List of governors of Maine

The Governor of Maine is the head of the executive branch of Maine's state government^[1] and the commander-in-chief of its military forces.^[2] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws,^[3]

The current governor is Democrat Janet Mills, who took office on January 2, 2019.

List of Governors[change | change source]

Parties

Democratic (23) Democratic-Republican (6) Greenback (1) Independent (2) National Republican (1) Republican (37) Whig (4)
(Above numbering includes repeat governors: one Whig, one Republican, and two Democrats who served two nonconsecutive terms. It also includes one governor who was a Greenback but co-nominated by the Democrats.)

#	Governor	Party	Took office	Left office	Terms ^{[note 1]}
1	William King	Democratic-Republican	March 15, 1820	May 28, 1821	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 2]}
2	William D. Williamson	Democratic-Republican	May 28, 1821	December 5, 1821	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 3]} ^{[note 4]}
3	Benjamin Ames	Democratic-Republican	December 5, 1821	January 2, 1822	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 5]} ^{[note 6]}
4	Daniel Rose	Democratic-Republican	January 2, 1822	January 5, 1822	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 7]}
5	Albion K. Parris	Democratic-Republican	January 5, 1822	January 3, 1827	5
6	Enoch Lincoln	Democratic-Republican	January 3, 1827	October 8, 1829	2¹⁄₃ ^{[note 8]}
7	Nathan Cutler	Democratic	October 8, 1829	January 6, 1830	¹⁄₃ ^{[note 9]}
8	Joshua Hall	Democratic	January 6, 1830	February 9, 1830	¹⁄₃ ^{[note 5]}
9	Jonathan G. Hunton	National Republican	February 9, 1830	January 5, 1831	1
10	Samuel E. Smith	Democratic	January 5, 1831	January 1, 1834	3
11	Robert P. Dunlap	Democratic	January 1, 1834	January 3, 1838	4
12	Edward Kent	Whig	January 19, 1838	January 2, 1839	1 ^{[note 10]}
13	John Fairfield	Democratic	January 2, 1839	January 12, 1841	1¹⁄₂ ^{[note 11]}
14	Richard H. Vose	Whig	January 12, 1841	January 13, 1841	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 7]}
15	Edward Kent	Whig	January 13, 1841	January 5, 1842	1
16	John Fairfield	Democratic	January 5, 1842	March 7, 1843	1¹⁄₄ ^{[note 12]}
17	Edward Kavanagh	Democratic	March 7, 1843	January 1, 1844	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 3]} ^{[note 13]}
18	David Dunn	Democratic	January 1, 1844	January 3, 1844	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 5]} ^{[note 14]}
19	John W. Dana	Democratic	January 3, 1844	January 3, 1844	¹⁄₄ ^{[note 7]}
20	Hugh J. Anderson	Democratic	January 3, 1844	May 12, 1847	3
21	John W. Dana	Democratic	May 12, 1847	May 8, 1850	3
22	John Hubbard	Democratic	May 8, 1850	January 5, 1853	3
23	William G. Crosby	Whig	January 5, 1853	January 3, 1855	2
24	Anson Morrill	Republican	January 3, 1855	January 2, 1856	1
25	Samuel Wells	Democratic	January 2, 1856	January 8, 1857	1
26	Hannibal Hamlin	Republican	January 8, 1857	February 25, 1857	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 12]}
27	Joseph H. Williams	Republican	February 25, 1857	January 6, 1919	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 7]}
28	Lot M. Morrill	Republican	January 6, 1819	January 2, 1929	3
29	Israel Washburn, Jr.	Republican	January 2, 1861	January 7, 1863	2
30	Abner Coburn	Republican	January 7, 1863	January 6, 1864	1
31	Samuel Cony	Republican	January 6, 1864	January 2, 1867	2
32	Joshua Chamberlain	Republican	January 2, 1867	January 4, 1871	4
33	Sidney Perham	Republican	January 4, 1871	January 7, 1874	3
34	Nelson Dingley Jr.	Republican	January 7, 1874	January 5, 1876	2
35	Seldon Connor	Republican	January 5, 1876	January 8, 1879	3
36	Alonzo Garcelon	Democratic	January 8, 1879	January 17, 1880	1
37	Daniel F. Davis	Republican	January 17, 1880	January 13, 1881	1
38	Harris M. Plaisted	Greenback / Democratic	January 13, 1881	January 3, 1883	1
39	Frederick Robie	Republican	January 3, 1883	January 5, 1887	2
40	Joseph R. Bodwell	Republican	January 5, 1887	December 15, 1887	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 8]}
41	Sebastian Streeter Marble	Republican	December 15, 1887	January 2, 1889	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 7]}
