List of governors of California facts for kids

Gavin Newsom, the 40th and current governor of California

The governor of California is the head of government of California, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The current governor is Gavin Newsom, who has been in office since 2019.

Thirty-nine people have served as governor, over 40 distinct terms. Many have been influential nationwide in areas far-flung from state politics. Leland Stanford founded Stanford University in 1891. Earl Warren, later Chief Justice of the United States, won an election with the nominations of the three major parties – the only person to run essentially unopposed for governor of California. Ronald Reagan, who was president of the Screen Actors Guild and later President of the United States, and Arnold Schwarzenegger both came to prominence through acting.

Gray Davis, the 37th governor of California, was the second governor in American history to be recalled by voters. The shortest tenure was that of Milton Latham, who served only five days before being elected to fill a vacant United States Senate seat. The longest tenure is that of Jerry Brown, who served as governor from 1975 to 1983 and again from 2011 to 2019, the only governor to serve non-consecutive terms. He is the son of former governor Pat Brown who served from 1959 to 1967.

List of governors

California was obtained by the United States in the Mexican Cession following the Mexican–American War. Unlike most other states, it was never organized as a territory, and was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.

The original California Constitution of 1849 called for elections every two years, with no set start date for the term. An amendment ratified in 1862 increased the term to four years. The 1879 constitution set the term to begin on the first Monday after January 1, following an election. In 1990, Proposition 140 led to a constitutional amendment implementing a term limit of two terms.

Prior to this limit, only one governor, Earl Warren, served more than two terms. Jerry Brown was elected to a third term in 2010, because his previous terms were before the term limit was enacted. The 1849 constitution created the office of lieutenant governor, who, in cases of vacancy in the office of governor, becomes governor. The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on the same ticket.

