List of governors of Montana: Difference between revisions

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==See also==
*[[Wiley Scribner]], acting governor, 1869-1870


===Governors of Montana===
===Governors of Montana===

Revision as of 15:00, 26 April 2010

Governor of Montana
File:Montanastateseal.jpg
Seal of the State of Montana
Incumbent
Brian Schweitzer
since January 03, 2005
StyleThe Honorable
ResidenceMontana Governor's Residence
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Inaugural holderJoseph K. Toole
Formation1889; Constitution of Montana
SuccessionEvery four years, unless re-elected.

The Governor of Montana is the head of the executive branch of Montana's government[1] and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[2] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws,[1] and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Montana State Legislature,[3] to convene the legislature at any time,[4] and to grant pardons and reprieves.[5]

The current Montana Constitution, ratified in 1972, calls for a four-year term for the governor, commencing on the the first Monday in the January following an election.[6] The governor is term-limited to 8 years in any 16-year period.[7] The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket;[8] this provision did not appear in the state's first constitution, ratified in 1889. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor due to resignation, disqualification, or death, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term. If the governor is unable to perform his duties for any other reason, the lieutenant governor may become acting governor at the discretion of the state legislature.[9] The 1889 constitution made the lieutenant governor president of the state senate,[10] but this provision was removed in the 1972 constitution.

Montana has had 23 governors, consisting of 14 Republicans and 9 Democrats. The longest-serving governor was John Edward Erickson, who was elected three times and served from 1925 to 1933 before resigning to become a U.S. senator. The shortest-serving governor was Elmer Holt, who served less than 13 months when the previous governor died. The current governor is Democrat Brian Schweitzer, who took office on January 3, 2005 and is serving his second term.

Governors

Prior to becoming a territory, Montana was part of Idaho Territory.

Governors of Montana Territory

  Democratic   Republican

# Governor Term start Term end Appointed by Party Notes
1 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Sidney Edgerton June 22, 1864 September 1865 Abraham Lincoln Republican
— style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Thomas Francis Meagher (acting) September 1865 October 1866 — Democratic
2 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Green Clay Smith October 1866 January 1867 Andrew Johnson Democratic
— style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Thomas Francis Meagher (acting) January 1867 July 1867 — Democratic
2 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Green Clay Smith July 1867 Summer 1868 Andrew Johnson Democratic
— style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  James Tufts (acting) March 1869 April 9, 1869 — Republican
3 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  James Mitchell Ashley April 9, 1869 December 1869 Ulysses S. Grant Republican [N 1]
4 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Benjamin F. Potts July 13, 1870 January 14, 1883 Ulysses S. Grant Republican
5 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  John Schuyler Crosby January 15, 1883 December 15, 1884 Chester A. Arthur Republican
6 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  B. Platt Carpenter December 16, 1884 July 13, 1885 Chester A. Arthur Republican
7 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Samuel Thomas Hauser July 14, 1885 February 7, 1887 Grover Cleveland Democratic
8 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Preston Hopkins Leslie February 8, 1887 April 8, 1889 Grover Cleveland Democratic
9 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Benjamin F. White April 9, 1889 November 8, 1889 Benjamin Harrison Republican

