List of Governors of Virginia
List of Governors
Parties Democratic Federalist Democratic-Republican Whig Republican Independent

List of Governors of Virginia

Section Title: List of Governors
Table Section Text: Parties Democratic Federalist Democratic-Republican Whig Republican Independent

#	Picture	Governor	Took office	Left office	Lieutenant Governor	Party	Notes

1	Patrick henry.JPG	Patrick Henry	July 5, 1776	June 1, 1779	Office Blank 1776-1852	None	First under 1776 Constitution (limit of 3 one-year terms)

2	-	Thomas Jefferson	June 1, 1779	June 3, 1781	None	3rd President of the United States

3	-	William Fleming	June 3, 1781	June 12, 1781	None

4	-	Thomas Nelson, Jr.	June 12, 1781	November 22, 1781	None

–	-	David Jameson	November 22, 1781	December 1, 1781	None	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

5	Benharrv.JPG	Benjamin Harrison V	December 1, 1781	December 1, 1784	None

6	Patrick henry.JPG	Patrick Henry	December 1, 1784	December 1, 1786	None	Re-elected after 5-year hiatus (1 more than constitutional minimum)

7	EdmundRandolph.jpeg	Edmund Randolph	December 1, 1786	December 1, 1788	None	First under U.S. statehood

8	-	Beverley Randolph	December 1, 1788	December 1, 1791	None

9	HenryLee.jpeg	Henry Lee III	December 1, 1791	December 1, 1794	Federalist

10	-	Robert Brooke	December 1, 1794	December 1, 1796	Democratic-Republican

11	-	James Wood	December 1, 1796	December 1, 1799	Federalist

–	-	Hardin Burnley	December 7, 1799	December 11, 1799

–	-	John Pendleton, Jr.	December 11, 1799	December 19, 1799

12	-	James Monroe	December 19, 1799	December 1, 1802	Democratic-Republican	U.S. Senator 1790–1794, fifth President of the United States

13	-	John Page	December 1, 1802	December 7, 1805	Democratic-Republican

14	-	William H. Cabell	December 7, 1805	December 1, 1808	Democratic-Republican

15	-	John Tyler, Sr.	December 1, 1808	January 15, 1811	Democratic-Republican

—	-	George William Smith	January 15, 1811	January 19, 1811	Democratic-Republican	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

16	-	James Monroe	January 19, 1811	April 3, 1811	Democratic-Republican	U.S. Senator 1790–94, Fifth President of the United States

17	-	George William Smith	April 3, 1811	December 26, 1811	Democratic-Republican	Acting Governor (member of Council of State) Later elected in his own right Died in office

N/A	-	Peyton Randolph	December 27, 1811	January 3, 1812	Democratic-Republican	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

18	-	James Barbour	January 3, 1812	December 1, 1814	Democratic-Republican	U.S. Senator 1815–1825

19	-	Wilson Cary Nicholas	December 1, 1814	December 1, 1816	Democratic-Republican

20	-	James Patton Preston	December 1, 1816	December 1, 1819	Democratic-Republican

21	-	Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr.	December 1, 1819	December 1, 1822	Democratic-Republican

22	-	James Pleasants	December 1, 1822	December 10, 1825	Democratic-Republican	Resigned U.S. Senate to assume Governorship

23	-	John Tyler	December 10, 1825	March 4, 1827	Democratic-Republican	Resigned to enter U.S. Senate 1827–1836, 10th United States President

24	-	William Branch Giles	March 4, 1827	March 4, 1830	Democratic	U.S. Senator 1804–1815

25	-	John Floyd	March 4, 1830	March 31, 1834	Democratic	First under 1830 constitution (limit of 1 four-year term)

26	-	Littleton Waller Tazewell	March 31, 1834	April 30, 1836	Democratic	U.S. Senator 1824–1832

—	-	Wyndham Robertson	April 30, 1836	March 31, 1837	Whig	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

27	-	David Campbell	March 31, 1837	March 31, 1840	Democratic

28	Thomas Gilmer newer.jpeg	Thomas Walker Gilmer	March 31, 1840	March 20, 1841	Whig

—	-	John M. Patton	March 20, 1841	March 31, 1841	Whig	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

—	-	John Rutherfoord	March 31, 1841	March 31, 1842	Democratic	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

—	-	John Munford Gregory	March 31, 1842	January 1, 1843	Whig	Acting Governor (member of Council of State)

29	-	James McDowell	January 1, 1843	January 1, 1846	Democratic

30	-	William Smith	January 1, 1846	January 1, 1849	Democratic

31	-	John B. Floyd	January 1, 1849	January 16, 1852	Democratic	U.S. Secretary of War 1857–60

32	-	Joseph Johnson	January 16, 1852	January 1, 1856	Shelton Leake	Democratic	First under 1851 constitution (limit of 1 four-year term) First popularly elected governor

33	-	Henry A. Wise	January 1, 1856	January 1, 1860	Elisha W. McComas William Lowther Jackson	Democratic

34	-	John Letcher	January 1, 1860	January 1, 1864	Robert Latane Montague	Democratic	(On June 20, 1863, the new U.S. state of West Virginia was formed)

35	-	William Smith	January 1, 1864	May 9, 1865	Samuel Price	Democratic

—	-	Francis Harrison Pierpont	May 9, 1865	April 4, 1868	None	Republican	Elected by Restored General Assembly (Union)