Governors of the State of California

No.	Governor				Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1				Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807–1895)	December 20, 1849 – January 9, 1851 (resigned)	Nonpartisan	1849			McDougal, JohnJohn McDougal
2				John McDougal (1818–1866)	January 9, 1851 – January 8, 1852 (did not run)	Nonpartisan	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Broderick, David C.David C. Broderick (acting)
3				John Bigler (1805–1871)	January 8, 1852 – January 9, 1856 (lost election)	Democratic	1851			Purdy, SamuelSamuel Purdy
							1853
4				J. Neely Johnson (1825–1872)	January 9, 1856 – January 8, 1858 (did not run)	American	1855			Anderson, Robert M.Robert M. Anderson
5				John B. Weller (1812–1875)	January 8, 1858 – January 9, 1860 (did not run)	Democratic	1857			Walkup, JosephJoseph Walkup
6				Milton Latham (1827–1882)	January 9, 1860 – January 14, 1860 (resigned)	Lecompton Democratic	1859			Downey, John G.John G. Downey
7				John G. Downey (1827–1894)	January 14, 1860 – January 10, 1862 (did not run)	Lecompton Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Quinn, Isaac N.Isaac N. Quinn (acting) (term ended January 7, 1861)
										de la Guerra, PabloPablo de la Guerra (acting)
8				Leland Stanford (1824–1893)	January 10, 1862 – December 10, 1863 (did not run)	Republican	1861			Chellis, John F.John F. Chellis
9				Frederick Low (1828–1894)	December 10, 1863 – December 5, 1867 (did not run)	Union	1863			Machin, Tim N.Tim N. Machin
10				Henry Huntly Haight (1825–1878)	December 5, 1867 – December 8, 1871 (lost election)	Democratic	1867			Holden, WilliamWilliam Holden
11				Newton Booth (1825–1892)	December 8, 1871 – February 27, 1875 (resigned)	Republican	1871			Pacheco, RomualdoRomualdo Pacheco
12				Romualdo Pacheco (1831–1899)	February 27, 1875 – December 9, 1875 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Irwin, WilliamWilliam Irwin (acting)
13				William Irwin (1827–1886)	December 9, 1875 – January 8, 1880 (did not run)	Democratic	1875			Johnson, James A.James A. Johnson
14				George C. Perkins (1839–1923)	January 8, 1880 – January 10, 1883 (did not run)	Republican	1879			Mansfield, JohnJohn Mansfield
15				George Stoneman (1822–1894)	January 10, 1883 – January 8, 1887 (did not run)	Democratic	1882			Daggett, JohnJohn Daggett
16				Washington Bartlett (1824–1887)	January 8, 1887 – September 12, 1887 (died in office)	Democratic	1886			Waterman, RobertRobert Waterman
17				Robert Waterman (1826–1891)	September 12, 1887 – January 8, 1891 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			White, Stephen M.Stephen M. White (acting)
18				Henry Markham (1840–1923)	January 8, 1891 – January 11, 1895 (did not run)	Republican	1890			Reddick, John B.John B. Reddick
19				James Budd (1851–1908)	January 11, 1895 – January 4, 1899 (did not run)	Democratic	1894			Millard, Spencer G.Spencer G. Millard (died October 24, 1895)
								Vacant
										Jeter, William T.William T. Jeter (appointed October 26, 1895)
20				Henry T. Gage (1852–1924)	January 4, 1899 – January 7, 1903 (lost nomination)	Republican	1898			Neff, Jacob H.Jacob H. Neff
21				George Pardee (1857–1941)	January 7, 1903 – January 9, 1907 (lost nomination)	Republican	1902			Anderson, AldenAlden Anderson
22				James Gillett (1860–1937)	January 9, 1907 – January 3, 1911 (did not run)	Republican	1906			Porter, Warren R.Warren R. Porter
23				Hiram Johnson (1866–1945)	January 3, 1911 – March 15, 1917 (resigned)	Republican	1910			Wallace, Albert JosephAlbert Joseph Wallace
						Progressive	1914			Eshleman, John M.John M. Eshleman (died February 28, 1916)
								Vacant
										Stephens, WilliamWilliam Stephens (took office July 22, 1916)
24				William Stephens (1859–1944)	March 15, 1917 – January 9, 1923 (lost nomination)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
							1918			Young, C. C.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			Fitts, BuronBuron Fitts (resigned November 30, 1928)
								Vacant
										Carnahan, Herschel L.Herschel L. Carnahan (appointed December 4, 1928)
27				James Rolph (1869–1934)	January 6, 1931 – June 2, 1934 (died in office)	Republican	1930			Merriam, FrankFrank Merriam
28				Frank Merriam (1865–1955)	June 2, 1934 – January 2, 1939 (lost election)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
							1934			Hatfield, George J.George J. Hatfield
29				Culbert Olson (1876–1962)	January 2, 1939 – January 4, 1943 (lost election)	Democratic	1938			Patterson, Ellis E.Ellis E. Patterson
30				Earl Warren (1891–1974)	January 4, 1943 – October 4, 1953 (resigned)	Republican	1942			Houser, Frederick F.Frederick F. Houser
							1946			Knight, GoodwinGoodwin Knight
							1950
31				Goodwin Knight (1896–1970)	October 5, 1953 – January 5, 1959 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor			Powers, Harold J.Harold J. Powers
							1954
32				Pat Brown (1905–1996)	January 5, 1959 – January 2, 1967 (lost election)	Democratic	1958			Anderson, Glenn M.Glenn M. Anderson
							1962
33				Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)	January 2, 1967 – January 6, 1975 (did not run)	Republican	1966			Finch, RobertRobert Finch (resigned January 8, 1969)
										Reinecke, EdwinEdwin Reinecke (resigned October 2, 1974)
							1970
										Harmer, John L.John L. Harmer
34				Jerry Brown (b. 1938)	January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983 (did not run)	Democratic	1974			Dymally, Mervyn M.Mervyn M. Dymally
							1978			Curb, MichaelMichael Curb
35				George Deukmejian (1928–2018)	January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991 (did not run)	Republican	1982			McCarthy, Leo T.Leo T. McCarthy
							1986
36				Pete Wilson (b. 1933)	January 7, 1991 – January 4, 1999 (term-limited)	Republican	1990
							1994			Davis, GrayGray Davis
37				Gray Davis (b. 1942)	January 4, 1999 – November 17, 2003 (recalled)	Democratic	1998			Bustamante, CruzCruz Bustamante
							2002
38				Arnold Schwarzenegger (b. 1947)	November 17, 2003 – January 3, 2011 (term-limited)	Republican	2003 (recall)
							2006			Garamendi, JohnJohn Garamendi (resigned November 3, 2009)
										Pasquil, MonaMona Pasquil (acting)
										Maldonado, AbelAbel Maldonado (appointed April 27, 2010)
39				Jerry Brown (b. 1938)	January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (term-limited)	Democratic	2010
										Newsom, GavinGavin Newsom (took office January 10, 2011)
							2014
40				Gavin Newsom (b. 1967)	January 7, 2019 – Incumbent	Democratic	2018			Kounalakis, EleniEleni Kounalakis
							2021 (recall)
							2022

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Gobernantes de California para niños

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § California
• List of California state legislatures
• List of governors of California before 1850
• Spouses of the governor of California