List of governors of Texas

The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the U.S. state of Texas and the commander in chief of the state’s military forces. The incumbent, Greg Abbott, is the forty-eighth governor to serve in the office since Texas' statehood in 1845.

When compared to those of other states, the governorship of Texas has been described as one of relative weakness.^[1][2] In some respects, it is the lieutenant governor of Texas, who presides over the Texas Senate, who possesses greater influence to exercise their prerogatives.^[1][2]

Rick Perry is the longest-serving governor, having assumed the governorship in 2000 upon the exit of George W. Bush, who resigned to take office as the 43rd president of the United States. Perry was elected in 2002 and he was re-elected in 2006 and 2010 serving for 14 years before choosing to retire in 2014.

Allan Shivers assumed the governorship upon the death of Beauford Jester in July 1949 and was elected in 1950 and re-elected in 1952 and 1954, serving for 7+1⁄2 years, making him the third longest serving governor before choosing to retire in 1956. Price Daniel was elected to the governorship in 1956 and re-elected in 1958 and 1960 before losing his re-election for an unprecedented fourth term in the 1962 Democratic primary, missing the runoff. John Connally was elected in 1962 and re-elected in 1964 and 1966 before choosing to retire in 1968, leaving office on January 21, 1969. Bill Clements served two non-consecutive four-year terms, having been elected in 1978 but lost re-election in 1982 before winning re-election in 1986, choosing to retire in 1990, previously held the record as the second longest-serving governor: both of Shivers and Clements' records were surpassed by Perry.

Current governor Greg Abbott was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and again in 2022. He is the second longest-serving governor and on track to serve 12 years by January 19, 2027. He is currently seeking re-election to an unprecedented fourth term in 2026, which if completed, by January 21, 2031, will make him the state's longest-serving governor, surpassing Perry's 14 years.

Governors

For the period before annexation, see List of Texas governors and presidents.

Texas was annexed by the United States and admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845.^[3]

The governor is inaugurated on the third Tuesday of January every four years along with the lieutenant governor, and serves a term of four years. Prior to the present laws, in 1845, the state's first constitution established the office of governor, serving a term of two years, but no more than four years of every six.^[4] The 1861 constitution, following secession from the Union, established the first Monday of November following election as the term's start.^[5] Following the end of the American Civil War, the 1866 constitution increased term length to four years, limiting overall service to no more than eight years of every twelve, moving the term's start to the first Thursday following organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable."^[6] The constitution of 1869, enacted during Reconstruction, removed term limitations,^[7] to this day making Texas one of sixteen states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia^[8] with no limit on gubernatorial terms. The present constitution of 1876 returned terms to two years,^[9] but a 1972 amendment again returned them to four.^[10]

In the case of a vacancy in the office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.^[11] Prior to a 1999 amendment, the lieutenant governor only acted as governor until the expiration of the term to which he succeeded.^[12][13] The governor and the lieutenant governor are not officially elected on the same ticket.

