List of Governors of Illinois

The Governor of Illinois is the head of the executive branch of Illinois's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Illinois Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons.[1]

Governors

Governor of the Territory of Illinois

For the colonial military governors of the Illinois Country, see List of commandants of the Illinois Country.
For the period before the Illinois Territory was formed, see Governors of the Northwest Territory and Governors of the Indiana Territory.

Illinois Territory was formed on March 1, 1809, from Indiana Territory. It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state. From March to June, 1809, Territorial Secretary Nathaniel Pope served as acting governor; Edwards' arrival in Illinois ended Pope's brief administration.[2]

PictureGovernorTook officeLeft officeAppointed by
Ninian Edwards March 1, 1809 October 6, 1818 James Madison

Governors of the State of Illinois

Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, consisting of the southern portion of Illinois Territory; the remainder was assigned to Michigan Territory.

The first Illinois Constitution, ratified in 1818, provided that a governor be elected every four years[3] for a term starting on the first Monday in the December following an election.[4] The constitution of 1848 moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January.[5] Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves[6] until the 1870 constitution, which removed this limit.

The office of lieutenant governor was created in the first constitution,[7] to exercise the power of governor if that office becomes vacant.[8] The 1848 constitution changed this to say the power "devolves" upon the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy.[9] The current constitution of 1970 made it so that, in the event of a vacancy, the lieutenant becomes governor,[10] and the governor and lieutenant governor are now elected on the same ticket.[11]

Parties

      No party       Military       Democratic-Republican       Democratic       Whig       Republican

# Picture Governor Took office Left office Party Lt. Governor Terms[lower-alpha 1]
1 Shadrach Bond October 6, 1818 December 5, 1822 Independent   Pierre Menard 1
2 Edward Coles December 5, 1822 December 6, 1826 Independent   Adolphus Hubbard 1
3   Ninian Edwards December 6, 1826 December 6, 1830 Adams-Clay
Republican		   William Kinney 1
4 John Reynolds December 6, 1830 November 17, 1834 Democratic Zadok Casey[lower-alpha 2] 1⁄2[lower-alpha 3]
William Lee D. Ewing
5 William Lee D. Ewing November 17, 1834 December 3, 1834 Democratic Vacant 1⁄2[lower-alpha 4]
6 Joseph Duncan December 3, 1834 December 7, 1838 Whig Alexander Jenkins[lower-alpha 5] 1
William H. Davidson[lower-alpha 6]
7 Thomas Carlin December 7, 1838 December 8, 1842 Democratic Stinson Anderson 1
8 Thomas Ford December 8, 1842 December 9, 1846 Democratic John Moore 1
9 Augustus C. French December 9, 1846 January 10, 1853 Democratic Joseph Wells 2[lower-alpha 7]
William McMurtry
10 Joel Aldrich Matteson January 10, 1853 January 12, 1857 Democratic Gustavus Koerner 1
11 William Henry Bissell January 12, 1857 March 18, 1860 Republican John Wood 1⁄2[lower-alpha 8]
12 John Wood March 18, 1860 January 14, 1861 Republican Thomas Marshall[lower-alpha 6] 1⁄2[lower-alpha 9]
13 Richard Yates January 14, 1861 January 16, 1865 Republican Francis Hoffmann 1
14[lower-alpha 10] Richard J. Oglesby January 16, 1865 January 11, 1869 Republican William Bross 1
15 John M. Palmer January 11, 1869 January 13, 1873 Republican John Dougherty 1
14 Richard J. Oglesby January 13, 1873 January 23, 1873 Republican John Lourie Beveridge 1⁄2[lower-alpha 11]
16 John Lourie Beveridge January 23, 1873 January 8, 1877 Republican John Early 1⁄2[lower-alpha 9]
Archibald Glenn[lower-alpha 6]
17 Shelby Moore Cullom January 8, 1877 February 16, 1883 Republican Andrew Shuman 1 1⁄2[lower-alpha 12][12]
John Marshall Hamilton
18 John Marshall Hamilton February 16, 1883 January 30, 1885 Republican William Campbell 1⁄2[lower-alpha 9]
14 Richard J. Oglesby January 30, 1885 January 14, 1889 Republican John Smith 1
19 Joseph W. Fifer January 14, 1889 January 10, 1893 Republican Lyman Ray 1
20 John Peter Altgeld January 10, 1893 January 11, 1897 Democratic Joseph B. Gill 1
21 John R. Tanner January 11, 1897 January 14, 1901 Republican William Northcott 1
22 Richard Yates, Jr. January 14, 1901 January 9, 1905 Republican William Northcott 1
23 Charles S. Deneen January 9, 1905 February 3, 1913[13] Republican Lawrence Sherman 2
John G. Oglesby
24 Edward F. Dunne February 3, 1913 January 8, 1917 Democratic Barratt O'Hara 1
25 Frank O. Lowden January 8, 1917 January 10, 1921 Republican John G. Oglesby 1
26 Len Small January 10, 1921 January 14, 1929 Republican Fred E. Sterling 2
27 Louis L. Emmerson January 14, 1929 January 9, 1933 Republican Fred E. Sterling 1
28 Henry Horner January 9, 1933 October 6, 1940 Democratic Thomas Donovan 1 1⁄2[lower-alpha 8]
John Henry Stelle
29 John H. Stelle October 6, 1940 January 13, 1941 Democratic Vacant 1⁄2[lower-alpha 9]
30 Dwight H. Green January 13, 1941 January 10, 1949 Republican Hugh W. Cross 2
31 Adlai E. Stevenson II January 10, 1949 January 12, 1953 Democratic Sherwood Dixon 1
32 William G. Stratton January 12, 1953 January 9, 1961 Republican John William Chapman 2
33 Otto Kerner, Jr. January 9, 1961 May 21, 1968 Democratic Samuel H. Shapiro 1 1⁄2[lower-alpha 13]
34 Samuel H. Shapiro May 21, 1968 January 13, 1969 Democratic Vacant 1⁄2[lower-alpha 9]
35 Richard Buell Ogilvie January 13, 1969 January 8, 1973 Republican Paul Simon[lower-alpha 6] 1
36 Dan Walker January 8, 1973 January 10, 1977 Democratic Neil Hartigan 1
37 James R. Thompson January 10, 1977 January 14, 1991 Republican Dave O'Neal 4[lower-alpha 14]
George H. Ryan
38 Jim Edgar January 14, 1991 January 11, 1999 Republican Bob Kustra 2
39 George H. Ryan January 11, 1999 January 13, 2003 Republican Corinne Wood 1
40 Rod Blagojevich January 13, 2003 January 29, 2009 Democratic Pat Quinn 1 1⁄2[lower-alpha 15]
41 Pat Quinn January 29, 2009 January 12, 2015 Democratic Sheila Simon 1 1⁄2[lower-alpha 16]
42 Bruce Rauner January 12, 2015 Incumbent Republican Evelyn Sanguinetti 1[lower-alpha 17]

