List of Governors of North Carolina

The following is a list of governors or chief executives for the U.S. state of North Carolina. See also History of North Carolina.

Contents

Provincial Council (American Revolution)

The 13-member Provincial Council, renamed the Council of Safety in April 1776, was essentially the executive authority during the second year of the Revolution, and was appointed by the Provincial Congress. The Presidency of the Council and the Presidency of the Congress could each be considered the highest offices in the state during this time, but the council was supreme when the congress was not in session. [1]

State of North Carolina, 1776-present

After the current state constitution was ratified in 1971, governors are limited to two consecutive terms in office; they had previously been limited to one term. [2]

Name Took office Left office Party Notes
Richard Caswell November 12, 1776 April 20, 1780 No party
Abner Nash April 20, 1780 26 June 1781 No party
Thomas Burke 26 June 1781 April 22, 1782 No party
Alexander Martin April 22, 1782 May 13, 1785 No party
Richard Caswell May 13, 1785 December 20, 1787 No party
Samuel Johnston December 20, 1787 December 17, 1789 Federalist
Alexander Martin December 17, 1789 December 14, 1792 Anti-Federalist
Richard Dobbs Spaight December 14, 1792 November 19, 1795 Federalist
Samuel Ashe November 19, 1795 December 7, 1798 Anti-Federalist
William Richardson Davie December 7, 1798 November 23, 1799 Federalist
Benjamin Williams November 23, 1799 December 6, 1802 Federalist
James Turner December 6, 1802 December 10, 1805 Democratic-Republican [3]
Nathaniel Alexander December 10, 1805 December 1, 1807 Democratic-Republican
Benjamin Williams December 1, 1807 December 12, 1808 Federalist
David Stone December 12, 1808 December 1, 1810 Democratic-Republican
Benjamin Smith December 1, 1810 December 11, 1811 Democratic-Republican
William Hawkins December 11, 1811 November 29, 1814 Democratic-Republican
William Miller November 29, 1814 December 6, 1817 Democratic-Republican
John Branch December 6, 1817 December 7, 1820 Democratic-Republican
Jesse Franklin December 7, 1820 December 7, 1821 Democratic-Republican
Gabriel Holmes December 7, 1821 December 7, 1824 Democratic-Republican
Hutchins Gordon Burton December 7, 1824 December 8, 1827 No party
James Iredell, Jr. December 8, 1827 December 12, 1828 Democratic-Republican
John Owen December 12, 1828 December 18, 1830 Democratic
Montfort Stokes December 18, 1830 December 6, 1832 Democratic
David Lowry Swain December 6, 1832 December 10, 1835 National Republican
Richard Dobbs Spaight, Jr. December 10, 1835 December 31, 1836 Democratic
Edward Bishop Dudley December 31, 1836 January 1, 1841 Whig
John Motley Morehead January 1, 1841 January 1, 1845 Whig
William Alexander Graham January 1, 1845 January 1, 1849 Whig
Charles Manly January 1, 1849 January 1, 1851 Whig
David Settle Reid January 1, 1851 December 6, 1854 Democratic
Warren Winslow December 6, 1854 January 1, 1855 Democratic
Thomas Bragg January 1, 1855 January 1, 1859 Democratic
John Willis Ellis January 1, 1859 July 7, 1861 Democratic
Henry Toole Clark July 7, 1861 September 8, 1862 Democratic
Zebulon Baird Vance September 8, 1862 May 29, 1865 Conservative Party
William Woods Holden May 29, 1865 December 15, 1865 National Union [4]
Jonathan Worth December 15, 1865 July 1, 1868 Conservative Party
William Woods Holden July 1, 1868 December 15, 1870 Republican
Tod Robinson Caldwell December 15, 1870 July 11, 1874 Republican
Curtis Hooks Brogden July 11, 1874 January 1, 1877 Republican
Zebulon Baird Vance January 1, 1877 February 5, 1879 Democratic
Thomas Jordan Jarvis February 5, 1879 January 21, 1885 Democratic
Alfred Moore Scales January 21, 1885 January 17, 1889 Democratic
Daniel Gould Fowle January 17, 1889 April 7, 1891 Democratic
Thomas Michael Holt April 7, 1891 January 18, 1893 Democratic
Elias Carr January 18, 1893 January 12, 1897 Democratic
Daniel Lindsay Russell January 12, 1897 January 15, 1901 Republican [5]
Charles Brantley Aycock January 15, 1901 January 11, 1905 Democratic
Robert Broadnax Glenn January 11, 1905 January 12, 1909 Democratic
William Walton Kitchin January 12, 1909 January 15, 1913 Democratic
Locke Craig January 15, 1913 January 11, 1917 Democratic
Thomas Walter Bickett January 11, 1917 January 12, 1921 Democratic
Cameron Morrison January 12, 1921 January 14, 1925 Democratic
Angus Wilton McLean January 14, 1925 January 11, 1929 Democratic
Oliver Max Gardner January 11, 1929 January 5, 1933 Democratic
John C.B. Ehringhaus January 5, 1933 January 7, 1937 Democratic
Clyde R. Hoey January 7, 1937 January 9, 1941 Democratic
J. Melville Broughton January 9, 1941 January 4, 1945 Democratic
R. Gregg Cherry January 4, 1945 January 6, 1949 Democratic
W. Kerr Scott January 6, 1949 January 8, 1953 Democratic
William B. Umstead January 8, 1953 November 7, 1954 Democratic
Luther H. Hodges November 7, 1954 January 8, 1961 Democratic
Terry Sanford January 5, 1961 January 8, 1965 Democratic
Dan K. Moore January 8, 1965 January 3, 1969 Democratic
Robert W. Scott January 3, 1969 January 5, 1973 Democratic
James E. Holshouser, Jr. January 5, 1973 January 8, 1977 Republican
James B. Hunt, Jr. January 8, 1977 January 5, 1985 Democratic
James G. Martin January 5, 1985 January 9, 1993 Republican
James B. Hunt, Jr. January 9, 1993 January 6, 2001 Democratic
Mike Easley January 6, 2001 January 10, 2009 Democratic
Beverly Perdue January 10, 2009 incumbent Democratic [6]

