List of governors of Tennessee facts for kids
The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Tennessee has had 50 governors, including the incumbent, Bill Lee. Seven governors (John Sevier, William Carroll, Andrew Johnson, Robert Love Taylor, Gordon Browning, Frank G. Clement, and Buford Ellington) have served non-consecutive terms. This tally does not include William Blount (the territorial governor) or Robert L. Caruthers (who never took office), though the Blue Book includes them in its list of governors. All governors are counted only once, regardless of number of terms served (e.g., John Sevier is considered the 1st governor, rather than the 1st and 3rd governor). The Blue Book does not include Edward H. East in its list of governors.
List of governors
Southwest Territory
The Territory South of the Ohio River, commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was organized on May 26, 1790.
Throughout its 6-year history, Southwest Territory had only one governor appointed by the federal government, William Blount.
| Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
William Blount (1749–1800) |
June 8, 1790 – March 28, 1796 (statehood) |
George Washington |
State of Tennessee
Southwest Territory was admitted to the Union as Tennessee on June 1, 1796.
The first constitution of Tennessee, enacted in 1796, set a term of two years for the governor and provided that no person could serve as governor for more than 6 years in any 8-year period. The term of office was lengthened to four years, without the possibility of consecutive terms, by constitutional amendments adopted in 1953. Under the current provisions of the state constitution, as amended in 1978, the governor is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two terms consecutively.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
John Sevier (1745–1815) |
March 30, 1796 – September 23, 1801 (term-limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1796 | Office did not exist | ||
| 1797 | ||||||||
| 1799 | ||||||||
| 2 |  |
Archibald Roane (d. 1819) |
September 23, 1801 – September 23, 1803 (lost election) |
Democratic- Republican |
1801 | |||
| 1 | |
John Sevier (1745–1815) |
September 23, 1803 – September 20, 1809 (term-limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1803 | |||
| 1805 | ||||||||
| 1807 | ||||||||
| 3 |  |
Willie Blount (1768–1835) |
September 20, 1809 – September 27, 1815 (term-limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1809 | |||
| 1811 | ||||||||
| 1813 | ||||||||
| 4 |  |
Joseph McMinn (1758–1824) |
September 27, 1815 – October 1, 1821 (term-limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1815 | |||
| 1817 | ||||||||
| 1819 | ||||||||
| 5 |  |
William Carroll (1788–1844) |
October 1, 1821 – October 1, 1827 (term-limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1821 | |||
| 1823 | ||||||||
| 1825 | ||||||||
| 6 |  |
Sam Houston (1793–1863) |
October 1, 1827 – April 16, 1829 (resigned) |
Democratic- Republican |
1827 | |||
| 7 |  |
William Hall (1775–1856) |
April 16, 1829 – October 1, 1829 (did not run) |
Democratic- Republican |
Succeeded from speaker of the Senate |
|||
| 5 | |
William Carroll (1788–1844) |
October 1, 1829 – October 12, 1835 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1829 | |||
| 1831 | ||||||||
| 1833 | ||||||||
| 8 |  |
Newton Cannon (1781–1841) |
October 12, 1835 – October 14, 1839 (lost election) |
Whig | 1835 | |||
| 1837 | ||||||||
| 9 |  |
James K. Polk (1795–1849) |
October 14, 1839 – October 14, 1841 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1839 | |||
| 10 |  |
James C. Jones (1809–1859) |
October 14, 1841 – October 15, 1845 (did not run) |
Whig | 1841 | |||
| 1843 | ||||||||
| 11 |  |
Aaron V. Brown (1795–1859) |
October 15, 1845 – October 17, 1847 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1845 | |||
| 12 |  |
Neill S. Brown (1810–1886) |
October 17, 1847 – October 16, 1849 (lost election) |
Whig | 1847 | |||
| 13 |  |
William Trousdale (1790–1872) |
October 16, 1849 – October 16, 1851 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1849 | |||
| 14 |  |
William B. Campbell (1807–1867) |
October 16, 1851 – October 17, 1853 (did not run) |
Whig | 1851 | |||
| 15 |  |
Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) |
October 17, 1853 – November 3, 1857 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1853 | |||
| 1855 | ||||||||
| 16 |  |
Isham G. Harris (1818–1897) |
November 3, 1857 – March 12, 1862 (deposed) |
Democratic | 1857 | |||
| 1859 | ||||||||
| 1861 | ||||||||
| 15 | |
Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) |
March 12, 1862 – March 4, 1865 (resigned) |
Military governor appointed by President |
||||
| — |  |
Edward H. East (1830–1904) |
March 4, 1865 – April 5, 1865 (successor took office) |
— | Secretary of state acting |
|||
| 17 |  |
Parson Brownlow (1805–1877) |
April 5, 1865 – February 25, 1869 (resigned) |
Republican | 1865 | |||
| 1867 | ||||||||
| 18 |  |
Dewitt Clinton Senter (1830–1898) |
February 25, 1869 – October 10, 1871 (did not run) |
Republican | Succeeded from speaker of the Senate |
|||
| 1869 | ||||||||
| 19 |  |
John C. Brown (1827–1889) |
October 10, 1871 – January 18, 1875 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1870 | |||
| 1872 | ||||||||
| 20 |  |
James D. Porter (1828–1912) |
January 18, 1875 – February 16, 1879 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1874 | |||
| 1876 | ||||||||
