List of colonial governors of Virginia

This is a list of colonial governors of Virginia.

Note: Some of those who held the lead role as governor of Virginia never visited the New World and governed through deputies resident in the colony. Others, such as Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, held the lead role for many years, but were only in Virginia a short portion of that time, delegating to others most of the time. Probably for those reasons, in many historical documents and references, the deputies and lieutenant governors who had the primary responsibility in Virginia are also often titled simply "governor." Also, transportation from England routinely took several months, and occasionally, much longer. Thus, dates may appear to overlap.

Virginia Company of London Governors (1607–1624)

From 1606 until 1624, Proprietary Governors oversaw the operation of the Virginia Colony.

Captain John Smith, from his 1614 map of New England

• Edward Maria Wingfield (1607)
• John Ratcliffe (1608) {real name "Capt. John Sicklemore"{?}}
• Matthew Scrivener (1608)
• John Smith (1608–1609)
• George Percy (1609–1610)
• Thomas Gates (1610)
• Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1610–1611)
• George Percy (1611)
• Thomas Dale (1611, 1614–1616)
• Thomas Gates (1611–1614)
• George Yeardley (1616–1617, 1619–1621)
• Samuel Argall (1617–1619)
• Francis Wyatt (1621–1624)

Crown Governors (1624–1652)

After the Virginia Company of London lost its proprietary charter in 1624, Royal Governors oversaw the interests of the Crown in the Virginia Colony until the American Revolution, except for a period under Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth of England from 1652-1660.

• Francis Wyatt (1624–1626, 1639–1642)
• George Yeardley (1626–1627)
• Francis West (1627–1629)
• John Potts (1629–1630)
• John Harvey (1630–1635, 1637–1639)
• John West (1635–1637)
• William Berkeley (1642–1652)
• Richard Kemp (1644–1645)

Commonwealth of England Governors (1652–1660)

• Richard Bennett (1652–1655)
• Edward Digges (1655–1656)
• Samuel Mathews (1656–1660)
• William Berkeley (1660)

Crown Governors (1660–1775)

• William Berkeley (1660–1677)
• Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway (1677–1683)
• Col. Nicholas Spencer (September 1683 – April 1684)^[1][2]
• Gen Joseph Bridger (1684)
• Francis Howard, 5th Baron Howard of Effingham (1684–1692)
• Edmund Andros (1692–1698)
• Francis Nicholson (1698–1705)
  • President of the Council Edward Nott (1705–1706)
• Edmund Jenings (1706–1708)
• Robert Hunter (1707–1709)
• George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney (1710–1737, absentee)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Alexander Spotswood (1714–1722)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Hugh Drysdale (1722–1726)
  • President of the Council: Robert "King" Carter (1726 – September 1727)[1]
  • Lieutenant Governor: William Gooch (1727–1740)
• Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle (1737–1754, absentee)
  • President of the Council: James Blair (1740-41) (acting for Lt. Gov. Gooch while latter out-of-country)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet (1741–1749)
  • President of the Council: Thomas Lee. (1749–1750)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Robert Dinwiddie (1751 – January 1758)
• John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, (1756–1759)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Robert Dinwiddie (1751 – January 1758)
  • Lieutenant Governor: Francis Fauquier (1758–1768)
• Jeffery Amherst (1759–1768, absentee)
  • President of the Council John Blair, Sr. (1768)
• Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt (1768–1770)
• William Nelson (1770–1771)
• John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1771 – June 1775)

References

See also

• Virginia
• Virginia Company of London
• Virginia Colony
• List of Governors of Virginia