List of governors of Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor of Michigan |
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Style | Her Excellency |
Residence | Michigan Governor's Mansion |
Term length | Four years, renewable once |
Precursor | Governor of Michigan Territory |
Inaugural holder | Stevens T. Mason |
Formation | November 3, 1835 |
Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Michigan |
Salary | $159,300 (2019) |
The governor of Michigan is like the top leader of the state. They are in charge of the government and the state's military forces, like the Michigan National Guard. The governor makes sure state laws are followed. They can also approve or reject new laws from the Michigan Legislature. The governor can call meetings of the legislature and even forgive people for certain crimes. They also help organize how the state government works.
For a long time, Michigan was controlled by France and then Britain. They had their own leaders, called colonial governors. Later, parts of Michigan became U.S. territories, like the Northwest Territory. In 1805, the Michigan Territory was formed. Five different people were governors of this territory. Michigan officially became a state in 1837. Since then, 47 people have been the state governor. The first woman to be governor was Jennifer Granholm. She served from 2003 to 2011.
When Michigan first became a state, governors served for two years. In 1963, the Michigan Constitution changed this to four-year terms. Before 1992, a governor could serve as many terms as they wanted. Now, a governor can only serve two four-year terms in their lifetime. The governor who served the longest was William Milliken. He became governor when George W. Romney left office. Then, he was elected three more times. Only two governors, John S. Barry and Frank Fitzgerald, served terms that were not back-to-back.
Contents
Who are the Governors of Michigan?
Governors of Michigan Territory
The Michigan Territory was created on June 30, 1805. It was formed from the northern part of the Indiana Territory. Three governors were chosen by the president of the United States to lead the territory. Lewis Cass was one of them, and he served for 18 years. This was the longest time anyone served as a territorial governor.
No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
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1 | ![]() |
William Hull (1753–1825) |
March 1, 1805 – October 29, 1813 (successor appointed) |
Thomas Jefferson |
James Madison | ||||
2 | ![]() |
Lewis Cass (1782–1866) |
October 29, 1813 – August 1, 1831 (resigned) |
James Madison |
James Monroe | ||||
John Quincy Adams | ||||
3 | ![]() |
George Bryan Porter (1791–1834) |
August 6, 1831 – July 6, 1834 (died in office) |
Andrew Jackson |
— | ![]() |
Stevens T. Mason (1811–1843) |
July 6, 1834 – September 21, 1835 (successor appointed) |
Territorial secretary acting |
— | ![]() |
John S. Horner (1802–1883) |
September 21, 1835 – July 3, 1836 (resigned) |
Territorial secretary acting |
Governors of the State of Michigan
Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837. The first state constitution in 1835 said that a governor and a lieutenant governor would be elected every two years. The current constitution, from 1963, changed this to four-year terms. There was no limit on how many terms a governor could serve until 1993. That year, a new rule was added, limiting governors to two terms in total.
If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor takes over. If they can't, then the secretary of state takes over, followed by the attorney general. Before the 1963 constitution, the lieutenant governor would just do the governor's duties, but not officially become governor. Since 1850, a governor's term starts at noon on January 1st after the election. Before that, there was no set start date. Also, before 1963, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected separately. This meant they could be from different political parties. Now, people vote for both the governor and lieutenant governor together, and they must be from the same party.
