List of Governors of California before admission

This is a list of the 33 Governors of California before her admission as the 31^st US state in 1850. From 1769 to 1822, the area was a Spanish colony. Upon Mexico's independence from Spain in 1822 until statehood in 1836, it was a federal territory of the United Mexican States (UEM). From 1836 to 1846, it achieved full self-rule as a free and sovereign State alongside the UEM, sending its elected and voting representation to Mexico City. From 1846 to 1850, it was a nominally independent republic in cooperation with the US military. California was admitted as one of the United States on September 9, 1850.

At the start of the Bear Flag revolt against Mexico in 1846, land surveyor Capt. John C. Fremont on the frontier sent his companion William B. Ide over to Sonoma, where he tried to foment insurrection and where he captured Californian citizens. Ide made many public declarations about himself as conquering "commander" and "President of California," but such bluster had no political substance. A year later, Fremont pronounced himself military governor and for that he was convicted of mutiny in court-martial, his superior, Gen. Kearney presiding. While this was going on, Californians willingly cooperated with the American military and freely continued to elect their own civil officials.

For governors of the state after admission in 1850, see List of Governors of California.

Colony of the Kingdom of Spain, 1769-1822

Gaspar de Portolà, first Governor of California José Castro Juan Bautista Alvarado Pío Pico Andrés Pico

1769-1770: Gaspar de Portolà 1770-1774: Pedro Fages 1774-1777: Fernando Rivera y Moncada 1777-1782: Felipe de Neve 1782-1791: Pedro Fages 1791-1792: José Antonio Roméu 1792-1794: José Joaquín de Arrillaga (acting) 1794-1800: Diego de Borica 1800: Pedro de Alberni (acting) 1800-1814: José Joaquín de Arrillaga 1814-1815: José Darío Argüello (acting) 1815-1822: Pablo Vicente de Solá

Federal territory, United Mexican States (EUM), 1822-1836

1822-1825: Luis Antonio Argüello Born in Yerba Buena (San Francisco), son of José Darío, he was the first Californio (native-born Californian) to govern Alta California. 1825-1831: José María de Echeandía 1831-1832: Manuel Victoria 1832: Pío Pico 1832-1833: Agustín V. Zamorano (north) and José María de Echeandía (south) 1833-1835: José Figueroa 1835: José Castro (acting) 1836: Nicolás Gutiérrez (acting) 1836: Mariano Chico 1836: Nicolás Gutiérrez (acting)

Free and sovereign State, EUM, 1836-1846

1836-1837: Juan Bautista Alvarado 1837-1838: Carlos Antonio Carrillo 1838-1842: Juan Bautista Alvarado 1842-1845: Manuel Micheltorena 1845-1846: Pío Pico

Republic, 1846-1850

1846-1847: José María Flores (civil) 1847: Andrés Pico (civil) 1848: Pío Pico (civil) 1849: Bennett C. Riley (civil and military) 1849-1851: Peter Hardeman Burnett (remained after admission)

US military governors of California, 1846-1849

1846: John Drake Sloat 1846-1847: Robert Field Stockton 1847: Stephen W. Kearny 1847-1849: Richard Barnes Mason (acting) 1849: Persifor Frazer Smith 1849: Bennett C. Riley

See also

• List of Governors of California
• List of Texas Governors and Presidents
• Spanish governors of New Mexico

References

• Irvine, Leigh H. (1905). "Vol. I, Chapter III". A History Of The New California - Its Resources And People. New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. OCLC 35952214. Retrieved 2007-07-11. 

v t e Governors of California Before US 1 de Portolà 2 Fages 3 Rivera 4 de Neve 5 Fages 6 Roméu 7 Arrillaga 8 Arrillaga 9 Borica 10 Alberní 11 Arrillaga 12 J. Argüello 13 Solá 14 L. Argüello 15 Echeandía 16 Victoria 17 P. Pico 18 Zamorano / Echeandía 19 Figueroa 20 Castro 21 Gutierrez 22 Chico 23 Gutierrez 24 Alvarado 25 Carrillo 26 Alvarado 27 Micheltorena 28 P. Pico 29 Flores 30 A. Pico 31 P. Pico 32 Riley 33 Burnett After US 34 Burnett 35 McDougall 36 Bigler 37 J. Johnson 38 Weller 39 Latham 40 Downey 41 Stanford 42 Low 43 Haight 44 Booth 45 Pacheco 46 Irwin 47 Perkins 48 Stoneman 49 Bartlett 50 Waterman 51 Markham 52 Budd 53 Gage 54 Pardee 55 Gillett 56 H. Johnson 57 Stephens 58 Richardson 59 Young 60 Rolph 61 Merriam 62 Olson 63 Warren 64 Knight 65 P. Brown 66 Reagan 67 J. Brown 68 Deukmejian 69 Wilson 70 Davis 71 Schwarzenegger 72 J. Brown Before US After US US list by time in office US list by age