List of governors of Puerto Rico facts for kids

This article is about the governors of Puerto Rico. A governor is the leader of a state or territory. This list includes everyone who has been governor of Puerto Rico, from when it was part of the Spanish Empire (1508–1898) to today, as a territory of the United States (1898–present).

La Fortaleza, the official home of the governor of Puerto Rico since the 1500s.

Puerto Rico became part of the United States in 1898 during the Spanish–American War. This ended 390 years of Spanish rule. Spanish exploration and settlement of the main island began in 1508 with conquistador Juan Ponce de León. He was the first person to be called governor, by order of King Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1509.

For a long time, the governor was chosen by the Spanish King. After 1898, the President of the United States chose the governor. This changed in 1948 when the people of Puerto Rico began to vote for their governor. The first elected governor was Luis Muñoz Marín, who started his term in 1949.

Since 1508, 167 different people have served as governor. Some governors served more than once. In total, there have been 190 governorships, including temporary ones. Most governors (175) were appointed, either by the Spanish King or the U.S. President. Only 14 were chosen by popular vote. One governor was chosen by the constitution after another governor resigned.

The position of governor was empty twice. During those times, local town leaders called alcaldes ordinarios took charge. This happened from 1537 to 1544 and again from 1548 to 1550. The governor who served the shortest time was Andrés González Muñoz. He died just hours after starting his second temporary term on January 11, 1898. Luis Muñoz Marín served the longest, for 16 years (four terms) from 1949 to 1965. He chose not to run for re-election. Ricardo Rosselló was the first elected governor to resign early, which happened in 2019. No elected governor has ever been removed from office by impeachment.

The first governor born in Puerto Rico was Ponce de León’s grandson, Juan Ponce de León II. He was a temporary governor from 1578 to 1580. He was the only Puerto Rican-born governor until Ángel Rivero Méndez, who served for two days in 1898 as the last governor under Spanish rule. Later, some other Puerto Ricans also served as temporary governors between 1921 and 1941. The first and only Puerto Rican-born person to be a formal (not temporary) governor before 1949 was Jesús T. Piñero. He was the last appointed governor of Puerto Rico, serving from 1946 to 1949.

Since 1949, the governor of Puerto Rico has been chosen by popular vote. The governor is the leader of the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This is a territory of the United States, organized under the Constitution of Puerto Rico since 1952. The current governor is Jenniffer González-Colón. She was elected on November 5, 2024, and started her term on January 2, 2025.

History of Governors

Spanish Rule (1508–1898)

When Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico in November 1493, the Spanish King claimed the island. In 1505, King Ferdinand II of Aragon ordered the colonization of Puerto Rico. He appointed Vicente Yáñez Pinzón to be its leader, but Pinzón never took the job. So, Puerto Rico remained unexplored by Spain from 1493 to 1508.

In 1508, the King ordered Juan Ponce de León to explore and settle Puerto Rico. He became the first European to do so. In 1509, the King officially created the position of governor of Puerto Rico and appointed Ponce de León as the first one. For 390 years, the Spanish King continued to appoint the governors.

From 1537 to 1544 and again from 1548 to 1550, there was no official governor. Instead, local town leaders called alcaldes ordinarios managed things. These leaders were elected each year by other officials. They were municipal administrators, not governors.

From 1578 to 1580, Juan Ponce de León II, Ponce de León’s grandson, served as a temporary governor. He was the first person born in Puerto Rico to hold this position. The next Puerto Rican-born temporary governor was Ángel Rivero Méndez, who served for three days in October 1898.

In 1598, the English took over San Juan, the capital city, for a few months. The governor at the time, Antonio de Mosquera, surrendered and was sent away. However, the English failed to keep control of the city or the island. After the English left, a former governor, Pedro Suárez Coronel, took over temporarily until a new governor arrived.

American Rule (1898–Present)

In 1898, after the Spanish–American War, the President of the United States gained the power to appoint the governor of Puerto Rico.

