List of governors of Virginia

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The following is a list of the governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

List of governors[change | change source]

Parties

  Democratic   Federalist   Democratic-Republican   Whig   Republican   Independent

# Picture Governor Took office Left office Lieutenant Governor Party Notes
1 Patrick Henry July 5, 1776 June 1, 1779 Office vacant

1776-1852

None First under 1776 Constitution
(limit of 3 one-year terms)
2 Thomas Jefferson June 1, 1779 June 3, 1781 None 3rd President of the United States
3 William Fleming June 3, 1781 June 12, 1781 None
4 Thomas Nelson, Jr. June 12, 1781 November 22, 1781 None
David Jameson November 22, 1781 December 1, 1781 None Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
5 Benjamin Harrison V December 1, 1781 December 1, 1784 None
6 Patrick Henry December 1, 1784 December 1, 1786 None Re-elected after 5-year hiatus
(1 more than constitutional minimum)
7 Edmund Randolph December 1, 1786 December 1, 1788 None First under U.S. statehood
8 Beverley Randolph December 1, 1788 December 1, 1791 None
9 Henry Lee III December 1, 1791 December 1, 1794 Federalist
10 Robert Brooke December 1, 1794 December 1, 1796 Democratic-Republican
11 James Wood December 1, 1796 December 1, 1799 Federalist
Hardin Burnley December 7, 1799 December 11, 1799
John Pendleton, Jr. December 11, 1799 December 19, 1799
12 James Monroe December 19, 1799 December 1, 1802 Democratic-Republican U.S. Senator 1790–1794, fifth President of the United States
13 John Page December 1, 1802 December 7, 1805 Democratic-Republican
14 William H. Cabell December 7, 1805 December 1, 1808 Democratic-Republican
15 John Tyler, Sr. December 1, 1808 January 15, 1811 Democratic-Republican
George William Smith January 15, 1811 January 19, 1811 Democratic-Republican Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
16 James Monroe January 19, 1811 April 3, 1811 Democratic-Republican U.S. Senator 1790–94, Fifth President of the United States
17 George William Smith April 3, 1811 December 26, 1811 Democratic-Republican Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
Later elected in his own right
Died in office
N/A Peyton Randolph December 27, 1811 January 3, 1812 Democratic-Republican Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
18 James Barbour January 3, 1812 December 1, 1814 Democratic-Republican U.S. Senator 1815–1825
19 Wilson Cary Nicholas December 1, 1814 December 1, 1816 Democratic-Republican
20 James Patton Preston December 1, 1816 December 1, 1819 Democratic-Republican
21 Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. December 1, 1819 December 1, 1822 Democratic-Republican
22 James Pleasants December 1, 1822 December 10, 1825 Democratic-Republican Resigned U.S. Senate to assume Governorship
23 John Tyler December 10, 1825 March 4, 1827 Democratic-Republican Resigned to enter U.S. Senate 1827–1836, 10th United States President
24 William Branch Giles March 4, 1827 March 4, 1830 Democratic U.S. Senator 1804–1815
25 John Floyd March 4, 1830 March 31, 1834 Democratic First under 1830 constitution
(limit of 1 four-year term)
26 Littleton Waller Tazewell March 31, 1834 April 30, 1836 Democratic U.S. Senator 1824–1832
Wyndham Robertson April 30, 1836 March 31, 1837 Whig Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
27 David Campbell March 31, 1837 March 31, 1840 Democratic
28 Thomas Walker Gilmer March 31, 1840 March 20, 1841 Whig
John M. Patton March 20, 1841 March 31, 1841 Whig Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
John Rutherfoord March 31, 1841 March 31, 1842 Democratic Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
John Munford Gregory March 31, 1842 January 1, 1843 Whig Acting Governor
(member of Council of State)
29 James McDowell January 1, 1843 January 1, 1846 Democratic
30 William Smith January 1, 1846 January 1, 1849 Democratic
31 John B. Floyd January 1, 1849 January 16, 1852 Democratic U.S. Secretary of War 1857–60
32 Joseph Johnson January 16, 1852 January 1, 1856 Shelton Leake Democratic First under 1851 constitution
(limit of 1 four-year term)
First popularly elected governor
