List of Governors of Idaho
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Party | Governors |
|---|---|
| Republican | 20 |
| Democratic | 12 |
The following is a list of the Governors of the State of Idaho and Idaho Territory. The governor is the chief executive of the state, and commander-in-chief of the state military forces.
The terms for governor and lieutenant governor are four years, commencing on the first Monday in the January following the election. Prior to 1946, the offices were elected to terms of two years.[1] If the office of governor is vacant or the governor is out of state or unable to discharge his duties, the lieutenant governor acts as governor until such time as the disability is removed.[2] In this list, this is only noted when the lieutenant governor filled a vacant term; it does not include when the lieutenant governor acted in place of the governor while the governor was temporarily out of the state. If both the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are unable to fulfill their duties, the president pro tempore of the state senate is next in line, and then the speaker of the state house of representatives.[3] The governor is not term limited.
Thirty individuals have held the office of governor of Idaho since the state's admission to the Union in 1890, two of whom—C. A. Bottolfsen and Cecil D. Andrus—served non-consecutive terms. The current governor is C.L. "Butch" Otter, who took office on January 1, 2007; his first term will expire in January 2011.
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[edit] Governors
The region that became Idaho was originally obtained by the United States as part of Oregon Country, shared with the United Kingdom from 1818 to 1846. Joint control ended in 1846, with the American portion being organized as Oregon Territory in 1848. The northern half, including the northern panhandle of modern Idaho, was split into Washington Territory in 1853, with the southern half being assigned to Washington Territory in 1859.
Idaho Territory was split from Washington Territory in 1863, initially including all of modern Idaho and Montana, and most of Wyoming, which were areas it received from Dakota Territory. In 1864, Montana Territory was formed, and most of the Wyoming portion of the territory was reassigned to Dakota Territory. The final part east of the 111th meridian was reassigned to the new Wyoming Territory in 1868, giving Idaho Territory its final borders. See the lists of governors of Oregon (1848–1859) and of Washington (1853–1863) for these periods.
[edit] Governors of Idaho Territory
Idaho Territory was formed on March 4, 1863. During the time of its existence, the territory had 17 territorial governors, the final of which became the first state governor.
[edit] Governors of Idaho
Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890. Since then, it has had 30 governors, two of whom served non-consecutive terms. The term of office was two years until beginning with the 1946 election it was lengthened to four years.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Idaho Constitutional Amendment Historical 1940s through 1950s
- ^ Idaho Constitution IV - 12
- ^ Idaho Constitution IV - 14
- ^ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
- ^ Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ a b c As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
- ^ Moore was part of a fusion ticket that was also endorsed by the Populist Party.
- ^ Steunenberg was part of a fusion ticket that was also endorsed by the Populist Party.
- ^ Hutchinson was part of a fusion ticket that was also endorsed by the Silver Republican Party.
- ^ Official sources disagree on when Morrison left office and Gooding took office, usually stating that Morrison left on January 2 and Gooding entered on January 3. The only sources that agree on the dates state the changeover occurred on January 2.[1]
- ^ Died in office.
- ^ Gossett resigned to let Lieutenant Governor Williams succeed him and then appoint him to the United States Senate.
- ^ Robins served the first term after terms were lengthened to four years.
- ^ a b Resigned to be United States Secretary of the Interior.
- ^ As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
- ^ Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives.
- ^ Governor Otter's first term expires on January 3, 2011; he is not term limited.
[edit] Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Idaho except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | U.S. Congress | Other offices held | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House | Senate | |||
| William H. Wallace | 1863–1864 | Territorial Delegate*, Territorial Delegate from Washington Territory, Governor of Washington Territory | ||
| Caleb Lyon | 1864–1866 | U.S. Representative from New York | ||
| Thomas M. Bowen | 1871 | U.S. Senator from Colorado | ||
| Thomas W. Bennett | 1871–1875 | Territorial Delegate | ||
| David P. Thompson | 1875–1876 | Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire | ||
| George Laird Shoup | 1889–1890 (territorial), 1890 | S | ||
| William J. McConnell | 1893–1897 | S | ||
| Frank R. Gooding | 1905–1909 | S | ||
| James H. Brady | 1909–1911 | S | ||
| Charles C. Gossett | 1945 | S | ||
| Leonard B. Jordan | 1951–1955 | S | ||
| Cecil D. Andrus | 1971–1977, 1987–1995 | U.S. Secretary of the Interior* | ||
| Dirk Kempthorne | 1999–2006 | S | U.S. Secretary of the Interior* | |
| C.L. "Butch" Otter | 2007–present | H | ||
[edit] Living former governors
As of March 2008, five former governors were alive, the oldest being John V. Evans (1977–1987, born 1925). The most recent governor to die was Robert E. Smylie (1955–1967), on July 17, 2004. The most recently-serving governor to die was Don Samuelson (1967–1971), on January 20, 2000.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil D. Andrus | 1971–1977, 1987–1995 | August 25, 1931 |
| John V. Evans | 1977–1987 | January 18, 1925 |
| Phil Batt | 1995–1999 | March 4, 1927 |
| Dirk Kempthorne | 1999–2006 | October 29, 1951 |
| Jim Risch | 2006–2007 | May 3, 1943 |
[edit] References
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