# List of governors of Tamil Nadu

The governor of Tamil Nadu is the head of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Governors in India have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the president of India at the central level. They exist in the state appointed by the president of India and they are not local to the state that they are appointed to govern. The factors based on which the president evaluates the candidates is not mentioned in the constitution. The governor acts as the nominal head whereas the real power lies with the chief minister of the state and their council of ministers.
The current incumbent is R. N. Ravi, who has served since 18 September 2021.

## Powers and functions

The governor enjoys many different types of powers:
* Executive powers related to administration, appointments and removals,
* Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislature, that is Vidhan Sabha or Vidhan Parishad, and
* Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.

## Governors
### Madras Presidency and Madras State

Headquartered in Fort St. George, Madras Presidency was a province of British India. It comprised present-day Tamil Nadu, the Malabar region of North Kerala, the coastal and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, and the Bellary, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts of Karnataka. It was established in 1653 to be the headquarters of the English settlements on the Coromandel Coast. After India's independence in 1947, Madras State, the precursor to the present day state of Tamil Nadu, was carved out of Madras Presidency. It comprised present-day Tamil Nadu and parts of present-day Karnataka and Kerala.

### Tabular

| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Term |
| 1 | William Thomas Denison | 18 February 1861 | 26 November 1863 | |
| 2 | Edward Maltby (acting) | 26 November 1863 | 18 January 1864 | |
| 3 | William Thomas Denison | 18 January 1864 | 27 March 1866 | |
| 4 | Lord Napier | 27 March 1866 | 19 February 1872 | |
| 5 | Alexander John Arbuthnot (acting) | 19 February 1872 | 15 May 1872 | |
| 6 | Lord Hobart | 15 May 1872 | 29 April 1875 | |
| 7 | William Rose Robinson (acting) | 29 April 1875 | 23 November 1875 | |
| 8 | Duke of Buckingham and Chandos | 23 November 1875 | 20 December 1880 | |
| 9 | William Huddleston (acting) | 24 May 1881 | 5 November 1881 | |
| 10 | Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff | 5 November 1881 | 8 December 1886 | |
| 11 | Robert Bourke, Baron Connemara | 8 December 1886 | 1 December 1890 | |
| 12 | John Henry Garstin | 1 December 1890 | 23 January 1891 | |
| 13 | Bentley Lawley, Baron Wenlock | 23 January 1891 | 18 March 1896 | |
| 14 | Arthur Elibank Havelock | 18 March 1896 | 28 December 1900 | |
| 15 | Arthur Oliver Villiers-Russell, Baron Ampthill | 28 December 1900 | 30 April 1904 | |
| 16 | James Thompson (acting) | 30 April 1904 | 13 December 1904 | |
| 17 | Arthur Oliver Villiers-Russell, Baron Ampthill | 13 December 1904 | 15 February 1906 | |
| 18 | Gabriel Stoles (acting) | 15 February 1906 | 28 March 1906 | |
| 19 | Arthur Lawley, Baron Wenlock | 28 March 1906 | 3 November 1911 | |
| 20 | Thomas David Gibson-Carmichael, Baron Carmichael | 3 November 1911 | 30 March 1912 | |
| 21 | Sir Murray Hammick (acting) | 30 March 1912 | 30 October 1912 | |
| 22 | John Sinclair, Baron Pentland | 30 October 1912 | 29 March 1919 | |
| 23 | Sir Alexander Gordon Cardew | 29 March 1919 | 10 April 1919 | |
| 24 | George Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Baron Willingdon | 10 April 1919 | 12 April 1924 | |
| 25 | Sir P. Rajagopalachari | 1920 | 1923 | |
| 26 | Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Edward Nye | 6 May 1946 | 7 September 1948 | 1 |
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Term |
| 27 | Maharaja Sir Krishna Kumarasinhji Bhavsinhji | 7 September 1948 | 12 March 1952 | 1 |
| 28 | Sri Prakasa | 12 March 1952 | 10 December 1956 | 1 |
| 29 | A. J. John | 10 December 1956 | 30 September 1957 | 1 |
| - | Pakala Venkata Rajamannar (acting) | 1 October 1957 | 24 January 1958 | 1 |
| 30 | Bhishnuram Medhi | 24 January 1958 | 4 May 1964 | 1 |
| 31 | Maharaja Sir Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur | 4 May 1964 | 24 November 1964 | 1 |
| - | P. Chandra Reddy (acting) | 24 November 1964 | 7 December 1965 | 1 |
| (31) | Maharaja Sir Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur | 7 December 1965 | 28 June 1966 | 1 |
| 32 | Sardar Ujjal Singh (acting) | 28 June 1966 | 14 January 1969 | 1 |

