List of governors of Puerto Rico

See also: Governor of Puerto Rico

This list of governors of Puerto Rico includes all persons who have held the office of Governor of Puerto Rico since its establishment under the administration of the Spanish Empire (1508–1898) to the present under the administration of the United States (1898–present).

La Fortaleza, the official residence of the governor of Puerto Rico since the 16th century

The archipelago and island of Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States during the Spanish-American War in 1898, ending 390 years of active rule by the Spanish Empire, which began the European exploration, colonization, and settlement of the main island under conquistador Juan Ponce de León in 1508.^[1] Ponce de León was the first person to hold the title and office of governor by orders of King Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1509.^[2] The governor remained an appointee of the Spanish Crown during Spanish rule, and was an appointee of the President of the United States during American rule until 1948, when the residents of Puerto Rico began to popularly elect the governor, starting with Luis Muñoz Marín, who took office in 1949.^[3][4][5]

Since 1508, 167 persons (164 men and 3 women), have served in 190 formal, interim, or de facto governorships, as 17 governors have served twice nonconsecutively and 3 have served thrice nonconsecutively. Of the 190 governors, 175 have been appointed (149 by the Spanish Crown and 26 by the President of the United States), 14 elected through popular vote by the residents of Puerto Rico, and one constitutionally appointed after the resignation of an elected governor.

The governorship has been vacant twice, as two municipal administrators, called alcaldes ordinarios, served in place of a governor each year from 1537 to 1544 and 1548 to 1550.^[6] The shortest-serving governor was Andrés González Muñoz, who died hours after the start of his second interim governorship on January 11, 1898.^[3] Luis Muñoz Marín served the longest, having held the office for 16 consecutive years, or four terms of four years each, from 1949 to 1965, after he decided not to seek re-election.^[7][8] Ricardo Rosselló, who left office prematurely as a result of the Telegramgate scandal in 2019, is the first and only elected governor to have resigned.^[9] No elected governor has been impeached.^[10]

The first governor born in Puerto Rico was Ponce de León’s grandchild, Juan Ponce de León II, who served as interim governor from 1578 to 1580.^[4] He was the only Puerto Rican-born person to occupy the office until Ángel Rivero Méndez, who served in an interim capacity as the last governor under Spanish administration for two days from October 16 to 18, 1898.^[11] Several Puerto Ricans also briefly served as interim governors from 1921 to 1941. During the direct Spanish and American control of the governorship from 1508 to 1948, the first and only native Puerto Rican to held the office in a formal capacity was Jesús T. Piñero, who served as the last appointed governor of Puerto Rico from 1946 to 1949.^[12]

Since 1949, the governor of Puerto Rico has served by popular election as the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States organized under the Constitution of Puerto Rico since its establishment in 1952. The incumbent governor is Jenniffer González, who was elected on November 5, 2024, and sworn in on January 2, 2025.^[13][14]

History

Spanish administration

With the European discovery of Puerto Rico during the second voyage of Christopher Columbus in November 1493, the archipelagic island was claimed by the Spanish Crown. In 1505, Spanish King Ferdinand II of Aragon ordered the colonization of Puerto Rico, appointing Spanish conquistador Vicente Yáñez Pinzón as its captain and corregidor to essentially serve as a de facto governor. However, Yáñez Pinzón never fulfilled the commission.^[15][16] Puerto Rico remained unexplored and unsettled by the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1508.

In 1508, the King ordered Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León to conquer Puerto Rico, becoming the first European to explore, colonize, and settle the archipelago and island.^[1] In 1509, the title and position of governor of Puerto Rico was officially established by King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who appointed Ponce de León as the first holder of the office.^[2] The governor continued to be appointed by the Spanish Crown for 390 years, serving under various administrative entities: the Viceroyalty of the Indies (1508–1535), the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1535–1582), the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico (1582–1897), and the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico (1897–1898).^[3][4][17]

From 1537 to 1544 and 1548 to 1550, the governorship remained vacant, as alcaldes ordinarios served in place of a governor. By order of King Charles I of Spain, two alcaldes ordinarios, one for the eastern cabildo of Partido de San Juan and the other for the western cabildo of Partido de San Germán, were elected each year by the regidores of each cabildo. The alcaldes ordinarios, who could only be re-elected two years after the end of their one-year term, served as municipal administrators and not governors.^[6] The names of the only known alcaldes ordinarios are Alonso de Vargas and Francisco de Aguilar, who were the administrators of Partido de San Juan from 1548 to 1550.^[18]

From 1578 to 1580, Juan Ponce de León’s grandchild, Juan Ponce de León II, served as interim governor, becoming the first Puerto Rican-born person to served as governor of the archipelago and island.^[4] He was the only Puerto Rican-born person to occupy the office until Ángel Rivero Méndez, who served for three days as interim governor from October 16 to October 18, 1898.^[11]

With the English occupation of San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico, from June to November 1598, which was the only complete takeover of the city by a foreign power before its peaceful transfer to the Americans after hostilities stopped during the Spanish–American War in October 1898, the govenor, Antonio de Mosquera, surrendered and was exiled to Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. However, the English, led by George Clifford and John Berkeley, failed to keep the city and to gain control of the main island. From November 1598 to March 1599, former governor Pedro Suárez Coronel, who had been imprisoned in San Juan’s El Morro fortress, assumed the governorship after the retreat of the English and arrival of Mosquera’s formal replacement, Alonso de Mercado.^[19]

American Administration

In 1898, the President of the United States assumed the authority to appoint the person occupying the office as a result of the annexation of the archipelago and island by the United States during Spanish American War.

