Governor of Massachusetts

Just like the other 49 American states, Massachusetts has its own governor. The current governor is a man named Deval Patrick. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The first governor of Massachusetts was a man named John Hancock.

Deval Patrick at his office.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 1780–present

This is a complete list of governors of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Acting governors, denoted as "A" instead of numbered, are included when the Governor resigned or died. Acting governors show a vacancy in the lieutenant governorship. They remain as Lieutenant Governors and merely act as governor. Lieutenant governors in Massachusetts do not ascend to the governorship upon death or resignation of their predecessor.

Governor			Took office	Left office	Party	Lieutenant Governor(s)
1	John Hancock		1780	1785	None	Thomas Cushing
A	Thomas Cushing (Acting Governor)		1785	1785	None	(vacant)
2	James Bowdoin		1785	1787	None	Thomas Cushing
3	John Hancock		May 30, 1787	October 8, 1793	None	Thomas Cushing (1787 - 1788)
						Benjamin Lincoln (1788 - 1789)
						Samuel Adams (1789 - 1793)
4	Samuel Adams (Acting, 1793 - 1794)		October 8, 1793	June 2, 1797	None	Moses Gill (1794 - 1799)
5	Increase Sumner		June 2, 1797	June 7, 1799	Federalist
A	Moses Gill (Acting Governor)		June 7, 1799	May 20, 1800	None	(vacant)
A	Governor's Council (Acting Governor)		May 20, 1800	May 30, 1800	None
6	Caleb Strong		May 30, 1800	May 29, 1807	Federalist	Samuel Phillips, Jr. (1801 - 1802)
						Edward H. Robbins (1802 - 1806)
7	James Sullivan		May 29, 1807	December 10, 1808	Democratic-Republican	Levi Lincoln, Sr.
A	Levi Lincoln, Sr. (Acting Governor)		December 10, 1808	May 1, 1809	Democratic-Republican	(vacant)
8	Christopher Gore		May 1, 1809	June 10, 1810	Federalist	David Cobb
9	Elbridge Gerry		June 10, 1810	March 4, 1812	Democratic-Republican	William Gray
10	Caleb Strong		June 1812	May 30, 1816	Federalist	William Phillips, Jr.
11	John Brooks		May 30, 1816	May 31, 1823	Federalist
12	William Eustis		May 31, 1823	February 6, 1825	Democratic-Republican	Levi Lincoln, Jr. (1823 - 1824)
						Marcus Morton (1824 - 1825)
A	Marcus Morton (Acting Governor)		February 6, 1825	May 26, 1825	Democratic-Republican	(vacant)
13	Levi Lincoln, Jr.		May 26, 1825	January 9, 1834	Democratic-Republican	Thomas L. Winthrop (1826 - 1833)
						Samuel Turell Armstrong (1833 - 1834)
14	John Davis		January 9, 1834	March 1, 1835	Whig	Samuel Turell Armstrong
A	Samuel Turell Armstrong (Acting Governor)		March 1, 1835	January 13, 1836	Whig	(vacant)
15	Edward Everett		January 13, 1836	January 18, 1840	Whig	George Hull
16	Marcus Morton		January 18, 1840	January 7, 1841	Democratic
17	John Davis		January 7, 1841	January 17, 1843	Whig
18	Marcus Morton		January 17, 1843	January 1844	Democratic	Henry H. Childs
19	George N. Briggs		January 1844	January 11, 1851	Whig	John Reed, Jr.
20	George S. Boutwell		January 11, 1851	January 14, 1853	Democratic	Henry W. Cushman
21	John H. Clifford		January 14, 1853	January 12, 1854	Whig	Elisha Huntington
22	Emory Washburn		January 12, 1854	January 4, 1855	Whig	William C. Plunkett
23	Henry J. Gardner		January 4, 1855	January 7, 1858	Know-Nothing	Simon Brown (1855 - 1856)
						Henry W. Benchley (1856 - 1858)
24	Nathaniel Prentice Banks		January 7, 1858	January 3, 1861	Republican	Eliphalet Trask
25	John Albion Andrew		January 3, 1861	January 4, 1866	Republican	John Z. Goodrich (1861)
						John Nesmith (1862)
						Joel Hayden (1863 - 1866)
26	Alexander H. Bullock		January 4, 1866	January 7, 1869	Republican	William Claflin
27	William Claflin		January 7, 1869	January 4, 1872	Republican	Joseph Tucker
28	William B. Washburn		January 4, 1872	April 29, 1874	Republican	Joseph Tucker (1872 - 1873)
						Thomas Talbot (1873 - 1874)
A	Thomas Talbot (Acting Governor)		April 29, 1874	January 7, 1875	Republican	(vacant)
29	William Gaston		January 7, 1875	January 6, 1876	Democratic	Horatio G. Knight