Governors of the State of Texas

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[a]
1			J. Pinckney Henderson (1808–1858) [14][15]	February 19, 1846[16] – December 21, 1847 (did not run)[14]	Democratic[17]	1845		Albert Clinton Horton[b]
2			George Tyler Wood (1795–1858) [18][19]	December 21, 1847[20] – December 21, 1849 (lost election)	Democratic[17]	1847		John Alexander Greer
3			Peter Hansborough Bell (1810–1898) [21][22]	December 21, 1849[23] – November 23, 1853 (resigned)[c]	Democratic[17]	1849
						1851		James W. Henderson
4			James W. Henderson (1817–1880) [25]	November 23, 1853[26] – December 21, 1853 (successor took office)	Democratic[17]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
5			Elisha M. Pease (1812–1883) [27][28]	December 21, 1853[29] – December 21, 1857 (term-limited)[d]	Democratic[17]	1853		David Catchings Dickson
						1855		Hardin Richard Runnels
6			Hardin Richard Runnels (1820–1873) [31][32]	December 21, 1857[33] – December 21, 1859 (lost election)	Democratic[17]	1857		Francis Lubbock
7			Sam Houston (1793–1863) [34][35]	December 21, 1859[36] – March 16, 1861 (removed)[e]	Independent[17]	1859		Edward Clark
8			Edward Clark (1815–1880) [37][38]	March 16, 1861[39] – November 7, 1861 (lost election)	Democratic[17]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
9			Francis Lubbock (1815–1905) [40][41]	November 7, 1861[42] – November 5, 1863 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	1861		John McClannahan Crockett
10			Pendleton Murrah (d. 1865) [43][44]	November 5, 1863[45] – June 17, 1865 (office vacated)[f]	Democratic[17]	1863		Fletcher Stockdale
11			Andrew Jackson Hamilton (1815–1875) [51][52]	June 17, 1865[53] – August 9, 1866 (successor took office)	Military governor appointed by President		Vacant
12			James W. Throckmorton (1825–1894) [54][55]	August 9, 1866[56] – July 30, 1867 (removed)[g]	Democratic[17]	1866		George Washington Jones
13			Elisha M. Pease (1812–1883) [27][28]	July 30, 1867[57] – September 30, 1869 (resigned)[h]	Installed by military occupation		Vacant
—	Vacant [50]			September 30, 1869 – January 8, 1870	Office vacated after resignation
14			Edmund J. Davis (1827–1883) [58][59]	January 8, 1870[60] – January 15, 1874 (lost election)	Republican[17]	1869
15			Richard Coke (1829–1897) [61][62]	January 15, 1874[63] – December 1, 1876 (resigned)[i]	Democratic[17]	1873		Richard B. Hubbard
						1876
16			Richard B. Hubbard (1832–1901) [64][65]	December 1, 1876[66] – January 21, 1879 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
17			Oran Milo Roberts (1815–1898) [67][68]	January 21, 1879[69] – January 16, 1883 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	1878		Joseph D. Sayers
						1880		Leonidas Jefferson Storey
18			John Ireland (1827–1896) [70][71]	January 16, 1883[72] – January 18, 1887 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	1882		Francis Marion Martin
						1884		Barnett Gibbs
19			Lawrence Sullivan Ross (1838–1898) [73][74]	January 18, 1887[75] – January 20, 1891 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	1886		Thomas Benton Wheeler
						1888
20			Jim Hogg (1851–1906) [76][77]	January 20, 1891[78] – January 15, 1895 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	1890		George C. Pendleton
						1892		Martin McNulty Crane
21			Charles A. Culberson (1855–1925) [79][80]	January 15, 1895[81] – January 17, 1899 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	1894		George Taylor Jester
						1896
22			Joseph D. Sayers (1841–1929) [82][83]	January 17, 1899[84] – January 20, 1903 (did not run)[82]	Democratic[17]	1898		James Browning
						1900
23			S. W. T. Lanham (1846–1908) [85][86]	January 20, 1903[87] – January 15, 1907 (did not run)[85]	Democratic[17]	1902		George D. Neal
						1904
24			Thomas Mitchell Campbell (1856–1923) [88][89]	January 15, 1907[90] – January 17, 1911 (did not run)[88]	Democratic[17]	1906		Asbury Bascom Davidson
						1908
25			Oscar Branch Colquitt (1861–1940) [91][92]	January 17, 1911[93] – January 19, 1915 (did not run)[91]	Democratic[17]	1910
						1912		William Harding Mayes
26			James E. Ferguson (1871–1944) [94][95]	January 19, 1915[96] – September 22, 1917 (impeached and removed)[j]	Democratic[17]	1914		William P. Hobby
						1916
27			William P. Hobby (1878–1964) [98][99]	September 22, 1917[k] – January 18, 1921 (did not run)[98]	Democratic[17]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1918		Willard Arnold Johnson
28			Pat Morris Neff (1871–1952) [102][103]	January 18, 1921[104] – January 20, 1925 (did not run)[102]	Democratic[17]	1920		Lynch Davidson
						1922		Thomas Whitfield Davidson
29			Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961) [105][106]	January 20, 1925[107] – January 18, 1927 (lost nomination)[105]	Democratic[17]	1924		Barry Miller
30			Dan Moody (1893–1966) [108][109]	January 18, 1927[110] – January 20, 1931 (did not run)[108]	Democratic[17]	1926
						1928
31			Ross S. Sterling (1875–1949) [111][112]	January 20, 1931[113] – January 17, 1933 (lost nomination)[111]	Democratic[17]	1930		Edgar E. Witt
32			Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961) [105][106]	January 17, 1933[114] – January 15, 1935 (did not run)[105]	Democratic[17]	1932
33			James Burr V Allred (1899–1959) [115][116]	January 15, 1935[117] – January 17, 1939 (did not run)[115]	Democratic[17]	1934		Walter Frank Woodul
						1936
34			W. Lee O'Daniel (1890–1969) [118][119]	January 17, 1939[120] – August 4, 1941 (resigned)[l]	Democratic[17]	1938		Coke R. Stevenson
						1940
35			Coke R. Stevenson (1888–1975) [121][122]	August 4, 1941[123] – January 21, 1947 (did not run)	Democratic[17]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1942		John Lee Smith
						1944
36			Beauford H. Jester (1893–1949) [124][125]	January 21, 1947[126] – July 11, 1949 (died in office)	Democratic[17]	1946		Allan Shivers
						1948
37			Allan Shivers (1907–1985) [127][128]	July 11, 1949[129] – January 15, 1957 (did not run)[127]	Democratic[17]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1950		Ben Ramsey
						1952
						1954
38			Price Daniel (1910–1988) [130][131]	January 15, 1957[132] – January 15, 1963 (lost nomination)[130]	Democratic[17]	1956
						1958
						1960
							Vacant
39			John Connally (1917–1993) [133][134]	January 15, 1963[135] – January 21, 1969 (did not run)[133]	Democratic[17]	1962		Preston Smith
						1964
						1966
40			Preston Smith (1912–2003) [136][137]	January 21, 1969[138] – January 16, 1973 (lost nomination)	Democratic[17]	1968		Ben Barnes
						1970
41			Dolph Briscoe (1923–2010) [139][140]	January 16, 1973[141] – January 16, 1979 (lost nomination)[m]	Democratic[17]	1972		William P. Hobby Jr.
						1974
42			Bill Clements (1917–2011) [142]	January 16, 1979[143] – January 18, 1983 (lost election)	Republican[142]	1978
43			Mark White (1940–2017) [144]	January 18, 1983[145] – January 20, 1987 (lost election)	Democratic[144]	1982
44			Bill Clements (1917–2011) [142]	January 20, 1987[146] – January 15, 1991 (did not run)	Republican[142]	1986
45			Ann Richards (1933–2006) [147]	January 15, 1991[148] – January 17, 1995 (lost election)	Democratic[147]	1990		Bob Bullock
46			George W. Bush (b. 1946) [149]	January 17, 1995[150] – December 21, 2000 (resigned)[n]	Republican[149]	1994
						1998		Rick Perry
47			Rick Perry (b. 1950) [151]	December 21, 2000[152] – January 20, 2015 (did not run)	Republican[151]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor		Bill Ratliff
						2002		David Dewhurst
						2006
						2010
48			Greg Abbott (b. 1957) [153]	January 20, 2015[154] – Incumbent[o]	Republican[153]	2014		Dan Patrick
						2018
						2022

