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Governor of Texas
Governor's Standard
Incumbent Rick Perry since December 21, 2000
Style	The Honorable
Residence	Texas Governors Mansion
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	James Pinckney Henderson 1846
Formation	Texas Constitution
Website	Office of the Governor

The following is a list of the Governors of the State of Texas. The governor 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.

Compared to the governors of other US states, the Governorship of Texas is often cited as a fairly weak office.^[1][2] Indeed, in some respects it is the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, who presides over the state legislature, who is a more powerful political figure able to exercise greater personal prerogatives. ^[1][2]

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).^[3]. The 1861 secessionist constitution set the term state date at the first Monday in the November following the election.^[4] The 1866 constitution, adopted just after the American Civil War, increased terms to four years, but no more than eight years out of every twelve, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable."^[5] The Reconstruction constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms,^[6] and to this day, Texas is one of 14 states^[7] with no gubernatorial term limit. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years,^[8] but a 1972 amendment increased it back to four years.^[9]

Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th century 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). Current Governor Rick Perry, who took office in December 2000, has now surpassed both these records. If Perry remains in office through the end of his current term, he will become the first Texas governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms. Perry won his party's nomination for a third term in 2010. Allan Shivers, Price Daniel, and John Connally are currently the only three Texas governors to be elected to three terms.

In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.^[10] This 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.^[11]

