Governor of Baja California

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The Governor of Baja California represents the executive branch of the government of the state of Baja California, Mexico, per the state's constitution. The official title is "Free and Sovereign State of Baja California" (Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), and the position is democratically elected for a period of 6 years, and is not re-electable. The governor's term begins November 1 of the year of the election and finishes October 31, six years later.

History of the position

The present state of Baja California had its origin in 1888, when then President Porfirio Díaz, decreed the division of the Federal Territory of Baja California into two districts, the north and the south. The capital and most of the population of the old territory had been in the south, closer to the area's maritime passage. The north was mostly isolated by the sea and by the desert. Toward end of the 19th century this began to change, with more and more development, and it became necessary to divide the territory into two districts.

The initial capital of the North District was the port of Ensenada, and each one of the two districts remained governed by a political leader appointed by the territory, although officially they continued being territorial a single unit.

The constitution of 1917 maintained the existence of the Federal Territory divided into two districts, but changed the denomination of the Chief Executive into Governors, maintaining this division until 1931 when finally two independent Districts were formed from the Federal Territories.

Finally in 1952 the north territory became the State Free and Sovereign of Baja California.

List of Governors

The individuals that have occupied the governorship of the State of Baja California, in its different denominations, have been the following:

Chief Executive of the North District of the Federal Territory of Baja California

• (1888 - 1894): Luis E. Torres
• (1894 - 1902): Agustín Sangines
• (1902 - 1903): Abraham Arroniz
• (1903 - 1911): Celso Vega
• (1911): Miguel Mayol
• (1911 - 1912): Manuel Gordillo Escudero
• (1912 - 1913): Carlos R. Ptanick
• (1913): José Dolores Espinoza
• (1913): Miguel V. Gómez
• (1913 - 1914): Francisco Vázquez
• (1914 - 1915): David Zárate
• (1915 - 1917): Esteban Cantú Jiménez

Governors of the North District of the Federal Territory of Baja California

• (1917 - 1920): Esteban Cantú Jiménez
• (1920): Luis M. Salazar
• (1920 - 1921): Manuel Balarezo
• (1921): Epigmenio Ibarra
• (1921 - 1922): Lucas B. Rodríguez
• (1922 - 1923): José Inocente Lugo
• (1923 - 1930): Abelardo L. Rodríguez
• (1930): José María Tapia
• (1930): Arturo M. Bernal
• (1930 - 1931): Carlos Trejo Lerdo de Tejada

Governors of the Federal North Territory of Baja California

• (1931): Carlos Trejo Lerdo de Tejada
• (1931 - 1932): Agustín Olachea
• (1932): Arturo M. Elías
• (1932 - 1935): Agustín Olachea
• (1935 - 1936): Gildardo Magaña
• (1936): Gabriel Gavira
• (1936 - 1937): Rafael Navarro Cortina
• (1937 - 1944): Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada
• (1944 - 1946): Juan Felipe Rico Islas
• (1946 - 1947): Alberto V. Aldrete
• (1947 - 1952): Alfonso García González

Governors of the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California

1. (1952 - 1953): Alfonso García González
2. (1953 - 1959): Braulio Maldonado Sández
3. (1959 - 1964): Eligio Esquivel Méndez
4. (1964 - 1965): Gustavo Aubanel Vallejo
5. (1965 - 1971): Raúl Sánchez Díaz Martell
6. (1971 - 1977): Milton Castellanos Everardo
7. (1977 - 1983): Roberto de la Madrid Romandía
8. (1983 - 1989): Xicoténcatl Leyva Mortera
9. (1989 - 1989): Oscar Baylón Chacón
10. (1989 - 1995): Ernesto Ruffo Appel
11. (1995 - 1998): Héctor Terán Terán
12. (1998 - 2001): Alejandro González Alcocer
13. (2001 - 2007): Eugenio Elorduy Walther
14. (2007 - 2013): José Guadalupe Osuna Millán

See also

• List of Mexican state governors