—	-	Henry H. Wells	April 4, 1868	September 21, 1869	None	Republican	Appointed Governor by U.S. military

36	-	Gilbert Carlton Walker	September 21, 1869	January 1, 1874	John F. Lewis John Lawrence Marye, Jr.	Republican	Appointed Governor by U.S. military then elected as a Republican Governor later served as a Democratic Congressman

37	-	James L. Kemper	January 1, 1874	January 1, 1878	Robert E. Withers Henry Wirtz Thomas	Democratic

38	-	Frederick W. M. Holliday	January 1, 1878	January 1, 1882	James A. Walker	Democratic

39	-	William E. Cameron	January 1, 1882	January 1, 1886	John F. Lewis	Re-adjuster

40	-	Fitzhugh Lee	January 1, 1886	January 1, 1890	John E. Massey	Democratic

41	-	Philip W. McKinney	January 1, 1890	January 1, 1894	James H. Tyler	Democratic

42	-	Charles Triplett O'Ferrall	January 1, 1894	January 1, 1898	Robert C. Kent	Democratic	Resigned U. S. House seat to assume Governorship

43	-	James Hoge Tyler	January 1, 1898	January 1, 1902	Edward Echols	Democratic

44	-	Andrew Jackson Montague	January 1, 1902	February 1, 1906	Joseph Edward Willard	Democratic

45	-	Claude A. Swanson	February 1, 1906	February 10, 1910	James T. Ellyson	Democratic	U.S. Senator 1910–33

46	-	William Hodges Mann	February 10, 1910	February 1, 1914	James T. Ellyson	Democratic

47	-	Henry Carter Stuart	February 1, 1914	February 1, 1918	James T. Ellyson	Democratic

48	-	Westmoreland Davis	February 1, 1918	February 1, 1922	Benjamin F. Buchanan	Democratic

49	-	Elbert Lee Trinkle	February 1, 1922	February 1, 1926	Junius E. West	Democratic

50	-	Harry F. Byrd	February 1, 1926	January 15, 1930	Junius E. West	Democratic	U.S. Senator 1933–65

51	-	John Garland Pollard	January 15, 1930	January 17, 1934	James H. Price	Democratic

52	-	George C. Peery	January 17, 1934	January 15, 1938	James H. Price	Democratic

53	-	James H. Price	January 15, 1938	January 21, 1942	Saxon W. Holt	Democratic

54	-	Colgate Darden	January 21, 1942	January 16, 1946	William M. Tuck	Democratic

55	-	William M. Tuck	January 16, 1946	January 18, 1950	Lewis Preston Collins II	Democratic

56	-	John S. Battle	January 18, 1950	January 20, 1954	Lewis Preston Collins II Allie Edward Stakes Stephens	Democratic

57	-	Thomas B. Stanley	January 20, 1954	January 11, 1958	Allie Edward Stakes Stephens	Democratic

58	-	J. Lindsay Almond	January 11, 1958	January 13, 1962	Allie Edward Stakes Stephens	Democratic

59	-	Albertis Harrison	January 13, 1962	January 15, 1966	Mills Godwin	Democratic

60	-	Mills Godwin	January 15, 1966	January 17, 1970	Fred G. Pollard	Democratic

61	-	Linwood Holton	January 17, 1970	January 12, 1974	J. Sargeant Reynolds (Democratic) Henry Howell (Democratic)	Republican

62	-	Mills Godwin	January 12, 1974	January 14, 1978	John N. Dalton	Republican

63	-	John Dalton	January 14, 1978	January 16, 1982	Chuck Robb (Democratic)	Republican

64	-	Chuck Robb	January 16, 1982	January 18, 1986	Dick Davis	Democratic	U.S. Senator 1989–2001

65	-	Gerald Baliles	January 18, 1986	January 13, 1990	Douglas Wilder	Democratic

66	-	Douglas Wilder	January 13, 1990	January 15, 1994	Don Beyer	Democratic	First African-American governor elected in American history

67	-	George Allen	January 15, 1994	January 17, 1998	Don Beyer (Democratic)	Republican	U.S. Senator 2001–2007

68	-	Jim Gilmore	January 17, 1998	January 12, 2002	John H. Hager	Republican

69	-	Mark Warner	January 12, 2002	January 14, 2006	Tim Kaine	Democratic	U.S. Senator 2009–present

70	-	Tim Kaine	January 14, 2006	January 16, 2010	Bill Bolling (Republican)	Democratic	First Catholic Governor, U.S. Senator 2013–present, nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2016

71	-	Bob McDonnell	January 16, 2010	January 11, 2014	Bill Bolling	Republican

72	-	Terry McAuliffe	January 11, 2014	January 13, 2018	Ralph Northam	Democratic

73	-	Ralph Northam	January 13, 2018	Incumbent	Justin Fairfax	Democratic

Sentence(s)

Patton served as Acting Governor of Virginia until March 31, 1841.
Patton served as Governor of Virginia.
After Governor Thomas W. Gilmer left office in 1841, John M. Patton served as Acting Governor of Virginia for twelve days, until March 31, 1841.

final_sentence: Patton served as Acting Governor of Virginia until March 31, 1841.
final_sentence: Patton served as Governor of Virginia.
final_sentence: After Governor Thomas W. Gilmer left office in 1841, John M. Patton served as Acting Governor of Virginia for twelve days, until March 31, 1841.