List of governors of Rhode Island
Governor of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
---|---|
since January 6, 2015 | |
Style | The Honorable or Her Excellency |
Term length | Four years, renewable once[1] |
Inaugural holder | Nicholas Cooke; 1775 |
Formation | Constitution of Rhode Island |
Succession | Every four years, unless re-elected. |
Salary | $128,210 (2013)[2] |
Party affiliation
Party | Governors |
---|---|
Republican | 32 |
Democratic | 21 |
Democratic-Republican | 4 |
Independent | 4 |
Whig | 4 |
Country | 3 |
Law and Order | 2 |
Dorr Rebellion | 1 |
Federalist | 1 |
Know Nothing | 1 |
Rhode Island Party | 1 |
Colonial Rhode Island, 1640–1775
List of Governors of Rhode Island, 1775–present
- Parties
Country Democratic Federalist Democratic-Republican Dorr Rebellion No party Whig Law and Order Republican Know Nothing Rhode Island Party
# | Governor | Picture | Party | Took office | Left office | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nicholas Cooke | None | November 7, 1775 | May 4, 1778 | ||
2 | William Greene | None | May 4, 1778 | May 3, 1786 | ||
3 | John Collins | None | May 3, 1786 | May 5, 1790 | 4 years. First governor under the United States Constitution. | |
4 | Arthur Fenner | Country Party | May 5, 1790 | October 15, 1805 | 15 years. Rhode Island ratified the U.S. Constitution on May 29, 1790. | |
5 | Henry Smith | Country | October 15, 1805 | May 7, 1806 | ||
6 | Isaac Wilbour | Country | May 7, 1806 | May 6, 1807 | ||
7 | James Fenner | Democratic-Republican | May 6, 1807 | May 1, 1811 | ||
8 | William Jones | Federalist | May 1, 1811 | May 7, 1817 | ||
9 | Nehemiah R. Knight | Democratic-Republican | May 7, 1817 | May 2, 1821 | ||
10 | William C. Gibbs | Democratic-Republican | May 2, 1821 | May 5, 1824 | ||
11 | James Fenner | Democratic-Republican | May 5, 1824 | May 4, 1831 | ||
12 | Lemuel H. Arnold | Whig | May 4, 1831 | May 1, 1833 | ||
13 | John B. Francis | Democratic | May 1, 1833 | May 2, 1838 | ||
14 | William Sprague III | Democratic | May 2, 1838 | May 2, 1839 | ||
15 | Samuel Ward King | Rhode Island Party | May 2, 1839 | May 2, 1843 | ||
16 | Thomas Dorr | Extralegal Dorr Rebellion |
May 1, 1842 | January 23, 1843 | ||
17 | James Fenner | Law and Order | May 2, 1843 | May 6, 1845 | ||
18 | Charles Jackson | Whig,[4] Liberation Party[5] |
May 6, 1845 | May 6, 1846 | ||
19 | Byron Diman | Law and Order | May 6, 1846 | May 4, 1847 | ||
20 | Elisha Harris | Whig | May 4, 1847 | May 1, 1849 | ||
21 | Henry B. Anthony | Whig | May 1, 1849 | May 6, 1851 | ||
22 | Philip Allen | Democratic | May 6, 1851 | July 20, 1853 | ||
23 | Francis M. Dimond | Democratic | July 20, 1853 | May 2, 1854 | ||
24 | William W. Hoppin | Whig | May 2, 1854 | May 26, 1857 | ||
25 | Elisha Dyer | File:Dyersr.jpg | Republican | May 26, 1857 | May 31, 1859 | |
26 | Thomas G. Turner | Republican | May 31, 1859 | May 29, 1860 | ||
27 | William Sprague IV | Republican | May 29, 1860 | March 3, 1863 | ||
28 | William C. Cozzens | Democratic | March 3, 1863 | May 26, 1863 | ||
29 | James Y. Smith | Republican | May 26, 1863 | May 29, 1866 | ||
30 | Ambrose Everett Burnside | Republican | May 29, 1866 | May 25, 1869 | ||
31 | Seth Padelford | Republican | May 25, 1869 | May 27, 1873 | ||
32 | Henry Howard | Republican | May 27, 1873 | May 25, 1875 | ||