General Nelson A. Miles led the American invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898, but he was not the governor. That job went to General John R. Brooke. He was part of the group that handled the peaceful transfer of Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States. After Spanish officials left San Juan on October 16, Brooke became the first American governor on October 18, 1898. He took over from the last Spanish temporary governor, Ángel Rivero Méndez.

Under American military rule (1898–1900) and later civil rule (1900–1952), the governor was appointed by the U.S. President. This continued until 1948. While some Puerto Ricans served as temporary governors during this time, the only Puerto Rican-born person to be formally appointed governor was Jesús T. Piñero. He was the last appointed governor of Puerto Rico, serving from 1946 to 1949.

In 1947, a law called the Elective Governor Act allowed the people of Puerto Rico to vote for their governor. The first election was in 1948, and Luis Muñoz Marín won. He became the first democratically elected governor. Since 1949, the governor of Puerto Rico has been chosen by popular vote. The governor leads the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory organized under its own constitution since 1952.

In 2019, Governor Ricardo Rosselló resigned because of a public controversy. He was the first elected governor to step down. Before leaving, Rosselló tried to name Pedro Pierluisi as his successor. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Pierluisi's appointment was not legal. So, Wanda Vázquez Garced, who was next in line, became governor. She was the first governor to take office through a constitutional appointment.

Spanish Administration (1508–1898)

This list shows all governors of Puerto Rico who served under the Spanish Empire. This period goes from the start of colonization in 1508 to the end of Spanish rule in 1898.

Viceroyalty of the Indies (1508–1521)

No.	Portrait	Governor	Took office	Left office	Ref(s)
1		Juan Ponce de León	June 15, 1508	November 28, 1509
2		Juan Cerón	November 28, 1509	March 2, 1510
3		Juan Ponce de León	March 2, 1510	June 21, 1511
4		Gonzalo Ovalle Interim	June 21, 1511	November 28, 1511
5		Juan Cerón	November 28, 1511	November 2, 1512
6		Rodrigo Moscoso	November 2, 1512	February 1513
7		Cristóbal de Mendoza	February 1513	July 15, 1515
8		Juan Ponce de León	July 15, 1515	September 12, 1519
9		Antonio de la Gama	September 12, 1519	January 30, 1521

Viceroyalty of New Spain (1521–1580)

No.	Portrait	Governor	Took office	Left office	Ref(s)
10		Pedro Moreno	January 30, 1521	May 1523
11		Alonso Manso Interim	May 1523	1524
12		Pedro Moreno	1524	June 1529
13		Antonio de la Gama	June 1529	1530
14		Francisco Manuel de Landó	1530	August 1536
15		Vasco de Tiedra	August 1536	September 28, 1537
–		Alcaldes ordinarios	September 28, 1537	1544
16		Jerónimo Lebrón de Quiñones	1544	July 6, 1545
17		Iñigo López Cervantes y Loayza	July 6, 1545	July 6, 1546
18		Diego de Caraza	July 6, 1546	1548
–		Alcaldes ordinarios	1548	1550
19		Luis de Vallejo	1550	1555
20		Alonso Esteves	1555	August 12, 1555
21		Diego de Caraza	August 12, 1555	1561
22		Antonio de la Llama Vallejo	1561	March 20, 1564
23		Francisco Bahamonde de Lugo	March 20, 1564	December 31, 1568
24		Francisco de Solís Osorio	December 31, 1568	1575
25		Francisco de Obando y Mexia	1575	December 1578
26		Juan Ponce de León II Interim	December 1578	1580

Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
(1580–1898)

