Governors of Texas, 1846 – present Search documents

Governor	Party	Years in Office	Legislatures as Governor*
Greg Abbott	Republican	January 20, 2015 - January 19, 2027	84th – 88th
Rick Perry ¹	Republican	December 21, 2000 - January 20, 2015	76th – 84th
George W. Bush ²	Republican	January 17, 1995 - December 21, 2000	74th – 76th
Ann W. Richards	Democrat	January 15, 1991 - January 17, 1995	72nd – 74th
Mark W. White, Jr.	Democrat	January 18, 1983 - January 20, 1987	68th – 70th
William P. Clements	Republican	January 20, 1987 - January 15, 1991 January 16, 1979 - January 18, 1983	70th - 72nd 66th - 68th
Dolph Briscoe	Democrat	January 16, 1973 - January 16, 1979	63rd – 66th
Preston Smith	Democrat	January 21, 1969 - January 16, 1973	61st – 63rd
John B. Connally, Jr.	Democrat	January 15, 1963 - January 21, 1969	58th – 61st
Price Daniel, Sr.	Democrat	January 15, 1957 - January 15, 1963	55th – 58th
Robert Allan Shivers ³	Democrat	July 11, 1949 - January 15, 1957	51st – 55th
Beauford H. Jester ⁴	Democrat	January 21, 1947 - July 11, 1949	50th – 51st
Coke R. Stevenson	Democrat	August 4, 1941 - January 21, 1947	47th – 50th
W. Lee O'Daniel ⁵	Democrat	January 17, 1939 - August 4, 1941	46th – 47th
James V Allred	Democrat	January 15, 1935 - January 17, 1939	44th – 46th
Ross S. Sterling	Democrat	January 20, 1931 - January 17, 1933	42nd – 43rd
Daniel J. Moody, Jr.	Democrat	January 17, 1927 - January 20, 1931	40th – 42nd
Miriam Ferguson	Democrat	January 17, 1933 - January 15, 1935 January 20, 1925 - January 17, 1927	43rd - 44th 39th - 40th
Pat M. Neff	Democrat	January 18, 1921 - January 20, 1925	37th – 39th
William P. Hobby ⁶	Democrat	September 25, 1917 - January 18, 1921	35th – 37th
James E. Ferguson ⁷	Democrat	January 19, 1915 - September 24, 1917	34th – 35th
Oscar Branch Colquitt	Democrat	January 17, 1911 - January 19, 1915	32nd – 34th
Thomas Mitchell Campbell	Democrat	January 15, 1907 - January 17, 1911	30th – 32nd
S.W.T. Lanham	Democrat	January 20, 1903 - January 15, 1907	28th – 30th
Joseph D. Sayers	Democrat	January 17, 1899 - January 20, 1903	26th – 28th
Charles A. Culberson	Democrat	January 15, 1895 - January 17, 1899	24th – 26th
James Stephen Hogg	Democrat	January 20, 1891 - January 15, 1895	22nd – 24th
Lawrence Sullivan Ross	Democrat	January 18, 1887 - January 20, 1891	20th – 22nd
John Ireland	Democrat	January 16, 1883 - January 18, 1887	18th – 20th
Oran M. Roberts	Democrat	January 21, 1879 - January 16, 1883	16th – 18th
Richard B. Hubbard	Democrat	December 1, 1876 - January 21, 1879	16th
Richard Coke ⁸	Democrat	January 15, 1874 - December 1, 1876	14th – 15th
Edmund J. Davis	Republican	January 8, 1870 - January 15, 1874	11th – 14th
James W. Throckmorton ⁹	Democrat	August 19, 1866 - August 8, 1867	11th
Andrew J. Hamilton ¹⁰	Democrat	June 17, 1865 - August 9, 1866	11th
Pendleton Murrah ¹¹	Democrat	November 5, 1863 - June 17, 1865	10th
Francis R. Lubbock ¹²	Democrat	November 7, 1861 - November 5, 1863	9th – 10th
Edward Clark	Democrat	March 16, 1861 - November 7, 1861	8th – 9th
Sam Houston ¹³	Democrat	December 21, 1859 - March 16, 1861	8th
Hardin R. Runnels	Democrat	December 21, 1857 - December 21, 1859	7th – 8th
Elisha M. Pease ¹⁴	Unionist	December 21, 1853 - December 21, 1857 August 8, 1867 - September 30, 1869	11th 5th - 7th
James W. Henderson	Democrat	November 23, 1853 - December 21, 1853	5th
Peter Hansbrough Bell ¹⁵	Democrat	December 21, 1849 - November 23, 1853	3rd – 5th
George T. Wood	Democrat	December 21, 1847 - December 21, 1849	2nd – 3rd
J. Pinckney Henderson	Democrat	February 19, 1846 - December 21, 1847	1st

