# List of female governors in the United States

As of 2025, 51 women have served as governor of a U.S. state, three as governor of an unincorporated U.S. territory, and two as mayor of the District of Columbia. In January 2025, women have been serving as governor in 12 U.S. states (13 between January 7 and 9, and January 21 and 25; 14 between January 9 and 21), as mayor of the District of Columbia, and as territorial governors of Guam and Puerto Rico. Of the current female state governors, 8 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans. Madeleine Kunin is the oldest living former female governor at 91.

## History

The first woman to act as governor was Carolyn B. Shelton, who served as Acting Governor of Oregon for one weekend – 9 a.m. Saturday, February 27, through 10 a.m. Monday, March 1, 1909. The outgoing governor, George Earle Chamberlain, had been elected to the U.S. Senate and had to leave for Washington, D.C., before his term was over; the incoming governor, Frank W. Benson, had become ill and could not assume office early. Chamberlain left Shelton, his secretary, in charge for the weekend. It was another three and a half years before women were allowed to vote in Oregon.
The first woman acting governor to be entrusted with substantial duties while in office was Soledad Chávez de Chacón, who held the powers and duties of Governor of New Mexico for two weeks in 1924 while Governor James F. Hinkle attended the Democratic Convention in New York. Lieutenant Governor José A. Baca had died in May, so Chacón, the Secretary of State, filled the position. Chacón said that she believed that her 1924 elevation was the first time in the United States that a woman had been called on to assume the responsibilities of the governor.
The first woman to assume office as governor pursuant to a special election was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming, who was elected on November 4, 1924, following the death of her husband and former governor, William B. Ross, and was sworn in on January 5, 1925. Wyoming was the first state to provide women's suffrage after New Jersey had abolished it in 1807. Miriam A. Ferguson of Texas won the general election of November 3, 1924, and was sworn in on January 20, 1925. Her husband, former governor James Edward Ferguson, had been impeached and removed from office in 1917. The first woman elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a previous state governor was Ella T. Grasso of Connecticut, elected in 1974 and sworn in on January 8, 1975.
To date, no woman has ever changed parties during her gubernatorial term or has been elected as a third-party member or an independent.

## Demographics

As of 2025, Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New Mexico are the only states to have elected women as governors from both major parties. Arizona was the first state where a woman followed another woman as governor (they were from different parties). Arizona has also had the most with five, and is the first state to have three women in a row serve as governor.
A record 14 out of 50 state governorships were currently held by women following Kelly Ayotte's inauguration as Governor of New Hampshire on January 9, 2025.
As of 2025, 18 states have never had a female governor: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. 4 states (Minnesota, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah) have never seen a major party nominate a woman in a gubernatorial election, although one woman has served as governor of Utah and 9 consecutive lieutenant governors have been women in Minnesota, from 1983 to the present day.
3 women of color have been state governors: Susana Martinez and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico (both Hispanic) and Nikki Haley of South Carolina (Indian-American). Martinez and Haley are both Republican; Lujan Grisham is a Democrat. Additionally, all 6 women who governed an insular area have been of an ethnic minority group: Sharon Pratt and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. (both African-American), Sila María Calderón, Wanda Vázquez Garced and Jenniffer González-Colón of Puerto Rico (all Hispanic), and Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam (Pacific Islander), all Democratic, with the exceptions of Vázquez Garced and Gonzalez-Colon, who are Republican.

### Histograph

| Starting | Total | Graph |
| March 4, 1789 | 0 | |
| January 5, 1925 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 20, 1925 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| January 3, 1927 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 17, 1927 | 0 | |
| January 17, 1933 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 15, 1935 | 0 | |
| January 16, 1967 | 1 | ❚ |
| May 7, 1968 | 0 | |
| January 8, 1975 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 12, 1977 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| December 31, 1980 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 14, 1981 | 0 | |
| December 13, 1983 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 10, 1985 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| January 9, 1987 | 3 | ❚❚❚ |
| December 8, 1987 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| April 4, 1988 | 3 | ❚❚❚ |
| January 9, 1991 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| January 10, 1991 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 14, 1991 | 3 | ❚❚❚ |
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| March 6, 1991 | 3 | ❚❚❚ |
| January 18, 1994 | 4 | ❚❚❚❚ |
| January 9, 1995 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| January 17, 1995 | 1 | ❚ |
| January 9, 1997 | 2 | ❚❚ |
| September 5, 1997 | 3 | ❚❚❚ |
| December 31, 1998 | 4 | ❚❚❚❚ |
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| January 1, 2019 | 7 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
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| March 2, 2021 | 8 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
| August 24, 2021 | 9 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
| January 2, 2023 | 10 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
| January 5, 2023 | 11 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
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| January 7, 2025 | 13 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
| January 9, 2025 | 14 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
| January 21, 2025 | 13 | ❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚ |
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## State governors

