List of governors of New Mexico facts for kids
The governor of New Mexico is like the main leader of the state. They are in charge of the government and the state's military forces, called the New Mexico National Guard. The governor makes sure state laws are followed. They can also approve or reject new laws passed by the New Mexico Legislature. The governor can call the legislature together whenever needed. They also have the power to grant pardons, which means forgiving someone for a crime.
Since New Mexico became a state in 1912, 28 people have been governor. Two governors, Edwin L. Mechem and Bruce King, served three terms each. Bruce King served the longest, for 12 years. William C. McDonald was the first governor, starting on January 15, 1912. The first woman governor was Susana Martinez, a Republican, who served from 2011 to 2019. The current governor is Michelle Lujan Grisham. She started on January 1, 2019. She is the first woman from the Democratic Party to be elected governor of New Mexico.
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New Mexico's Early Leaders
Before New Mexico became a state, it was a territory. This section explains who governed it during that time.
From Mexican Territory to U.S. Control
On August 18, 1846, American forces led by Stephen W. Kearny took control of Santa Fe. Santa Fe was the capital of the Mexican territory of New Mexico. A set of laws, known as the Kearny Code, was put in place on September 22, 1846. The area stayed under military control until it officially became part of the United States on July 4, 1848.
After Kearny left for California, other military officers were in charge. These included Col. Sterling Price, Lt. Col. John M. Washington, and Col. John Munroe. Kearny had appointed Charles Bent as governor before he left. Sadly, Bent was killed during the Taos Revolt on January 19, 1847. Col. Price then appointed Donaciano Vigil as acting governor. In 1850, a group wanted New Mexico to become a state. They chose Henry Connelly as governor. However, the U.S. government did not officially recognize this choice.
Governors of the New Mexico Territory
The New Mexico Territory was officially set up on December 13, 1850. It remained a territory for 62 years before becoming a state.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointing President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg) |
James Calhoun (1802–1852) |
January 9, 1851 – July 2, 1852 (died in office) |
Millard Fillmore |
| 2 | .jpg) |
William Carr Lane (1789–1863) |
July 15, 1852 – May 6, 1853 (successor appointed) |
Millard Fillmore |
| 3 |  |
David Meriwether (1800–1893) |
May 6, 1853 – August 17, 1857 (successor appointed) |
Franklin Pierce |
| 4 | .jpg) |
Abraham Rencher (1798–1883) |
August 17, 1857 – May 24, 1861 (successor appointed) |
James Buchanan |
| 5 | .jpg) |
Henry Connelly (1800–1866) |
May 24, 1861 – January 15, 1866 (successor appointed) |
Abraham Lincoln |
| 6 | .jpg) |
Robert Byington Mitchell (1823–1882) |
January 15, 1866 – May 28, 1869 (resigned) |
Andrew Johnson |
| 7 |  |
William A. Pile (1829–1889) |
May 28, 1869 – July 27, 1871 (successor appointed) |
Ulysses S. Grant |
| 8 |  |
Marsh Giddings (1816–1875) |
July 27, 1871 – June 3, 1875 (died in office) |
Ulysses S. Grant |
| 9 |  |
Samuel Beach Axtell (1819–1891) |
June 8, 1875 – September 4, 1878 (suspended) |
Ulysses S. Grant |
| 10 |  |
Lew Wallace (1827–1905) |
September 4, 1878 – May 5, 1881 (resigned) |
Rutherford B. Hayes |
| 11 |  |
Lionel Allen Sheldon (1828–1917) |
May 5, 1881 – May 23, 1885 (successor appointed) |
James A. Garfield |
| 12 | .jpg) |
Edmund G. Ross (1826–1907) |
May 23, 1885 – April 2, 1889 (successor appointed) |
Grover Cleveland |
| 13 |  |
L. Bradford Prince (1840–1922) |
April 2, 1889 – April 7, 1893 (successor appointed) |
Benjamin Harrison |
| 14 | .jpg) |
William Taylor Thornton (1843–1916) |
April 7, 1893 – April 5, 1897 (resigned) |
Grover Cleveland |
| 15 |  |
Miguel Antonio Otero (1859–1944) |
June 2, 1897 – January 10, 1906 (successor appointed) |
William McKinley |
| Theodore Roosevelt | ||||
| 16 | .jpg) |
Herbert James Hagerman (1871–1935) |
January 10, 1906 – May 3, 1907 (resigned) |
Theodore Roosevelt |
| 17 |  |
George Curry (1861–1947) |
May 27, 1907 – February 28, 1910 (resigned) |
Theodore Roosevelt |
| 18 |  |
William J. Mills (1849–1915) |
March 1, 1910 – January 14, 1912 (statehood) |
William Howard Taft |
Governors of the State of New Mexico
New Mexico officially became a state in the United States on January 6, 1912.
How Governor Terms Changed
The state's first constitution in 1912 said that the governor and lieutenant governor would be elected every four years. In 1914, this was changed to two years. Then, in 1970, it was changed back to four years.