### Tamil Nadu

Madras State was renamed as Tamil Nadu (Tamil for Tamil country) on 14 January 1969. Governors have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at the Central government level. The Governor acts as the nominal head of the state while the Chief Ministers of the states and the Chief Minister's Council of Ministers are invested with most executive powers.
| No. | Name (Birth–Death) | Portrait | Home state | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Previous post | Appointed by |
| No. | Name (Birth–Death) | Portrait | Home state | Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | Previous post | Appointed by |
| 1 | Ujjal Singh (1895–1983) | | Punjab | 14 January 1969 | 25 May 1971 | 2 years, 131 days | Governor of Punjab | Zakir Hussain |
| 2 | K. K. Shah (1908–1986) | | Gujarat | 26 May 1971 | 15 June 1976 | 5 years, 20 days | – | Varahagiri Venkata Giri |
| 3 | Mohan Lal Sukhadia (1916–1982) | | Rajasthan | 16 June 1976 | 8 April 1977 | 296 days | Governor of Andhra Pradesh | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed |
| - | P. Govindan Nair (Unknown–Unknown)(Acting) | | Kerala | 9 April 1977 | 26 April 1977 | 17 days | – | B. D. Jatti (Acting President) |
| 4 | Prabhudas B. Patwari (1909–1985) | | Gujarat | 27 April 1977 | 26 October 1980 | 3 years, 182 days | Indian Lawyer | B. D. Jatti (Acting President) |
| - | M. M. Ismail (1921–2005) (Acting) | | Tamil Nadu | 27 October 1980 | 3 November 1980 | 37 days | Chief Justice of Madras High Court | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| 5 | Sadiq Ali (1910–2001) | | Rajasthan | 4 November 1980 | 2 September 1982 | 1 year, 302 days | Governor of Maharashtra | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| 6 | S. L. Khurana (1918–2007) | | National Capital Territory of Delhi | 3 September 1982 | 16 February 1988 | 5 years, 166 days | Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry | Giani Zail Singh |
| 7 | P. C. Alexander (1921–2011) | | Kerala | 17 February 1988 | 23 May 1990 | 2 years, 95 days | I.A.S. Officer | R. Venkataraman |
| 8 | Surjit Singh Barnala (1925–2017) | | Haryana | 24 May 1990 | 14 February 1991 | 266 days | Chief Minister of Punjab | R. Venkataraman |
| 9 | Bhishma Narain Singh (1933–2018) | | Rajasthan | 15 February 1991 | 30 May 1993 | 2 years, 104 days | Governor of Assam | R. Venkataraman |
| 10 | M. Channa Reddy (1919–1996) | | Andhra Pradesh | 31 May 1993 | 2 December 1996 | 3 years, 185 days | Governor of Rajasthan | Shanker Dayal Sharma |
| – | Krishan Kant (1927–2002) (Acting) | | Punjab | 2 December 1996 | 24 January 1997 | 53 days | Governor of Andhra Pradesh | Shanker Dayal Sharma |
| 11 | M. Fathima Beevi (1927–2023) | | Kerala | 25 January 1997 | 2 July 2001 | 4 years, 158 days | Judge of the Supreme Court of India | Shanker Dayal Sharma |
| - | C. Rangarajan (1932-) (Acting) | | Tamil Nadu | 3 July 2001 | 17 January 2002 | 198 days | Governor of the Reserve Bank of India | K. R. Narayanan |
| 12 | P. S. Ramamohan Rao (1934-) | | Andhra Pradesh | 18 January 2002 | 2 November 2004 | 2 years, 289 days | Director General of Andhra Pradesh Police | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| (8) | Surjit Singh Barnala (1925–2017) | | Haryana | 3 November 2004 | 30 August 2011 | 6 years, 300 days | Governor of Andhra Pradesh | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| 13 | Konijeti Rosaiah (1933–2021) | | Andhra Pradesh | 31 August 2011 | 1 September 2016 | 5 years, 1 day | Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh | Pratibha Devisingh Patil |
| – | C. Vidyasagar Rao (1942–) | | Andhra Pradesh | 2 September 2016 | 5 October 2017 | 1 year, 33 days | Governor of Maharashtra | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 14 | Banwarilal Purohit (1939–) | | Rajasthan | 6 October 2017 | 17 September 2021 | 3 years, 346 days | Governor of Assam | Ram Nath Kovind |
| 15 | R. N. Ravi (1952–) | | Bihar | 18 September 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 123 days | Governor of Nagaland | Ram Nath Kovind |

#### Graphical
## Records

* Surjit Singh Barnala is the only appointed Governor to have served two terms in office (24 May 1990–15 February 1991 and 3 November 2004–31 August 2011).
* The longest term in office was that of Surjit Singh Barnala who served as the Governor for a period of almost six and a half years (3 November 2004–31 August 2011).
* The shortest term in office was that of M. M. Ismail who served as the acting Governor for a period of nine days (27 October 1980–4 November 1980).
* The longest term in office as additional in-charge was that of C. Vidyasagar Rao for a period of 1 year 1 month and 4 days (2 September 2016– 6 October 2017).