# List of governors of the United States Virgin Islands

The governor of the United States Virgin Islands is the head of government of the United States Virgin Islands whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Territory addresses to the Virgin Islands Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that territory public laws are enforced. The position was created through the passage of the Elective Governor Acts of 1968 which took effect in 1970. Melvin Herbert Evans was the first elected governor.
The following is a list of governors of the United States Virgin Islands. For governors of the territory that is now the U.S. Virgin Islands prior to United States administration (while it was ruled by Denmark as the Danish West Indies), see List of governors of the Danish West Indies.

## Appointed governors (1917–1970)
### Naval governors (1917–1931)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Appointed by |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Appointed by |
| – | | Captain Edwin Taylor Pollock (1870–1943) Acting | March 31, 1917 | April 20, 1917 | 20 days | Woodrow Wilson |
| 1 | | Rear Admiral James Harrison Oliver (1857–1928) | April 20, 1917 | April 8, 1919 | 1 year, 353 days | Woodrow Wilson |
| 2 | | Rear Admiral Joseph Wallace Oman (1864–1941) | April 8, 1919 | April 26, 1921 | 2 years, 18 days | Woodrow Wilson |
| 3 | | Rear Admiral Sumner Ely Wetmore Kittelle (1867–1950) | April 26, 1921 | September 16, 1922 | 1 year, 143 days | Warren G. Harding |
| 4 | | Captain Henry Hughes Hough (1871–1943) | September 16, 1922 | December 3, 1923 | 1 year, 78 days | Warren G. Harding |
| 5 | | Captain Philip Williams (1869–1942) | December 3, 1923 | September 11, 1925 | 1 year, 282 days | Calvin Coolidge |
| 6 | | Captain Martin Edward Trench (1869–1927) | September 12, 1925 | January 6, 1927 † | 1 year, 116 days | Calvin Coolidge |
| 7 | | Captain Waldo A. Evans (1869–1936) | January 19, 1927 | March 18, 1931 | 4 years, 58 days | Calvin Coolidge |

### Civilian governors (1931–1970)

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Appointed by |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Party | Appointed by |
| 1 | | Paul Martin Pearson (1871–1938) | March 18, 1931 | July 23, 1935 | 4 years, 127 days | | Republican | Herbert Hoover |
| – | | Robert Herrick (1868–1938) Acting | July 23, 1935 | August 21, 1935 | 29 days | | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 2 | | Lawrence William Cramer (1897–1978) | August 21, 1935 | December 14, 1940 | 5 years, 115 days | | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| – | | Robert Morss Lovett (1870–1956) Acting | December 14, 1940 | February 3, 1941 | 51 days | | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 3 | | Charles Harwood (1880–1950) | February 3, 1941 | May 17, 1946 | 5 years, 103 days | | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 4 | | William H. Hastie (1904–1976) | May 17, 1946 | October 21, 1949 | 3 years, 157 days | | Democratic | Harry S. Truman |
| – | | Morris Fidanque de Castro (1902–1966) | October 21, 1949 | March 4, 1950 | 134 days | | Democratic | Harry S. Truman |
| 5 | | Morris Fidanque de Castro (1902–1966) | March 4, 1950 | April 9, 1954 | 4 years, 36 days | | Democratic | Harry S. Truman |
| 6 | | Archie Alexander (1888–1958) | April 9, 1954 | August 18, 1955 | 1 year, 131 days | | Republican | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| – | | Charles Kenneth Claunch (1899–1978) Acting | August 18, 1955 | October 17, 1955 | 60 days | | Republican | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 7 | | Walter A. Gordon (1894–1976) | October 17, 1955 | September 25, 1958 | 2 years, 343 days | | Republican | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 8 | | John David Merwin (1921–2013) | September 25, 1958 | April 5, 1961 | 2 years, 192 days | | Republican | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 9 | | Ralph Moses Paiewonsky (1907–1991) | April 5, 1961 | February 12, 1969 | 8 years, 42 days | | Democratic | John F. Kennedy |
| – | | Cyril King (1921–1978) Acting | February 12, 1969 | July 1, 1969 | 139 days | | Independent Citizens Movement | Richard Nixon |
| 10 | | Melvin H. Evans (1917–1984) | July 1, 1969 | November 1, 1970 | 1 year, 123 days | | Republican | Richard Nixon |

## Elected governors (1970–present)
### Parties

Republican (1)  Independent Citizens Movement (1)  Democratic (4)  Independent (3)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Election |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Party | Election |
| 1 | | Melvin H. Evans (1917–1984) | November 1, 1970 | January 6, 1975 | 4 years, 66 days | | Republican | 1970 |
| 2 | | Cyril King (1921–1978) | January 6, 1975 | January 2, 1978 | 2 years, 361 days | | Independent Citizens Movement | 1974 |
| 3 | | Juan Francisco Luis (1940–2011) | January 2, 1978 | January 5, 1987 | 9 years, 3 days | | Independent Citizens Movement (until 1979) | 1978 1982 |
| 3 | | Juan Francisco Luis (1940–2011) | January 2, 1978 | January 5, 1987 | 9 years, 3 days | | Independent (1979 onward) | 1978 1982 |
| 4 | | Alexander Farrelly (1923–2002) | January 5, 1987 | January 2, 1995 | 7 years, 362 days | | Democratic | 1986 1990 |
| 5 | | Roy Schneider (1939–2022) | January 2, 1995 | January 4, 1999 | 4 years, 2 days | | Independent | 1994 |
| 6 | | Charles Wesley Turnbull (1935–2022) | January 4, 1999 | January 1, 2007 | 7 years, 362 days | | Democratic | 1998 2002 |
| 7 | | John de Jongh (born 1957) | January 1, 2007 | January 5, 2015 | 8 years, 4 days | | Democratic | 2006 2010 |
| 8 | | Kenneth Mapp (born 1955) | January 5, 2015 | January 7, 2019 | 4 years, 2 days | | Independent | 2014 |
| 9 | | Albert Bryan (born 1968) | January 7, 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years, 328 days | | Democratic | 2018 2022 |