List of Governors of Missouri

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Following is a list of Governors of Missouri since its territory became part of the United States.

Missouri was part of the Louisiana Purchase in which the United States purchased from France in 1803. In its first year it was part of Louisiana. In 1804 all of the territory above what is modern day Louisiana was broken off and administered by a governor based in St. Louis, Missouri until statehood.

Prior to the purchase both France and Spain administered the territory in a similar manner. France initially had a commandant in charge of Upper Louisiana. Spain around 1770 began having a lieutenant governor in St. Louis and governor in New Orleans, Louisiana ruling the whole territory . For a list of governors under Spanish and French rule see Louisiana Governor. For a list of lieutenant governors ruling Upper Louisiana under French and Spanish control see List of commandants of the Illinois Country.

Since the state capitol moved to Jefferson City in 1826 the governor has lived on the same block in the Missouri Governor's Mansion a block east of the Missouri State Capitol (although the current mansion is the third one).

Contents

[edit] Territory

[edit] District of Louisiana

[edit] Indiana Territory

[edit] Louisiana Territory

[edit] Missouri Territory

[edit] State of Missouri

# Name Took office Left office Party Notes
1 Alexander McNair September 18, 1820 November 15, 1824 Democratic-Republican
2 Frederick Bates November 15, 1824 August 4, 1825 Democratic-Republican [1]
3 Abraham J. Williams August 4, 1825 January 20, 1826 Democratic-Republican [2]
4 John Miller January 20, 1826 November 19, 1832 Democratic [3]
5 Daniel Dunklin November 19, 1832 September 30, 1836 Democratic [4]
6 Lilburn W. Boggs September 30, 1836 November 16, 1840 Democratic [5]
7 Thomas Reynolds November 16, 1840 February 9, 1844 Democratic [6]
8 Meredith Miles Marmaduke February 9, 1844 November 20, 1844 Democratic [7]
9 John C. Edwards November 20, 1844 November 20, 1848 Democratic
10 Austin Augustus King November 20, 1848 January 3, 1853 Democratic
11 Sterling Price January 3, 1853 January 5, 1857 Democratic
12 Trusten Polk January 5, 1857 February 27, 1857 Democratic [8]
13 Hancock Lee Jackson February 27, 1857 October 22, 1857 Democratic [9]
14 Robert Marcellus Stewart October 22, 1857 January 3, 1861 Democratic [3]
15 Claiborne Fox Jackson January 3, 1861 August 1, 1861 Democratic [10]

[edit] Civil War

[edit] Missouri secession (Confederate)

Missouri was officially recognized as a Confederate state by the Confederate government and was represented in the Confederate Congress and by a star on the Confederate flag. During the War, Missouri was also claimed by the Union and had two competing state governments. This unusual situation also existed to some degree in the border state of Kentucky.

The first Missouri secession convention voted to remain in the Union in January 1861, but a series of military conflicts ensued. Missouri Unionists and the federal government eventually gained control of the state capitol and established a provisional state government in July that remained loyal to the Union. Meanwhile, the Missouri legislature, made up largely of Southern sympathizers, passed a resolution to secede and join the Confederacy, which was signed by Governor Jackson in October.

[edit] Missouri Provisional Government (Union)