No.	Portrait	Governor	Took office	Left office	Ref(s)
27		Jerónimo de Agüero Campuzano Interim	1580	April 24, 1580
28		Juan de Céspedes	April 24, 1580	August 2, 1581
29		Juan López Melgarejo Interim	August 2, 1581	June 12, 1582
30		Diego Menéndez de Valdés	June 12, 1582	May 11, 1593
31		Pedro Suárez Coronel	May 11, 1593	June 20, 1596
32		Antonio de Mosquera	June 20, 1596	June 21, 1598
Start of the English occupation of San Juan
–		George Clifford	June 21, 1598	August 13, 1598
		John Berkeley	August 13, 1598	November 23, 1598
End of the English occupation of San Juan
33		Pedro Suárez Coronel de facto	November 23, 1598	March 22, 1599
34		Alonso de Mercado	March 22, 1599	August 7, 1602
35		Sancho Ochoa de Castro	August 7, 1602	July 22, 1608
36		Gabriel de Rojas Párano	July 22, 1608	April 1614
37		Felipe de Beaumont y Navarra	April 1614	May 31, 1620
38		Juan de Vargas Asejas	May 31, 1620	August 25, 1625
39		Juan de Haro y Sanvítores	August 25, 1625	August 1631
40		Enrique Enriquez de Sotomayor	August 1631	June 27, 1635
41		Iñigo de la Mota Sarmiento	June 27, 1635	June 1641
42		Agustín de Silva y Figueroa	June 1641	December 1641
43		Juan de Bolaños Interim	December 1641	July 9, 1643
44		Fernando de la Riva Agüero y Setién	July 9, 1643	July 12, 1650
45		Diego de Aguilera y Gamboa	July 12, 1650	March 25, 1656
46		José Novoa y Moscoso Peréz y Buitron	March 25, 1656	August 28, 1661
47		Juan Pérez de Guzmán y Chagoyen	August 28, 1661	November 23, 1664
48		Jerónimo de Velasco	November 23, 1664	August 16, 1670
49		Gaspar de Arteaga y Lequedano	August 16, 1670	March 7, 1674
50		Diego Roblandillo y Velasco Interim	March 7, 1674	July, 20 1674
51		Baltazar Figueroa y Castilla Interim	July 20, 1674	April 2, 1675
52		Alonso de Campos y Espinosa	April 2, 1675	1678
53		Juan de Robles Lorenzana	1678	July 14, 1683
54		Gaspar Martínez de Andino	July 14, 1683	May 5, 1690
55		Gaspar de Arredondo y Valle	May 5, 1690	August 11, 1695
55		Juan Fernández Franco de Medina	August 11, 1695	May 16, 1998
57		Antonio de Robles Silva Interim	May 16, 1698	October 17, 1699
58		Gaspar de Arredondo y Valle Interim	October 17, 1699	June 21, 1700
59		Gabriel Gutiérrez de Rivas	June 21, 1700	July 23, 1703
60		Diego Jiménez de Villarán Interim	July 23, 1703	October 12, 1703
61		Francisco Sánchez Calderón Interim	October 12, 1703	1704
62		Pedro de Arroyo y Guerrero Interim	1704	1706
63		Juan Francisco López de Morla Interim	1706	1706
64		Francisco Danío Granados	1706	1709
65		Juan de Ribera	1709	May 3, 1716
66		José Francisco Carreño Interim	May 3, 1716	August 30, 1716
67		Alberto Bertodano y Navarra	August 30, 1716	April 7, 1720
68		Francisco Danío Granados	April 7, 1720	August 22, 1724
69		José Antonio de Mendizabal y Azcue	August 22, 1724	October 11, 1731
70		Matías de Abadía	October 11, 1731	June 28, 1743
71		Domingo Pérez de Nanclares Interim	June 28, 1743	October 29, 1743
72		Juan José Colomo	October 29, 1743	August 11, 1750
73		Agustín de Parejas	August 11, 1750	July 8, 1751
74		Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim	July 8, 1751	May 1, 1753
75		Felipe Ramírez de Estenós	May 1, 1753	August 30, 1757
76		Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim	August 30, 1757	June 3, 1759
77		Mateo de Guazo Calderón	June 3, 1759	March 7, 1760
78		Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim	March 7, 1760	November 29, 1760
79		Ambrosio de Benavides	November 29, 1760	March 12, 1766
80		Marcos de Vergara	March 12, 1766	October 28, 1766
81		José Tentor Interim	October 28, 1766	July 31, 1770
82		Miguel de Muesas	July 31, 1770	June 2, 1776
83		José Dufresne	June 2, 1776	April 6, 1783
84		Juan Andrés Daban y Busterino	April 6, 1783	March 27, 1789
85		Francisco Torralbo y Robles Interim	March 27, 1789	July 8, 1789
86		Miguel Antonio de Ustáriz	July 8, 1789	March 27, 1792
87		Francisco Torralbo y Robles Interim	March 27, 1792	1794
88		Enrique Grimarest	1794	March 21, 1795
89		Ramón de Castro y Gutiérrez	March 21, 1795	November 12, 1804
