List of Governors of Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Party | Governors |
|---|---|
| Republican | 30 |
| Democratic | 12 |
| Whig | 1 |
| Progressive | 1 |
The following is a list of the Governors of the State of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Territory. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Wisconsin's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[A]
Originally, governors of Wisconsin served for two-year terms, but in 1967 the state constitution was amended to change this to four.[A] Patrick Lucey, elected in the 1970 election, was the first governor to serve a four-year term.[B] Governors of Wisconsin are not term limited.[A]
The state constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor; originally, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected on different tickets, and thus were not necessarily of the same party. Since the 1967 amendment, however, the two have been nominated, and voted on, together. Originally, if the office of the governor was vacant for any reason, "the powers and duties of the office . . . devolve[d] upon the lieutenant governor."[A] In 1979, the constitution was amended to make this more specific: if the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor, but becomes acting governor if the governor is absent from the state, impeached, or unable to carry out of duties. If any of these events occur while the office of lieutenant governor is vacant, the secretary of state becomes either governor or acting governor.[A] Two Wisconsin governors have died while in office, one has died after being elected but before taking office, and four have resigned.[B]
Forty-three individuals have held the office of governor of Wisconsin since the state's admission to the Union in 1848, one of whom—Philip La Follette—served non-consecutive terms. Nelson Dewey, the first governor, took office on June 7, 1848. The longest-serving governor was Tommy Thompson, who took office on January 5, 1987 and resigned on February 1, 2001, a total of 14 years and 28 days. Arthur MacArthur, Sr. had the shortest term: he took office on March 21, 1856 and left March 25 of the same year after a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling made Coles Bashford governor, a total of 5 days in office.[B] The current governor is Jim Doyle, who took office on January 6, 2003; his term will expire in January 2011.[B]
Contents |
[edit] Governors
Initially after the American Revolution, parts of the area now known as Wisconsin were claimed by Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut; however, Virginia ceded its claim in 1784, Massachusetts in 1785 and Connecticut in 1786.[C] On July 13, 1787, the Northwest Territory, including the area now called Wisconsin, was formed; Wisconsin remained part of the territory until 1800.[D] The territorial governor during this period was Arthur St. Clair.[E] As parts of the Northwest Territory were admitted to the Union as states, Wisconsin became part of first the Indiana Territory (1800–1809), then the Illinois Territory (1809–1818), and then the Michigan Territory (1818–1836);[D] see the lists of governors of Indiana, of Illinois, and of Michigan for these periods.
[edit] Governors of Wisconsin Territory
Wisconsin Territory was formed on July 3, 1836. During the time of its existence, the Wisconsin Territory had three territorial governors, one of whom served non-consecutive terms[D][F], and one who continued on as "acting governor" after the territory had officially ceased to exist.
| # | Picture | Name | Appointed | Left office[2] | Party | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Henry Dodge | April 30, 1836 | September 13, 1841[H] | Democratic | Andrew Jackson |
| 2 |  |
James Duane Doty | September 30, 1841 | June 21, 1844 | Whig | John Tyler |
| 3 |  |
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge | June 21, 1844 | April 8, 1845 | Democratic | John Tyler |
| 4 | |
Henry Dodge | April 8, 1845 | June 23, 1848[3] | Democratic | James Polk |
| — | John Catlin[3] | June 23, 1848 | March 3, 1849 | Democratic | none (acting governor) |
[edit] Governors of Wisconsin
Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848. Since then, it has had 43 governors, one of whom served non-consecutive terms.[B][I]
Democratic Whig Republican Progressive
[edit] Notes
- ^ Table only includes state governors.
- ^ Absent any other sources, it is assumed the governor left office when his successor was appointed.
- ^ a b When the State of Wisconsin was formed, part of Wisconsin Territory was not included in the state. This portion likely became unorganized territory; however, the Wisconsin territorial government continued to function there until the land was assigned to Minnesota Territory on March 3, 1849. Henry Dodge ceased to be territorial governor when he took is seat as a U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin on June 23, 1848. In the absence of a governor, John Catlin, as Secretary of Wisconsin Territory, acted as governor until the organization of Minnesota Territory.[G]
- ^ Vacancies in the office of the lieutenant governor are only listed if they lasted for the entire term. For a full list of vacancies, see List of Lieutenant Governors of Wisconsin.