While General Nelson A. Miles led the American invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico from July 25 to August 13, 1898, he never served as governor, as that responsibility was assigned to fellow General John R. Brooke, who was head of the American delegation to the commission for the peaceful transfer of sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States, as stipulated in the armistice signed by the two countries on August 12. After the departure of the Spanish officials from San Juan on October 16, Brooke became the first American governor of the archipelago and island on October 18, 1898, succeeding interim governor Ángel Rivero Méndez, who was the last governor under Spanish administration.^[20][3]

Under the military (1898–1900) and insular civil governments (1900–1952) of Puerto Rico, the latter of which was established by the Foraker Act of 1900 and expanded by the Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917, the governor remained an appointee of the American president from 1898 to 1948. While several Puerto Ricans briefly served as interim governors during this period, the only native Puerto Rican to be appointed to the governorship was Jesús T. Piñero, who served as the last appointed governor of Puerto Rico from 1946 to 1949. Piñero was the first and only native Puerto Rican to held the office in a formal, not interim capacity during the direct Spanish and American control of the governorship from 1508 to 1948.^[12]

In 1947, the Elective Governor Act granted the residents of Puerto Rico the power to elect the governor through popular vote. The first election for the governorship was held in 1948, resulting in the victory of Luis Muñoz Marín, who became the first democratically elected governor. Since 1949, the governor of Puerto Rico has served by popular election as the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States organized under the Constitution of Puerto Rico since 1952.

In 2019, governor Ricardo Rosselló, alongside other members of his cabinet, including the Secretary of State, resigned as a result of the Telegramgate scandal, becoming the first elected governor to step down. Before leaving office, Rosselló named Pedro Pierluisi as state secretary, with the intention of making Pierluisi his successor, as the state secretary is the first official in the gubernatorial line of succession. Pierluisi was sworn in as governor after Rosselló’s resignation. However, his tenure only lasted five days, as the Supreme Court ruled that his assumption of the office was unconstitutional because his nomination as state secretary was never confirmed by the Legislative Assembly. He was succeeded by the next official in the gubernatorial line of succession, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez Garced, who became the first governor to serve through constitutional appointment.^[21]

Spanish administration (1508–1898)

This list includes all governors of Puerto Rico who served under the Spanish Empire from the start of the colonization of the archipelago and island in 1508 to the end of Spanish rule as a result of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Governors are divided by the administrative territorial entity under which they directly served.

Century 16th – 17th – 18th – 19th

Viceroyalty of the Indies (1508–1535)

In 1492, when explorer Christopher Columbus took possession of the West Indies in the Caribbean in the name of the Spanish Empire, pursuant to the provisions of the Capitulations of Santa Fe granted by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, the Viceroyalty of the Indies was established as an administrative entity, with Columbus as its first viceroy and governor. Headquartered in the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, it was primarily composed of the Greater and Lesser Antilles islands discovered by Columbus during his voyages to the Americas, including the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico, where he landed during his second voyage in 1493.

From the start of the colonization of Puerto Rico by Juan Ponce León in 1508 to the merging of the Viceroyalty of the Indies into the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch of Spain, the president of the Council of the Indies, and the viceroy and governor of the Viceroyalty of the Indies, who was also the governor of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo and the president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola.

No.	Signature[a]	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
1		Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474–1521)	June 15, 1508	October 28, 1509	1 year, 135 days	[3][22][5][23][24][25]
2		Juan Cerón (unknown)	October 28, 1509	March 2, 1510	125 days
3		Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474–1521)	March 2, 1510	June 21, 1511	1 year, 111 days
4		Gonzalo de Ovalle Interim (unknown)	June 21, 1511	November 28, 1511	160 days
5		Juan Cerón (unknown)	November 28, 1511	November 2, 1512	340 days
6		Rodrigo de Moscoso (unknown)	November 2, 1512	February 1513	≥ 91 days
7		Cristóbal de Mendoza (unknown)	February 1513	July 15, 1515	≥ 2 years, 137 days
8		Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474–1521)	July 15, 1515	September 12, 1519	4 years, 59 days
9		Antonio de la Gama (c. 1489)	September 12, 1519	January 30, 1521	1 year, 140 days
10		Pedro Moreno (unknown)	January 30, 1521	May 1523	≥ 2 years, 91 days
11		Alonso Manso Interim (1460–1539)	May 1523	1524	≥ 215 days
12		Pedro Moreno (unknown)	1524	June 1529	≥ 4 years, 152 days
13		Antonio de la Gama (c. 1489)	June 1529	1530	≥ 185 days
14		Francisco Manuel de Lando (d. 1536)	1530	August 1536	≥ 6 years, 183 days

Viceroyalty of New Spain (1535–1582)

In 1535, the administrative entity of the Viceroyalty of the Indies was merged into the newly-created Viceroyalty of New Spain. Headquartered in Mexico City, it was composed of Mexico, the Louisiana Purchase, Florida, and the states west of the Mississippi River in the United States, British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua in Central America, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles in the insular Caribbean, and Venezuela in South America.

From the establishment of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535 to the creation of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico in 1582, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch of Spain, the president of the Council of the Indies, the viceroy of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo, who was also the governor of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola.