90		Toribio Montes y Pérez	November 12, 1804	June 30, 1809
91		Salvador Meléndez Bruna	June 30, 1809	March 22, 1820
92		Juan Vasco y Pascual	March 24, 1820	August 7, 1820
93		Gonzalo Arostegui y Herrera	August 7, 1820	February 12, 1822
94		José de Navarro Interim	February 12, 1822	May 30, 1822
95		Francisco González de Linares	May 30, 1822	December 4, 1822
96		Miguel Luciano de la Torre y Pando	December 4, 1822	January 14, 1837
97		Francisco Javier de Moreda y Prieto	January 14, 1837	December 15, 1837
98		Miguel López de Baños	December 15, 1837	October 2, 1840
99		Santiago Méndez de Vigo	October 2, 1840	April 24, 1844
100		Rafael de Aristegui y Vélez	April 24, 1844	December 15, 1847
101		Juan Prim de Prats y González	December 15, 1847	September 5, 1848
102		Juan de la Pezuela y Cevallos	September 5, 1848	April 21, 1851
103		Enrique de España y Taberner	April 21, 1851	May 4, 1852
104		Fernando Norzagaray y Escudero	May 4, 1852	January 31, 1855
105		Andrés García Camba	January 31, 1855	August 23, 1855
106		José Lémery e Ibarrola	August 23, 1855	January 28, 1857
107		Fernando Cotoner y Chacón	January 28, 1857	July 31, 1860
108		Sabino Gamir Maladen Interim	July 31, 1860	August 19, 1860
109		Rafaél de Echagüe y Bermingham	August 19, 1860	March 12, 1862
110		Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez Interim	March 12, 1862	April 29, 1862
111		Félix María de Messina Iglesias	April 29, 1862	November 18, 1865
112		José María Marchessi y Oleaga	November 18, 1865	December 17, 1867
113		Julián Juan Pavía Laey	December 17, 1867	December 30, 1868
114		José Laureano Sanz y Posse	December 30, 1868	May 28, 1870
115		Gabriel Baldrich y Palau	May 28, 1870	September 13, 1871
116		Ramón Gómez Pulido	September 13, 1871	July 30, 1872
117		Simón de la Torre Ormaza	July 30, 1872	November 25, 1872
118		Joaquín Enrile Hernán Interim	November 25, 1872	February 14, 1873
119		Juan Martínez Plowes	February 14, 1873	April 14, 1873
120		Rafael Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte	April 14, 1873	February 2, 1874
121		José Laureano Sanz y Posse	February 2, 1874	December 15, 1875
122		Segundo de la Portilla Gutiérrez	December 15, 1875	October 25, 1877
123		Manuel de la Serna Hernández y Pinzón	October 25, 1877	April 26, 1878
124		José Gamir Maladen Interim	April 26, 1878	June 24, 1878
125		Eulogio Despujols y Dussay	June 24, 1878	July 6, 1881
126		Segundo de la Portilla Gutierrez	July 6, 1881	November 23, 1882
127		Miguel de la Vega Inclán y Palma	November 23, 1882	July 31, 1884
128		Carlos Suances Campos Interim	July 31, 1884	September 19, 1884
129		Ramón Fajardo e Izquierdo Interim	September 19, 1884	October 22, 1884
130		Carlos Suances Campos Interim	October 22, 1884	November 23, 1884
131		Luis Daban y Ramírez de Arellano	November 23, 1884	January 10, 1887
132		Juan Contreras Martínez Interim	January 10, 1887	March 23, 1887
133		Romualdo Palacios González	March 23, 1887	November 11, 1887
134		Juan Contreras Martínez Interim	November 11, 1887	February 23, 1888
135		Pedro Ruiz y Dana	February 23, 1888	April 18, 1890
136		José Pascual Bonanza Interim	April 18, 1890	April 21, 1890
137		José Lasso y Pérez	April 21, 1890	November 15, 1892
138		Manuel Delgado y Zuleta Interim	November 15, 1892	January 10, 1893
139		Antonio Daban y Ramírez de Arrellano	January 10, 1893	June 1, 1895
140		Andrés González Muñoz Interim	June 1, 1895	June 20, 1895
141		José Gamir Maladen	June 20, 1895	January 17, 1896
142		Emilio March García Interim	January 17, 1896	February 15, 1896
143		Sabas Marín González	February 15, 1896	January 4, 1898
144		Ricardo de Ortega y Diez Interim	January 4, 1898	January 11, 1898
145		Andrés González Muñoz	January 11, 1898	January 11, 1898
146		Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim	January 11, 1898	February 2, 1898
147		Manuel Macías y Casado	February 2, 1898	October 14, 1898
148		Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim	October 14, 1898	October 16, 1898
149		Ángel Rivero Méndez Interim	October 16, 1898	October 18, 1898

