List of governors of Illinois

The governor of Illinois is the head of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Illinois's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Illinois Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment.^[2] The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.

Governor of Illinois
Seal of the State of Illinois
Flag of Illinois
Incumbent J. B. Pritzker since January 14, 2019
Residence	Illinois Governor's Mansion
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	Shadrach Bond
Formation	October 6, 1818 (1818-10-06)
Succession	Line of succession
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
Salary	$177,412 (2015)[1]
Website	gov.illinois.gov

Since becoming a state in 1818, 43 people have served as governor of Illinois; before statehood, it had only one territorial governor, Ninian Edwards. The longest-serving governor was James R. Thompson, who was elected to four terms lasting 14 years, from 1977 to 1991. Only one governor, Richard J. Oglesby, has served multiple non-consecutive terms, having been elected in 1864, 1872, and 1884.

The current governor is J. B. Pritzker, who took office on January 14, 2019.^[3]

List of governors

Territory of Illinois

Illinois Territory was formed on March 1, 1809, from Indiana Territory.^[4] It had only two governors appointed by the president of the United States before it became a state, and only one ever took office.

Governors of Illinois Territory

No.	Governor		Term in office[a]	Appointed by
1		John Boyle (1774–1834)	March 7, 1809 – April 3, 1809 (resigned before taking office)[b]	James Madison
2		Ninian Edwards[c] (1775–1833) [9][10]	April 24, 1809[d] – October 6, 1818 (statehood)[e]	James Madison

State of Illinois

Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, consisting of the southern portion of Illinois Territory; the remainder was assigned to Michigan Territory.^[17]

The first Illinois Constitution, ratified in 1818, provided that a governor be elected every 4 years^[18] for a term starting on the first Monday in the December following an election.^[19] The constitution of 1848 moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January starting in 1849, thus shortening the term won in the 1844 election to 2 years.^[20] Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves^[19] until the 1870 constitution, which removed this limit.

The office of lieutenant governor was created in the first constitution,^[21] to exercise the power of governor if that office becomes vacant.^[22] The 1848 constitution changed this to say the power "devolves" upon the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy.^[23] The current constitution of 1970 made it so that, in the event of a vacancy, the lieutenant becomes governor,^[24] and the governor and lieutenant governor are now elected on the same ticket.^[25] If the governor feels seriously impeded in performing their job, they can inform the secretary of state and the next in the line of succession, who becomes acting governor until the governor can resume office.^[24]