No.	Signature[a]	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
15		Vasco de Tiedra (unknown)	August 1536	September 28, 1537	≥ 1 year, 28 days	[3][22][5][23][24][25]
– [b]		Vacant Alcaldes ordinarios	September 28, 1537	1544	≥ 6 years, 95 days
16		Jerónimo Lebrón de Quiñones (1505–1545)	1544	July 6, 1545	≥ 187 days
17		Iñigo López Cervantes y Loaysa (unknown)	July 6, 1545	July 6, 1546	1 year, 0 days
18		Diego de Carasa (d. 1570)	July 6, 1546	1548	≥ 1 year, 179 days
– [c]		Vacant Alcaldes ordinarios	1548	1550	≥ 1 year, 1 day
19		Luis Vallejo (unknown)	1550	1555	≥ 4 years, 1 day
20		Alonso Estévez (unknown)	1555	August 12, 1555	≥ 1 day
21		Diego de Carasa (d. 1570)	August 12, 1555	l 1561	≥ 5 years, 142 days
22		Antonio de la Llama Vallejo (unknown)	1561	March 20, 1564	≥ 2 years, 80 days
23		Francisco Bahamonde de Lugo (d. 1574)	March 20, 1564	December 31, 1568	4 years, 286 days
24		Francisco de Solís Osorio (unknown)	December 31, 1568	1575	≥ 6 years, 1 day
25		Francisco de Ovando y Mexía (c. 1546–1579)	1575	December 1578	≥ 2 years, 335 days
26		Juan Ponce de León II Interim (1524–1591)	December 1578	1580	≥ 1 year, 1 day
27		Jerónimo de Agüero Campuzano Interim (unknown)	1580	April 24, 1580	≥ 1 day
28		Juan de Céspedes (d. 1591)	April 24, 1580	August 2, 1581	1 year, 100 days
29		Juan López Melgarejo Interim (unknown)	August 2, 1581	June 12, 1582	314 days

Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
(1582–1897)

In 1582, the administrative entity of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was established as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was composed of the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico.

From the establishment of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico in 1582 to the creation of the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico in 1897, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch of Spain, the viceroy of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1582–1821), the president of the Council of the Indies (1582–1714), the secretary of the Secretariat of the Navy and the Indies (1714–1754), the secretary of the Secretariat of State and the Office of the Indies (1754–1863), and the minister of the Ministry of Overseas (1863–1897), and the Valido (1598–1705), the Secretary of State and the Universal Bureau (1705–1734), the First Secretary of State (1734–1823), and the Prime Minister (1823–1897). The Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo until the creation of the Real Audiencia of Puerto Rico in 1831.