33 | Henry Lippitt | Republican | May 25, 1875 | May 29, 1877 | ||
34 | Charles C. Van Zandt | Republican | May 29, 1877 | May 25, 1880 | ||
35 | Alfred H. Littlefield | Republican | May 25, 1880 | May 29, 1883 | ||
36 | Augustus O. Bourn | Republican | May 29, 1883 | May 26, 1885 | ||
37 | George P. Wetmore | Republican | May 26, 1885 | May 29, 1887 | ||
38 | John W. Davis | Democratic | May 29, 1887 | May 29, 1888 | ||
39 | Royal C. Taft | Republican | May 29, 1888 | May 28, 1889 | ||
40 | Herbert W. Ladd | Republican | May 28, 1889 | May 27, 1890 | ||
41 | John W. Davis | Democratic | May 27, 1890 | May 26, 1891 | ||
42 | Herbert W. Ladd | Republican | May 26, 1891 | May 31, 1892 | ||
43 | D. Russell Brown | Republican | May 31, 1892 | May 29, 1895 | ||
44 | Charles W. Lippitt | Republican | May 29, 1895 | May 25, 1897 | ||
45 | Elisha Dyer, Jr. | File:Dyerjr.jpg | Republican | May 25, 1897 | May 29, 1900 | |
46 | William Gregory | Republican | May 29, 1900 | December 16, 1901 | ||
47 | Charles D. Kimball | Republican | December 16, 1901 | January 3, 1903 | ||
48 | Lucius F. C. Garvin | Democratic | January 3, 1903 | January 3, 1905 | ||
49 | George H. Utter | Republican | January 3, 1905 | January 1, 1907 | ||
50 | James H. Higgins | Democratic | January 1, 1907 | January 5, 1909 | ||
51 | Aram J. Pothier | Republican | January 5, 1909 | January 5, 1915 | ||
52 | R. Livingston Beeckman | Republican | January 5, 1915 | January 4, 1921 | ||
53 | Emery J. San Souci | Republican | January 4, 1921 | January 2, 1923 | ||
54 | William S. Flynn | Democratic | January 2, 1923 | January 6, 1925 | ||
55 | Aram J. Pothier | Republican | January 6, 1925 | February 4, 1928 | ||
56 | Norman S. Case | Republican | February 4, 1928 | January 3, 1933 | ||
57 | Theodore Francis Green | Democratic | January 3, 1933 | January 5, 1937 | 4 years. Elected to U.S. Senate in 1936 and served from 1937 to 1961. | |
58 | Robert E. Quinn | Democratic | January 5, 1937 | January 3, 1939 | ||
59 | William Henry Vanderbilt III | Republican | January 3, 1939 | January 7, 1941 | Two years. Defeated for re-election. | |
60 | J. Howard McGrath | Democratic | January 7, 1941 | October 6, 1945 | ||
61 | John Orlando Pastore | Democratic | October 6, 1945 | December 19, 1950 | 5 years two months. Appointed to U.S. Senate and served from 1950 to 1976. | |
62 | John S. McKiernan | Democratic | December 19, 1950 | January 2, 1951 | ||
63 | Dennis J. Roberts | Democratic | January 2, 1951 | January 6, 1959 | ||
64 | Christopher Del Sesto | Republican | January 6, 1959 | January 3, 1961 | 2 years. Defeated for re-election. | |
65 | John A. Notte, Jr. | File:Governor John Notte Jr.jpg | Democratic | January 3, 1961 | January 1, 1963 | |
66 | John Hubbard Chafee | Republican | January 1, 1963 | January 7, 1969 | 6 years. Defeated for re-election. U.S. Senator 1977 to 1999. | |
67 | Frank Licht | Democratic | January 7, 1969 | January 2, 1973 | ||
68 | Philip W. Noel | Democratic | January 2, 1973 | January 4, 1977 | ||
69 | J. Joseph Garrahy | Democratic | January 4, 1977 | January 1, 1985 | ||
70 | Edward D. DiPrete | Republican | January 1, 1985 | January 1, 1991 | 6 years. Defeated for re-election. Imprisoned for corruption after leaving office. | |
71 | Bruce Sundlun | Democratic | January 1, 1991 | January 3, 1995 | 4 years. Defeated in Democratic primary in 1994. | |
