List of governors of Michigan
Michigan Governors
Territorial Governors
| Name | Dates Served |
|---|---|
| William Hull | March 1, 1805 to October 29, 1813 |
| Lewis Cass | October 29, 1813 to August 6, 1831 |
| George Bryan Porter | August 6, 1831 to July 6, 1834 |
| Stevens T. Mason1 | July 6, 1834 to September 15, 1835 |
| John S. Horner2 | September 15, 1835 to July 3, 1836 |
State Governors
From statehood until 1963, governors were elected to two-year terms, and were limited to two consecutive terms, although they could run again after a hiatus. Elections were held in November of even-numbered years and the governor assumed office the following January, except in the case of death or resignation.
The constitution adopted in 1963 changed the governor's term to four years. Since then, gubernatorial elections have been offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 1996 and 2000, gubernatorial elections were in 1998 and 2002).
In 1992, an amendment to the Michigan constitution imposed a lifetime term limit of two four-year terms for the office of governor.
| Name | Dates Served | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Stevens T. Mason2 | October 6, 1835 to January 7, 1840 | Democrat |
| William Woodbridge3 | January 7, 1840 to February 23, 1841 | Whig |
| J. Wright Gordon3 Ex officio |
February 23, 1841 to January 3, 1842 | Whig |
| John S. Barry | January 3, 1842 to January 5, 1846 | Democrat |
| Alpheus Felch4 | January 5, 1846 to March 3, 1847 | Democrat |
| William L. Greenly4 Ex officio |
March 4, 1847 to January 3, 1848 | Democrat |
| Epaphroditus Ransom | January 3, 1848 to January 7, 1850 | Democrat |
| John S. Barry | January 7, 1850 to January 1, 1852 | Democrat |
| Robert McClelland5 | January 1, 1852 to March 7, 1853 | Democrat |
| Andrew Parsons5 Ex officio |
March 8, 1853 to January 3, 1855 | Democrat |
| Kinsley S. Bingham | January 3, 1855 to January 5, 1859 | Republican |
| Moses Wisner | January 5, 1859 to January 2, 1861 | Republican |
| Austin Blair | January 2, 1861 to January 3, 1865 | Republican |
| Henry H. Crapo | January 3, 1865 to January 6, 1869 | Republican |
| Henry P. Baldwin | January 6, 1869 to January 1, 1873 | Republican |
| John J. Bagley | January 1, 1873 to January 3, 1877 | Republican |
| Charles Croswell | January 3, 1877 to January 1, 1881 | Republican |
| David Jerome | January 1, 1881 to January 1, 1883 | Republican |
| Josiah Begole | January 1, 1883 to January 1, 1885 | Democrat |
| Russell Alger | January 1, 1885 to January 1, 1887 | Republican |
| Cyrus G. Luce | January 1, 1887 to January 1, 1891 | Republican |
| Edwin B. Winans | January 1, 1891 to January 1, 1893 | Democrat |
| John Rich | January 1, 1893 to January 1, 1897 | Republican |
| Hazen S. Pingree | January 1, 1897 to January 1, 1901 | Republican |
| Aaron T. Bliss | January 1, 1901 to January 1, 1905 | Republican |
| Fred M. Warner | January 1, 1905 to January 2, 1911 | Republican |
| Chase Osborne | January 2, 1911 to January 1, 1913 | Republican |
| Woodbridge Nathan Ferris | January 1, 1913 to January 1, 1917 | Democrat |
| Albert Sleeper | January 1, 1917 to January 1, 1921 | Republican |
| Alex Groesbeck | January 1, 1921 to January 1, 1927 | Republican |
| Fred Green | January 1, 1927 to January 1, 1931 | Republican |
| Wilbur Brucker | January 1, 1931 to January 1, 1933 | Republican |
| William Comstock | January 1, 1933 to January 1, 1935 | Democrat |
| Frank Fitzgerald | January 1, 1935 to January 1, 1937 | Republican |
| Frank Murphy | January 1, 1937 to January 1, 1939 | Democrat |
| Frank Fitzgerald | January 1, 1939 to March 16, 1939 | Republican |
| Luren Dickenson | March 16, 1939 to January 1, 1941 | Republican |
| Murray Van Wagoner | January 1, 1941 to January 1, 1943 | Democrat |
| Harry Kelley | January 1, 1943 to January 1, 1947 | Republican |
| Kim Sigler | January 1, 1947 to January 1, 1949 | Republican |
| G. Mennon Williams | January 1, 1949 to January 1, 1961 | Democrat |
| John Swainson | January 1, 1961 to January 1, 1963 | Democrat |
| George W. Romney | January 1, 1963 to January 22, 1969 | Republican |
| William Milliken | January 22, 1969 to January 1, 1983 | Republican |
| James Blanchard | January 1, 1983 to January 1, 1991 | Democrat |
| John Engler | January 1, 1991 to January 1, 2003 | Republican |
| Jennifer Granholm | January 1, 2003 to present | Democrat |
Notes
1 George Bryan Porter died in office on July 6, 1834. Territorial Secretary, Stevens T. Mason, was authorized to become Acting Governor, though there was no formal succession and he was never officially named as Territorial Governor.
2 On August 29, 1835, in order to appease Ohio over the Toledo War border dispute, President Andrew Jackson appointed Charles Shuler, a judge in Pennsylvania, to replace Stevens T. Mason as Secretary and Acting Governor. Shuler declined the appointment. On September 15, Jackson appointed John S. Horner as Secretary and Acting Governor to replace Mason, though Horner did not commence his duties until September 21, 1835. In October 1835, Michigan authorized a state constitution and elected Mason as governor of the new state, although the U.S. Congress did not recognize the state until 1837. Horner was mostly ignored by the people of Michigan and he became Secretary of Wisconsin Territory in July 1836.
3 Woodbridge resigned as Governor on February 23, 1841 to take a seat in the United States Senate and was succeeded by his Lieutenant Governor, J. Wright Gordon.
4 Fetch resigned as Governor on March 3, 1847 to take a seat in the United States Senate and was succeeded by his Lieutenant Governor, William L. Greenly.
5 McClelland resigned in March 1853 to become the Secretary of the Interior under Franklin Pierce and was succeeded by his Lieutenant Governor, Andrew Parsons.