List of Governors of Alabama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Alabama's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Alabama Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment.
The 1901 constitution provides that the governor and lieutenant governor are elected to terms of four years, commencing from the first Monday after the second Tuesday in the January following election. The 1901 constitution also states that, should the governor be outside of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor.[D] 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.[D] The term for state officials was two years until increased to four years in 1901.[E] The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on the same ticket.
There have officially been 52 governors of the state of Alabama; this official numbering skips acting governors.[E] 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. 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. The longest-serving governor was George Wallace, who served twelve years over three terms. The shortest term for a non-acting governor was that of Hugh McVay, who served four and a half months after replacing the resigning Clement C. Clay. The current governor is Bob Riley, who took office on January 20, 2003; his term will expire in January 2011.
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[edit] Governors
The land that became Alabama was mostly obtained by the United States after the American Revolution. The bulk was initially part of the state of Georgia, while the southern bit was part of the Spanish colony of West Florida. The self-proclaimed Republic of West Florida controlled that area in 1810, which had only one president, Fulwar Skipwith. Georgia sold the land to the federal government following the Yazoo land scandal, and Mississippi Territory was formed from it in 1798, with the newly-annexed West Florida land added in 1810. Alabama Territory was split from Mississippi Territory in 1817, and achieved statehood in 1819. See the lists of governors of Mississippi (1798–1817), of Georgia (—1804), and colonial governors of Spanish Florida (—1810) for these periods.
[edit] Governor of Alabama Territory
Alabama Territory was formed on March 3, 1817 from Mississippi Territory. It had only one governor before it became a state; he later became the first state governor.
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Wyatt Bibb | March 6, 1817 | December 14, 1819 | Democratic-Republican | James Monroe | [2] |
[edit] Governors of Alabama
Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819. Since then, it has had 52 governors, plus five acting governors, combined serving 62 distinct terms. It seceded from the Union on January 11, 1861 and was a founding member of the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861; there was no Union government in exile, so there was a single line of governors. Following the end of the American Civil War, it was part of the Third Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. Alabama was readmitted to the Union on July 14, 1868.
Democratic-Republican Democratic Republican Other
[edit] 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 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.
- ^ The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1868 Constitution, abolished in the 1875 Constitution, and recreated in the 1901 Constitution.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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 refused to 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 on November 26, 1870, but William H. Smith refused to leave his seat for three weeks, claiming Lindsay was fraudulently elected, finally leaving office on December 8, 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.
- ^ Gubernatorial terms were increased from two to four years during Jelks' term; his first term was filling out Samford's two-year term, and he was elected in 1902 for a four-year term.
- ^ 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 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.
- ^ a b As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
- ^ 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 on January 17, 2011; he is term limited.
[edit] Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional, confederate and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Alabama except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take. † denotes those offices from which the governor resigned to take the governorship.
| 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 | ||
[edit] Living former governors
As of June 2008, seven former governors were alive, the oldest being John Patterson (1959–1963, born 1921). The most recent death of a former governor was that of 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 |
[edit] References
- General
- List of Alabama Governors. Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Governors of Alabama. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Constitutions
- Constitution of Alabama (1868). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Constitution of Alabama (1875). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- Constitution of Alabama (1901). Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- Specific
- [A] ^ 1901 Const., art. V
- [B] ^ 1901 Const., art. V, § 114
- [C] ^ 1901 Const., art. V, § 116
- [D] ^ 1901 Const., art. V, § 127
- [E] 1 2 Alabama Governors. Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- [F] ^ 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.
- [G] ^ 1868 Const., art. V
- [H] ^ 1875 Const., art. V
- [I] ^ 1901 Const., art. V, § 112
- [J] ^ White, James Terry (1900). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. James T. White & Company, 435. Retrieved on 2008-01-18.
- [K] ^ Governors of Alabama. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- [L] ^ William Wyatt Bibb. Our Georgia History. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- [M] ^ Alabama Governor John Shorter. Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
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