List of Governors of Alabama
| Party | Governors |
|---|---|
| Democratic | 48 |
| Republican | 5 |
| Democratic-Republican | 3 |
| Independent | 1 |
The following is a list of the Governors of the State of Alabama and Alabama Territory. There have officially been 52 governors of the state of Alabama; this official numbering skips acting governors.[A] In addition, five people have served as acting governor, bringing the total number of people serving as governor to 57, spread over 62 distinct terms. The 1901 constitution states that, should the governor be outside of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor.[3] Presidents of the senate or lieutenant governors who replace a governor due to resignation, death or removal from office are not acting governors, but rather fully considered governors. Until 1845, the term of state officials was one year, from then until 1901 it was two years, and since 1901 it has been four years.[A]
Four governors have served multiple non-consecutive terms: Bibb Graves, James E. Folsom, Sr., George Wallace, and Forrest H. "Fob" James. Wallace served three times, the others twice. Officially, these non-consecutive terms are numbered only with the number of their first term. William D. Jelks also served non-consecutive terms, but his first term was in an acting capacity. Before it became a state, Alabama Territory had only one governor, William Wyatt Bibb; he also served as the first state governor. Lurleen Wallace, wife of George Wallace, was the first and so far only woman to serve as governor of Alabama, and only the third woman to serve as governor of any state.
- Alabama was part of Mississippi Territory from 1798 to 1817; see List of Governors of Mississippi for this period.
- Prior to 1804, parts of Alabama were part of the state of Georgia; see
List of Governors of Georgia for this period. - The southern bit of Alabama was part of the self-proclaimed Republic of West Florida in 1810; it had only one president, Fulwar Skipwith.
- Prior to then, that bit was part of the Spanish colony of West Florida; see List of Colonial Governors of Florida.
List of governors
Governor of Alabama Territory
Alabama Territory was formed on March 3 1817 from Mississippi Territory.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Wyatt Bibb | March 6 1817 | December 14 1819 | Democratic-Republican | James Monroe | [2] |
Governors of Alabama
The State of Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14 1819.
Notes
- ^ Table does not include acting governors. 52 people have served as governor, four twice, one three times; the table includes these non-consecutive terms as well. Table also only includes state governors, which is somewhat moot since the only territorial governor also served as state governor.
- ^ Records are scarce as to when Bibb was actually appointed. The territory was formed on March 3 1817, but he was appointed by President James Monroe, who didn't take office until the next day. Other resources indicate that other major appointments for the territory were made on March 6 1817[1]; until a better source is found, that is the date used in this article.
- ^ The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1868 Constitution, abolished in the 1875 Constitution, and recreated in the 1901 Constitution.[2]
- ^ a b c Died in office.
- ^ a b c As president of the state senate, filled unexpired term.
- ^ Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ Resigned to take an appointed seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ Arrested by Union forces soon after the American Civil War ended; was released a few weeks later.
- ^ Provisional governor appointed by the Union occupation; it would appear that between Watts's arrest and Parsons's appointment, Alabama had no governor.
- ^ The U.S. Congress stripped Patton of most of his authority in March 1867, after which time the state was effectively under the control of Major General Wager Swayne.
- ^ Military governor appointed during Reconstruction; while Patton was still officially governor, he was mostly a figurehead. The term start date given is the date of the first Reconstruction Act, which put Alabama into the Third Military District; all references only say "March 1867" and "when the Reconstruction Acts were passed". The term end is also ambiguous, but it is assumed Swayne lost power the day Alabama was readmitted to the Union.
- ^ William H. Smith did not voluntarily take office, having been elected in February 1868, due to the failure of voters to ratify the 1868 constitution; he was installed by the U.S. Congress.
- ^ a b Robert Lindsay was sworn in to office, but William H. Smith refused to leave his seat for three weeks, claiming Lindsay was fraudulently elected, finally leaving office on November 26 1870 when a court so ordered.
- ^ Acting governor for 26 days. Jelks was president of the state senate when Governor Samford was out of state at the start of his term seeking medical treatment.