No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
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1 | ![]() |
Stevens T. Mason (1811–1843) |
November 3, 1835 – January 7, 1840 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1835 | Edward Mundy | ||
1837 | ||||||||
2 | ![]() |
William Woodbridge (1780–1861) |
January 7, 1840 – February 24, 1841 (resigned) |
Whig | 1839 | James Wright Gordon | ||
3 | James Wright Gordon (1809–1853) |
February 24, 1841 – January 3, 1842 (did not run) |
Whig | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Thomas J. Drake | |||
4 | ![]() |
John S. Barry (1802–1870) |
January 3, 1842 – January 5, 1846 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1841 | Origen D. Richardson | ||
1843 | ||||||||
5 | ![]() |
Alpheus Felch (1804–1896) |
January 5, 1846 – March 3, 1847 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1845 | William L. Greenly | ||
6 | ![]() |
William L. Greenly (1813–1883) |
March 3, 1847 – January 3, 1848 (did not run) |
Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Charles P. Bush | ||
7 | ![]() |
Epaphroditus Ransom (1798–1859) |
January 3, 1848 – January 7, 1850 (lost nomination) |
Democratic | 1847 | William M. Fenton | ||
8 | ![]() |
John S. Barry (1802–1870) |
January 7, 1850 – January 1, 1852 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1849 | |||
9 | ![]() |
Robert McClelland (1807–1880) |
January 1, 1852 – March 7, 1853 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1851 | Calvin Britain | ||
1852 | Andrew Parsons | |||||||
10 | ![]() |
Andrew Parsons (1817–1855) |
March 7, 1853 – January 3, 1855 (did not run) |
Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
George Griswold | ||
11 | ![]() |
Kinsley S. Bingham (1808–1861) |
January 3, 1855 – January 5, 1859 (did not run) |
Republican | 1854 | George Coe | ||
1856 | ||||||||
12 | ![]() |
Moses Wisner (1815–1863) |
January 5, 1859 – January 2, 1861 (did not run) |
Republican | 1858 | Edmund Burke Fairfield | ||
13 | ![]() |
Austin Blair (1818–1894) |
January 2, 1861 – January 4, 1865 (did not run) |
Republican | 1860 | James M. Birney (resigned April 3, 1861) |
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Joseph R. Williams (died June 15, 1861) |
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Henry T. Backus | ||||||||
1862 | Charles S. May | |||||||
14 | ![]() |
Henry H. Crapo (1804–1869) |
January 4, 1865 – January 1, 1869 (did not run) |
Republican | 1864 | Ebenezer O. Grosvenor | ||
1866 | Dwight May | |||||||
15 | ![]() |
Henry P. Baldwin (1814–1892) |
January 1, 1869 – January 1, 1873 (did not run) |
Republican | 1868 | Morgan Bates | ||
1870 | ||||||||
16 | ![]() |
John J. Bagley (1832–1881) |
January 1, 1873 – January 3, 1877 (did not run) |
Republican | 1872 | Henry H. Holt | ||
1874 | ||||||||
17 | ![]() |
Charles Croswell (1825–1886) |
January 3, 1877 – January 1, 1881 (did not run) |
Republican | 1876 | Alonzo Sessions | ||
1878 | ||||||||
18 | ![]() |
David Jerome (1829–1896) |
January 1, 1881 – January 1, 1883 (lost election) |
Republican | 1880 | Moreau S. Crosby | ||
19 | ![]() |
Josiah Begole (1815–1896) |
January 1, 1883 – January 1, 1885 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1882 | |||
20 | ![]() |
Russell A. Alger (1836–1907) |
January 1, 1885 – January 1, 1887 (did not run) |
Republican | 1884 | Archibald Buttars | ||
21 | ![]() |
Cyrus G. Luce (1824–1905) |
January 1, 1887 – January 1, 1891 (did not run) |
Republican | 1886 | James H. MacDonald | ||
1888 | William Ball | |||||||
22 | ![]() |
Edwin B. Winans (1826–1894) |
January 1, 1891 – January 1, 1893 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1890 | John Strong | ||
23 | ![]() |
John Treadway Rich (1841–1926) |
January 1, 1893 – January 1, 1897 (did not run) |
Republican | 1892 | J. Wight Giddings | ||
1894 | Alfred Milnes (resigned June 1, 1895) |
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Joseph R. McLaughlin | ||||||||
24 | ![]() |
Hazen S. Pingree (1840–1901) |
January 1, 1897 – January 1, 1901 (did not run) |
Republican | 1896 | Thomas B. Dunstan | ||
1898 | Orrin W. Robinson | |||||||
25 | ![]() |
Aaron T. Bliss (1837–1906) |
