List of Governors of Delaware - Governors

Governors

For the period before independence, see the List of colonial governors of Pennsylvania.

Delaware was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 7, 1787. Before it declared its independence, Delaware was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain, known as the "Lower Counties on Delaware". This colony was administered by colonial governors in Pennsylvania.

The first state constitution, adopted in 1776 soon after independence, created the office of president, to be chosen by the legislature to serve a term of three years. The constitution of 1792 renamed the position to governor, set the commencement date of the term to the third Tuesday in the January following an election, and limited governors to serving only three out of any six years. The term was lengthened to four years by the 1831 constitution, but governors were limited to a single term. The current constitution of 1897 allows governors to serve two terms.

The 1776 constitution stated that if the office of governor was vacant, the speaker of the legislative council would be a vice-president. The 1792 constitution has the speaker of the senate exercising the office if it is vacant, and the 1897 constitution created the office of lieutenant governor, upon whom the office devolves in case of vacancy. The offices of governor and lieutenant governor are elected at the same time but not on the same ticket.

American (1) Democratic (21) Democratic-Republican (5) Federalist (13) National Republican (1) No party (9) Republican (17) Whig (6)

# Governor Term start Term end Party Lt. Governor Terms
1 John McKinly February 12, 1777 September 12, 1777 No parties None 1⁄3
2 Thomas McKean September 22, 1777 October 20, 1777 No parties 1⁄3
3 George Read October 20, 1777 March 31, 1778 No parties 1⁄3
4 Caesar Rodney March 31, 1778 November 6, 1781 No parties 1
5 John Dickinson November 13, 1781 January 12, 1783 No parties 1⁄2
6 John Cook November 4, 1782 February 1, 1783 No parties 1⁄2
7 Nicholas Van Dyke February 1, 1783 October 28, 1786 No parties 1
8 Thomas Collins October 28, 1786 March 29, 1789 No parties 1⁄2
9 Jehu Davis March 29, 1789 June 2, 1789 No parties 1⁄2
10 Joshua Clayton June 2, 1789 January 19, 1796 Federalist 2
11 Gunning Bedford, Sr. January 19, 1796 September 28, 1797 Federalist 1⁄2
12 Daniel Rogers September 28, 1797 January 9, 1799 Federalist 1⁄2
13 Richard Bassett January 9, 1799 March 3, 1801 Federalist 1⁄2
14 James Sykes March 3, 1801 January 19, 1802 Federalist 1⁄2
15 David Hall January 19, 1802 January 15, 1805 Democratic-Republican 1
16 Nathaniel Mitchell January 15, 1805 January 19, 1808 Federalist 1
17 George Truitt January 19, 1808 January 15, 1811 Federalist 1
18 Joseph Haslet January 15, 1811 January 18, 1814 Democratic-Republican 1
19 Daniel Rodney January 18, 1814 January 21, 1817 Federalist 1
20 John Clark January 21, 1817 January 18, 1820 Federalist 1
— Henry Molleston — — Federalist —
21 Jacob Stout January 18, 1820 January 16, 1821 Federalist 1⁄3
22 John Collins January 16, 1821 April 16, 1822 Democratic-Republican 1⁄3
23 Caleb Rodney April 23, 1822 January 21, 1823 Federalist 1⁄3
24 Joseph Haslet January 21, 1823 June 20, 1823 Democratic-Republican 1⁄2
25 Charles Thomas June 23, 1823 January 20, 1824 Democratic-Republican 1⁄2
26 Samuel Paynter January 20, 1824 January 16, 1827 Federalist 1
27 Charles Polk, Jr. January 16, 1827 January 19, 1830 Federalist 1
28 David Hazzard January 19, 1830 January 15, 1833 National Republican 1
29 Caleb P. Bennett January 15, 1833 July 11, 1836 Democratic 1⁄2
30 Charles Polk, Jr. July 11, 1836 January 17, 1837 Whig 1⁄2
