1923 – January 4, 1927 (lost nomination) |
Republican | 1922 | |||||
26 | ![]() |
C. C. Young (1869–1947) |
January 4, 1927 – January 6, 1931 (lost nomination) |
Republican | 1926 | Buron Fitts (resigned November 30, 1928) |
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Vacant | ||||||||||
Herschel L. Carnahan (appointed December 4, 1928) |
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27 | ![]() |
James Rolph (1869–1934) |
January 6, 1931 – June 2, 1934 (died in office) |
Republican | 1930 | Frank Merriam | ||||
28 | ![]() |
Frank Merriam (1865–1955) |
June 2, 1934 – January 2, 1939 (lost election) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | ||||
1934 | George J. Hatfield | |||||||||
29 | ![]() |
Culbert Olson (1876–1962) |
January 2, 1939 – January 4, 1943 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1938 | Ellis E. Patterson | ||||
30 | ![]() |
Earl Warren (1891–1974) |
January 4, 1943 – October 4, 1953 (resigned) |
Republican | 1942 | Frederick F. Houser | ||||
1946 | Goodwin Knight | |||||||||
1950 | ||||||||||
31 | ![]() |
Goodwin Knight (1896–1970) |
October 5, 1953 – January 5, 1959 (did not run) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Harold J. Powers | ||||
1954 | ||||||||||
32 | ![]() |
Pat Brown (1905–1996) |
January 5, 1959 – January 2, 1967 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1958 | Glenn M. Anderson | ||||
1962 | ||||||||||
33 | ![]() |
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) |
January 2, 1967 – January 6, 1975 (did not run) |
Republican | 1966 | Robert Finch (resigned January 8, 1969) |
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Edwin Reinecke (resigned October 2, 1974) |
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1970 | ||||||||||
John L. Harmer | ||||||||||
34 | ![]() |
Jerry Brown (b. 1938) |
January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1974 | Mervyn M. Dymally | ||||
1978 | Michael Curb | |||||||||
35 | ![]() |
George Deukmejian (1928–2018) |
January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991 (did not run) |
Republican | 1982 | Leo T. McCarthy | ||||
1986 | ||||||||||
36 | ![]() |
Pete Wilson (b. 1933) |
January 7, 1991 – January 4, 1999 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1990 | |||||
1994 | Gray Davis | |||||||||
37 | ![]() |
Gray Davis (b. 1942) |
January 4, 1999 – November 17, 2003 (recalled) |
Democratic | 1998 | Cruz Bustamante | ||||
2002 | ||||||||||
38 | ![]() |
Arnold Schwarzenegger (b. 1947) |
November 17, 2003 – January 3, 2011 (term-limited) |
Republican | 2003 (recall) |
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2006 | John Garamendi (resigned November 3, 2009) |
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Mona Pasquil (acting) |
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Abel Maldonado (appointed April 27, 2010) |
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39 | ![]() |
Jerry Brown (b. 1938) |
January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 2010 | |||||
Gavin Newsom (took office January 10, 2011) |
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2014 | ||||||||||
40 | ![]() |
Gavin Newsom (b. 1967) |
January 7, 2019 – Incumbent |
Democratic | 2018 | Eleni Kounalakis | ||||
2021 (recall) |
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2022 |
More to Explore
- List of California state legislatures
- List of governors of California before 1850
- Spouses of the governor of California
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Gobernantes de California para niños