List of Governors of West Virginia

List Of Governors Of West Virginia

The Governor of West Virginia is the head of the executive branch of West Virginia'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 West Virginia Legislature, to convene the legislature at any time, and, except when prosecution has been carried out by the House of Delegates, to grant pardons and reprieves.

Since West Virginia became a state, it has had 35 governors; 32 different men have held the office (Arch A. Moore, Jr. and Cecil H. Underwood each served two nonconsecutive governorships). Six governors in the state's history have served multiple terms. The longest-serving governor was Moore, who served for three terms over twelve years. The state's first governor, Arthur I. Boreman, served the most consecutive terms, resigning a week before the end of his third term. Daniel D.T. Farnsworth was Senate President at the time; he filled the last seven days of Boreman's term and remains the shortest-serving governor. Underwood has the unusual distinction of being both the youngest person to be elected as governor (age 34 upon his first term in 1957) and the oldest to both be elected and serve (age 74 upon his second term in 1997; age 78 at the end of his second term in 2001).

The current governor is Earl Ray Tomblin, who assumed office on November 13, 2011 after a special election on October 4, 2011. Tomblin, as President of the West Virginia Senate, acted as governor from November 15, 2010 until November 13, 2011 upon the resignation of Joe Manchin to take a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Read more about List Of Governors Of West Virginia:  Governors, Other High Offices Held, Living Former Governors

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