31 Cornelius P. Comegys January 17, 1837 January 19, 1841 Whig 1
32 William B. Cooper January 19, 1841 January 21, 1845 Whig 1
33 Thomas Stockton January 21, 1845 March 2, 1846 Whig 1⁄3
34 Joseph Maull March 2, 1846 May 3, 1846 Whig 1⁄3
35 William Temple May 6, 1846 January 19, 1847 Whig 1⁄3
36 William Tharp January 19, 1847 January 21, 1851 Democratic 1
37 William H. H. Ross January 21, 1851 January 16, 1855 Democratic 1
38 Peter F. Causey January 16, 1855 January 18, 1859 American 1
39 William Burton January 18, 1859 January 20, 1863 Democratic 1
40 William Cannon January 20, 1863 March 1, 1865 Republican 1⁄2
41 Gove Saulsbury March 1, 1865 January 17, 1871 Democratic 1 1⁄2
42 James Ponder January 17, 1871 January 19, 1875 Democratic 1
43 John P. Cochran January 19, 1875 January 21, 1879 Democratic 1
44 John W. Hall January 21, 1879 January 16, 1883 Democratic 1
45 Charles C. Stockley January 16, 1883 January 18, 1887 Democratic 1
46 Benjamin T. Biggs January 18, 1887 January 20, 1891 Democratic 1
47 Robert J. Reynolds January 20, 1891 January 15, 1895 Democratic 1
48 Joshua H. Marvil January 15, 1895 April 8, 1895 Republican 1⁄2
49 William T. Watson April 8, 1895 January 19, 1897 Democratic 1⁄2
50 Ebe W. Tunnell January 19, 1897 January 15, 1901 Democratic 1
51 John Hunn January 15, 1901 January 17, 1905 Republican Philip L. Cannon 1
52 Preston Lea January 17, 1905 January 19, 1909 Republican Isaac T. Parker 1
53 Simeon S. Pennewill January 19, 1909 January 21, 1913 Republican John M. Mendinhall 1
54 Charles R. Miller January 21, 1913 January 16, 1917 Republican Colen Ferguson 1
55 John G. Townsend, Jr. January 16, 1917 January 18, 1921 Republican Lewis T. Eliason 1
56 William D. Denney January 18, 1921 January 20, 1925 Republican J. Danforth Bush 1
57 Robert P. Robinson January 20, 1925 January 15, 1929 Republican James H. Anderson 1
58 C. Douglass Buck January 15, 1929 January 19, 1937 Republican James H. Hazel 2
Roy F. Corley
59 Richard C. McMullen January 19, 1937 January 21, 1941 Democratic Edward W. Cooch 1
60 Walter W. Bacon January 21, 1941 January 18, 1949 Republican Isaac J. MacCollum 2
Elbert N. Carvel
61 Elbert N. Carvel January 18, 1949 January 20, 1953 Democratic Alexis I. du Pont Bayard 1
62 J. Caleb Boggs January 20, 1953 December 30, 1960 Republican John W. Rollins 1 1⁄2
David P. Buckson
63 David P. Buckson December 30, 1960 January 17, 1961 Republican Vacant 1⁄2
64 Elbert N. Carvel January 17, 1961 January 19, 1965 Democratic Eugene Lammot 1
65 Charles L. Terry, Jr. January 19, 1965 January 21, 1969 Democratic Sherman W. Tribbitt 1
66 Russell W. Peterson January 21, 1969 January 16, 1973 Republican Eugene Bookhammer 1
67 Sherman W. Tribbitt January 16, 1973 January 18, 1977 Democratic Eugene Bookhammer 1
68 Pierre S. du Pont, IV January 18, 1977 January 15, 1985 Republican James D. McGinnis 2
Michael Castle
69 Michael Castle January 15, 1985 December 31, 1992 Republican Shien Biau Woo 1 1⁄2
Dale E. Wolf
70 Dale E. Wolf December 31, 1992 January 19, 1993 Republican Vacant 1⁄2
71 Thomas R. Carper January 19, 1993 January 3, 2001 Democratic Ruth Ann Minner 1 1⁄2
72 Ruth Ann Minner January 3, 2001 January 20, 2009 Democratic Vacant 2 1⁄2
John C. Carney, Jr.
73 Jack Markell January 20, 2009 Incumbent Democratic Matthew P. Denn 1

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Famous quotes containing the word governors:

    “I do love this people [the French] with all my heart, and think that with a better religion and a better form of government and their present governors their condition and country would be most enviable.”
    —Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)