| Name (lifespan) | State | Term start | Term end | Party | Notes | Departure | Time in office |
| Nellie Ross (1876–1977) | Wyoming | January 5, 1925 | January 3, 1927 | Democratic | First woman to serve as governor. First woman as Governor of Wyoming. First woman elected in a special election | Lost reelection | 1 year, 363 days |
| Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961) | Texas | January 20, 1925 | January 17, 1927 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Texas. First woman elected in a general election. First woman to serve non-consecutive terms as Governor | Lost renomination | 1 year, 362 days |
| Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961) | Texas | January 17, 1933 | January 15, 1935 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Texas. First woman elected in a general election. First woman to serve non-consecutive terms as Governor | Retired | 1 year, 363 days |
| Lurleen Wallace (1926–1968) | Alabama | January 16, 1967 | May 7, 1968 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Alabama. First woman to die in office as governor | Died in office | 1 year, 112 days |
| Ella T. Grasso (1919–1981) | Connecticut | January 8, 1975 | December 31, 1980 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Connecticut | Resigned | 5 years, 358 days |
| Dixy Lee Ray (1914–1994) | Washington | January 12, 1977 | January 14, 1981 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Washington | Lost renomination | 4 years, 2 days |
| Vesta M. Roy (1925–2002) | New Hampshire | December 29, 1982 | January 6, 1983 | Republican | First woman as Acting Governor of New Hampshire. Elevated while President of the Senate. Shortest serving female governor | Acting governor replaced upon inauguration of a full governor | 8 days |
| Martha Collins (born 1936) | Kentucky | December 13, 1983 | December 8, 1987 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Kentucky | Term-limited | 3 years, 360 days |
| Madeleine Kunin (born 1933) | Vermont | January 10, 1985 | January 10, 1991 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Vermont. First foreign-born woman as governor | Retired | 6 years, 0 days |
| Kay A. Orr (born 1939) | Nebraska | January 9, 1987 | January 9, 1991 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Nebraska. First woman elected to a governorship over another woman nominated by a major party. First Republican woman elected to a governorship | Lost reelection | 4 years, 0 days |
| Rose Mofford (1922–2016) | Arizona | April 4, 1988 | March 6, 1991 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Arizona. Elevated from Secretary of State | Retired | 2 years, 336 days |
| Joan Finney (1925–2001) | Kansas | January 14, 1991 | January 9, 1995 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Kansas. First woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election | Retired | 3 years, 360 days |
| Barbara Roberts (born 1936) | Oregon | January 14, 1991 | January 9, 1995 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Oregon | Retired | 3 years, 360 days |
| Ann Richards (1933–2006) | Texas | January 15, 1991 | January 17, 1995 | Democratic | | Lost reelection | 4 years, 2 days |
| Christine Todd Whitman (born 1946) | New Jersey | January 18, 1994 | January 31, 2001 | Republican | First woman as Governor of New Jersey. First Republican woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election | Resigned to become EPA Administrator | 7 years, 13 days |
| Jeanne Shaheen (born 1947) | New Hampshire | January 9, 1997 | January 9, 2003 | Democratic | First woman elected Governor of New Hampshire. First woman elected as both Governor and U.S. Senator | Retired | 6 years, 0 days |
| Jane Dee Hull (1935–2020) | Arizona | September 5, 1997 | January 6, 2003 | Republican | Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right | Term-limited | 5 years, 123 days |
| Nancy Hollister (born 1949) | Ohio | December 31, 1998 | January 11, 1999 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Ohio. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor | Term ended | 11 days |
| Judy Martz (1943–2017) | Montana | January 1, 2001 | January 3, 2005 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Montana | Retired | 4 years, 2 days |
| Ruth Ann Minner (1935–2021) | Delaware | January 3, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Delaware. Longest serving female governor | Term-limited | 8 years, 17 days |
| Jane Swift (born 1965) | Massachusetts | April 10, 2001 | January 2, 2003 | Republican | First woman as Acting Governor of Massachusetts. Elevated to acting governor while Lieutenant Governor. First to give birth while in office | Retired | 1 year, 267 days |
| Linda Lingle (born 1953) | Hawaii | December 2, 2002 | December 6, 2010 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Hawaii | Term-limited | 8 years, 4 days |
| Jennifer Granholm (born 1959) | Michigan | January 1, 2003 | January 1, 2011 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Michigan | Term-limited | 8 years, 0 days |
| Janet Napolitano (born 1957) | Arizona | January 6, 2003 | January 21, 2009 | Democratic | First woman to succeed another woman | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security | 6 years, 15 days |