72 | Lincoln C. Almond | Republican | January 3, 1995 | January 7, 2003 | 8 years. First governor to serve a four-year term. | |
73 | Donald Carcieri | Republican | January 7, 2003 | January 4, 2011 | ||
74 | Lincoln Chafee | Independent[a] | January 4, 2011 | May 30, 2013 | 4 years. Did not seek re-election. | |
Democratic[a] | May 30, 2013 | January 6, 2015 | ||||
75 | Gina Raimondo | Democratic | January 6, 2015 | Incumbent | [6] |
a Chafee served in prior offices as a Republican, but ran for Governor as an independent. On May 30, 2013, while in office, he switched his party affiliation to Democratic.[7]
Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Rhode Island except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
Governor | Gubernatorial term | U.S. Congress | Other offices held | |
---|---|---|---|---|
House | Senate | |||
Isaac Wilbour | 1806–1807 | H | ||
James Fenner | 1807–1811 1824–1831 1843–1845 |
S | ||
Nehemiah R. Knight | 1817–1821 | S | ||
Lemuel H. Arnold | 1831–1833 | H | ||
John Brown Francis | 1833–1838 | S | ||
William Sprague III | 1838–1839 | H | S | |
Henry B. Anthony | 1849–1851 | S | ||
Philip Allen | 1851–1853 | S* | ||
William Sprague IV | 1860–1863 | S | ||
Ambrose Burnside | 1866–1869 | S | ||
George P. Wetmore | 1885–1887 | S | ||
George H. Utter | 1905–1907 | H | ||
Theodore F. Green | 1933–1937 | S | ||
J. Howard McGrath | 1941–1945 | S | United States Solicitor General*; United States Attorney General | |
John O. Pastore | 1945–1950 | S* | ||
John Chafee | 1963–1969 | S | United States Secretary of the Navy | |
Lincoln Chafee | 2011–2015 | S |
Living former U.S. governors of Rhode Island
As of January 2017[update], there are five former U.S. governors of Rhode Island who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. governor of Rhode Island being Philip W. Noel (served 1973–1977, born 1931). The most recent U.S. governor of Rhode Island to die was J. Joseph Garrahy (served 1977–1985, born 1930) who died on January 24, 2012. The most recently serving U.S. governor of Rhode Island to die was Bruce Sundlun (served 1991–1995, born 1920), on July 21, 2011.
Governor | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
Philip W. Noel | 1973–1977 | June 5, 1931 |
Edward D. DiPrete | 1985–1991 | July 8, 1934 |
Lincoln C. Almond | 1995–2003 | June 16, 1936 |
Donald Carcieri | 2003–2011 | December 16, 1942 |
Lincoln Chafee | 2011–2015 | March 26, 1953 |
See also
References
- ^ Governors of Rhode Island served two-year terms prior to 1994.
- ^ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ Table does not include governors from the colonial period, when there were no organized parties in Rhode Island, and governors were generally appointed rather than elected. It also does not include acting governors.
- ^ "Rhode Island Governor Charles Jackson". National Governors Association. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ "Rhode Island Governors 1640 – Present". Rhode Island Secretary of State. State of Rhode Island. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ Governor Raimondo's first term expires on January 8, 2019; she is not yet term limited.
- ^ Burns, Alexander (May 29, 2013). "Lincoln Chafee switches affiliation to Democrat". Politico. Retrieved 2013-05-30.