No.	Portrait[d]	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
30		Diego Menéndez de Valdés (1553–1596)	June 12, 1582	May 11, 1593	10 years, 333 days	[3][22][26][5][23][24][25]
31		Pedro Suárez Coronel (unknown)	May 11, 1593	June 20, 1596	≥ 3 years, 40 days
32		Antonio de Mosquera (unknown)	June 20, 1596	June 21, 1598	2 years, 1 day
Start of the English occupation of San Juan
– [e]		George Clifford (1558–1605)	June 21, 1598	August 13, 1598	53 days
		John Berkeley (unknown)	August 13, 1598	September 23, 1598	41 days
End of the English occupation of San Juan
33 [f]		Pedro Suárez Coronel de facto (unknown)	September 23, 1598	March 22, 1599	181 days
34		Alonso de Mercado (unknown)	March 22, 1599	August 7, 1602	3 years, 138 days
35		Sancho Ochoa de Castro (1566–1608)	August 7, 1602	July 22, 1608	5 years, 350 days
36		Gabriel de Rojas Páramo (1565–c. 1620)	July 22, 1608	April 1614	≥ 5 years, 283 days
37		Felipe de Beaumont y Navarra (1564–1626)	April 1614	May 31, 1620	≥ 6 years, 31 days
38		Juan de Vargas Asejas (1587–1631)	May 31, 1620	August 25, 1625	5 years, 86 days
39		Juan de Haro y Sanvítores (1565–1632)	August 25, 1625	August 1631	≥ 5 years, 341 days
40		Enrique Enríquez de Sotomayor (c. 1560–1638)	August 1631	June 27, 1635	≥ 3 years, 300 days
41		Iñigo de la Mota Sarmiento (b. 1598)	June 27, 1635	June 1641	≥ 5 years, 339 days
42		Agustín de Silva y Figueroa (c. 1600–1641)	June 1641	December 1641	≥ 154 days
43		Juan de Bolaños Interim (unknown)	December 1641	July 9, 1643	≥ 1 year, 190 days
44		Fernando de la Riva Agüero y Setién (1606–1663)	July 9, 1643	July 12, 1650	7 years, 3 days
45		Diego de Aguilera y Gamboa (1606–1667)	July 12, 1650	March 25, 1656	5 years, 257 days
46		José de Novoa y Moscoso (b. 1607)	March 25, 1656	August 28, 1661	5 years, 156 days
47		Juan Pérez de Guzmán (c. 1618)	August 28, 1661	November 23, 1664	3 years, 87 days
48		Jerónimo de Velasco (unknown)	November 23, 1664	August 16, 1670	5 years, 266 days
49		Gaspar de Arteaga y Lequedano (c. 1619–1674)	August 16, 1670	March 7, 1674	3 years, 203 days
50		Diego de Robledillo y Velasco Interim (unknown)	March 7, 1674	July 20, 1674	163 days
51		Baltasar de Figueroa y Castilla Interim (unknown)	July 20, 1674	April 2, 1675	256 days
52		Alonso de Campos y Espinosa (unknown)	April 2, 1675	1678	≥ 2 years, 274 days
53		Juan de Robles Lorenzana (unknown)	1678	July 14, 1683	≥ 4 years, 195 days
54		Gaspar Martínez de Andino (unknown)	July 14, 1683	May 5, 1690	6 years, 295 days
55		Gaspar de Arredondo y Valle (unknown)	May 5, 1690	August 11, 1695	5 years, 99 days
56		Juan Fernández Franco de Medina (c. 1646–1998)	August 11, 1695	May 16, 1998	2 years, 278 days
57		Antonio de Robles Silva Interim (unknown)	May 16, 1698	October 17, 1699	1 year, 154 days
58		Gaspar de Arredondo y Valle Interim (unknown)	October 17, 1699	June 21, 1700	247 days
59		Gabriel Gutiérrez de Riva (1655–1703)	June 21, 1700	July 23, 1703	3 years, 32 days
60		Diego Jiménez de Villarán Interim (unknown)	July 23, 1703	October 12, 1703	81 days
61		Francisco Sánchez Calderón Interim (unknown)	October 12, 1703	1704	≥ 81 days
62		Pedro de Arroyo y Guerrero Interim (d. 1706)	1704	1706	≥ 1 year, 1 day
63		Juan López de Morla Interim (unknown)	1706	1706	≥ 1 day
64		Francisco Danio Granados (unknown)	1706	1709	≥ 2 years, 1 day
65		Juan de Ribera (unknown)	1709	May 3, 1716	≥ 6 years, 124 days
66		José Francisco Carreño Interim (unknown)	May 3, 1716	August 30, 1716	119 days
67		Alberto Bertodano y Navarra (unknown)	August 30, 1716	April 7, 1720	3 years, 221 days
68		Francisco Danio Granados (unknown)	April 7, 1720	August 22, 1724	4 years, 137 days
69		José Antonio de Mendizábal y Azcue (unknown)	August 22, 1724	October 11, 1731	7 years, 50 days
70		Matías de Abadía (unknown)	October 11, 1731	June 28, 1743	11 years, 260 days
71		Domingo Pérez de Nanclares Interim (unknown)	June 28, 1743	October 29, 1743	123 days
72		Juan José Colomo (d. 1750)	October 29, 1743	August 11, 1750	6 years, 286 days
73		Agustín de Pareja (d. 1751)	August 11, 1750	July 8, 1751	331 days
74		Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim (unknown)	July 8, 1751	May 1, 1753	1 year, 297 days
75		Felipe Ramírez de Estenoz (unknown)	May 1, 1753	August 30, 1757	4 years, 121 days
76		Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim (unknown)	August 30, 1757	June 3, 1759	1 year, 277 days
77		Antonio de Guazo Calderón (d. 1760)	June 3, 1759	March 7, 1760	278 days
78		Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim (unknown)	March 7, 1760	November 29, 1760	267 days
79		Ambrosio de Benavides (1718–1787)	November 29, 1760	March 12, 1766	5 years, 103 days
80		Marcos de Vergara (unknown)	March 12, 1766	October 28, 1766	230 days
81		José Tentor Interim (unknown)	October 28, 1766	July 31, 1770	3 years, 276 days
82		Miguel de Muesas (unknown)	July 31, 1770	June 2, 1776	5 years, 307 days
83		José Dufresne (1707–1786)	June 2, 1776	April 6, 1783	6 years, 305 days
84		Juan Andrés Daban y Busterino (1724–1793)	April 6, 1783	March 27, 1789	5 years, 355 days
85		Francisco Torralbo y Robles Interim (c. 1740–1795)	March 27, 1789	July 8, 1789	103 days
86		Miguel Antonio de Ustáriz (d. 1792)	July 8, 1789	March 27, 1792	2 years, 263 days
87		Francisco Torralbo y Robles Interim (c. 1740–1795)	March 27, 1792	1794	≥ 1 year, 280 days
88		Henrique de Grimarest (unknown)	1794	March 21, 1795	≥ 80 days
89		Ramón de Castro y Gutiérrez (1751–c. 1812)	March 21, 1795	November 12, 1804	9 years, 236 days
90		Toribio Montes y Pérez (1749–1828)	November 12, 1804	June 30, 1809	4 years, 230 days
91		Salvador Meléndez y Bruna (1757–1824)	June 30, 1809	March 22, 1820	10 years, 266 days
92		Juan Vasco y Pascual (unknown)	March 24, 1820	August 7, 1820	136 days
93		Gonzalo Aróstegui y Herrera (1774–1839)	August 7, 1820	February 12, 1822	1 year, 189 days
94		José de Navarro Interim (unknown)	February 12, 1822	May 30, 1822	107 days
95		Francisco González de Linares (unknown)	May 30, 1822	December 4, 1822	215 days
96		Miguel Luciano de la Torre y Pando (1786–1843)	December 4, 1822	January 16, 1837	14 years, 269 days
97		Francisco Moreda y Prieto (unknown)	January 16, 1837	December 16, 1837	334 days
98		Miguel López de Baños (1779–1861)	December 16, 1837	October 2, 1840	2 years, 291 days
99		Santiago Méndez de Vigo (1791–1860)	October 2, 1840	April 24, 1844	3 years, 205 days
100		Rafael de Arístegui y Vélez (1794–1863)	April 24, 1844	December 15, 1847	3 years, 235 days
101		Juan Prim y Prats (1814–1870)	December 15, 1847	September 5, 1848	265 days
102		Juan de la Pezuela y Cevallos (1809–1906)	September 5, 1848	April 21, 1851	2 years, 228 days
103		Enrique de España y Taberner (1801–1878)	April 21, 1851	May 4, 1852	1 year, 13 days
104		Fernando Norzagaray y Escudero (1808–1860)	May 4, 1852	January 31, 1855	2 years, 272 days
105		Andrés García Camba (1793–1861)	January 31, 1855	August 23, 1855	204 days
106		José Lémery e Ibarrola (1811–1886)	August 23, 1855	January 28, 1857	1 year, 158 days
107		Fernando Cotoner y Chacón (1810–1888)	January 28, 1857	July 31, 1860	3 years, 185 days
108		Joaquín Martínez de Medinilla Interim unknown	July 13, 1860	August 19, 1860	37 days
109		Rafaél de Echagüe y Bermingham (1815–1915)	August 19, 1860	March 12, 1862	1 year, 205 days
110		Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez Interim (1820–1883)	March 12, 1862	April 29, 1862	48 days
111		Félix María de Messina Iglesias (1798–1872)	April 29, 1862	November 18, 1865	3 years, 203 days
112		José María Marchessi y Oleaga (1801–1882)	November 18, 1865	December 17, 1867	2 years, 29 days
113		Julián Juan Pavía y Lacy (1812–1870)	December 17, 1867	December 30, 1868	1 year, 13 days
114		José Laureano Sanz y Posse (1819–1898)	December 30, 1868	May 28, 1870	1 year, 149 days
115		Gabriel Baldrich y Palau (1814–1895)	May 28, 1870	September 13, 1871	1 year, 108 days
116		Ramón Gómez Pulido (1811–1875)	September 13, 1871	July 30, 1872	321 days
117		Simón de la Torre y Ormaza (1803–1884)	July 30, 1872	November 25, 1872	118 days
118		Joaquín Enrile y Hernán Interim (b. 1818)	November 25, 1872	February 14, 1873	81 days
119		Juan Martínez Plowes (1808–1887)	February 14, 1873	April 14, 1873	59 days
120		Rafael Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte (1813–1902)	April 14, 1873	February 2, 1874	294 days
121		José Laureano Sanz y Posse (1819–1898)	February 2, 1874	December 15, 1875	1 year, 316 days
122		Segundo de la Portilla y Gutiérrez (b. 1819)	December 15, 1875	October 25, 1877	1 year, 314 days
123		Manuel de la Serna Hernández Pinzón (1809–1878)	October 25, 1877	April 26, 1878	183 days
124		José Gamir Maladen Interim (1835–1896)	April 26, 1878	June 24, 1878	59 days
125		Eulogio Despujols y Dussay (1834–1807)	June 24, 1878	July 6, 1881	3 years, 12 days
126		Segundo de la Portilla y Gutierrez (b. 1819)	July 6, 1881	November 23, 1882	1 year, 140 days
127		Miguel de la Vega Inclán y Palma (1820–1884)	November 23, 1882	July 31, 1884	1 year, 251 days
128		Carlos Suances y Campos Interim (1818–1891)	July 31, 1884	September 19, 1884	50 days
129		Ramón Fajardo e Izquierdo Interim (1826–1888)	September 19, 1884	November 1, 1884	33 days
130		Carlos Suances y Campos Interim (1818–1891)	November 1, 1884	November 23, 1884	22 days
131		Luis Daban y Ramírez de Arellano (1841–1892)	November 23, 1884	January 10, 1887	2 years, 48 days
132		Juan Contreras Martínez Interim (1834–1907)	January 10, 1887	March 23, 1887	72 days
133		Romualdo Palacios González (1827–1908)	March 23, 1887	November 11, 1887	233 days
134		Juan Contreras Martínez Interim (1834–1907)	November 11, 1887	February 23, 1888	104 days
135		Pedro Ruiz Dana (1826–1891)	February 23, 1888	April 18, 1890	2 years, 54 days
136		José Pascual Bonanza Interim (1834–1892)	April 18, 1890	April 21, 1890	3 days
137		José Lasso Pérez (1837–1913)	April 21, 1890	November 15, 1892	2 years, 208 days
138		Manuel Delgado y Zuleta Interim (1842–1915)	November 15, 1892	January 10, 1893	56 days
139		Antonio Daban y Ramírez de Arrellano (1844–1902)	January 10, 1893	June 1, 1895	2 years, 142 days
140		Andrés González Muñoz Interim (1840–1898)	June 1, 1895	June 20, 1895	19 days
141		José Gamir Maladen (1835–1896)	June 20, 1895	January 17, 1896	211 days
142		Emilio March García Interim (1844–1919)	January 17, 1896	February 15, 1896	29 days
143		Sabas Marín González (1831–1901)	February 15, 1896	January 4, 1898	1 year, 323 days

Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico (1897–1898)

Autonomy Charter of Puerto Rico (1897-1898)

In 1897, the Spanish Crown granted local autonomous administration to Puerto Rico, authorizing the establishment of the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico, with a government headed by a partially democratically elected bicameral parliament and a governor, who remained an appointee of the Crown.^[7][8][9]

From the establishment of the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico in 1897 to the annexation of the archipelago and island by the United States during the Spanish–American War in 1898, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch, the prime minister, and the overseas minister.

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
144		Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim (1838–1917)	January 4, 1898	January 11, 1898	7 days	[3][22][5][23][24][25]
145		Andrés González Muñoz (1840–1898)	January 11, 1898	January 11, 1898	8 hours
146		Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim (1838–1917)	January 11, 1898	February 2, 1898	22 days
147		Manuel Macías y Casado (1844–1937)	February 2, 1898	October 14, 1898	254 days
148		Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim (1838–1917)	October 14, 1898	October 16, 1898	2 days
149		Ángel Rivero Méndez Interim (1856–1930)	October 16, 1898	October 18, 1898	2 days	[20][11][5]

American administration (1898–present)

This list includes all governors of Puerto Rico who have served under the United States from the start of the annexation of the archipelago and island as a result of the Spanish-American War in 1898 to the present. Governors are divided by the administrative territorial entity under which they directly served.