- ^ As president of the state senate, filled unexpired term, and was subsequently elected in his own right.
- ^ Acting governor for nearly a year. Cunningham was lieutenant governor when Governor Jelks was out of state for medical treatment.
- ^ Acting governor for two days. McDowell was lieutenant governor when Governor Brandon was out of state for 21 days as a delegate for the 1924 Democratic National Convention.
- ^ a b As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
- ^ At one point in Lurleen Wallace's term, she left the state for 20 days for medical treatment; as lieutenant governor, Brewer became acting governor for part of a day. As soon as she realized this, Wallace rushed back to the state.
- ^ Acting governor for 32 days. Beasley was lieutenant governor when Governor George Wallace spent 52 days in Maryland for medical treatment following an assassination attempt while campaigning for President of the United States.
- ^ Removed from office upon being convicted of illegally using campaign and inaugural funds to pay personal debts. Hunt was later exonerated of all charges.
- ^ Governor Riley's second term expires in 2011; he is term limited.
Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional, confederate and other federal offices held by governors.[4] All representatives and senators mentioned represented Alabama except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | U.S. Congress | Other offices held | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | Senate | |||
| William Wyatt Bibb | 1817–1820 | U.S. Representative and Senator from Georgia | ||
| Israel Pickens | 1821–1825 | S | ||
| John Murphy | 1825–1829 | H | ||
| Gabriel Moore | 1829–1831 | H | S* | |
| John Gayle | 1831–1835 | H | ||
| Clement Comer Clay | 1835–1837 | H | S* | |
| Arthur P. Bagby | 1837–1841 | S | Ambassador to Russia | |
| Benjamin Fitzpatrick | 1841–1845 | S | President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate (twice) | |
| Joshua L. Martin | 1845–1847 | H | ||
| Reuben Chapman | 1847–1849 | H | ||
| John A. Winston | 1853–1857 | Elected to the U.S. Senate but was refused his seat | ||
| John Gill Shorter | 1861–1863 | Provisional Confederate Deputy | ||
| Thomas H. Watts | 1863–1865 | Attorney General of the Confederate States | ||
| Lewis E. Parsons | 1865 | Elected to the U.S. Senate but was refused his seat | ||
| David P. Lewis | 1872–1874 | Provisional Confederate Deputy | ||
| George S. Houston | 1874–1878 | H | S | |
| Joseph F. Johnston | 1896–1900 | S | ||
| William J. Samford | 1900–1901 | H | ||
| B. B. Comer | 1907–1911 | S | ||
| Bob Riley | 2003–present | H | ||
Living former governors
As of August 2007, seven former governors were alive, the oldest being John Patterson (1959–1963, born 1921). The most recent governor to die was George Wallace (1971–1979, 1983–1987), on September 13 1998.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| John Patterson | 1959–1963 | September 27 1921 |
| Albert Brewer | 1968–1971 | October 26 1928 |
| Jere Beasley | 1972 (acting) | December 12 1935 |
| Forrest H. "Fob" James Jr. | 1979–1983, 1995–1999 | September 15 1934 |
| H. Guy Hunt | 1987–1993 | June 17 1933 |
| James E. Folsom, Jr. | 1993–1995 | May 14 1949 |
| Don Siegelman | 1999–2003 | February 24 1946 |
References
- General
- List of Alabama Governors. The Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Governors of Alabama. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Specific
- [A] Alabama Governors. Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- [B] ^ Section 127 of the 1901 Alabama Constitution. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- [C] ^ Shearer, Benjamin. The Uniting States - The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States, Volume 1: Alabama to Kentucky (PDF), 41. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- [D] ^ Article V. 1868 Constitution of Alabama. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.; Article V. 1875 Constitution of Alabama. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.; Article V, Section 112. 1901 Constitution of Alabama. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- [E] ^ Governors of Alabama. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
| Lists of chief executives of the United States | |
|---|---|
| President | President of the United States |
| State governors | Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas •
California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida •
|
| Territorial executives | |
| Defunct | Pre-state territories • Panama Canal Zone • Philippine Islands • Cuba |