Notes

  1. ^ R. D. W. Connor (Robert Digges Wimberly), 1878-1950, ed. A Manual of North Carolina Issued by the North Carolina is cool \ Historical Commission for the Use of the Members of the General Assembly Session 1913
  2. ^ http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Legislation/constitution/ncconstitution.html
  3. ^ John Baptista Ashe was elected in 1802 to succeed Williams but died before he could take office, leading the legislature to elect Turner.
  4. ^ Provisional Governor appointed by President Andrew Johnson until a special election could be held.
  5. ^ Russell, while a Republican, was supported by many in the Populist Party as part of an electoral fusion coalition, though a separate Populist candidate was also nominated. http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/58/entry
  6. ^ Beverly Perdue was elected to be the first female governor of North Carolina in the election of 2008.

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 North Carolina except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Name Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
Alexander Martin 1782–1784; 1789–1792 S
Samuel Johnston 1787–1789 S*
Richard Dobbs Spaight 1792–1795 H Delegate to Philadelphia Convention and signer of the United States Constitution
William Richardson Davie 1798–1799 Delegate to Philadelphia Convention
Benjamin Williams 1799–1802; 1807–1808 H
James Turner 1802–1805 S
Nathaniel Alexander 1805–1807 H
David Stone 1808–1810 H S
John Branch 1817–1820 S United States Secretary of the Navy; Governor of Florida Territory
Jesse Franklin 1820–1821 H S
Gabriel Holmes 1821–1824 H
Hutchins Gordon Burton 1824–1827 H
James Iredell, Jr. 1830–1832 S*
Montfort Stokes 1830–1832 S
Richard Dobbs Spaight, Jr. 1835–1836 H
Edward Bishop Dudley 1836–1841 H
William Alexander Graham 1845–1849 S United States Secretary of the Navy; Confederate Senator
David Settle Reid 1851–1854 H S*
Warren Winslow 1854–1855 H
Thomas Bragg 1855–1859 S Confederate States Attorney General
Zebulon Baird Vance 1862–1865; 1877–79 S*
Curtis Hooks Brogden 1874–1877 H
Thomas Jordan Jarvis 1879–1885 S United States Minister to Brazil
Alfred Moore Scales 1885–1889 H
Daniel Lindsay Russell 1897–1901 H
William Walton Kitchin 1909–1913 H
Cameron Morrison 1921–1925 H S
Oliver Max Gardner 1929–1933 U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury
Clyde R. Hoey 1937–1941 H S
J. Melville Broughton 1941–1945 S
W. Kerr Scott 1949–1953 S
William B. Umstead 1953–1954 H S
Luther H. Hodges 1954–1961 United States Secretary of Commerce
Terry Sanford 1961–1965 S
Jim Martin 1985–1993 H

Living former governors

As of January 2009, four former governors were alive, the oldest being James E. Holshouser, Jr. (1973–1977, born 1934). The most recent governor to die, and the most recently-serving governor to die, was Robert W. Scott (1969–1973), on January 23, 2009.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
James E. Holshouser, Jr. 1973–1977 October 8, 1934 (1934-10-08) (age 77)
James G. Martin 1985–1993 December 11, 1935 (1935-12-11) (age 76)
James B. Hunt, Jr. 1977–1985,
1993–2001		 May 16, 1937 (1937-05-16) (age 74)
Mike Easley 2001–2009 March 23, 1950 (1950-03-23) (age 61)

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