Century 19th – 20th – 21st

Military Government of Porto Rico
(1898–1900)

In 1898, the United States bombarded, invaded, occupied, and annexed the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The United States Navy carried out the Bombardment of San Juan, the fortified capital city in northeastern Puerto Rico (today the historic quarter of Old San Juan), on May 12, while the United States Army began the land invasion of the territory through the municipality of Guánica in southwestern Puerto Rico on July 25. After an armistice, a cease-fire agreement, was signed on August 12, the active hostilities between Spain and the United States stopped, with the war officially ending by the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10. The armistice led to Spain ceding Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States and agreed to the American occupation of Manila in the Philippines.

The Spanish administration of Puerto Rico effectively ended on October 18, when the United States assumed sovereignty over the territory, establishing the Military Government of Porto Rico (the spelling "Porto Rico" was officially used by U.S. government until 1932), which operated under the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of War. From the establishment of the Military Government of Puerto Rico in 1898 to the creation of the Insular Government of Porto Rico in 1900, the governor of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States, William McKinley, and its Secretary of War, Elihu Root.

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
– [g]		Nelson A. Miles (1839–1925)	July 25, 1898	August 13, 1898	19 days	[3][24][25]
150		John R. Brooke (1838–1926)	October 18, 1898	December 6, 1898	49 days
151		Guy V. Henry (1839–1899)	December 6, 1898	May 9, 1899	154 days
152		George W. Davis (1839–1918)	May 9, 1899	May 1, 1900	357 days

Insular Government of Porto Rico
(1900–1952)

In 1900, the Insular Government of Porto Rico replaced the Military Government of Porto Rico, establishing a civil goverment in Puerto Rico, as the local administration of an unincorporated territory under the sovereign federal jurisdiction of the United States. The insular government was organized under the organic acts of the Foraker Act from 1900 to 1917 and the Jones–Shafroth Act from 1917 to 1952.

Foraker Act (1900–1917)

The Foraker Act divided the local government of Puerto Rico into three branches: an executive, consisting of a Governor and an 11-member Executive Council appointed by the President of the United States, a legislative, composed of bicameral Legislative Assembly, with the Executive Council as its upper chamber and a 35-member House of Delegates elected by the residents of Puerto Rico as its lower chamber, and a judicial, headed by a chief justice and a district judgeappointed by the President. The Act created the office of Resident Commissioner, a non-voting member to the United States House of Representatives elected by the residents of Puerto Rico.  

During the Insular Government of Porto Rico, from the passing of the Foraker Act in 1900 to the implementation of the Jones–Shafroth Act in 1917, the governor of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States and its Secretary of War, as the territory operated under the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of War.

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
153		Charles H. Allen (1848–1934)	May 1, 1900	September 15, 1901	1 year, 137 days	[3][27]
154		William H. Hunt (1857–1949)	September 15, 1901	July 4, 1904	2 years, 293 days	[3][28]
155		Beekman Winthrop (1874–1940)	July 4, 1904	April 17, 1907	2 years, 287 days	[3][24][25]
156		Regis H. Post (1870–1944)	April 17, 1907	November 6, 1909	2 years, 203 days
157		George R. Colton (1865–1916)	November 6, 1909	November 15, 1913	4 years, 9 days
158 [h]		Arthur Yager (1858–1941)	November 15, 1913	March 2, 1917	3 years, 107 days	[3][29]

Jones–Shafroth Act (1917–1952)

The Jones–Shafroth Act established a bill of rights based on the United States Bill of Rights and granted statutory birthright United States citizenship to anyone born in the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899.

The Act expanded the executive and legislative branches of the Insular Government of Porto Rico. It created the executive departments of Justice, Education, Finance, Interior, Labor and Agriculture, and Health, with their heads, the first two appointed by the President of the United States, and the rest appointed by the Governor, who was also appointed by the President, forming an executive council to the Governor. It formed a legislative 19-member Senate elected by the residents of Puerto Rico, and increased the membership and term length of the House of Representatives to 39 popularly elected members serving four-year terms. It also increased to four years the term length of the Resident Commissioner, a non-voting member to the United States House of Representatives elected by the residents of Puerto Rico.