- ^ 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 d e f Died in office
- ^ a b c Initially, Barstow was declared the winner of the 1855 election, but soon resigned amid claims that he had won through fraudulent means. MacArthur, as lieutenant governor, acted as governor for five days, until the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared Barstow's opponent, Bashford, the legitimate governor. Bashford completed the term, with MacArthur continuing to serve as lieutenant governor.
- ^ a b c d As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for remainder of unexpired term.
- ^ During Rusk's first term, the Wisconsin Constitution was amended to say that all elections of state and county officers would henceforth take place in even-numbered years. By the provisions of the amendment, the terms of all officials who would have left office in 1884, including Rusk, were extended by one year.
- ^ La Follette nominated himself to Wisconsin's vacant U.S. Senate seat in 1905, and was confirmed by the state senate; he held both offices, leaving the senate seat unfilled, until he resigned from the office of governor to take his seat in the senate.
- ^ Resigned to take an appointment to the state tax commission.
- ^ Loomis was elected in the 1942 election, but died before taking office. Per a ruling of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Goodland, who had been re-elected lieutenant governor in the same election, acted as governor for the term.
- ^ As per a 1967 amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution, Lucey's first term was the first gubernatorial term to last 4 years
- ^ Resigned to take post as Ambassador to Mexico.
- ^ Contemporary newspaper sources indicate that Dreyfus was sworn in on January 3;[K] the Wisconsin Blue Book, however, states that he was sworn in on January 1.[B]
- ^ Resigned to be United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- ^ As lieutenant governor, served as governor for remainder of unexpired term.
- ^ Governor Doyle's second term expires on January 3, 2011; he is not term limited.
[edit] Other high offices held
This is a table of other governorships, congressional and other federal offices, and ranking diplomatic positions in foreign countries held by Wisconsin governors.[I] All representatives and senators mentioned represented Wisconsin except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take. † denotes those offices from which the governor resigned to take the governorship.
[edit] Living former governors
As of June 2008, five former governors were alive, the oldest being Patrick Joseph Lucey (1971–1977, born 1918). The most recent death of a former governor was that of Lee S. Dreyfus (1979–1983), on January 2, 2008.[B]
| Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Joseph Lucey | 1971–1977 | March 21, 1918 |
| Martin J. Schreiber | 1977–1979 | April 8, 1939 |
| Anthony S. Earl | 1983–1987 | April 12, 1936 |
| Tommy Thompson | 1987–2001 | November 19, 1941 |
| Scott McCallum | 2001–2003 | May 2, 1950 |
[edit] References
- General
- Governors Database: Wisconsin. National Governors Association. National Governors Association (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.) [July 2005]. Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF), Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
- Specific
- [A] 1 2 3 4 5 "Wisconsin Constitution, As amended through June 30, 2005; Article V", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF), 207–209. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
- [B] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Wisconsin Governors since 1848", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF), 724. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
- [C] 1 Beck, J. D. (ed.) [1911]. The blue book of the state of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Company, 512. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- [D] 1 2 3 "Significant Events in Wisconsin History", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF), 696. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- [E] 1 St. Clair, Arthur. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Government Printing Office (2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- [F] 1 [1853] Manual for the use of the assembly, of the state of Wisconsin, for the year 1853. Madison, Wisconsin: Brown and Carpenter, Printers, 74. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- [G] 1 [1879] The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Racine County, Wisconsin: Western Historical Company, 54–56. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- [H] 1 Butterfield, C.W. [1880]. The history of Columbia County, Wisconsin, 49. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- [I] 1 2 Governors Database: Wisconsin. National Governors Association. National Governors Association (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- [J] 1 "Wisconsin Constitutional Officers; Lieutenant Governors", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF), 725. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||
