List of governors of Georgia

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Number of Governors of Georgia by party affiliation
Party Governors
Democratic 47
None or non-party Whig 23
Democratic-Republican 18
Republican 3
Whig 2
Military 1

The following is a list of Governors of the State of Georgia and governors of the British colony of Georgia.

Contents

[edit] Colonial governors

[edit] Governors of Georgia

Name Took office Left office Party Namesake Lt. Governor[1] Notes
William Ewen[2] June 22, 1775 December 11, 1775 Whig[3] None
George Walton[2] December 11, 1775 February 20, 1776 Whig[3] Walton County None
William Ewen[2] February 20, 1776 May 1, 1776 Whig[3] None
Archibald Bulloch[4] May 1, 1776 March 4, 1777 Whig[3] Bulloch County None [5]
Button Gwinnett[4] March 4, 1777 May 8, 1777 Whig[3] Gwinnett County None [6]
John A. Treutlen May 8, 1777 January 10, 1778 Whig[3] Treutlen County None
John Houstoun January 10, 1778 January 7, 1779 Whig[3] Houston County None
William Glascock[7] January 7, 1779 July 24, 1779 Whig[3] None
Seth John Cuthbert[8] July 24, 1779 August 6, 1779 Whig[3] None [9]
John Wereat[8] August 6, 1779 November 4, 1779 Whig[3] None
George Walton November 4, 1779 January 4, 1780 Whig[3] Walton County None
Richard Howly January 4, 1780 February 16, 1780 Whig[3] None
Humphrey Wells February 16, 1780 February 18, 1780 Whig[3] None [10]
Stephen Heard[7] February 18, 1780 August 1780 Whig[3] Heard County None
Myrick Davies[7] August 1780 August 18, 1781 Whig[3] None
Nathan Brownson August 18, 1781 January 3, 1782 none None
John Martin January 3, 1782 January 8, 1783 none None
Lyman Hall January 8, 1783 January 9, 1784 none Hall County None
John Houstoun January 9, 1784 January 6, 1785 none Houston County None
Samuel Elbert January 6, 1785 January 9, 1786 none Elbert County None
Edward Telfair January 9, 1786 January 9, 1787 none Telfair County None
George Mathews January 9, 1787 January 26, 1788 none None
George Handley January 26, 1788 January 7, 1789 none None
George Walton January 7, 1789 November 9, 1790 Democratic-Republican Walton County None
Edward Telfair November 9, 1790 November 7, 1793 Democratic-Republican Telfair County None
George Mathews November 7, 1793 January 15, 1796 Democratic-Republican None
Jared Irwin January 15, 1796 January 12, 1798 Democratic-Republican Washington County None
James Jackson January 12, 1798 March 3, 1801 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction Jackson County None [11]
David Emanuel March 3, 1801 November 7, 1801 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction Emanuel County None [12]
Josiah Tattnall, Sr. November 7, 1801 November 4, 1802 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction Tattnall County None [13]
John Milledge November 4, 1802 September 23, 1806 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction Milledgeville None [11]
Jared Irwin September 23, 1806 November 10, 1809 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction Irwin County None [12]
David B. Mitchell November 10, 1809 November 5, 1813 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction None
Peter Early November 5, 1813 November 20, 1815 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction Early County None
David B. Mitchell November 20, 1815 March 4, 1817 Democratic-Republican, Jackson faction None [14]
William Rabun March 4, 1817 October 24, 1819 Democratic-Republican, Troup faction[15] Rabun County None [12][5]
Matthew Talbot October 24, 1819 November 5, 1819 Democratic-Republican, Clark faction Talbot County None [12]
John Clark November 5, 1819 November 7, 1823 Democratic-Republican, Clark faction None
George M. Troup November 7, 1823 November 7, 1827 Democratic-Republican, Troup faction Troup County None
John Forsyth November 7, 1827 November 4, 1829 Democratic-Republican, Troup faction Forsyth County None
George R. Gilmer November 4, 1829 November 9, 1831 Democratic-Republican, Troup faction Gilmer County None
Wilson Lumpkin November 9, 1831 November 4, 1835 Union (Democratic) Lumpkin County None
William Schley November 4, 1835 November 8, 1837 Union (Democratic) Schley County None
George R. Gilmer November 8, 1837 November 6, 1839 State Rights (Whig) Gilmer County None
Charles J. McDonald November 6, 1839 November 8, 1843 Union (Democratic) None
George W. Crawford November 8, 1843 November 3, 1847 Whig Crawford County None
George W. Towns November 3, 1847 November 5, 1851 Democratic Towns County None
Howell Cobb November 5, 1851 November 9, 1853 Constitutional Union (Democratic) (not Cobb County) None
Herschel V. Johnson November 9, 1853 November 6, 1857 Democratic Johnson County None
Joseph E. Brown November 6, 1857 June 17, 1865 Democratic None [16]
James Johnson June 17, 1865 December 14, 1865 Democratic None [17]
Charles J. Jenkins December 14, 1865 January 13, 1868 Democratic Jenkins County None [18]
Thomas H. Ruger January 13, 1868 July 4, 1868 Military None [19]
Rufus B. Bullock July 4, 1868 October 30, 1871 Republican None [20]
Benjamin Conley October 30, 1871 January 12, 1872 Republican None [21]
James M. Smith January 12, 1872 January 12, 1877 Democratic None
Alfred H. Colquitt January 12, 1877 November 4, 1882 Democratic (not Colquitt County) None
Alexander H. Stephens November 4, 1882 March 5, 1883 Democratic Stephens County None [5]
James S. Boynton March 5, 1883 May 10, 1883 Democratic None [21]
Henry D. McDaniel May 10, 1883 November 9, 1886 Democratic None
John B. Gordon November 9, 1886 November 8, 1890 Democratic (not Gordon County) None
William J. Northen November 8, 1890 October 27, 1894 Democratic None
William Y. Atkinson October 27, 1894 October 29, 1898 Democratic Atkinson County None
Allen D. Candler October 29, 1898 October 25, 1902 Democratic Candler County None
Joseph M. Terrell October 25, 1902 June 29, 1907 Democratic (not Terrell County) None
Hoke Smith June 29, 1907 June 26, 1909 Democratic None
Joseph M. Brown June 26, 1909 July 1, 1911 Democratic None
Hoke Smith July 1, 1911 November 16, 1911 Democratic None [11]
John M. Slaton November 16, 1911 January 25, 1912 Democratic None [12]
Joseph M. Brown January 25, 1912 June 28, 1913 Democratic None
John M. Slaton June 28, 1913 June 26, 1915 Democratic None
Nathaniel E. Harris June 26, 1915 June 30, 1917 Democratic None
Hugh M. Dorsey June 30, 1917 June 25, 1921 Democratic None
Thomas W. Hardwick June 25, 1921 June 30, 1923 Democratic None
Clifford Walker June 30, 1923 June 25, 1927 Democratic None
Lamartine G. Hardman June 25, 1927 June 27, 1931 Democratic None
Richard Russell, Jr. June 27, 1931 January 10, 1933 Democratic None
Eugene Talmadge January 10, 1933 January 12, 1937 Democratic None
Eurith D. Rivers January 12, 1937 1941 Democratic None
Eugene Talmadge January 14, 1941 January 12, 1943 Democratic None
Ellis Arnall January 12, 1943 January 14, 1947 Democratic None
Herman Talmadge January 14, 1947 March 18, 1947 Democratic Melvin E. Thompson [22]
Melvin E. Thompson March 18, 1947 November 17, 1948 Democratic Vacant [22]
Herman Talmadge November 17, 1948 January 11, 1955 Democratic Marvin Griffin [22]
Marvin Griffin January 11, 1955 January 13, 1959 Democratic Ernest Vandiver
Ernest Vandiver January 13, 1959 January 15, 1963 Democratic Garland T. Byrd
Carl E. Sanders January 15, 1963 January 11, 1967 Democratic Peter Zack Geer
Lester Maddox January 11, 1967 January 12, 1971 Democratic George T. Smith
Jimmy Carter January 12, 1971 January 14, 1975 Democratic Lester Maddox
George Busbee January 14, 1975 January 11, 1983 Democratic Zell Miller
Joe Frank Harris January 11, 1983 January 13, 1991 Democratic Zell Miller
Zell Miller January 13, 1991 January 11, 1999 Democratic Pierre Howard
Roy Barnes January 11, 1999 January 13, 2003 Democratic Mark Taylor
Sonny Perdue January 13, 2003 Incumbent Republican Mark Taylor [23]
Casey Cagle