During the Insular Government of Porto Rico, from the passing of the Jones–Shafroth Act in 1917 to the implementation of the Elective Governor Act in 1948, which granted the residents of Puerto Rico the power to elect the governor through popular vote, the governor of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States. As part of the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of War, it remained under the purview of the Secretary of War until 1934, when the responsibility was assumed by the Secretary of Interior, as Puerto Rico was transferred to the Division of Territories and Island Possessions of the United States Department of Interior. Puerto Rico remained under said organization until the proclamation of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952, when it achieved complete local self-governance as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Tenure			Ref(s)
			Start	End	Duration
158 [h]		Arthur Yager (1848–1934)	March 2, 1917	May 15, 1921	4 years, 74 days	[3][29]
159		José E. Benedicto Interim (1880–1924)	May 15, 1921	July 30, 1921	76 days	[3][24][25]
160		E. Mont Reily (1866–1954)	July 30, 1921	February 16, 1923	1 year, 201 days	[30]
161		Juan B. Huyke Interim (1880–1961)	February 16, 1923	April 1, 1923	44 days	[24][25]
162		Horace M. Towner (1855–1937)	April 1, 1923	September 29, 1929	6 years, 181 days	[31]
163		James R. Beverley Interim (1894–1967)	September 29, 1929	October 7, 1929	8 days	[24][25]
164		Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1887–1954)	October 7, 1929	January 30, 1932	2 years, 115 days	[32]
165		James R. Beverley Interim (1894–1967)	January 30, 1932	July 3, 1933	1 year, 154 days	[24][25]
166		Robert H. Gore (1887–1972)	July 3, 1933	January 11, 1934	192 days	[33]
167		Benjamin J. Horton (1873–1963)	January 11, 1934	February 5, 1934	25 days	[24][25]
168		Blanton C. Winship (1869–1947)	February 5, 1934	June 25, 1939	5 years, 140 days	[34][35][36]
169		José E. Colom Interim (1889–1973)	June 25, 1939	September 11, 1939	78 days	[24][25]
170		William D. Leahy (1875–1959)	September 11, 1939	November 28, 1940	1 year, 78 days	[37]
171		José M. Gallardo Interim (1897–1976)	November 28, 1940	February 3, 1941	67 days	[24][25]
172		Guy J. Swope (1892–1969)	February 3, 1941	July 24, 1941	171 days	[38]
173		José M. Gallardo Interim (1897–1976)	July 24, 1941	September 19, 1941	57 days	[24][25]
174		Rexford G. Tugwell (1891–1979)	September 19, 1941	September 2, 1946	4 years, 348 days	[39]
175		Jesús T. Piñero (1897–1952)	September 2, 1946	January 2, 1949	2 years, 122 days	[12]
176 [i]		Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980)	January 2, 1949	January 2, 1953	4 years	[24][25]

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
(1952–present)

Constitution of Puerto Rico (1952–present)

In 1952, the Constitution of Puerto Rico established the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its government. With its ratification, the full authority and responsibility for the local administration of Puerto Rico was vested in the residents of Puerto Rico, resulting in complete self-governance within the archipelago and island as an unincorporated territory under the sovereign federal jurisdiction of the United States.

Elected to unlimited four-year terms through popular vote by the residents of Puerto Rico, the governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico and the commander-in-chief of the National Guard of Puerto Rico. The incumbent governor is Jenniffer González, who was elected on November 5, 2024, and sworn in on January 2, 2025.

Puerto Rico political affiliation
  New Progressive Party (PNP) (8)
  Popular Democratic Party (PPD) (7)

United States political affiliation
  Democratic Party (D) (10)
  Republican Party (R) (4)
  Independent (I) (1)

No.	Portrait[j]	Name[k] (birth–death)	Election	Term of office			Puerto Rico political party		United States political party
				Took office	Left office	Time in office (end reason)
176 [i]		Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980) [40]	1952	January 2, 1953	January 2, 1957	12 years (did not seek reelection)		Popular Democratic		Independent [l]
			1956	January 2, 1957	January 2, 1961
			1960	January 2, 1961	January 2, 1965
177		Roberto Sánchez Vilella (1913–1997) [42]	1964	January 2, 1965	January 2, 1969	4 years (lost reelection)		Popular Democratic		Democratic [m]
178		Luis A. Ferré (1904–2003) [44]	1968	January 2, 1969	January 2, 1973	4 years (lost reelection)		New Progressive		Republican [n]
179		Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019) [46][47]	1972	January 2, 1973	January 2, 1977	4 years (lost reelection)		Popular Democratic		Democratic [o]
180		Carlos Romero Barceló (1932–2021) [49][50]	1976	January 2, 1977	January 2, 1981	8 years (lost reelection)		New Progressive		Democratic [o]
			1980	January 2, 1981	January 2, 1985
181		Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019) [46][47]	1984	January 2, 1985	January 2, 1989	8 years (did not seek reelection)		Popular Democratic		Democratic [o]
			1988	January 2, 1989	January 2, 1993
182		Pedro Rosselló (b. 1944) [51]	1992	January 2, 1993	January 2, 1997	8 years (did not seek reelection)		New Progressive		Democratic [52]
			1996	January 2, 1997	January 2, 2001
183		Sila María Calderón (b. 1942) [53]	2000	January 2, 2001	January 2, 2005	4 years (did not seek reelection)		Popular Democratic		Democratic [p]
184		Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (b. 1962) [55]	2004	January 2, 2005	January 2, 2009	4 years (lost reelection)		Popular Democratic		Democratic [q]
185		Luis Fortuño (b. 1960)	2008	January 2, 2009	January 2, 2013	4 years (lost reelection)		New Progressive		Republican [57]
186		Alejandro García Padilla (b. 1971)	2012	January 2, 2013	January 2, 2017	4 years (did not seek reelection)		Popular Democratic		Democratic [r]
187		Ricardo Rosselló (b. 1979)	2016	January 2, 2017	August 2, 2019	2 years, 212 days (resigned)[s]		New Progressive		Democratic [59]
– [t]		Pedro Pierluisi De facto (b. 1959)	None [u]	August 2, 2019	August 7, 2019	5 days (constitutional removal)		New Progressive		Democratic [59]
188		Wanda Vázquez Constitutional appointment (b. 1960)	None [v]	August 7, 2019	January 2, 2021	1 year, 148 days (lost nomination)		New Progressive		Republican [60]
189		Pedro Pierluisi (b. 1959)	2020	January 2, 2021	January 2, 2025	4 years (lost renomination)		New Progressive		Democratic [59]
190		Jenniffer González (b. 1976)	2024	January 2, 2025	Current holder	233 days		New Progressive		Republican [61]

