List of governors of Tennessee

The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee.

Tennessee has had 50 governors, including the incumbent, Bill Lee.^[1] Seven governors (John Sevier, William Carroll, Andrew Johnson, Robert Love Taylor, Gordon Browning, Frank G. Clement, and Buford Ellington) have served non-consecutive terms. This tally does not include William Blount (the territorial governor) or Robert L. Caruthers (who never took office), though the Blue Book includes them in its list of governors.^[2] All governors are counted only once, regardless of number of terms served (e.g., John Sevier is considered the 1st governor, rather than the 1st and 3rd governor). The Blue Book does not include Edward H. East in its list of governors.

List of governors

Southwest Territory

The Territory South of the Ohio River, commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was organized on May 26, 1790.^[3]

Throughout its 6-year history, Southwest Territory had only one governor appointed by the federal government, William Blount.

Governor of the Territory Southwest of the River Ohio

Governor		Term in office[a]	Appointed by
	William Blount (1749–1800) [4]	June 8, 1790[b] – March 28, 1796 (statehood)	George Washington

State of Tennessee

Southwest Territory was admitted to the Union as Tennessee on June 1, 1796.^[7]

The first constitution of Tennessee, enacted in 1796, set a term of two years for the governor and provided that no person could serve as governor for more than 6 years in any 8-year period.^[8] The term of office was lengthened to four years, without the possibility of consecutive terms, by constitutional amendments adopted in 1953.^[9] Under the current provisions of the state constitution, as amended in 1978, the governor is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two terms consecutively.^[9][10]

