List of governors of Maine
Appearance
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.)
# | Portrait | Party | Took office | Left office | Terms [note 1] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | William King | Democratic-Republican | March 15, 1820 | May 28, 1821 | 1⁄4 | ||
2 | William D. Williamson | Democratic-Republican | May 28, 1821 | December 5, 1821 | 1⁄4 | ||
3 | Benjamin Ames | Democratic-Republican | December 5, 1821 | January 2, 1822 | 1⁄4 | ||
4 | Daniel Rose | Democratic-Republican | January 2, 1822 | January 5, 1822 | 1⁄4 | ||
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 | ||
7 | Nathan Cutler | Democratic | October 8, 1829 | January 6, 1830 | 1⁄3 | ||
8 | Joshua Hall | Democratic | January 6, 1830 | February 9, 1830 | 1⁄3 | ||
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 | ||
13 | John Fairfield | Democratic | January 2, 1839 | January 12, 1841 | 11⁄2 | ||
14 | Richard H. Vose | Whig | January 12, 1841 | January 13, 1841 | 1⁄2 | ||
15 | Edward Kent | Whig | January 13, 1841 | January 5, 1842 | 1 | ||
16 | John Fairfield | Democratic | January 5, 1842 | March 7, 1843 | 11⁄4 | ||
17 | Edward Kavanagh | Democratic | March 7, 1843 | January 1, 1844 | 1⁄4 | ||
18 | David Dunn | Democratic | January 1, 1844 | January 3, 1844 | 1⁄4 | ||
19 | John W. Dana | Democratic | January 3, 1844 | January 3, 1844 | 1⁄4 | ||
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 | ||
27 | Joseph H. Williams | Republican | February 25, 1857 | January 6, 1919 | 1⁄2 | ||
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 | ||
41 | Sebastian Streeter Marble | Republican | December 15, 1887 | January 2, 1889 | 1⁄2 | ||
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 | ||
53 | Percival Proctor Baxter | Republican | January 31, 1921 | January 7, 1925 | 11⁄2 | ||
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 | ||
61 | Burton M. Cross | Republican | December 24, 1952 | January 6, 1953 | 1⁄3 | ||
62 | Nathaniel M. Haskell | Republican | January 6, 1953 | January 7, 1953 | 1⁄3 | ||
63 | Burton M. Cross | Republican | January 7, 1953 | January 5, 1955 | 1 | ||
64 | Edmund Muskie | Democratic | January 5, 1955 | January 2, 1959 | 11⁄2 | ||
65 | Robert Haskell | Republican | January 2, 1959 | January 7, 1959 | 1⁄2 | ||
66 | Clinton Clauson | Democratic | January 7, 1959 | December 30, 1959 | 1⁄2 | ||
67 | John H. Reed | Republican | December 30, 1959 | January 5, 1967 | 11⁄2 | ||
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."