Timeline (1952–present)

See also

• Puerto Rico portal
• Politics portal

• First ladies and gentlemen of Puerto Rico
• Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
• History of Puerto Rico
• Politics of Puerto Rico
• List of Legislative Assemblies of Puerto Rico

Notes

1. Signature of the governor is included as most governors do not have a portrait.
2. The tenures of alcaldes ordinarios are not statistically counted, as they served as municipal administrators and not governors. By order of King Charles I of Spain, two alcaldes ordinarios, one for the eastern cabildo of Partido de San Juan and the other for the western cabildo of Partido de San Germán, were elected each year by the regidores of each cabildo.
3. The tenures of alcaldes ordinarios are not statistically counted, as they served as municipal administrators and not governors. By order of King Charles I of Spain, two alcaldes ordinarios, one for the eastern cabildo of Partido de San Juan and the other for the western cabildo of Partido de San Germán, were elected each year by the regidores of each cabildo. The names of the only known alcaldes ordinarios are Alonso de Vargas and Francisco de Aguilar, who were the administrators of Partido de San Juan from 1548 to 1550.
4. The signature of the governor is included when his portrait is unavailable.
5. As the English, led by George Clifford and John Berkeley, failed to keep the capital city, San Juan, and to gain control of the main island, their tenures are not statistically counted. With the English occupation of San Juan from June to November 1598, governor Antonio de Mosquera surrendered and was exiled to Cartagena de Indias in Colombia.
6. The de facto tenure of Pedro Suárez Coronel from November 1598 to March 1599 is statistically counted, as the former governor assume the governorship after the retreat of the English and arrival of Mosquera’s formal replacement, Alonso de Mercado.
7. While General Nelson A. Miles led the American invasion of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War from July 25 to August 13, 1898, he never served as governor, and thus, he is not statistically counted. From August 13 to October 18, fellow General John R. Brooke oversaw the peaceful transfer of sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States, as stipulated in the armistice signed by the two countries on August 12. After the departure of the Spanish officials from the capital, San Juan, on October 16, Brooke became the first American governor of the archipelago and island on October 18, succeeding the interim governor Ángel Rivero Méndez, who was the last governor under Spanish administration.
8. The continuous tenure of Arthur Yager was authorized under the Foraker Act of 1900 from November 15, 1913 to March 2, 1917, and under the Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917 from March 2, 1917 to May 15, 1921.
9. The continuous tenure of Luis Muñoz Marín was authorized under the Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917 and the Elective Governor Act of 1947 from January 2, 1949 to July 25, 1952, and under the Constitution of Puerto Rico from July 25, 1952 to January 2, 1965. Muñoz Marín became the first popularly elected governor of Puerto Rico through the 1948 Puerto Rican general election.
10. Official portrait or formal photo as the governor of Puerto Rico or the preceding role with the symbols of Puerto Rico or the United States.
11. Most commonly used name.
12. Trías Monge (1995) "Aunque se le percibía como Demócrata e influía decisivamente en las gestiones del Partido Demócrata de Puerto Rico, Muñoz Marín nunca se afilió formalmente a ese partido ni participó en actividad alguna de los partidos políticos estadounidenses."^[41]
13. Metro (2012) "Desde la presidencia de Lyndon B. Johnson y la gobernación de Roberto Sánchez Vilella, no teníamos un presidente demócrata en Washington y un gobernador demócrata en San Juan."^[43]
14. Fernós (2003) "[...]su dirigente Don Luis A. Ferré, presidente del Partido Republicano en Puerto Rico."^[45]
15. Montalvo (2012) "Carlos Romero Barceló y Rafael Hernández Colón son de partidos contrarios en la Isla, pero demócratas en la política estadounidense."^[48]
16. Castilla y León. "[Calderón] pertenece al Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico y al Partido Demócrata de Estados Unidos."^[54]
17. DARN (2011) "[Acevedo Vilá] was an active member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association."^[56]
18. Varela (2013) "[...] Governor Alejandro Padilla, a Democrat [...]"^[58]
19. Rosselló resigned from office due to the Telegramgate scandal.
20. The de facto tenure of Pedro Pierluisi from August 2 to August 7, 2019 is not statistically counted, as he served unconstitutionally. Before resigning from office, Ricardo Rosselló named Pierluisi as Secretary of State, with the intention of making him his successor, as the state secretary is the first official in the gubernatorial line of succession. Pierluisi was sworn in as governor after Rosselló’s resignation. However, his tenure only lasted five days, as the Supreme Court ruled that his assumption of the office was unconstitutional because his nomination as state secretary was never confirmed by the Legislative Assembly. He was succeeded by the next official in the gubernatorial line of succession, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez Garced, who became the first governor to serve through constitutional appointment.
21. As de facto Secretary of State, Pedro Pierluisi succeeded to the office following the resignation of Ricardo Rosselló. Shortly thereafter, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ruled that his assumption of the office was unconstitutional because his nomination as Secretary of State was never confirmed by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico. He was succeeded by the next official in the gubernatorial line of succession, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez Garced.^[21]
22. As Secretary of Justice, Wanda Vázquez Garced succeeded to the office through constitutional appointment following the resignation of Ricardo Rosselló and the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico's ruling that Pedro Pierluisi's succession was invalid because he was not confirmed by the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico as Secretary of State, which is followed by the Secretary of Justice in the gubernatorial line of succession.^[21]