| Kathleen Sebelius (born 1948) | Kansas | January 13, 2003 | April 28, 2009 | Democratic | First governor who is the daughter of a former governor | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services | 6 years, 105 days |
| Olene Walker (1930–2015) | Utah | November 5, 2003 | January 3, 2005 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Utah. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor | Lost nomination for full term | 1 year, 59 days |
| Kathleen Blanco (1942–2019) | Louisiana | January 12, 2004 | January 14, 2008 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Louisiana | Retired | 4 years, 2 days |
| Jodi Rell (1946–2024) | Connecticut | July 1, 2004 | January 5, 2011 | Republican | Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right | Retired | 6 years, 188 days |
| Christine Gregoire (born 1947) | Washington | January 12, 2005 | January 16, 2013 | Democratic | | Retired | 8 years, 4 days |
| Sarah Palin (born 1964) | Alaska | December 4, 2006 | July 26, 2009 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Alaska | Resigned | 2 years, 234 days |
| Bev Perdue (born 1947) | North Carolina | January 10, 2009 | January 5, 2013 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of North Carolina | Retired | 3 years, 361 days |
| Jan Brewer (born 1944) | Arizona | January 21, 2009 | January 5, 2015 | Republican | Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right | Retired | 5 years, 349 days |
| Susana Martinez (born 1959) | New Mexico | January 1, 2011 | January 1, 2019 | Republican | First woman as Governor of New Mexico. First Latina serving as Governor of a U.S. state | Term-limited | 8 years, 0 days |
| Mary Fallin (born 1954) | Oklahoma | January 10, 2011 | January 14, 2019 | Republican | First woman as Governor of Oklahoma | Term-limited | 8 years, 4 days |
| Nikki Haley (born 1972) | South Carolina | January 12, 2011 | January 24, 2017 | Republican | First woman as Governor of South Carolina. First Indian American woman serving as governor | Resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | 6 years, 12 days |
| Maggie Hassan (born 1958) | New Hampshire | January 3, 2013 | January 2, 2017 | Democratic | | Resigned to become a U.S. Senator | 3 years, 365 days |
| Gina Raimondo (born 1971) | Rhode Island | January 6, 2015 | March 2, 2021 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Rhode Island | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce | 6 years, 55 days |
| Kate Brown (born 1960) | Oregon | February 18, 2015 | January 9, 2023 | Democratic | First openly bisexual governor and first openly LGBT elected governor. Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right | Term-limited | 7 years, 325 days |
| Kay Ivey (born 1944) | Alabama | April 10, 2017 | Incumbent | Republican | Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right | Serving | 7 years, 326 days |
| Kim Reynolds (born 1959) | Iowa | May 24, 2017 | Incumbent | Republican | First woman as Governor of Iowa. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right | Serving | 7 years, 282 days |
| Gretchen Whitmer (born 1971) | Michigan | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | | Serving | 6 years, 60 days |
| Michelle Lujan Grisham (born 1959) | New Mexico | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | | Serving | 6 years, 60 days |
| Janet Mills (born 1947) | Maine | January 2, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Maine | Serving | 6 years, 59 days |
| Kristi Noem (born 1971) | South Dakota | January 5, 2019 | January 25, 2025 | Republican | First woman as Governor of South Dakota | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security | 6 years, 20 days |
| Laura Kelly (born 1950) | Kansas | January 14, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | | Serving | 6 years, 47 days |
| Kathy Hochul (born 1958) | New York | August 24, 2021 | Incumbent | Democratic | First woman as Governor of New York. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right | Serving | 3 years, 190 days |
| Katie Hobbs (born 1969) | Arizona | January 2, 2023 | Incumbent | Democratic | | Serving | 2 years, 59 days |
| Maura Healey (born 1971) | Massachusetts | January 5, 2023 | Incumbent | Democratic | First woman elected as Governor of Massachusetts. First openly lesbian governor | Serving | 2 years, 56 days |
| Tina Kotek (born 1966) | Oregon | January 9, 2023 | Incumbent | Democratic | First openly LGBT governor to succeed another openly LGBT governor | Serving | 2 years, 52 days |
| Sarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982) | Arkansas | January 10, 2023 | Incumbent | Republican | First woman as Governor of Arkansas. Youngest current governor in the United States; first millennial governor | Serving | 2 years, 51 days |
| Bethany Hall-Long (born 1963) | Delaware | January 7, 2025 | January 21, 2025 | Democratic | Elevated from Lieutenant Governor | Lost nomination for full term | 14 days |
| Kelly Ayotte (born 1968) | New Hampshire | January 9, 2025 | Incumbent | Republican | | Serving | 53 days |