| 21 |  |
Albert S. Marks (1836–1891) |
February 16, 1879 – January 17, 1881 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1878 | |||
| 22 |  |
Alvin Hawkins (1821–1905) |
January 17, 1881 – January 15, 1883 (lost election) |
Republican | 1880 | |||
| 23 |  |
William B. Bate (1826–1905) |
January 15, 1883 – January 17, 1887 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1882 | |||
| 1884 | ||||||||
| 24 |  |
Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912) |
January 17, 1887 – January 19, 1891 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1886 | |||
| 1888 | ||||||||
| 25 |  |
John P. Buchanan (1847–1930) |
January 19, 1891 – January 16, 1893 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1890 | |||
| 26 |  |
Peter Turney (1827–1903) |
January 16, 1893 – January 21, 1897 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1892 | |||
| 1894 | ||||||||
| 24 | |
Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912) |
January 21, 1897 – January 16, 1899 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1896 | |||
| 27 |  |
Benton McMillin (1845–1933) |
January 16, 1899 – January 20, 1903 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1898 | |||
| 1900 | ||||||||
| 28 |  |
James B. Frazier (1856–1937) |
January 20, 1903 – March 27, 1905 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1902 | |||
| 1904 | ||||||||
| 29 |  |
John I. Cox (1855–1946) |
March 27, 1905 – January 17, 1907 (lost nomination) |
Democratic | Succeeded from speaker of the Senate |
|||
| 30 |  |
Malcolm R. Patterson (1861–1935) |
January 17, 1907 – January 25, 1911 (withdrew) |
Democratic | 1906 | |||
| 1908 | ||||||||
| 31 |  |
Ben W. Hooper (1870–1957) |
January 25, 1911 – January 15, 1915 (lost election) |
Republican | 1910 | |||
| 1912 | ||||||||
| 32 |  |
Thomas Clarke Rye (1863–1953) |
January 15, 1915 – January 15, 1919 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1914 | |||
| 1916 | ||||||||
| 33 |  |
Albert H. Roberts (1868–1946) |
January 15, 1919 – January 15, 1921 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1918 | |||
| 34 |  |
Alfred A. Taylor (1848–1931) |
January 15, 1921 – January 16, 1923 (lost election) |
Republican | 1920 | |||
| 35 |  |
Austin Peay (1876–1927) |
January 16, 1923 – October 2, 1927 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1922 | |||
| 1924 | ||||||||
| 1926 | ||||||||
| 36 |  |
Henry Hollis Horton (1866–1934) |
October 2, 1927 – January 17, 1933 (did not run) |
Democratic | Succeeded from speaker of the Senate |
|||
| 1928 | ||||||||
| 1930 | ||||||||
| 37 |  |
Hill McAlister (1875–1959) |
January 17, 1933 – January 15, 1937 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1932 | |||
| 1934 | ||||||||
| 38 | .png) |
Gordon Browning (1889–1976) |
January 15, 1937 – January 16, 1939 (lost nomination) |
Democratic | 1936 | |||
| 39 |  |
Prentice Cooper (1895–1969) |
January 16, 1939 – January 16, 1945 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1938 | |||
| 1940 | ||||||||
| 1942 | ||||||||
| 40 |  |
Jim Nance McCord (1879–1968) |
January 16, 1945 – January 17, 1949 (lost nomination) |
Democratic | 1944 | |||
| 1946 | ||||||||
| 38 | |
Gordon Browning (1889–1976) |
January 17, 1949 – January 15, 1953 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1948 | |||
| 1950 | Walter M. Haynes | |||||||
| 41 |  |
Frank G. Clement (1920–1969) |
January 15, 1953 – January 19, 1959 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1952 | Jared Maddux | ||
| 1954 | ||||||||
| 42 |  |
Buford Ellington (1907–1972) |
January 19, 1959 – January 15, 1963 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1958 | William D. Baird | ||
| 41 | |
Frank G. Clement (1920–1969) |
January 15, 1963 – January 16, 1967 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1962 | James L. Bomar Jr. | ||
| Jared Maddux | ||||||||
| 42 | |
Buford Ellington (1907–1972) |
January 16, 1967 – January 16, 1971 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1966 | Frank Gorrell | ||
| 43 |  |
Winfield Dunn (b. 1927) |
January 16, 1971 – January 18, 1975 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1970 | John Shelton Wilder | ||
| 44 |  |
Ray Blanton (1930–1996) |
January 18, 1975 – January 17, 1979 (did not run) |
Democratic | 1974 | |||
| 45 | .png) |
Lamar Alexander (b. 1940) |
January 17, 1979 – January 17, 1987 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1978 | |||
| 1982 | ||||||||
| 46 |  |
Ned McWherter (1930–2011) |
January 17, 1987 – January 21, 1995 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 1986 | |||
| 1990 | ||||||||
| 47 |  |
Don Sundquist (1936–2023) |
January 21, 1995 – January 18, 2003 (term-limited) |
Republican | 1994 | |||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 48 | .jpg) |
Phil Bredesen (b. 1943) |
January 18, 2003 – January 15, 2011 (term-limited) |
Democratic | 2002 | |||
| 2006 | Ron Ramsey | |||||||
| 49 |  |
Bill Haslam (b. 1958) |
January 15, 2011 – January 19, 2019 (term-limited) |
Republican | 2010 | |||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| Randy McNally | ||||||||
| 50 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Bill Lee (b. 1959) |
January 19, 2019 – Incumbent |
Republican | 2018 | |||
| 2022 | ||||||||
See also
- Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § Tennessee
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List of governors of Tennessee Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.