Governors of the State of Tennessee

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[c]
1			John Sevier (1745–1815) [11][12]	March 30, 1796[13] – September 23, 1801 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic- Republican[15]	1796	Office did not exist
						1797
						1799
2			Archibald Roane (d. 1819) [16][17]	September 23, 1801[15] – September 23, 1803 (lost election)	Democratic- Republican[15]	1801
1			John Sevier (1745–1815) [11][12]	September 23, 1803[15] – September 20, 1809 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic- Republican[15]	1803
						1805
						1807
3			Willie Blount (1768–1835) [18][19]	September 20, 1809[20] – September 27, 1815 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic- Republican[15]	1809
						1811
						1813
4			Joseph McMinn (1758–1824) [21][22]	September 27, 1815[15] – October 1, 1821 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic- Republican[15]	1815
						1817
						1819
5			William Carroll (1788–1844) [23][24]	October 1, 1821[25] – October 1, 1827 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic- Republican[15]	1821
						1823
						1825
6			Sam Houston (1793–1863) [26]	October 1, 1827[27] – April 16, 1829 (resigned)[e]	Democratic[15]	1827
7			William Hall (1775–1856) [28][29]	April 16, 1829[30] – October 1, 1829 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	Succeeded from speaker of the Senate
5			William Carroll (1788–1844) [23][24]	October 1, 1829[31] – October 12, 1835 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic[f]	1829
						1831
						1833
8			Newton Cannon (1781–1841) [33][34]	October 12, 1835[35] – October 14, 1839 (lost election)	Whig[g]	1835
						1837
9			James K. Polk (1795–1849) [38][39]	October 14, 1839[40] – October 14, 1841 (lost election)	Democratic[15]	1839
10			James C. Jones (1809–1859) [41][42]	October 14, 1841[43] – October 15, 1845 (did not run)	Whig[15]	1841
						1843
11			Aaron V. Brown (1795–1859) [44][45]	October 15, 1845[46] – October 17, 1847 (lost election)	Democratic[15]	1845
12			Neill S. Brown (1810–1886) [47][48]	October 17, 1847[49] – October 16, 1849 (lost election)	Whig[15]	1847
13			William Trousdale (1790–1872) [50][51]	October 16, 1849[52] – October 16, 1851 (lost election)	Democratic[15]	1849
14			William B. Campbell (1807–1867) [53][54]	October 16, 1851[55] – October 17, 1853 (did not run)[53]	Whig[15]	1851
15			Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) [56][57]	October 17, 1853[58] – November 3, 1857 (did not run)[h]	Democratic[15]	1853
						1855
16			Isham G. Harris (1818–1897) [59][60]	November 3, 1857[61] – March 12, 1862 (deposed)[i]	Democratic[15]	1857
						1859
						1861
15			Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) [56][57]	March 12, 1862[j] – March 4, 1865 (resigned)[k]	Military governor appointed by President
—			Edward H. East (1830–1904) [65]	March 4, 1865[15] – April 5, 1865 (successor took office)	—	Secretary of state acting
17			Parson Brownlow (1805–1877) [66][67]	April 5, 1865[68] – February 25, 1869 (resigned)[l]	Republican[15]	1865
						1867
18			Dewitt Clinton Senter (1830–1898) [69][70]	February 25, 1869[71] – October 10, 1871 (did not run)	Republican[15]	Succeeded from speaker of the Senate
						1869
19			John C. Brown (1827–1889) [72][73]	October 10, 1871[74] – January 18, 1875 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1870
						1872
20			James D. Porter (1828–1912) [75][76]	January 18, 1875[77] – February 16, 1879 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1874
						1876
21			Albert S. Marks (1836–1891) [78][79]	February 16, 1879[80] – January 17, 1881 (did not run)[78]	Democratic[15]	1878
22			Alvin Hawkins (1821–1905) [81][82]	January 17, 1881[83] – January 15, 1883 (lost election)	Republican[15]	1880
23			William B. Bate (1826–1905) [84][85]	January 15, 1883[86] – January 17, 1887 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1882
						1884
24			Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912) [87][88]	January 17, 1887[89] – January 19, 1891 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1886
						1888
25			John P. Buchanan (1847–1930) [90][91]	January 19, 1891[92] – January 16, 1893 (lost election)	Democratic[15]	1890
26			Peter Turney (1827–1903) [93][94]	January 16, 1893[95] – January 21, 1897 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1892
						1894
24			Robert Love Taylor (1850–1912) [87][88]	January 21, 1897[96] – January 16, 1899 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1896
27			Benton McMillin (1845–1933) [97][98]	January 16, 1899[99] – January 20, 1903 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1898
						1900
28			James B. Frazier (1856–1937) [100][101]	January 20, 1903[102] – March 27, 1905 (resigned)[m]	Democratic[15]	1902
						1904
29			John I. Cox (1855–1946) [103][104]	March 27, 1905[105] – January 17, 1907 (lost nomination)[103]	Democratic[15]	Succeeded from speaker of the Senate
30			Malcolm R. Patterson (1861–1935) [106][107]	January 17, 1907[108] – January 25, 1911 (withdrew)[n]	Democratic[15]	1906
						1908
31			Ben W. Hooper (1870–1957) [110][111]	January 25, 1911[112] – January 15, 1915 (lost election)	Republican[15]	1910
						1912
32			Thomas Clarke Rye (1863–1953) [113][114]	January 15, 1915[115] – January 15, 1919 (did not run)[113]	Democratic[15]	1914
						1916
33			Albert H. Roberts (1868–1946) [116][117]	January 15, 1919[118] – January 15, 1921 (lost election)	Democratic[15]	1918
34			Alfred A. Taylor (1848–1931) [119][120]	January 15, 1921[121] – January 16, 1923 (lost election)	Republican[15]	1920
35			Austin Peay (1876–1927) [122][123]	January 16, 1923[124] – October 2, 1927 (died in office)	Democratic[15]	1922
						1924
						1926
36			Henry Hollis Horton (1866–1934) [125][126]	October 2, 1927[127] – January 17, 1933 (did not run)[125]	Democratic[15]	Succeeded from speaker of the Senate
						1928
						1930
37			Hill McAlister (1875–1959) [128][129]	January 17, 1933[130] – January 15, 1937 (did not run)[128]	Democratic[15]	1932
						1934
38			Gordon Browning (1889–1976) [131][132]	January 15, 1937[133] – January 16, 1939 (lost nomination)[134]	Democratic[15]	1936
39			Prentice Cooper (1895–1969) [134][135]	January 16, 1939[136] – January 16, 1945 (term-limited)[o]	Democratic[15]	1938
						1940
						1942
40			Jim Nance McCord (1879–1968) [138][139]	January 16, 1945[140] – January 17, 1949 (lost nomination)[131]	Democratic[15]	1944
						1946
38			Gordon Browning (1889–1976) [131][132]	January 17, 1949[141] – January 15, 1953 (term-limited)[o]	Democratic[15]	1948
						1950		Walter M. Haynes
41			Frank G. Clement (1920–1969) [142][143]	January 15, 1953[144] – January 19, 1959 (term-limited)[p]	Democratic[15]	1952		Jared Maddux
						1954
42			Buford Ellington (1907–1972) [146][147]	January 19, 1959[148] – January 15, 1963 (term-limited)[p]	Democratic[15]	1958		William D. Baird
41			Frank G. Clement (1920–1969) [142][143]	January 15, 1963[149] – January 16, 1967 (term-limited)[p]	Democratic[15]	1962		James L. Bomar Jr.
								Jared Maddux
42			Buford Ellington (1907–1972) [146][147]	January 16, 1967[150] – January 16, 1971 (term-limited)[p]	Democratic[15]	1966		Frank Gorrell
43			Winfield Dunn (1927–2024) [151][152]	January 16, 1971[153] – January 18, 1975 (term-limited)[p]	Republican[15]	1970		John Shelton Wilder[q]
44			Ray Blanton (1930–1996) [154][155]	January 18, 1975[156] – January 17, 1979 (did not run)	Democratic[15]	1974
45			Lamar Alexander (b. 1940) [157]	January 17, 1979[158] – January 17, 1987 (term-limited)[r]	Republican[157]	1978
						1982
46			Ned McWherter (1930–2011) [160]	January 17, 1987[161] – January 21, 1995 (term-limited)[r]	Democratic[160]	1986
						1990
47			Don Sundquist (1936–2023) [162]	January 21, 1995[163] – January 18, 2003 (term-limited)[r]	Republican[162]	1994
						1998
48			Phil Bredesen (b. 1943) [164]	January 18, 2003[165] – January 15, 2011 (term-limited)[r]	Democratic[164]	2002
						2006		Ron Ramsey[s]
49			Bill Haslam (b. 1958) [166]	January 15, 2011[167] – January 19, 2019 (term-limited)[r]	Republican[166]	2010
						2014
								Randy McNally
50			Bill Lee (b. 1959) [168]	January 19, 2019[169] – Incumbent[t]	Republican[168]	2018
						2022