*Includes outgoing service between beginning of legislative session and inauguration of new governor.

1. Sworn in after Bush resignation.

2. Resigned 12/21/2000 to become U.S. President.

3. Succeeded upon Jester's death. Elected in 1950, re-elected in 1952 and 1954.

4. Died in office.

5. Resigned to become U.S. Senator.

6. Hobby served as acting governor during the James E. Ferguson impeachment proceedings from 8/25/1917 to 9/25/1917. Hobby succeeded to the governorship following Ferguson's removal from office on 9/25/1917.

7. On August 24, 1917 the House of Representatives filed articles of impeachment against Governor Ferguson. The Senate resolved itself into a court of impeachment to consider the charges. On September 24, 1917, Governor Ferguson filed notice of his immediate resignation with the Secretary of State. On September 25, 1917, the Senate rendered its judgment, removing Ferguson from office and disqualifying him from holding any future state office (114 Tex. 85).

8. Resigned to enter U.S. Senate.

9. Throckmorton was removed from office by General Philip Sheridan by an order dated July 30, 1867 on the grounds that he was "an impediment to the reconstruction". The same order appointed Pease governor of Texas. Pease took office on August 8, 1867.

10. Hamilton received a commission as Military Governor of Texas from President Abraham Lincoln on 11/14/1862. He appears to have served in that capacity continuously until his reappointment as Provisional Governor by President Andrew Johnson on 6/17/1865. Apparently Johnson used the term "reappointment" because Hamilton was already serving as military governor. Hamilton arrived in Galveston on July 22, 1865 and received as Provisional Governor of Texas in Austin on August 2, 1865.

11. Administration terminated by fall of Confederacy. On June 12, 1865, Murrah vacated his office. Fearing retribution from the Federal Government, Murrah left Austin the next day and fled to Mexico with other Confederate leaders. Lieutenant Governor Stockdale served as acting governor until June 17, 1865, when Andrew J. Hamilton was appointed Provisional Governor of Texas by President Andrew Johnson.

12. Resigned to serve in Confederate Army.

13. Refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederate States, after which the the Office of the Governor was declared vacant.

14. Appointed provisional governor by General Philip Sheridan in an order dated July 30, 1867. Pease took office on August 8, 1867. Resigned on September 30, 1869.

15. Resigned to occupy vacant U.S. Congress seat.

Sources:
Colossal Hamilton of Texas. El Paso, Tex.: Texas Western Press, University of Texas at El Paso, 1968.
Dallas Herald. Dallas, Tex.: Vol. 12, No. 42, Ed. 1 Saturday, July 1, 1865.
Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845, Members of the Texas Legislature 1846 – 1992. Austin, Tex.: Senate Engrossing and Enrolling, Senate Reproduction, 1992.
Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature 1846 – 2002. Austin, Tex.: Texas Legislative Council, 2002.
Republicanism in Reconstruction Texas. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 1980.
Seventh Star of the Confederacy. Denton, Tex.: University of North Texas Press, 2009.
Ramos, Mary G., ed. Texas Almanac 2002 – 2003. Dallas: The Dallas Morning News, L.P., 2001.