List of Governors of Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following are governors of the Territory of Michigan and the U.S. state of Michigan.
- Prior to becoming its own territory, parts of Michigan were part of Northwest Territory (see List of Governors of Ohio), Indiana Territory (see List of Governors of Indiana) and Illinois Territory (see List of Governors of Illinois).
Contents |
[edit] Territorial governors
| Name | Dates served |
|---|---|
| William Hull | March 1, 1805 to October 29, 1813 |
| Lewis Cass | October 29, 1813 to August 6, 1831 |
| George Bryan Porter | August 6, 1831 to July 6, 1834 |
| Stevens T. Mason[1] | July 6, 1834 to September 15, 1835 |
| John S. Horner[2] | September 15, 1835 to July 3, 1836 |
[edit] State governors
From statehood until the election of 1966, governors were elected to two-year terms. Elections are held in November and the governor assumes office the following January, except in the case of death or resignation. From statehood until 1851, elections were held in odd-numbered years. A new state constitution was drafted in 1850 and took effect in 1851. As part of the process bringing the constitution into effect, there was a single one-year term of governor in 1851. Thereafter elections were held on even years.
The constitution adopted in 1963 changed the governor's term to four years, starting in 1967. Since then, gubernatorial elections have been offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, gubernatorial elections were in 1998 and 2002). The winner of the gubernatorial election takes office at noon on January 1 of the year following the election.
In 1992, an amendment to the Michigan constitution imposed a lifetime term limit of two four-year terms for the office of governor. Prior to this, they were not limited as to how many terms they could serve; John Engler, the governor at the time, was exempt from the rule and served three terms, reelected in 1994 and 1998 before retiring in 2003.
[edit] Notes
- ^ George Bryan Porter died in office on July 6, 1834. Territorial Secretary, Stevens T. Mason, was authorized to become Acting Governor, though there was no formal succession and he was never officially named as Territorial Governor.
- ^ a b On August 29, 1835, in order to appease Ohio over the Toledo War border dispute, President Andrew Jackson appointed Charles Shuler, a judge in Pennsylvania, to replace Stevens T. Mason as Secretary and Acting Governor. Shuler declined the appointment. On September 15, Jackson appointed John S. Horner as Secretary and Acting Governor to replace Mason, though Horner did not commence his duties until September 21, 1835. In October 1835, Michigan authorized a state constitution and elected Mason as governor of the new state, although the U.S. Congress did not recognize the state until 1837. Horner was mostly ignored by the people of Michigan and he became Secretary of Wisconsin Territory in July 1836.
- ^ a b Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ a b c d As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
- ^ After a new state constitution was drafted in 1850, McClelland was elected to a single one-year term in 1851. He was then re-elected to a full two-year term in 1852.
- ^ Resigned to be United States Secretary of the Interior.
- ^ Died in office.
- ^ Resigned to be United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
- ^ As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
- ^ Binsfeld served during the first two terms; Posthumus served the third term.
- ^ Governor Granholm's second term expires in 2011 due to term limits.
[edit] Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Michigan. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
[edit] Living former governors
As of August 2007, three former governors were alive, the oldest being William Milliken (1969–1983, born 1922). The most recent governor to die was George W. Romney (1963–1969), on July 26, 1995.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| William Milliken | 1969–1983 | March 26, 1922 |
| James Blanchard | 1983–1991 | August 8, 1942 |
| John Engler | 1991–2003 | October 12, 1948 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