Originally, a governor could not serve two terms in a row. This rule changed in 1914 to allow them to serve twice in a row before taking a break. When the term went back to four years in 1970, they could not serve two terms in a row again. But in 1986, the rule changed back to allow two terms in a row. Since 1962, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected together as a team. If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor takes over.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg) |
William C. McDonald (1858–1918) |
January 15, 1912 – January 1, 1917 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1911 | Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca | ||
| 2 |  |
Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca (1864–1917) |
January 1, 1917 – February 18, 1917 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1916 | Washington Ellsworth Lindsey | ||
| 3 |  |
Washington Ellsworth Lindsey (1862–1926) |
February 18, 1917 – January 1, 1919 (lost nomination) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | ||
| 4 |  |
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (1859–1930) |
January 1, 1919 – January 1, 1921 (lost nomination) |
Republican | 1918 | Benjamin F. Pankey | ||
| 5 | .jpg) |
Merritt C. Mechem (1870–1946) |
January 1, 1921 – January 1, 1923 (did not run) |
Republican | 1920 | William H. Duckworth | ||
| 6 |  |
James F. Hinkle (1862–1951) |
January 1, 1923 – January 1, 1925 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1922 | José A. Baca (died May 17, 1924) |
||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 7 |  |
Arthur T. Hannett (1884–1966) |
January 1, 1925 – January 1, 1927 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1924 | Edward G. Sargent | ||
| 8 |  |
Richard C. Dillon (1877–1966) |
January 1, 1927 – January 1, 1931 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1926 | |||
| 1928 | Hugh B. Woodward (resigned July 1929) |
|||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 9 | .jpg) |
Arthur Seligman (1871–1933) |
January 1, 1931 – September 25, 1933 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1930 | Andrew W. Hockenhull | ||
| 1932 | ||||||||
| 10 |  |
Andrew W. Hockenhull (1877–1974) |
September 25, 1933 – January 1, 1935 (did not run) |
Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | ||
| 11 |  |
Clyde Tingley (1881–1960) |
January 1, 1935 – January 1, 1939 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1934 | Louis Cabeza de Baca | ||
| 1936 | Hiram M. Dow | |||||||
| 12 |  |
John E. Miles (1884–1971) |
January 1, 1939 – January 1, 1943 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1938 | James Murray Sr. | ||
| 1940 | Ceferino Quintana | |||||||
| 13 |  |
John J. Dempsey (1879–1958) |
January 1, 1943 – January 1, 1947 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1942 | James B. Jones | ||
| 1944 | ||||||||
| 14 |  |
Thomas J. Mabry (1884–1962) |
January 1, 1947 – January 1, 1951 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1946 | Joseph Montoya | ||
| 1948 | ||||||||
| 15 | .png) |
Edwin L. Mechem (1912–2002) |
January 1, 1951 – January 1, 1955 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1950 | Tibo J. Chávez | ||
| 1952 | ||||||||
| 16 | .jpg) |
John F. Simms (1916–1975) |
January 1, 1955 – January 1, 1957 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1954 | Joseph Montoya (resigned April 9, 1957) |
||
| 17 | .jpg) |
Edwin L. Mechem (1912–2002) |
January 1, 1957 – January 1, 1959 (lost election) |
Republican | 1956 | |||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 18 |  |
John Burroughs (1907–1978) |
January 1, 1959 – January 1, 1961 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1958 | Ed V. Mead | ||
| 19 | .png) |
Edwin L. Mechem (1912–2002) |
January 1, 1961 – November 30, 1962 (resigned) |
Republican | 1960 | Tom Bolack | ||
| 20 | .jpg) |
Tom Bolack (1918–1998) |
November 30, 1962 – January 1, 1963 (successor took office) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | ||
| 21 |  |
Jack M. Campbell (1916–1999) |
January 1, 1963 – January 1, 1967 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1962 | Mack Easley | ||
| 1964 | ||||||||
| 22 | .png) |
David Cargo (1929–2013) |
January 1, 1967 – January 1, 1971 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1966 | Lee Francis | ||
| 1968 | ||||||||
| 23 |  |
Bruce King (1924–2009) |
January 1, 1971 – January 1, 1975 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1970 | Roberto Mondragón | ||
| 24 |  |
Jerry Apodaca (1934–2023) |
January 1, 1975 – January 1, 1979 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1974 | Robert E. Ferguson | ||
| 25 | |
Bruce King (1924–2009) |
January 1, 1979 – January 1, 1983 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1978 | Roberto Mondragón | ||
| 26 | .png) |
Toney Anaya (b. 1941) |
January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1987 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1982 | Mike Runnels | ||
| 27 | .jpg) |
Garrey Carruthers (b. 1939) |
January 1, 1987 – January 1, 1991 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1986 | Jack L. Stahl | ||
| 28 | |
Bruce King (1924–2009) |
January 1, 1991 – January 1, 1995 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1990 | Casey Luna | ||
| 29 |  |
Gary Johnson (b. 1953) |
January 1, 1995 – January 1, 2003 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1994 | Walter Dwight Bradley | ||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 30 |  |
Bill Richardson (1947–2023) |
January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 2002 | Diane Denish | ||
| 2006 | ||||||||
| 31 |  |
Susana Martinez (b. 1959) |
January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2019 (term-limited) |
Republican | 2010 | John Sanchez | ||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| 32 | .jpg) |
Michelle Lujan Grisham (b. 1959) |
January 1, 2019 – Incumbent |
Democratic | 2018 | Howie Morales | ||
| 2022 | ||||||||
More About New Mexico Government
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Gobernadores de Nuevo México para niños