42	Edwin C. Burleigh	Republican	January 2, 1889	January 4, 1893	2
43	Henry B. Cleaves	Republican	January 4, 1893	January 2, 1897	2
44	Llewellyn Powers	Republican	January 2, 1897	January 2, 1901	2
45	John Fremont Hill	Republican	January 2, 1901	January 4, 1905	2
46	William T. Cobb	Republican	January 4, 1905	January 6, 1909	2
47	Bert M. Fernald	Republican	January 6, 1909	January 4, 1911	1
48	Frederick W. Plaisted	Democratic	January 4, 1911	January 1, 1913	1
49	William T. Haines	Republican	January 1, 1913	January 6, 1915	1
50	Oakley C. Curtis	Democratic	January 6, 1915	January 3, 1917	1
51	Carl Milliken	Republican	January 3, 1917	January 5, 1921	2
52	Frederic Hale Parkhurst	Republican	January 5, 1921	January 31, 1921	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 8]}
53	Percival Proctor Baxter	Republican	January 31, 1921	January 7, 1925	1¹⁄₂ ^{[note 15]}
54	Owen Brewster	Republican	January 7, 1925	January 2, 1929	2
55	William Tudor Gardiner	Republican	January 2, 1929	January 4, 1933	2
56	Louis J. Brann	Democratic	January 4, 1933	January 6, 1937	2
57	Lewis O. Barrows	Republican	January 6, 1937	January 1, 1941	2
58	Sumner Sewall	Republican	January 1, 1941	January 3, 1945	2
59	Horace Hildreth	Republican	January 3, 1945	January 5, 1949	2
60	Frederick G. Payne	Republican	January 5, 1949	December 24, 1952	1¹⁄₃ ^{[note 12]}
61	Burton M. Cross	Republican	December 24, 1952	January 6, 1953	¹⁄₃ ^{[note 9]}
62	Nathaniel M. Haskell	Republican	January 6, 1953	January 7, 1953	¹⁄₃ ^{[note 16]}
63	Burton M. Cross	Republican	January 7, 1953	January 5, 1955	1
64	Edmund Muskie	Democratic	January 5, 1955	January 2, 1959	1¹⁄₂ ^{[note 12]}
65	Robert Haskell	Republican	January 2, 1959	January 7, 1959	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 7]}
66	Clinton Clauson	Democratic	January 7, 1959	December 30, 1959	¹⁄₂ ^{[note 8]}
67	John H. Reed	Republican	December 30, 1959	January 5, 1967	1¹⁄₂ ^{[note 15]}
68	Kenneth M. Curtis	Democratic	January 5, 1967	January 2, 1975	2
69	James B. Longley	Independent	January 2, 1975	January 3, 1979	1
70	Joseph Brennan	Democratic	January 3, 1979	January 7, 1987	2
71	John McKernan	Republican	January 7, 1987	January 5, 1995	2
72	Angus King	Independent	January 5, 1995	January 8, 2003	2
73	John Baldacci	Democratic	January 8, 2003	January 5, 2011	2
74	Paul LePage	Republican	January 5, 2011	January 2, 2019	2
75	Janet Mills	Democratic	January 2, 2019	—	—

Notes[change | change source]

↑ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
↑ Resigned to take appointment as a minister to negotiate a treaty with Spain.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 As president of the senate, acted as governor until his resignation.
↑ Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 As speaker of the state house, acted as governor for unexpired term.
↑ Once the new Maine Senate was sworn in, Ames saw no purpose in completing the remaining three days of the gubernatorial term and resigned.^[4]
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 ^7.5 As president of the senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 ^8.3 Died in office.
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 As president of the state senate, acted as governor until his senate term expired.
↑ Edward Kent won a close election, but Democrats challenged the election. He was finally declared winner by the state supreme court and sworn in on January 19, 1838.^[5]
↑ Resigned; no reason is known.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ Resigned due to ill health.^[6]
↑ Resigned once the new Maine Legislature was sworn in.^[7]
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 As president of the senate, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was subsequently elected in his own right.
↑ Acting governor Burton Cross had been elected to the governorship, but his Senate term ended 25 hours before his term as governor began; therefore, he could not act as governor for that day. As president of the Senate, Haskell served as acting governor until Cross's inauguration.