See also

• Texas portal

• Lieutenant Governor of Texas
• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Texas
• List of Texas state legislatures

Notes

1. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
2. Horton acted as governor from May 19 to November 15, 1846, while Henderson was out of state commanding troops in Mexico.^[17]
3. Bell resigned, having been elected to the United States House of Representatives.^[17][24]
4. Under the 1845 constitution, governors were ineligible to serve more than four years in any term of six years.^[30]
5. Houston refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederate States of America, so the secession convention declared the office vacant.^[34]
6. Murrah fled for Mexico around June 11, during the collapse of the Confederacy, dying there two months later.^[43] Some sources list Lieutenant Governor Fletcher Stockdale as succeeding him and serving from June 11, to either June 16, when Andrew Jackson Hamilton was appointed military governor,^[46][47] or July 25, when Hamilton arrived in Austin.^[48] However, some historians disagree on if the office formally transferred to Stockdale,^[49] and he is noted in the 2004-2005 Texas Almanac as only "having performed some duties of office."^[50]
7. Throckmorton was removed from office by General Charles Griffin for being an "impediment to reconstruction," and Pease was installed in his place.^[54]
8. Pease resigned due to disagreements with General Joseph J. Reynolds.^[27]
9. Coke resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[61]
10. Ferguson was impeachment and convicted for mismanagement of funds.^[94] Modern sources say he resigned before the trial was complete, but contemporary news shows he still maintained his office and refused to resign.^[97]
11. Hobby became acting governor upon Ferguson's impeachment on August 24;^[100] Ferguson was convicted and removed on September 22.^[101]
12. O'Daniel resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[119]
13. Briscoe lost the Democratic nomination to John Luke Hill.
14. Bush resigned, having been elected President of the United States.
15. Abbott's third term began on January 17, 2023,^[155] and will expire on January 19, 2027.