See also

Governors of Montana

  Democratic   Republican

# Governor Took office Left office Party Lt. Governor Term Notes
1 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Joseph K. Toole November 8, 1889 January 1, 1893 Democratic style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  John E. Rickards 1
2 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  John E. Rickards January 2, 1893 January 3, 1897 Republican style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Alexander C. Botkin 2
3 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Robert Burns Smith January 4, 1897 January 7, 1901 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  A.E. Spriggs 3
4 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Joseph K. Toole January 7, 1901 April 1, 1908 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Frank G. Higgins 4 [N 2]
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Edwin L. Norris 5
5 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Edwin L. Norris April 1, 1908 January 5, 1913 Democratic style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Benjamin F. White [N 3]
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  William R. Allen 6
6 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Sam V. Stewart January 6, 1913 January 2, 1921 Democratic rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  W.W. McDowell 7
8
7 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Joseph M. Dixon January 3, 1921 January 4, 1925 Republican style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Nelson Story, Jr. 9
8 rowspan="3" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  John Edward Erickson January 4, 1925 March 13, 1933 Democratic style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  W. S. McCormack 10 [N 4]
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Frank A. Hazelbaker 11
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Frank Henry Cooney 12
9 rowspan="3" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Frank Henry Cooney March 13, 1933 December 15, 1935 Democratic style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Tom Kane [N 5][N 6]
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Ernest T. Eaton
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Elmer Holt
10 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Elmer Holt December 15, 1935 January 4, 1937 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  William P. Pilgeram [N 7]
11 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Roy E. Ayers January 4, 1937 January 6, 1941 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Hugh R. Adair 13
12 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Sam C. Ford January 6, 1941 January 3, 1949 Republican rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Ernest T. Eaton 14
15
13 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  John W. Bonner January 3, 1949 January 5, 1953 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Paul Cannon 16
14 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  J. Hugo Aronson January 5, 1953 January 2, 1961 Republican style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  George M. Gosman 17
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Paul Cannon 18
15 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Donald Grant Nutter January 2, 1961 January 25, 1962 Republican style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Tim M. Babcock 19 [N 6]
16 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Tim M. Babcock January 25, 1962 January 6, 1969 Republican style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  David F. James [N 3]
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Ted James 20
17 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Forrest H. Anderson January 6, 1969 January 1, 1973 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Thomas Lee Judge 21
18 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Thomas Lee Judge January 1, 1973 January 5, 1981 Democratic style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Bill Christiansen 22
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Ted Schwinden 23
19 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Ted Schwinden January 5, 1981 January 2, 1989 Democratic rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  George Turman 24
25
20 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Stan Stephens January 2, 1989 January 4, 1993 Republican style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Allen Kolstad 26  
 
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Denny Rehberg
21 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Marc Racicot January 4, 1993 January 1, 2001 Republican 27
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Judy Martz 28
22 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Judy Martz January 1, 2001 January 3, 2005 Republican style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Karl Ohs 29
23 rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  Brian Schweitzer January 3, 2005 Incumbent Democratic rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"|  John Bohlinger[N 8] 30 [N 9]
31

Other high offices held

This is a table of the higher federal offices and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators represented Montana. * denotes offices that the governor resigned to take.

Name Gubernatorial term Higher offices held
Joseph Toole 1889–1893, 1901–1908 Territorial Delegate
Joseph M. Dixon 1921–1925 U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator
John Edward Erickson 1925–1933 U.S. Senator*
Roy E. Ayers 1937–1941 U.S. Representative

Living former governors

As of December 2009, five former governors are alive, the oldest being Tim M. Babcock (1962–1969, born 1919). The most recent governor to die was Thomas Lee Judge (1973–1981), on September 8, 2006.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
Tim M. Babcock 1962–1969 (1919-10-27) October 27, 1919 (age 104)
Ted Schwinden 1981–1989 (1925-08-31) August 31, 1925 (age 98)
Stan Stephens 1989–1993 (1929-09-16) September 16, 1929 (age 94)
Marc Racicot 1993–2001 (1948-07-24) July 24, 1948 (age 75)
Judy Martz 2001–2005 (1943-07-28) July 28, 1943 (age 80)

Notes

  1. ^ Was removed from office by President Ulysses S. Grant in mid-December 1869 for unclear reasons.[11]
  2. ^ Resigned due to declining health.
  3. ^ a b As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
  4. ^ Resigned so that his successor would appoint him to the United States Senate.
  5. ^ As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
  6. ^ a b Died in office.
  7. ^ As president of the state senate, filled unexpired term.
  8. ^ Republican elected on the Democratic ticket.
  9. ^ Governor Schweitzer's first term expired in 2009; he is not yet term limited.

References

General
Constitutions
Specific
  1. ^ a b Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 4.
  2. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 7.
  3. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 10.
  4. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 11.
  5. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 12.
  6. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 1.
  7. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article IV, Section 8.
  8. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 1.
  9. ^ Constitution of Montana, Article VI, Section 14.
  10. ^ Constitution of Montana (1889), Article VII, Section 1.
  11. ^ Spence, Clark C. (Spring 1968). "Spoilsman in Montana: James M. Ashley." Montana: The Magazine of Western History 18 (2): 33. Montana Historical Society. ISSN 0026-9891.

External links

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