References[change | change source]

↑ ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 1.
↑ ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 7.
↑ ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 12.
↑ Hallowell Gazette (Maine): p. 2. January 9, 1822. Benjamin Ames to the Maine Legislature, January 2, 1822: "The Senators of the State of Maine, for the present political year, having been qualified to enter upon the duties of their place by having taken and subscribed the oaths required by the constitution, and chosen their President, I have no longer any authority, as I apprehend, to exercise the office of Governor, and therefore resign the same, that it may be filled according to the provisions of the constitution."
↑ "Maine Governor Edward Kent". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
↑ Lucey, William Leo (2006). Edward Kavanagh Catholic Statesman Diplo. Kessinger Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4286-5468-6.
↑ The Pittsfield Sun (Pittsfield, MA): p. 2. January 11, 1844. "Hon. David Dunn, as Speaker of the House for 1843, entered upon the discharge of the duties of that office on Tuesday, and continued to discharge them until he had completed the administration of the necessary oaths to the members of the Senate and House, yesterday. He then resigned that place, and took his seat in the House."

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[4] The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.

[5] Resigned to take appointment as a minister to negotiate a treaty with Spain.

[presresigned-6] 3.0 ^3.1 As president of the senate, acted as governor until his resignation.

[7] Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives.

[speakeracted-8] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 As speaker of the state house, acted as governor for unexpired term.

[10] Once the new Maine Senate was sworn in, Ames saw no purpose in completing the remaining three days of the gubernatorial term and resigned.^[4]

[presacted-11] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 ^7.5 As president of the senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.

[died-12] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 ^8.3 Died in office.

[presexpired-13] 9.0 ^9.1 As president of the state senate, acted as governor until his senate term expired.

[15] Edward Kent won a close election, but Democrats challenged the election. He was finally declared winner by the state supreme court and sworn in on January 19, 1838.^[5]

[16] Resigned; no reason is known.

[res-senate-17] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[19] Resigned due to ill health.^[6]

[21] Resigned once the new Maine Legislature was sworn in.^[7]

[preselected-22] 15.0 ^15.1 As president of the senate, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was subsequently elected in his own right.

[23] Acting governor Burton Cross had been elected to the governorship, but his Senate term ended 25 hours before his term as governor began; therefore, he could not act as governor for that day. As president of the Senate, Haskell served as acting governor until Cross's inauguration.

[1] ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 1.

[2] ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 7.

[3] ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 12.

[9] Hallowell Gazette (Maine): p. 2. January 9, 1822. Benjamin Ames to the Maine Legislature, January 2, 1822: "The Senators of the State of Maine, for the present political year, having been qualified to enter upon the duties of their place by having taken and subscribed the oaths required by the constitution, and chosen their President, I have no longer any authority, as I apprehend, to exercise the office of Governor, and therefore resign the same, that it may be filled according to the provisions of the constitution."

[14] "Maine Governor Edward Kent". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2010.

[18] Lucey, William Leo (2006). Edward Kavanagh Catholic Statesman Diplo. Kessinger Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4286-5468-6.

[20] The Pittsfield Sun (Pittsfield, MA): p. 2. January 11, 1844. "Hon. David Dunn, as Speaker of the House for 1843, entered upon the discharge of the duties of that office on Tuesday, and continued to discharge them until he had completed the administration of the necessary oaths to the members of the Senate and House, yesterday. He then resigned that place, and took his seat in the House."

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v t e State of Maine
Augusta (capital)
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Regions	Down East Highlands Kennebec Valley Lake Country Mid Coast North Woods Penobscot Bay Southern Coast Western Mountains
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