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in 1945, first being filled in 1947.
  2. ^ a b c President of Council of Safety.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Not a formal political party, and not to be confused with the 19th-century Whig Party.
  4. ^ a b President.
  5. ^ a b c Died in office.
  6. ^ Died in office; after losing his bid for re-election, Button Gwinnett was wounded in a duel with Lachlin McIntosh on May 6, 1777, and died of his wounds two days later.
  7. ^ a b c President of Executive Council.
  8. ^ a b President of Supreme Executive Council.
  9. ^ Temporary governor.
  10. ^ Resigned in favor of Stephen Heard.
  11. ^ a b c Resigned to take elected seat in the United States Senate.
  12. ^ a b c d e As president of the state senate, filled unexpired term.
  13. ^ Resigned due to declining health.
  14. ^ Resigned to be agent to the Creek Indians.
  15. ^ The Troup party was essentially the continuation of the Jackson faction (followers of James Jackson).
  16. ^ Resigned following the defeat of the Confederate States of America.
  17. ^ Provisional governor appointed by President Andrew Johnson following American Civil War.
  18. ^ Removed from office by the military because he refused to allow state funds to be used for a racially integrated state constitutional convention; the state was still under military occupation during Reconstruction.
  19. ^ Provisional governor appointed by General George Meade.
  20. ^ Resigned; Rufus Bullock fled the state to avoid impeachment; he was arrested in 1876 and found not guilty of embezzlement.
  21. ^ a b As president of the state senate, became governor until election.
  22. ^ a b c Eugene Talmadge was elected to a third term in 1946, but died before taking office. Ellis Arnall, governor at the time, claimed the office, as did Lieutenant Governor Melvin Thompson. The state legislature chose Eugene Talmadge's son, Herman Talmadge, to be governor, but the state supreme court declared this unconstitutional and declared Thompson rightful governor, and Talmadge stepped down after 67 days. Talmadge later defeated Thompson in a special election.
  23. ^ Governor Perdue's second term expires January 10, 2011; he is term limited.