  • 1861-64 - Hamilton Rowan Gamble
  • 1864-65 - Willard Preble Hall

[edit] State of Missouri

# Name Took office Left office Party Notes
16 Hamilton Rowan Gamble August 1, 1861 January 31, 1864 Republican [11][1]
17 Willard Preble Hall January 31, 1864 January 2, 1865 Republican [7]
18 Thomas Clement Fletcher January 2, 1865 January 12, 1869 Republican
19 Joseph W. McClurg January 12, 1869 January 4, 1871 Republican
20 B. Gratz Brown January 4, 1871 January 3, 1873 Liberal Republican
21 Silas Woodson January 3, 1873 January 12, 1875 Democratic
22 Charles Henry Hardin January 12, 1875 January 8, 1877 Democratic
23 John Smith Phelps January 8, 1877 January 10, 1881 Democratic
24 Thomas Theodore Crittenden January 10, 1881 January 12, 1885 Democratic
25 John S. Marmaduke January 12, 1885 December 28, 1887 Democratic [1]
26 Albert P. Morehouse December 28, 1887 January 14, 1889 Democratic [7]
27 David R. Francis January 14, 1889 January 9, 1893 Democratic
28 William Joel Stone January 9, 1893 January 11, 1897 Democratic
29 Lawrence Vest Stephens January 11, 1897 January 14, 1901 Democratic
30 Alexander Monroe Dockery January 14, 1901 January 9, 1905 Democratic
31 Joseph W. Folk January 9, 1905 January 11, 1909 Democratic
32 Herbert S. Hadley January 9, 1909 January 13, 1913 Republican
33 Elliot Woolfolk Major January 13, 1913 January 8, 1917 Democratic
34 Frederick D. Gardner January 8, 1917 January 10, 1921 Democratic
35 Arthur M. Hyde January 10, 1921 January 12, 1925 Republican
36 Samuel Aaron Baker January 12, 1925 January 14, 1929 Republican
37 Henry S. Caulfield January 14, 1929 January 9, 1933 Republican
38 Guy Brasfield Park January 9, 1933 January 11, 1937 Democratic
39 Lloyd C. Stark January 11, 1937 February 26, 1941 Democratic [12]
40 Forrest C. Donnell February 26, 1941 January 8, 1945 Republican [13]
41 Phil M. Donnelly January 8, 1945 January 10, 1949 Democratic
42 Forrest Smith January 10, 1949 January 12, 1953 Democratic
43 Phil M. Donnelly January 12, 1953 January 14, 1957 Democratic
44 James T. Blair, Jr. January 14, 1957 January 9, 1961 Democratic
45 John M. Dalton January 9, 1961 January 11, 1965 Democratic
46 Warren E. Hearnes January 11, 1965 January 8, 1973 Democratic
47 Christopher "Kit" Bond January 8, 1973 January 10, 1977 Republican
48 Joseph P. Teasdale January 10, 1977 January 12, 1981 Democratic
49 Christopher "Kit" Bond January 12, 1981 January 14, 1985 Republican
50 John Ashcroft January 14, 1985 January 11, 1993 Republican
51 Mel Carnahan January 11, 1993 October 16, 2000 Democratic [1]
52 Roger B. Wilson October 17, 2000 January 8, 2001 Democratic [7][14]
53 Bob Holden January 8, 2001 January 10, 2005 Democratic
54 Matt Blunt January 10, 2005 Incumbent Republican [15]


[edit] Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional, other governorships, and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Mississippi except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Name Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
Benjamin Howard 1809–1812 (territorial) U.S. Representative from Kentucky
John Miller 1826–1832 H
John C. Edwards 1844–1848 H
Austin Augustus King 1848–1853 H
Sterling Price 1853–1857 H
Trusten Polk 1857 S*
Willard Preble Hall 1864–1865 H
Joseph W. McClurg 1869–1871 H
B. Gratz Brown 1871–1873 S
John S. Phelps 1877–1881 H Military Governor of Arkansas[16]
Thomas Theodore Crittenden 1881–1885 H
David R. Francis 1889–1893 Ambassador to Russia, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
William J. Stone 1893–1897 H S
Alexander Monroe Dockery 1901–1905 H
Arthur M. Hyde 1921–1925 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Henry S. Caulfield 1929–1933 H
Forrest C. Donnell 1941–1945 S
Christopher "Kit" Bond 1973–1977, 1981–1985 S
John Ashcroft 1985–1993 S U.S. Attorney General
Mel Carnahan 1993–2000 Posthumously elected U.S. Senator

[edit] Living former governors

As of August 2007, six former governors were alive, the oldest being Warren E. Hearnes (1965–1973, born 1923). The most recent governor to die was Mel Carnahan (1993–2000), in office on October 16, 2000.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
Warren E. Hearnes 1965–1973 July 24, 1923
Christopher "Kit" Bond 1973–1977, 1981–1985 March 6, 1939
Joseph P. Teasdale 1977–1981 March 29, 1936
John Ashcroft 1985–1993 May 9, 1942
Roger B. Wilson 2000–2001 October 10, 1948
Bob Holden 2001–2005 August 24, 1949

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Died in office.
  2. ^ As president of the state senate, filled term until special election.
  3. ^ a b Elected in a special election.
  4. ^ Resigned to be Surveyor General of Missouri and Illinois.
  5. ^ As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
  6. ^ Died in office; committed suicide.
  7. ^ a b c d As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
  8. ^ Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
  9. ^ As lieutenant governor, filled term until special election.
  10. ^ Removed from office by the legislature after he denied President Abraham Lincoln's request to provide troops for the American Civil War.
  11. ^ Named provisional governor by the legislature.
  12. ^ Stark stayed on as governor beyond the scheduled January 16 departure because the election of Donnell was challenged by the Missouri House of Representative.
  13. ^ The Missouri House of Representatives refused to certify the election of Donnell on his schedule January 16 inauguration until being ordered to do so by the Missouri Supreme Court after the House challenged the election which Donnell won by 3,613 votes
  14. ^ Missouri Gov Mel Carnahan Killed In Plane Crash – Stateline.org – October 17, 2000 Wilson assumed office at 1:10 AM after Carnahan's body had been formally identified. The date is muddied by online resources which give the wrong dates including the National Governors Association biography which lists October 18 as the start date and The New York Times which in an article entitled "Pilot Sought Better Weather Before Crash" published on October 19 implied the swearing in was either the 18th or even 19th although it gives the 1:10 AM time and says it occurred immediately after Carnahan was identified.
  15. ^ Governor Blunt's first term expires in 2009; he is not yet term limited.
  16. ^ Congressional biography
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