American Administration (1898–Present)

This list includes all governors of Puerto Rico who have served under the United States. This period began when Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 and continues to the present day.

Military Government of Porto Rico
(1898–1900)

No.	Image	Name	Took office	Left office	Ref(s)
–		Nelson A. Miles	July 25, 1898	August 13, 1898
150		John R. Brooke	October 18, 1898	December 6, 1898
151		Guy Vernor Henry	December 6, 1898	May 9, 1899
152		George Whitefield Davis	May 9, 1899	May 1, 1900

Insular Government of Porto Rico
(1900–1952)

Foraker Act (1900–1917)

No.	Portrait	Name	Term of office			Ref(s)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
153		Charles Herbert Allen	May 1, 1900	September 15, 1901	137 days
154		William Henry Hunt	September 15, 1901	July 4, 1904	2 years, 293 days
155		Beekman Winthrop	July 4, 1904	April 17, 1907	2 years, 287 days
156		Regis Henri Post	April 17, 1907	November 6, 1909	2 years, 203 days
157		George Radcliffe Colton	November 6, 1909	November 15, 1913	4 years, 9 days
158		Arthur Yager	November 15, 1913	March 2, 1917	3 years, 108 days

Jones–Shafroth Act (1917–1952)

No.	Portrait	Name	Term of office			Ref(s)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
158		Arthur Yager	March 2, 1917	May 15, 1921	4 years, 75 days
159		José E. Benedicto Interim	May 15, 1921	July 30, 1921	77 days
160		Emmet Montgomery Reily	July 30, 1921	February 16, 1923	1 year, 201 days
161		Juan Bernardo Huyke Interim	February 16, 1923	April 1, 1923	39 days
162		Horace Mann Towner	April 1, 1923	September 29, 1929	6 years, 181 days
163		James R. Beverley Interim	September 29, 1929	October 7, 1929	9 days
164		Theodore Roosevelt Jr.	October 7, 1929	January 30, 1932	2 years, 114 days
165		James R. Beverley Interim	January 30, 1932	July 3, 1933	1 year, 155 days
166		Robert Hayes Gore	July 3, 1933	January 11, 1934	192 days
167		Benjamin Jason Horton	January 11, 1934	February 5, 1934	25 days
168		Blanton C. Winship	February 5, 1934	June 25, 1939	5 years, 140 days
169		José E. Colón Interim	June 25, 1939	September 11, 1939	78 days
170		William D. Leahy	September 11, 1939	November 28, 1940	1 year, 78 days
171		José Miguel Gallardo Interim	November 28, 1940	February 3, 1941	67 days
172		Guy J. Swope	February 3, 1941	July 24, 1941	171 days
173		José Miguel Gallardo Interim	July 24, 1941	September 19, 1941	57 days
174		Rexford Tugwell	September 19, 1941	September 2, 1946	4 years, 348 days
175		Jesús T. Piñero	September 2, 1946	January 2, 1949	3 years, 122 days
176		Luis Muñoz Marín	January 2, 1949	January 2, 1953	4 years