[edit] Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and Confederate offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Georgia. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Name Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
George Walton 1775–1776, 1779–1780, 1789–1790 H S Continental Delegate
Archibald Bulloch 1776–1777 Continental Delegate
Button Gwinnett 1777 Continental Delegate
John Houstoun 1778–1779, 1784–1785 Continental Delegate
John Wereat 1779 Continental Delegate
Richard Howly 1780 Continental Delegate
Nathan Brownson 1781–1782 Continental Delegate
Lyman Hall 1783–1784 Continental Delegate
Samuel Elbert 1785–1786 Continental Delegate
Edward Telfair 1786–1786, 1790–1793 Continental Delegate
George Mathews 1787–1788, 1793–1796 H
James Jackson 1798–1801 H S*
Josiah Tattnall 1801–1802 S
John Milledge 1802–1806 H S*
Peter Early 1813–1815 H
George Troup 1823–1827 H S
John Forsyth 1827–1829 H S U.S. Secretary of State
George R. Gilmer 1829–1831, 1837–1839 H
Wilson Lumpkin 1831–1835 H S
William Schley 1835–1837 H
George W. Crawford 1843–1847 H U.S. Secretary of War
George W. Towns 1847–1851 H
Howell Cobb 1851–1853 H Speaker of the House, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Acting President of the Confederate States
Herschel V. Johnson 1853–1857 S Confederate Senator
Joseph E. Brown 1868–1870 S
James Johnson 1865 H
James Milton Smith 1872–1877 Confederate Representative
Alfred H. Colquitt 1877–1882 H S
Alexander H. Stephens 1882–1883 H Confederate Representative, Vice President of the Confederate States; elected to the U.S. Senate but was refused his seat
John Brown Gordon 1886–1890 S
Allen D. Candler 1898–1902 H
Joseph M. Terrell 1902–1907 S
Hoke Smith 1907–1909, 1911 S* U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Thomas W. Hardwick 1921–1923 H S
Richard Russell, Jr. 1931–1933 S President pro tempore of the Senate
Herman Talmadge 1947, 1948–1955 S
Jimmy Carter 1971–1975 President of the United States
Zell Miller 1991–1999 S

[edit] Living former governors

As of August 2007, five former governors were alive, the oldest being Jimmy Carter (1971–1975, born 1924). The most recent governor to die was Ernest Vandiver (1959–1963), on February 21, 2005. The most recently-serving governor to die was George Busbee (1975–1983), on July 16, 2004.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
Carl Sanders 1963–1967 May 15, 1925
Jimmy Carter 1971–1975 October 1, 1924
Joe Frank Harris 1983–1991 February 16, 1936
Zell Miller 1991–1999 February 24, 1932
Roy Barnes 1999–2003 March 11, 1948

[edit] External links

[edit] Source

  • A History of Georgia, second ed. Kenneth Coleman, general editor. University of Georgia Press: 1991.
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