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Governors of Oregon
Under Provisional Government
Name/Party1 |
Term |
Authority/Remarks |
Abernethy, George |
July 14, 1845-Mar. 3, 1849 |
By people at 1845 general election; reelected 1848 |
Under Territorial Government
Lane, Joseph--D
|
Mar. 3, 1849-June 18, 1850 |
Appointed by President Polk; resigned |
Prichette, Kintzing--D
|
June 18, 1850-Aug. 18, 1850 |
Acting governor, was secretary |
Gaines, John P.--W
|
Aug. 18, 1850-May 16, 1853 |
Appointed by President Taylor |
Lane, Joseph--D
|
May 16, 1853-May 19, 1853 |
Appointed by President Pierce; resigned |
Curry, George L.--D
|
May 19, 1853-Dec. 2, 1853 |
Acting governor, was secretary |
Davis, John W.--D
|
Dec. 2, 1853-Aug. 1, 1854 |
Appointed by President Pierce; resigned |
Curry, George L.--D
|
Aug. 1, 1854-Mar. 3, 1859 |
Acting governor, was secretary; appointed by President Pierce, Nov. 1, 1854 |
Under State Government
Whiteaker, John--D
|
Mar. 3, 1859-Sept. 10, 1862 |
Elected 1858 |
Gibbs, Addison C.--R
|
Sept. 10, 1862-Sept. 12, 1866 |
Elected 1862 |
Woods, George L.--R
|
Sept. 12, 1866-Sept. 14, 1870 |
Elected 1866 |
Grover, LaFayette--D
|
Sept. 14, 1870-Feb. 1, 1877 |
Elected 1870; reelected 1874; resigned |
Chadwick, Stephen F.--D
|
Feb. 1, 1877-Sept. 11, 1878 |
Was secretary of state |
Thayer, William W.--D
|
Sept. 11, 1878-Sept. 13, 1882 |
Elected 1878 |
Moody, Zenas F.--R
|
Sept. 13, 1882-Jan. 12, 1887 |
Elected 1882 |
Pennoyer, Sylvester--DP
|
Jan. 12, 1887-Jan. 14, 1895 |
Elected 1886; reelected 1890 |
Lord, William Paine--R
|
Jan. 14, 1895-Jan. 9, 1899 |
Elected 1894 |
Geer, Theodore T.--R
|
Jan. 9, 1899-Jan. 14, 1903 |
Elected 1898 |
Chamberlain, George E.--D
|
Jan. 15, 1903-Feb. 28, 1909 |
Elected 1902; reelected 1906; resigned |
Benson, Frank W.--R
|
Mar. 1, 1909-June 17, 1910 |
Was secretary of state; resigned |
Bowerman, Jay2--R
|
June 17, 1910-Jan. 8, 1911 |
Was president of Senate |
West, Oswald--D
|
Jan. 11, 1911-Jan. 12, 1915 |
Elected 1910 |
Withycombe, James--R
|
Jan. 12, 1915-Mar. 3, 1919 |
Elected 1914; reelected 1918; died in office |
Olcott, Ben W.--R
|
Mar. 3, 1919-Jan. 8, 1923 |
Was secretary of state |
Pierce, Walter M.--D
|
Jan. 8, 1923-Jan. 10, 1927 |
Elected 1922 |
Patterson, Isaac L.--R
|
Jan. 10, 1927-Dec. 21, 1929 |
Elected 1926; died in office |
Norblad, Albin W.3--R
|
Dec. 22, 1929-Jan. 12, 1931 |
Was president of Senate |
Meier, Julius L.--I
|
Jan. 12, 1931-Jan. 14, 1935 |
Elected 1930 |
Martin, Charles H.--D
|
Jan. 14, 1935-Jan. 9, 1939 |
Elected 1934 |
Sprague, Charles A.--R
|
Jan. 9, 1939-Jan. 11, 1943 |
Elected 1938 |
Snell, Earl--R
|
Jan. 11, 1943-Oct. 28, 1947 |
Elected 1942; reelected 1946; died in office |
Hall, John H.4--R
|
Oct. 30, 1947-Jan. 10, 1949 |
Was speaker of House |
McKay, Douglas--R
|
Jan. 10, 1949-Dec. 27, 1952 |
Elected 1948; reelected 1950; resigned |
Patterson, Paul L.--R
|
Dec. 27, 1952-Jan. 31, 1956 |
Was president of Senate; elected 1954; died in office |
Smith, Elmo--R
|
Feb. 1, 1956-Jan. 14, 1957 |
Was president of Senate |
Holmes, Robert D.--D
|
Jan. 14, 1957-Jan. 12, 1959 |
Elected 1956 |
Hatfield, Mark O.--R
|
Jan. 12, 1959-Jan. 9, 1967 |
Elected 1958; reelected 1962 |
McCall, Tom--R
|
Jan. 9, 1967-Jan 13, 1975 |
Elected 1966; reelected 1970 |
Straub, Robert W.--D
|
Jan. 13, 1975-Jan. 8, 1979 |
Elected 1974 |
Atiyeh, Victor G.--R
|
Jan. 8, 1979-Jan. 12, 1987 |
Elected 1978; reelected 1982 |
Goldschmidt, Neil--D
|
Jan. 12, 1987-Jan. 14, 1991 |
Elected 1986 |
Roberts, Barbara--D
|
Jan. 14, 1991-Jan. 9, 1995 |
Elected 1990 |
Kitzhaber, John--D
|
Jan. 9, 1995-Jan. 13, 2003 |
Elected 1994; reelected 1998 |
Kulongoski, Ted--D
|
Jan. 13. 2003 -Jan. 10, 2011 |
Elected 2002; reelected 2006 |
Kitzhaber, John--D
|
Jan. 10, 2011— |
Elected 2010 |
1D-Democrat; R-Republican; DP-Democrat
People's; I-Independent; W-Whig.
2Jay Bowerman became governor when Frank Benson,
who was serving as both governor and secretary of state,
became incapacitated. Benson resigned as governor but
continued as secretary of state until his death.
3In 1920, the Constitution was changed to allow
the president of the Senate to succeed as governor.
4A plane crash on October 28, 1947 killed
Governor Earl Snell, Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell
Jr., President of the Senate Marshall E. Cornett and the
pilot, Cliff Hogue. John Hall, speaker of the House and next
in line of succession, automatically became governor. Earl
Newbry was appointed by John Hall to the position of
secretary of state.