Governors of the State of Michigan edit

Michigan was admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837. The original 1835 Constitution of Michigan provided for the election of a governor and a lieutenant governor every 2 years.[1] The fourth and current constitution of 1963 increased this term to four years.[2] There was no term limit on governors until a constitutional amendment effective in 1993 limited governors to two terms.[3]

Should the office of governor become vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor, followed in order of succession by the Secretary of State and the Attorney General.[4] Prior to the current constitution, the duties of the office would devolve upon the lieutenant governor, without that person actually becoming governor.[5] The term begins at noon on January 1 of the year following the election.[6] Prior to the 1963 constitution, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected through separate votes, allowing them to be from different parties. In 1963, this was changed, so that votes are cast jointly for a governor and lieutenant governor of the same party.[2][7]

  Democratic (16)   Whig   Republican (22)

Portrait Governor Term of office Party Lt. Governor
1   Stevens T. Mason
October 27, 1811 – January 4, 1843
(aged 31)
November 3, 1835

January 7, 1840
Democratic   Edward Mundy
2   William Woodbridge January 7, 1840 February 23, 1841 Whig   James Wright Gordon [a]
3   James Wright Gordon February 23, 1841 January 3, 1842 Whig   Thomas J. Drake [b]
4   John S. Barry January 3, 1842 January 5, 1846 Democratic   Origen D. Richardson
5   Alpheus Felch January 5, 1846 March 3, 1847 Democratic   William L. Greenly [a]
6   William L. Greenly March 4, 1847 January 3, 1848 Democratic   Charles P. Bush [b]
7   Epaphroditus Ransom January 3, 1848 January 7, 1850 Democratic   William M. Fenton
8   John S. Barry January 7, 1850 January 1, 1852 Democratic   William M. Fenton
9   Robert McClelland[c] January 1, 1852 March 7, 1853 Democratic   Calvin Britain [d]
  Andrew Parsons
10   Andrew Parsons March 8, 1853 January 3, 1855 Democratic   George Griswold [b]
11   Kinsley S. Bingham January 3, 1855 January 5, 1859 Republican   George Coe
12   Moses Wisner January 5, 1859 January 2, 1861 Republican   Edmund B. Fairfield
13   Austin Blair January 2, 1861 January 3, 1865 Republican   James M. Birney
  Joseph R. Williams
  Henry T. Backus
  Charles S. May
14   Henry H. Crapo January 3, 1865 January 6, 1869 Republican   Ebenezer Grosvenor
  Dwight May
15   Henry P. Baldwin January 6, 1869 January 1, 1873 Republican   Morgan Bates
16   John J. Bagley January 1, 1873 January 3, 1877 Republican   Henry H. Holt
17   Charles Croswell January 3, 1877 January 1, 1881 Republican   Alonzo Sessions
18   David Jerome January 1, 1881 January 1, 1883 Republican   Moreau S. Crosby
19   Josiah Begole January 1, 1883 January 1, 1885 Democratic   Moreau S. Crosby (Republican)
20   Russell Alger January 1, 1885 January 1, 1887 Republican   Archibald Buttars
21   Cyrus G. Luce January 1, 1887 January 1, 1891 Republican   James H. MacDonald
  William Ball
22   Edwin B. Winans January 1, 1891 January 1, 1893 Democratic   John Strong
23   John T. Rich January 1, 1893 January 1, 1897 Republican   J. Wight Giddings
  Alfred Milnes
  Joseph R. McLaughlin
24   Hazen S. Pingree January 1, 1897 January 1, 1901 Republican   Thomas B. Dunstan
  Orrin W. Robinson
25   Aaron T. Bliss January 1, 1901 January 1, 1905 Republican   Orrin W. Robinson
  Alexander Maitland
26   Fred M. Warner January 1, 1905 January 2, 1911 Republican   Alexander Maitland
  Patrick H. Kelley
27   Chase Osborn January 2, 1911 January 1, 1913 Republican   John Q. Ross
28   Woodbridge Nathan Ferris January 1, 1913 January 1, 1917 Democratic   John Q. Ross (Republican)
  Luren Dickinson (Republican)
29   Albert Sleeper January 1, 1917 January 1, 1921 Republican   Luren Dickinson
30   Alex Groesbeck January 1, 1921 January 1, 1927 Republican   Thomas Read
  George W. Welsh
31   Fred W. Green January 1, 1927 January 1, 1931 Republican   Luren Dickinson
32   Wilber M. Brucker January 1, 1931 January 1, 1933 Republican   Luren Dickinson
33   William Comstock January 1, 1933 January 1, 1935 Democratic   Allen E. Stebbins
34   Frank Fitzgerald January 1, 1935 January 1, 1937 Republican   Thomas Read
35   Frank Murphy January 1, 1937 January 1, 1939 Democratic   Leo J. Nowicki
36   Frank Fitzgerald January 1, 1939 March 16, 1939 Republican   Luren Dickinson [e]
37   Luren Dickinson March 16, 1939 January 1, 1941 Republican   Matilda Dodge Wilson [b]
38   Murray Van Wagoner January 1, 1941 January 1, 1943 Democratic   Frank Murphy
39   Harry Kelly January 1, 1943 January 1, 1947 Republican   Eugene C. Keyes
  Vernon J. Brown
40   Kim Sigler January 1, 1947 January 1, 1949 Republican   Eugene C. Keyes
41   G. Mennen Williams January 1, 1949 January 1, 1961 Democratic   John W. Connolly
  William C. Vandenberg (Republican)
  Clarence A. Reid (Republican)
  Philip A. Hart
  John B. Swainson
42   John Swainson January 1, 1961 January 1, 1963 Democratic   T. John Lesinski
43   George W. Romney January 1, 1963 January 22, 1969 Republican   T. John Lesinski (Democratic) [f]
  William Milliken
44   William Milliken January 22, 1969 January 1, 1983 Republican   Thomas F. Schweigert [g]
  James H. Brickley
  James Damman
  James H. Brickley
45   James Blanchard January 1, 1983 January 1, 1991 Democratic   Martha Griffiths
46   John Engler January 1, 1991 January 1, 2003 Republican   Connie Binsfeld [h]
  Dick Posthumus
47   Jennifer Granholm January 1, 2003 January 1, 2011 Democratic   John D. Cherry, Jr.
48   Rick Snyder January 1, 2011 Incumbent Republican   Brian Calley

References edit

  1. ^ 1835 Const. art. V, § 1
  2. ^ a b MI Const. art. V, § 21
  3. ^ MI Const. art. V, § 30
  4. ^ MI Const. art. V, § 26
  5. ^ 1835 Const. art. V, § 13
  6. ^ "Executive Branch". State of Michigan. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
  7. ^ 1835 Const. art. V, § 3
  8. ^ a b c d e f Dunbar, Willis F. and May, George S. (1995). Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State (Third Revised ed.). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 276–78. ISBN 9780802870551.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Gardner, Washington (1913). History of Calhoun County, Michigan. Lewis Pub. Co. p. 220.
  10. ^ "Former Lieutenant Governors". State of Michigan. Retrieved 2013-03-25.


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