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § Tennessee
• List of Tennessee General Assemblies

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's successor was confirmed, unless noted.
2. Blount was nominated on June 7, 1790;^[5] confirmed by the Senate on June 8;^[5] and took the oath of office on September 20.^[4] He was reconfirmed by the Senate on December 11, 1794.^[6]
3. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
4. Under the 1796 constitution, governors were ineligible to serve more than six years in any term of eight.^[14]
5. Houston resigned with no specific reasoning, but it was during the collapse of his marriage.^[26]
6. Carroll is labeled a Jackson Democrat by Kallenbach,^[15] and a Democratic-Republican by Glashan.^[32]
7. Dubin^[36] and Kallenbach^[37] label Cannon's party affiliation in 1835 as Anti-Van Buren Democratic.
8. Johnson was instead elected to the United States Senate.^[56]
9. Harris fled Nashville for Memphis after the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862, and was later driven from the state by Union forces as he worked with the Confederate army.^[59] Johnson was appointed military governor of Tennessee on March 12, 1862, by the Union forces occupying Middle and East Tennessee.^[56] Meanwhile, the Confederate-held portions of West Tennessee held an election in August 1863, in which Harris would have been term-limited, and elected Robert L. Caruthers governor. However, as the legislature was unable to convene, Caruthers was never able to take office.^[15][62]
10. Johnson was appointed military governor on March 4;^[63] he arrived in Nashville on March 12.^[64]
11. Johnson resigned, having been elected Vice President of the United States.^[56][15]
12. Brownlow resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[66]
13. Frazier resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[100]
14. Patterson received the Democratic nomination, but withdrew after a schism in the party.^[109]
15. Under the 1870 constitution, governors were ineligible to serve more than six years in any term of eight.^[137]
16. Under a 1953 amendment to the constitution, governors were ineligible to succeed themselves.^[145]
17. Represented the Democratic Party
18. Under a 1978 amendment to the constitution, governors are ineligible for election to more than two consecutive terms.^[159]
19. Represented the Republican Party
20. Lee's second term began on January 21, 2023,^[170] and will expire on January 16, 2027; he will be term-limited