Governors of Spanish Texas

See: List of Texas Governors and Presidents

Governors of Mexican Texas

See: List of Texas Governors and Presidents

Presidents of the Republic of Texas

See: List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas

Governors of Texas

#	Name	Picture	Took office	Left office	Party	Lt. Governor	Notes[12]
1	James Pinckney Henderson		February 19, 1846	December 21, 1847	Democratic	Albert Clinton Horton
2	George T. Wood		December 21, 1847	December 21, 1849	Democratic	John Alexander Greer
3	Peter Hansborough Bell		December 21, 1849	November 23, 1853	Democratic	John Alexander Greer (1849-51)	[13]
						James W. Henderson (1851-53)
4	James W. Henderson		November 23, 1853	December 21, 1853	Democratic	Vacant	[14]
5	Elisha M. Pease		December 21, 1853	December 21, 1857	Unionist	David Catchings Dickson (1853-55)
						Hardin Richard Runnels (1855-57)
6	Hardin R. Runnels		December 21, 1857	December 21, 1859	Democratic	Francis R. Lubbock
7	Sam Houston		December 21, 1859	March 18, 1861	Independent	Edward Clark	[15]
8	Edward Clark		March 18, 1861	November 7, 1861	Democratic		[14]
9	Francis R. Lubbock		November 7, 1861	November 5, 1863	Democratic
10	Pendleton Murrah		November 5, 1863	June 17, 1865	Democratic	Fletcher Summerfield Stockdale	[16]
	Fletcher Summerfield Stockdale		June 11, 1865	June 16, 1865	Military		[17]
11	Andrew J. Hamilton		June 17, 1865	August 9, 1866	Democratic-Military	Vacant	[18]
12	James W. Throckmorton		August 9, 1866	August 8, 1867	Democratic	George Washington Jones	[19]
13	Elisha M. Pease		June 8, 1867	September 30, 1869	Republican		[19][20]
14	Edmund J. Davis		January 8, 1870	January 15, 1874	Republican	Vacant	[21]
15	Richard Coke		January 15, 1874	December 21, 1876	Democratic		[22]
16	Richard B. Hubbard		December 21, 1876	January 21, 1879	Democratic		[14]
17	Oran M. Roberts		January 21, 1879	January 16, 1883	Democratic
18	John Ireland		January 16, 1883	January 20, 1887	Democratic
19	Lawrence Sullivan Ross		January 18, 1887	January 20, 1891	Democratic
20	James Stephen Hogg		January 20, 1891	January 15, 1895	Democratic
21	Charles A. Culberson		January 15, 1895	January 17, 1899	Democratic
22	Joseph D. Sayers		January 17, 1899	January 20, 1903	Democratic
23	S. W. T. Lanham		January 20, 1903	January 15, 1907	Democratic
24	Thomas Mitchell Campbell		January 15, 1907	January 17, 1911	Democratic
25	Oscar Branch Colquitt		January 17, 1911	January 19, 1915	Democratic
26	James E. "Pa" Ferguson		January 19, 1915	August 25, 1917	Democratic		[23]
27	William P. Hobby		August 25, 1917	January 18, 1921	Democratic		[24]
28	Pat Morris Neff		January 18, 1921	January 20, 1925	Democratic
29	Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson		January 20, 1925	January 17, 1927	Democratic	Barry Miller
30	Dan Moody		January 17, 1927	January 20, 1931	Democratic
31	Ross S. Sterling		January 20, 1931	January 17, 1933	Democratic	Edgar E. Witt
32	Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson		January 17, 1933	January 15, 1935	Democratic
33	James V. Allred		January 15, 1935	January 17, 1939	Democratic	Walter Frank Woodul
34	W. Lee O'Daniel		January 17, 1939	August 4, 1941	Democratic	Coke R. Stevenson	[25]
35	Coke R. Stevenson		August 4, 1941	January 21, 1947	Democratic	Vacant (1941-43)	[24]
						John Lee Smith (1943-47)
36	Beauford H. Jester		January 21, 1947	July 11, 1949	Democratic	Allan Shivers	[26]
37	Allan Shivers		July 11, 1949	January 15, 1957	Democratic	Vacant (1949-51)	[24]
						Ben Ramsey (1951-53)
38	Price Daniel		January 15, 1957	January 15, 1963	Democratic	Ben Ramsey
39	John Connally		January 15, 1963	January 21, 1969	Democratic	Preston Smith
40	Preston Smith		January 21, 1969	January 16, 1973	Democratic	Ben Barnes
41	Dolph Briscoe		January 16, 1973	January 16, 1979	Democratic	William P. Hobby, Jr.
42	Bill Clements		January 16, 1979	January 18, 1983	Republican
43	Mark White		January 18, 1983	January 20, 1987	Democratic
44	Bill Clements		January 20, 1987	January 15, 1991	Republican
45	Ann Richards		January 15, 1991	January 17, 1995	Democratic	Bob Bullock
46	George W. Bush		January 17, 1995	December 21, 2000	Republican	Bob Bullock (1995-99)	[27]
						Rick Perry (1999-2000)
47	Rick Perry		December 21, 2000	Incumbent	Republican	Bill Ratliff (acting) (2000-03)	[24][28]
						David Dewhurst (2003-present)

Other high offices held

Living former governors

As of March 2010, four former governors are currently living. The most recent death of a former governor was that of Ann Richards (1991–1995), on September 13, 2006.

Gubernatorial Trivia

Background

• Texas has had 2 female governors:
  • Miriam A. Ferguson
  • Ann Richards
• Governors have been born in fourteen states:
  • Alabama
  • Connecticut
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia

Elections

• Three governors have served non-consecutive terms:
  • Elisha M. Pease
  • Miriam A. Ferguson
  • Bill Clements
• For 105 years between 1874 and 1979, no Republican served as governor.

Texas Governors in Popular Culture

• W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel served as the inspiration for the fictional, but similarly named Mississippi Governor Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
• Ann Richards had a cameo appearance on an episode of the animated comedy series King of the Hill, in which she has a brief romance with Bill Dauterive after he takes the fall for mooning her in the elevator of an Austin hotel (Hank actually mooned her).

See also

• List of Texas Governors and Presidents
• List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas
• List of Lieutenant Governors of Texas

Notes

References

General

• Legislative Reference Library of Texas -- Governors of Texas
• Governor (of Texas) from the Handbook of Texas Online
• The Handbook of Texas Online: Texas History Quiz -- Presidents and Governors of Texas
• Explanation of the strengths of governors

Constitutions

• 1876 Constitution, as amended (Current)
• 1876 Constitution
• 1869 Constitution
• 1866 Constitution
• 1861 Constitution
• 1845 Constitution

Specific

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