### Number of female governors by party

| Party | Total number | Number of incumbents |
| Democratic | 30 | 8 |
| Republican | 20 | 4 |
| Total: | 50 | 12 |

### Number of female governors per state

| # of governors | States | # of states |
| 5 | Arizona | 1 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1 |
| 3 | Kansas, Oregon | 2 |
| 2 | Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Washington | 8 |
| 1 | Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming | 20 |
| 0 | California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin | 18 |

### Pregnancies

Governors who have given birth while in office :
| Governor | State | Date of child's birth | Mother's age | Notes |
| Jane Swift | Massachusetts | May 14, 2001 | 36 | First sitting governor or acting governor to give birth while in office. Gave birth to twin girls one month into her tenure as acting governor |
| Sarah Palin | Alaska | April 18, 2008 | 44 | First elected sitting governor to give birth while in office. Gave birth to son, Trig while in office |

## Territories and the District of Columbia

| Name (lifespan) | Jurisdiction | Term start | Term end | Party | Notes | Departure |
| Sharon Pratt (born 1944) | District of Columbia | January 2, 1991 | January 2, 1995 | Democratic | First African American woman elected mayor of a major city. First woman as Mayor of the District of Columbia | Lost renomination |
| Sila Calderón (born 1942) | Puerto Rico | January 2, 2001 | January 2, 2005 | Popular Democratic/ Democratic | First woman as Governor of Puerto Rico. First Hispanic American woman as governor | Retired |
| Muriel Bowser (born 1972) | District of Columbia | January 2, 2015 | Incumbent | Democratic | | Serving |
| Lou Leon Guerrero (born 1950) | Guam | January 7, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Guam. First Pacific Islander American woman as governor | Serving |
| Wanda Vázquez Garced (born 1960) | Puerto Rico | August 7, 2019 | January 2, 2021 | New Progressive/ Republican | Elevated from Secretary of Justice when Pedro Pierluisi was removed quo warranto | Lost renomination |
| Jenniffer González-Colón (born 1976) | Puerto Rico | January 2, 2025 | Incumbent | New Progressive/ Republican | | Serving |

### Number by party

| Party | Total number | Number of incumbents |
| Democratic | 4 | 2 |
| Republican | 2 | 1 |
| Total: | 5 | 3 |

## Elections with two female major party nominees

Incumbent governors are in bold.
Elections with two female major party nominees :
| Election year | State | Winner | Second place finisher | Other female candidate(s) |
| 1986 | Nebraska | Kay A. Orr | Helen Boosalis | |
| 2002 | Hawaii | Linda Lingle | Mazie Hirono | |
| 2010 | New Mexico | Susana Martinez | Diane Denish | |
| 2010 | Oklahoma | Mary Fallin | Jari Askins | |
| 2022 | Alabama | Kay Ivey | Yolanda Flowers | |
| 2022 | Arizona | Katie Hobbs | Kari Lake | |
| 2022 | Iowa | Kim Reynolds | Deidre DeJear | |
| 2022 | Michigan | Gretchen Whitmer | Tudor Dixon | |
| 2022 | Oregon | Tina Kotek | Christine Drazan | Betsy Johnson |
| 2024 | New Hampshire | Kelly Ayotte | Joyce Craig | |