33 Henry A. Wise January 1, 1856 January 1, 1860 Elisha W. McComas
William Lowther Jackson
Democratic
34 John Letcher January 1, 1860 January 1, 1864 Robert Latane Montague Democratic (On June 20, 1863, the new U.S. state of West Virginia was formed)
35 William Smith January 1, 1864 May 9, 1865 Samuel Price Democratic
Francis Harrison Pierpont May 9, 1865 April 4, 1868 None Republican Elected by Restored General Assembly (Union)
Henry H. Wells April 4, 1868 September 21, 1869 None Republican Appointed Governor by U.S. military
36 Gilbert Carlton Walker September 21, 1869 January 1, 1874 John F. Lewis
John Lawrence Marye, Jr.
Republican Appointed Governor by U.S. military
then elected as a Republican Governor
later served as a Democratic Congressman
37 James L. Kemper January 1, 1874 January 1, 1878 Robert E. Withers
Henry Wirtz Thomas
Democratic
38 Frederick W. M. Holliday January 1, 1878 January 1, 1882 James A. Walker Democratic
39 William E. Cameron January 1, 1882 January 1, 1886 John F. Lewis Re-adjuster
40 Fitzhugh Lee January 1, 1886 January 1, 1890 John E. Massey Democratic
41 Philip W. McKinney January 1, 1890 January 1, 1894 James H. Tyler Democratic
42 Charles Triplett O'Ferrall January 1, 1894 January 1, 1898 Robert C. Kent Democratic Resigned U. S. House seat to assume Governorship
43 James Hoge Tyler January 1, 1898 January 1, 1902 Edward Echols Democratic
44 Andrew Jackson Montague January 1, 1902 February 1, 1906 Joseph Edward Willard Democratic
45 Claude A. Swanson February 1, 1906 February 10, 1910 James T. Ellyson Democratic U.S. Senator 1910–33
46 William Hodges Mann February 10, 1910 February 1, 1914 James T. Ellyson Democratic
47 Henry Carter Stuart February 1, 1914 February 1, 1918 James T. Ellyson Democratic
48 Westmoreland Davis February 1, 1918 February 1, 1922 Benjamin F. Buchanan Democratic
49 Elbert Lee Trinkle February 1, 1922 February 1, 1926 Junius E. West Democratic
50 Harry F. Byrd February 1, 1926 January 15, 1930 Junius E. West Democratic U.S. Senator 1933–65
51 John Garland Pollard January 15, 1930 January 17, 1934 James H. Price Democratic
52 George C. Peery January 17, 1934 January 15, 1938 James H. Price Democratic
53 James H. Price January 15, 1938 January 21, 1942 Saxon W. Holt Democratic
54 Colgate Darden January 21, 1942 January 16, 1946 William M. Tuck Democratic
55 William M. Tuck January 16, 1946 January 18, 1950 Lewis Preston Collins II Democratic
56 John S. Battle January 18, 1950 January 20, 1954 Lewis Preston Collins II
Allie Edward Stakes Stephens
Democratic
57 Thomas B. Stanley January 20, 1954 January 11, 1958 Allie Edward Stakes Stephens Democratic
58 J. Lindsay Almond January 11, 1958 January 13, 1962 Allie Edward Stakes Stephens Democratic
59 Albertis Harrison January 13, 1962 January 15, 1966 Mills Godwin Democratic
60 Mills Godwin January 15, 1966 January 17, 1970 Fred G. Pollard Democratic
61 Linwood Holton January 17, 1970 January 12, 1974 J. Sargeant Reynolds (Democratic)
Henry Howell (Democratic)
Republican
62 Mills Godwin January 12, 1974 January 14, 1978 John N. Dalton Republican
63 John Dalton January 14, 1978 January 16, 1982 Chuck Robb (Democratic) Republican
64 Chuck Robb January 16, 1982 January 18, 1986 Dick Davis Democratic U.S. Senator 1989–2001
65 Gerald Baliles January 18, 1986 January 13, 1990 Douglas Wilder Democratic
66 Douglas Wilder January 13, 1990 January 15, 1994 Don Beyer Democratic First African-American governor elected in American history
67 George Allen January 15, 1994 January 17, 1998 Don Beyer (Democratic) Republican U.S. Senator 2001–2007
68 Jim Gilmore January 17, 1998 January 12, 2002 John H. Hager Republican
69 Mark Warner January 12, 2002 January 14, 2006 Tim Kaine Democratic U.S. Senator 2009–present
70 Tim Kaine January 14, 2006 January 16, 2010 Bill Bolling (Republican) Democratic First Catholic Governor, U.S. Senator 2013–present, nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2016
71 Bob McDonnell January 16, 2010 January 11, 2014 Bill Bolling Republican
72 Terry McAuliffe January 11, 2014 January 13, 2018 Ralph Northam Democratic
73 Ralph Northam January 13, 2018 January 15, 2022 Justin Fairfax Democratic
74 Glenn Youngkin January 15, 2022 Incumbent Winsome Sears Republican