January 1, 1901 – January 2, 1905 (did not run) |
Republican | 1900 | |||
1902 | Alexander Maitland | |||||||
26 | ![]() |
Fred M. Warner (1865–1923) |
January 2, 1905 – January 1, 1911 (did not run) |
Republican | 1904 | |||
1906 | Patrick H. Kelley | |||||||
1908 | ||||||||
27 | ![]() |
Chase Osborn (1860–1949) |
January 1, 1911 – January 1, 1913 (did not run) |
Republican | 1910 | John Q. Ross | ||
28 | ![]() |
Woodbridge N. Ferris (1853–1928) |
January 1, 1913 – January 1, 1917 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1912 | |||
1914 | Luren Dickinson | |||||||
29 | ![]() |
Albert Sleeper (1862–1934) |
January 1, 1917 – January 1, 1921 (did not run) |
Republican | 1916 | |||
1918 | ||||||||
30 | ![]() |
Alex J. Groesbeck (1873–1953) |
January 1, 1921 – January 1, 1927 (did not run) |
Republican | 1920 | Thomas Read | ||
1922 | ||||||||
1924 | George W. Welsh | |||||||
31 | ![]() |
Fred W. Green (1871–1936) |
January 1, 1927 – January 1, 1931 (did not run) |
Republican | 1926 | Luren Dickinson | ||
1928 | ||||||||
32 | ![]() |
Wilber M. Brucker (1894–1968) |
January 1, 1931 – January 1, 1933 (lost election) |
Republican | 1930 | |||
33 | ![]() |
William Comstock (1877–1949) |
January 1, 1933 – January 1, 1935 (lost nomination) |
Democratic | 1932 | Allen E. Stebbins | ||
34 | ![]() |
Frank Fitzgerald (1885–1939) |
January 1, 1935 – January 1, 1937 (lost election) |
Republican | 1934 | Thomas Read | ||
35 | ![]() |
Frank Murphy (1890–1949) |
January 1, 1937 – January 1, 1939 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1936 | Leo J. Nowicki | ||
36 | ![]() |
Frank Fitzgerald (1885–1939) |
January 1, 1939 – March 16, 1939 (died in office) |
Republican | 1938 | Luren Dickinson | ||
37 | ![]() |
Luren Dickinson (1859–1943) |
March 16, 1939 – January 1, 1941 (lost election) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Matilda Dodge Wilson | ||
38 | ![]() |
Murray Van Wagoner (1898–1986) |
January 1, 1941 – January 1, 1943 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1940 | Frank Murphy | ||
39 | ![]() |
Harry Kelly (1895–1971) |
January 1, 1943 – January 1, 1947 (did not run) |
Republican | 1942 | Eugene C. Keyes | ||
1944 | Vernon J. Brown | |||||||
40 | ![]() |
Kim Sigler (1894–1953) |
January 1, 1947 – January 1, 1949 (lost election) |
Republican | 1946 | Eugene C. Keyes | ||
41 | ![]() |
G. Mennen Williams (1911–1988) |
January 1, 1949 – January 1, 1961 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1948 | John W. Connolly | ||
1950 | William C. Vandenberg | |||||||
1952 | Clarence A. Reid | |||||||
1954 | Philip Hart | |||||||
1956 | ||||||||
1958 | John Swainson | |||||||
42 | ![]() |
John Swainson (1925–1994) |
January 1, 1961 – January 1, 1963 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1960 | T. John Lesinski | ||
43 | ![]() |
George W. Romney (1907–1995) |
January 1, 1963 – January 22, 1969 (resigned) |
Republican | 1962 | |||
1964 | William Milliken | |||||||
1966 | ||||||||
44 | ![]() |
William Milliken (1922–2019) |
January 22, 1969 – January 1, 1983 (did not run) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Thomas F. Schweigert | ||
1970 | James H. Brickley | |||||||
1974 | James Damman | |||||||
1978 | James H. Brickley | |||||||
45 | ![]() |
James Blanchard (b. 1942) |
January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1991 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1982 | Martha Griffiths | ||
1986 | ||||||||
46 | ![]() |
John Engler (b. 1948) |
January 1, 1991 – January 1, 2003 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1990 | Connie Binsfeld | ||
1994 | ||||||||
1998 | Dick Posthumus | |||||||
47 | ![]() |
Jennifer Granholm (b. 1959) |
January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 2002 | John D. Cherry | ||
2006 | ||||||||
48 | ![]() |
Rick Snyder (b. 1958) |
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2019 (term-limited) |
Republican | 2010 | Brian Calley | ||
2014 | ||||||||
49 | ![]() |
Gretchen Whitmer (b. 1971) |
January 1, 2019 – Incumbent |
Democratic | 2018 | Garlin Gilchrist | ||
2022 |
More About Michigan's Government
- Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Michigan
- List of Michigan state legislatures