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
(1952–Present)

Constitution of Puerto Rico (1952–Present)

Puerto Rico political affiliation
      New Progressive Party (PNP) (8)
      Popular Democratic Party (PPD) (7)

United States political affiliation
      Democratic Party (D) (10)
      Republican Party (R) (4)
      Independent (I) (1)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term (End Reason)	Duration	Puerto Rico Party	Election	United States Party
176		Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980)	January 2, 1953 – January 2, 1965 (did not run)	12 years	Popular Democratic	1952 1956 1960		Independent
177		Roberto Sánchez Vilella (1913–1997)	January 2, 1965 – January 2, 1968 (lost reelection)	4 years	Popular Democratic	1964		Democratic
178		Luis A. Ferré (1904–2003)	January 2, 1969 – January 2, 1973 (lost reelection)	4 years	New Progressive	1968		Republican
179		Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019)	January 2, 1973 – January 2, 1977 (lost reelection)	4 years	Popular Democratic	1972		Democratic
180		Carlos Romero Barceló (1932–2021)	January 2, 1977 – January 2, 1985 (lost reelection)	8 years	New Progressive	1976 1980		Democratic
181		Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019)	January 2, 1985 – January 2, 1993 (did not run)	8 years	Popular Democratic	1984 1988		Democratic
182		Pedro Rosselló (b. 1944)	January 2, 1993 – January 2, 2001 (did not run)	8 years	New Progressive	1992 1996		Democratic
183		Sila María Calderón (b. 1942)	January 2, 2001 – January 2, 2005 (did not run)	4 years	Popular Democratic	2000		Democratic
184		Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (b. 1962)	January 2, 2005 – January 2, 2009 (lost reelection)	4 years	Popular Democratic	2004		Democratic
185		Luis Fortuño (b. 1960)	January 2, 2009 – January 2, 2013 (lost reelection)	4 years	New Progressive	2008		Republican
186		Alejandro García Padilla (b. 1971)	January 2, 2013 – January 2, 2017 (did not run)	4 years	Popular Democratic	2012		Democratic
187		Ricardo Rosselló (b. 1979)	January 2, 2017 – August 2, 2019 (resigned)	2 years, 212 days	New Progressive	2016		Democratic
–		Pedro Pierluisi (b. 1959)	August 2, 2019 – August 7, 2019 (constitutional removal)	5 days	New Progressive	De facto		Democratic
188		Wanda Vázquez Garced (b. 1960)	August 7, 2019 – January 2, 2021 (lost nomination)	1 year, 148 days	New Progressive	Constitutional appointment		Republican
189		Pedro Pierluisi (b. 1959)	January 2, 2021 – January 2, 2025 (lost renomination)	4 years	New Progressive	2020		Democratic
190		Jenniffer González-Colón (b. 1976)	January 2, 2025 – Incumbent	235 days	New Progressive	2024		Republican

Timeline (1952–Present)

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Gobernantes de Puerto Rico para niños

• First ladies and gentlemen of Puerto Rico
• Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
• History of Puerto Rico
• Politics of Puerto Rico
• List of Legislative Assemblies of Puerto Rico

External links

• List of Puerto Rico Governors — on WorldStatesmen.org

pl:Gubernatorzy Portoryko