Governors of the State of Illinois

No.[f]	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[g][h]
1			Shadrach Bond (1773–1832) [28][29]	October 6, 1818[30] – December 5, 1822 (term-limited)[i]	Democratic- Republican[32]	1818		Pierre Menard
2			Edward Coles (1786–1868) [33][34]	December 5, 1822[35] – December 6, 1826 (term-limited)[i]	Independent[36]	1822		Adolphus Hubbard
3			Ninian Edwards (1775–1833) [10][9][37]	December 6, 1826[30] – December 6, 1830 (term-limited)[i]	Democratic- Republican[j]	1826		William Kinney
4			John Reynolds (1788–1865) [41][42]	December 6, 1830[30] – November 17, 1834 (resigned)[k]	Democratic[43]	1830		Zadok Casey[l] (resigned March 1, 1833)
								William Lee D. Ewing[l] (acting)
5			William Lee D. Ewing (1795–1846) [44][45]	November 17, 1834[46] – December 3, 1834 (successor took office)	Democratic[m]	Lieutenant governor acting	Vacant
6			Joseph Duncan (1794–1844) [48][49]	December 3, 1834[50] – December 7, 1838 (term-limited)[i]	Whig[51]	1834		Alexander M. Jenkins[l] (resigned December 9, 1836)
								William H. Davidson[l] (acting)
7			Thomas Carlin (1789–1852) [52][53]	December 7, 1838[54] – December 8, 1842 (term-limited)[i]	Democratic[55]	1838		Stinson Anderson
8			Thomas Ford (1800–1850) [56][57]	December 8, 1842[58] – December 9, 1846 (term-limited)[i]	Democratic[59]	1842		John Moore
9			Augustus C. French (1808–1864) [60][61]	December 9, 1846[62] – January 10, 1853 (term-limited)[n]	Democratic[64]	1846[o]		Joseph Wells
						1848		William McMurtry
10			Joel Aldrich Matteson (1808–1873) [65][66]	January 10, 1853[67] – January 12, 1857 (term-limited)[n]	Democratic[68]	1852		Gustav Koerner
11			William Henry Bissell (1811–1860) [69][70]	January 12, 1857[71] – March 18, 1860 (died in office)	Republican[72]	1856		John Wood
12			John Wood (1798–1880) [73][74]	March 18, 1860[75] – January 14, 1861 (successor took office)	Republican[39]	Lieutenant governor acting		Thomas Marshall[l] (acting)
13			Richard Yates (1815–1873) [76][77]	January 14, 1861[78] – January 16, 1865 (term-limited)[n]	Republican[79]	1860		Francis Hoffmann
14			Richard J. Oglesby (1824–1899) [80][81]	January 16, 1865[82] – January 11, 1869 (term-limited)[n]	Republican[39]	1864		William Bross
15			John M. Palmer (1817–1900) [83][84]	January 11, 1869[85] – January 13, 1873 (term-limited)[p]	Republican[39]	1868		John Dougherty
14			Richard J. Oglesby (1824–1899) [80][81]	January 13, 1873[86] – January 23, 1873 (resigned)[q]	Republican[39]	1872		John Lourie Beveridge
16			John Lourie Beveridge (1824–1910) [87][88]	January 23, 1873[89] – January 8, 1877 (successor took office)	Republican[39]	Lieutenant governor acting		John Early (acting) (term ended January 8, 1875)
								Archibald A. Glenn[l] (acting)
17			Shelby Moore Cullom (1829–1914) [90][91]	January 8, 1877[92] – February 6, 1883 (resigned)[r]	Republican[39]	1876		Andrew Shuman
						1880		John Marshall Hamilton
18			John Marshall Hamilton (1847–1905) [94][95]	February 6, 1883[93] – January 30, 1885 (successor took office)	Republican[39]	Lieutenant governor acting		William J. Campbell (acting)
14			Richard J. Oglesby (1824–1899) [80][81]	January 30, 1885[96] – January 14, 1889 (did not run)	Republican[39]	1884		John C. Smith
19			Joseph W. Fifer (1840–1938) [97][98]	January 14, 1889[99] – January 10, 1893 (lost election)	Republican[39]	1888		Lyman Beecher Ray
20			John Peter Altgeld (1847–1902) [100][101]	January 10, 1893[102] – January 11, 1897 (lost election)	Democratic[39]	1892		Joseph B. Gill
21			John Riley Tanner (1844–1901) [103][104]	January 11, 1897[105] – January 14, 1901 (did not run)[s]	Republican[39]	1896		William Northcott
22			Richard Yates Jr. (1860–1936) [106][107]	January 14, 1901[108] – January 9, 1905 (lost nomination)[106]	Republican[39]	1900
23			Charles S. Deneen (1863–1940) [109][110]	January 9, 1905[111] – February 3, 1913 (lost election)	Republican[39]	1904		Lawrence Yates Sherman
						1908		John G. Oglesby
24			Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne (1853–1937) [112][113]	February 3, 1913[114] – January 8, 1917 (lost election)	Democratic[39]	1912		Barratt O'Hara
25			Frank Orren Lowden (1861–1943) [115][116]	January 8, 1917[117] – January 10, 1921 (did not run)[115]	Republican[39]	1916		John G. Oglesby
26			Len Small (1862–1936) [118][119]	January 10, 1921[120] – January 14, 1929 (did not run)	Republican[39]	1920		Fred E. Sterling
						1924
27			Louis Lincoln Emmerson (1863–1941) [121][122]	January 14, 1929[123] – January 9, 1933 (did not run)[121]	Republican[39]	1928
28			Henry Horner (1878–1940) [124][125]	January 9, 1933[126] – October 6, 1940 (died in office)	Democratic[39]	1932		Thomas Donovan
						1936		John Henry Stelle
29			John Henry Stelle (1891–1962) [127][128]	October 6, 1940[129] – January 13, 1941 (successor took office)	Democratic[39]	Lieutenant governor acting	Vacant
30			Dwight H. Green (1897–1958) [130][131]	January 13, 1941[132] – January 10, 1949 (lost election)	Republican[39]	1940		Hugh W. Cross
						1944
31			Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) [133][134]	January 10, 1949[135] – January 12, 1953 (did not run)[t]	Democratic[39]	1948		Sherwood Dixon
32			William Stratton (1914–2001) [136][137]	January 12, 1953[138] – January 9, 1961 (lost election)	Republican[39]	1952		John William Chapman
						1956
33			Otto Kerner Jr. (1908–1976) [139][140]	January 9, 1961[141] – May 20, 1968 (resigned)[u]	Democratic[39]	1960		Samuel H. Shapiro
						1964
34			Samuel H. Shapiro (1907–1987) [143][144]	May 21, 1968[145] – January 13, 1969 (lost election)	Democratic[39]	Lieutenant governor acting	Vacant
35			Richard B. Ogilvie (1923–1988) [146][147]	January 13, 1969[148] – January 8, 1973 (lost election)	Republican[39]	1968		Paul Simon[l]
36			Dan Walker (1922–2015) [149][150]	January 8, 1973[151] – January 10, 1977 (lost nomination)[v]	Democratic[39]	1972		Neil Hartigan
37			Jim Thompson (1936–2020) [152][153]	January 10, 1977[154] – January 14, 1991 (did not run)	Republican[153]	1976[w]		Dave O'Neal (resigned July 31, 1981)
						1978
							Vacant
						1982		George Ryan
						1986
38			Jim Edgar (b. 1946) [156]	January 14, 1991[157] – January 11, 1999 (did not run)	Republican[156]	1990		Bob Kustra (resigned July 1, 1998)
						1994
							Vacant
39			George Ryan (1934–2025) [158]	January 11, 1999[159] – January 13, 2003 (did not run)	Republican[158]	1998		Corinne Wood
40			Rod Blagojevich (b. 1956) [160]	January 13, 2003[161] – January 29, 2009 (impeached and removed)[x]	Democratic[160]	2002		Pat Quinn
						2006
41			Pat Quinn (b. 1948) [163]	January 29, 2009[164] – January 12, 2015 (lost election)	Democratic[163]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						2010		Sheila Simon
42			Bruce Rauner (b. 1956) [165]	January 12, 2015[166] – January 14, 2019 (lost election)	Republican[165]	2014		Evelyn Sanguinetti
43			JB Pritzker (b. 1965) [167]	January 14, 2019[168] – Incumbent[y]	Democratic[167]	2018		Juliana Stratton
						2022

