Governor of Texas - Wikipedia Governor of Texas Governor of Texas Seal of the Governor Standard of the Governor Incumbent Greg Abbott since January 20, 2015 Style Governor ( informal ) The Honorable ( formal ) Residence Texas Governors Mansion Term length Four years, no term limit Inaugural holder James Pinckney Henderson 1846 Formation Texas Constitution Salary $150,000 ( 2013 ) Website gov.texas.gov The Governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas 's government and the commander - in - chief of the state 's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature. The governor may grant pardons in cases other than impeachment ( but only when recommended by the Board of Pardons and Paroles ) or in the case of treason, with permission by the legislature. The current Governor is Greg Abbott. Contents 1 History 2 Presidential campaigns 3 See also 4 References History The state 's first constitution in 1845 established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six ( essentially a limit of no more than two consecutive terms ). The 1861 secessionist constitution set the term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election. The 1866 constitution, adopted just after the American Civil War, increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or `` as soon thereafter as practicable ''. The Reconstruction constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms, Texas remains one of 14 states with no gubernatorial term limit. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years, but a 1972 amendment increased it again to four years. The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and does not coincide with the presidential elections. The governor is sworn in on the third Tuesday of January every four years along with the lieutenant governor, so Abbott and current Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick both took office on January 20, 2015. Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th centuries ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office ( Allan Shivers ) or eight years total service ( Bill Clements, in two non-consecutive four - year terms ). Former Governor Rick Perry, who served from 2000 to 2015, has now surpassed both these records, becoming the first Texas governor to serve three consecutive terms. When Perry won the general election on November 2, 2010, he joined Shivers, Price Daniel, and John Connally as the only Texas governors elected to three terms ( the terms served by Governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were 2 year terms ). In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. This rule was added only in a 1999 amendment, prior to which the lieutenant governor only acted as governor, except during the time of the 1861 constitution, which said that the lieutenant governor would be styled `` Governor of the State of Texas '' in case of vacancy. Presidential campaigns One governor of Texas won his party 's nomination and was elected President of the United States : George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 ( Republican ) Two governors actively sought the nomination of their party, but were unsuccessful : John Connally in 1980 ( Republican, although Connally was elected Governor as a Democrat ) Rick Perry in 2012 and 2016 ( Republican ) See also Texas portal List of Governors of Texas List of Texas Governors and Presidents List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas List of Lieutenant Governors of Texas References Jump up ^ `` CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries ''. The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014. Jump up ^ 1845 Const. Art V sec 4 Jump up ^ 1861 Const. art V sec 12 Jump up ^ 1866 Const. art V sec 4 Jump up ^ 1869 Const. Art IV sec 4 Jump up ^ Executive Branch Archived 2011 - 06 - 29 at the Wayback Machine. retrieved 23 - October - 2008 Jump up ^ TX Const. Art IV sec 4 Jump up ^ Texas Politics - The Executive Branch Archived 2009 - 02 - 11 at the Wayback Machine... Texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu. Retrieved on 2013 - 07 - 15. Jump up ^ TX Const. art IV sec 16 graf d Jump up ^ 1861 Const art V sec 12 Chief executives of the United States Federal President of the United States State governors ( current list ) Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California list Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii list Idaho Illinois list Indiana list Iowa list Kansas Kentucky list Louisiana Maine list Maryland list Massachusetts Michigan list Minnesota list Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska list Nevada New Hampshire list New Jersey list New Mexico list New York list North Carolina list North Dakota list Ohio Oklahoma list Oregon list Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina list South Dakota list Tennessee list Texas list Utah Vermont list Virginia list Washington West Virginia Wisconsin list Wyoming Territorial ( current list ) American Samoa District of Columbia Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico list United States Virgin Islands Defunct Pre-state territories Panama Canal Zone Cuba Philippine Islands ( until 1935 ) Philippine Commonwealth ( until 1946 ) Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Current statewide political officials of Texas U.S. Senators John Cornyn Ted Cruz State government Greg Abbott, Governor Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor & President of the Senate Rolando Pablos, Secretary of State ( appointed ) Ken Paxton, Attorney General Glenn Hegar, Comptroller ( Treasurer equivalent ) George P. Bush, Land Commissioner Sid Miller, Agriculture Commissioner Christi Craddick, Ryan Sitton, Wayne Christian, Railroad Commissioners Senate Kel Seliger, President pro tempore House Joe Straus, Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Speaker pro tempore Supreme Court ( civil ) Nathan Hecht, Chief Justice Debra Lehrmann John P. Devine Paul W. Green Jeff Brown Jeffrey S. Boyd Phil Johnson Eva Guzman Jimmy Blacklock, Associate Justices Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Sharon Keller, Presiding Judge Mary Lou Keel Bert Richardson Kevin Patrick Yeary Scott Walker Michael Keasler Barbara Hervey Elsa Alcala David Newell Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Governor_of_Texas&oldid=851606939 '' Categories : Governors of Texas State constitutional officers of Texas Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from July 2018 Use American English from July 2018 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano עברית Simple English Suomi ไทย Edit links This page was last edited on 23 July 2018, at 12 : 38 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: held office longer than any previous texas governor
Answer: Former Governor Rick Perry