30	Alexander H. Rice		January 6, 1876	January 2, 1879	Republican
31	Thomas Talbot		January 2, 1879	January 8, 1880	Republican	John Davis Long
32	John Davis Long		January 8, 1880	January 4, 1883	Republican	Byron Weston
33	Benjamin Franklin Butler		January 4, 1883	January 3, 1884	Democratic	Oliver Ames
34	George D. Robinson		January 3, 1884	January 6, 1887	Republican
35	Oliver Ames		January 6, 1887	January 7, 1890	Republican	John Q. A. Brackett
36	John Q. A. Brackett		January 7, 1890	January 8, 1891	Republican	William H. Haile
37	William E. Russell		January 8, 1891	January 4, 1894	Democratic	William H. Haile (1891 - 1893)
						Roger Wolcott (1893 - 1894)
38	Frederic T. Greenhalge		January 4, 1894	March 5, 1896	Republican	Roger Wolcott
39	Roger Wolcott (Acting, 1896 - 1897)		March 5, 1896	January 4, 1900	Republican	(vacant) (1896 - 1897)
						Winthrop M. Crane (1987 - 1900)
40	Winthrop M. Crane		January 4, 1900	January 8, 1903	Republican	John L. Bates
41	John L. Bates		January 8, 1903	January 5, 1905	Republican	Curtis Guild, Jr.
42	William Lewis Douglas		January 5, 1905	January 4, 1906	Democratic
43	Curtis Guild, Jr.		January 4, 1906	January 7, 1909	Republican	Ebenezer Sumner Draper
44	Ebenezer Sumner Draper		January 7, 1909	January 5, 1911	Republican	Louis A. Frothingham
45	Eugene Foss		January 5, 1911	January 8, 1914	Democratic	Louis A. Frothingham (1911 - 1912)
						Robert Luce (1912 - 1913)
						David I. Walsh (1913 - 1914)
46	David I. Walsh		January 8, 1914	January 6, 1916	Democratic	Edward P. Barry (1914 - 1915)
						Grafton D. Cushing (1915 - 1916)
47	Samuel W. McCall		January 6, 1916	January 2, 1919	Republican	Calvin Coolidge
48	Calvin Coolidge		January 2, 1919	January 6, 1921	Republican	Channing H. Cox
49	Channing H. Cox		January 6, 1921	January 8, 1925	Republican	Alvan T. Fuller
50	Alvan T. Fuller		January 8, 1925	January 3, 1929	Republican	Frank G. Allen
51	Frank G. Allen		January 3, 1929	January 8, 1931	Republican	William S. Youngman
52	Joseph B. Ely		January 8, 1931	January 3, 1935	Democratic	William S. Youngman (1931 - 1933)
						Gaspar G. Bacon (1933 - 1935)
53	James Michael Curley		January 3, 1935	January 7, 1937	Democratic	Joseph L. Hurley
54	Charles F. Hurley		January 7, 1937	January 5, 1939	Democratic	Francis E. Kelly
55	Leverett Saltonstall		January 5, 1939	January 3, 1945	Republican	Horace T. Cahill
56	Maurice J. Tobin		January 3, 1945	January 2, 1947	Democratic	Robert F. Bradford
57	Robert F. Bradford		January 2, 1947	January 6, 1949	Republican	Arthur W. Coolidge
58	Paul A. Dever		January 6, 1949	January 8, 1953	Democratic	Charles F. Sullivan
59	Christian Herter		January 8, 1953	January 3, 1957	Republican	Sumner G. Whittier
60	Foster Furcolo		January 3, 1957	January 5, 1961	Democratic	Robert F. Murphy (1957 - 1960)
61	John A. Volpe		January 5, 1961	January 3, 1963	Republican	Edward F. McLaughlin, Jr.
62	Endicott Peabody		January 3, 1963	January 7, 1965	Democratic	Francis X. Belotti
63	John A. Volpe		January 7, 1965	January 22, 1969	Republican	Elliot Richardson (1965 - 1967)
						Francis W. Sargent (1967 - 1969)
64	Francis W. Sargent (Acting, 1969-1971)		January 22, 1969	January 2, 1975	Republican	Donald R. Dwight
65	Michael Dukakis		January 2, 1975	January 4, 1979	Democratic	Thomas P. O'Neill III
66	Edward J. King		January 4, 1979	January 6, 1983	Democratic
67	Michael Dukakis		January 6, 1983	January 3, 1991	Democratic	John Kerry (1983 - 1985)
						(vacant) (1985 - 1987)
						Evelyn Murphy (1987 - 1991)
68	William F. Weld		January 3, 1991	July 29, 1997	Republican	A. Paul Cellucci
69	A. Paul Cellucci (Acting, 1997-1999)		July 29, 1997	April 10, 2001	Republican	(vacant) (1997 - 1999)
						Jane Swift (1999 - 2001)
A	Jane Swift (Acting Governor)		April 10, 2001	January 2, 2003	Republican	(vacant)
70	W. Mitt Romney		January 2, 2003	January 4, 2007	Republican	Kerry Healey
71	Deval Patrick		January 4, 2007	incumbent	Democratic	Timothy P. Murray