See also

• List of Illinois state legislatures
• List of commandants of the Illinois Country

Notes

1. The range given is from the date the governor was confirmed by the Senate, or appointed by the President during a Senate recess, to the date the governor left office.
2. Boyle was nominated on March 6, 1809,^[5] and confirmed by the Senate on March 7.^[6] However, he resigned on April 3, having never taken office.^[7]
3. Territorial Secretary Nathaniel Pope served as acting governor until Edwards arrived in Illinois in June 1809.^[8]
4. Edwards was appointed on April 24, 1809;^[9] nominated on June 16;^[11] and confirmed by the Senate on June 17.^[12] He took office on June 11.^[9] He was reappointed on July 7, 1812,^[13] during a Senate recess; reconfirmed on November 20, 1812;^[14] reappointed on November 20, 1815,^[15] during a Senate recess; and reconfirmed on January 9, 1816.^[16]
5. Edwards served as governor until statehood, when he was elected to the United States Senate.
6. Based on the official site labeling Bruce Rauner as the 42nd governor,^[26] it is assumed the official numbering includes repeat governors only once; subsequent terms are marked with their original number italicized.
7. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
8. When the lieutenant governor is serving as governor, the Illinois Blue Book considers the president pro tempore of the senate to be acting lieutenant governor. However, this only applies to acting lieutenant governors before 1883; after that, there are no acting lieutenant governors noted, and instead these are marked vacant. It is unknown why this changed; the constitution does not appear to have any relevant changes around that time.^[27]
9. Under the 1818 constitution, governors were limited to no more than four years out of every term of eight years.^[31]
10. Dubin labels Edward as a pro-Administration candidate;^[38] Kallenbach labels him as National Republican;^[39] and Sobel and Glashan label him as Democratic-Republican.^[10][40]
11. Reynolds resigned, having been elected to the United States House of Representatives.^[42]
12. Represented the Democratic Party
13. Kallenbach labels Ewing a National Republican^[39] and Glashan labels him a Democratic-Republican.^[47] However, Sobel describes him as a "Jacksonian Democrat," which would be the opposition to those parties.^[44]
14. Under the 1848 constitution, governors elected after 1848 were limited to no more than four years out of every term of eight years.^[63]
15. The election schedule was shifted after this term, shortening it to two years.^[20]
16. The term limit was removed in the 1870 constitution, but Palmer was first elected under the previous constitution; Sobel writes that this meant he was term-limited.^[83]
17. Oglesby resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[81]
18. Cullom resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[91][93]
19. Tanner instead ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to the United States Senate.^[103]
20. Stevenson instead ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States.^[133]
21. Kerner resigned, having been confirmed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.^[140][142]
22. Walker lost the Democratic nomination to Michael Howlett.^[149]
23. The schedule for the 1970 constitution provided that the 1976 election would be for a two-year term, shifting the election schedule away from presidential election years.^[155]
24. Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption.^[160][162]
25. Pritzker's second term began on January 9, 2023,^[169] and will expire on January 11, 2027.