Notes

  1. ↑ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
  2. ↑ Resigned.
  3. ↑ Resigned to take elected seat in the United States House of Representatives.
  4. ↑ As acting lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  5. ↑ Resigned.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Represented the Democratic Party.
  7. ↑ French was the first governor elected under the provisions of the 1848 constitution, which shifted the election year, shortening his first term to two years. The constitutional convention called for new elections, and despite falling under the term limit he was allowed to run.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Died in office.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  10. ↑ based on Rod R. Blagojevich, 40th governor and Jim Edgar is the 38th, Oglesby was the 14th governor all three occasions.
  11. ↑ Resigned so that Lieutenant Governor Beveridge would appoint him to the United States Senate.
  12. ↑ Resigned to take elected seat in the United States Senate.
  13. ↑ Resigned to take seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
  14. ↑ James Thompson's first term was only 2 years because a constitutional amendment had passed moving gubernatorial elections to coincide with Congressional midterms
  15. ↑ Impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption.
  16. ↑ As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term and was subsequently elected in his own right.
  17. ↑ Governor Rauner's term expires on January 14, 2019.

Other high offices held

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

Governor Gubernatorial term Other offices held Sources
Ninian Edwards 1809–1818
1826–1830		 Senator
Shadrach Bond 1818–1822 Delegate from Illinois Territory
John Reynolds 1830–1834 Representative*
William Lee D. Ewing 1834 Senator
Joseph Duncan 1834–1838 Representative
William Henry Bissell 1857–1860 Representative
Richard Yates 1861–1865 Representative, Senator
Richard J. Oglesby 1865–1869
1873
1885–1889		 Senator*
John M. Palmer 1869–1873 Senator
Shelby Moore Cullom 1877–1883 Representative, Senator*
Richard Yates 1901–1905 Representative
Charles S. Deneen 1905–1913 Senator
Frank O. Lowden 1917–1921 Representative
Adlai Stevenson 1949–1953 Ambassador to the United Nations
William Stratton 1953–1961 Representative
Otto Kerner, Jr. 1961–1968 Seventh Circuit Court Judge*
Rod Blagojevich 2003–2009 Representative

Living former governors

As of May 2015, five former governors were alive, the oldest being George Ryan (1999–2003, born 1934). The most recent death of a former governor was that of Dan Walker (1973–1977), who died on April 29, 2015 at the age of 92. Walker was also the most recently serving governor to die, having left office on January 10, 1977.

GovernorGubernatorial termDate of birth
James R. Thompson 1977–1991 May 8, 1936
Jim Edgar 1991–1999 July 22, 1946
George Ryan 1999–2003 February 24, 1934
Rod Blagojevich 2003–2009 December 10, 1956
Pat Quinn 2009–2015 December 16, 1948

Footnotes

  1. ↑ IL Const. art. V
  2. ↑ Robert P. Howard (1988), Mostly Good and Competent Men: Illinois Governors, 1818–1988, Illinois Issues and the Illinois State Historical Society, 39–40.
  3. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 2
  4. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 3
  5. ↑ 1848 Const. art. IV, § 3
  6. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 3
  7. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 13
  8. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 18
  9. ↑ 1848 Const. art. IV, § 19
  10. ↑ IL Const. art. V, § 6
  11. ↑ IL Const. art. V, § 4
  12. ↑ Resigned when? NGA says 5th or 16th
  13. ↑ National Governors Association. "Illinois Governor Charles Samuel Deneen". Retrieved 2015-04-24.

References