List of Governors of Oregon

This article lists the individuals who have served as Governor of Oregon from the establishment of the Provisional Government in 1843 to the present day.

Governors

Provisional Government

Meetings at Champoeg led up to the first constitution of the Oregon Country and several petitions for U.S. territorial status. The resulting acts also created this body as a provisional government for the region. The first executives of this government were a three-person, elected committee known as the Executive Committee. In 1845, elections for a chief executive were held. The first person in Oregon to hold the title of governor was George Abernethy, a prominent businessman.

Executive Term
1 First Executive Committee 1843–1844
2 Second Executive Committee 1844–1845
3 George Abernethy 1845–1848

Governors of the Territory of Oregon

Oregon became a U.S. Territory in 1848. Like most other U.S. territorial governments, Oregon's territorial governor was appointed by the President of the United States. As transportation and communications were not as reliable or as fast as 21st-century methods, there were times when a departing governor left office and a new governor could not yet take over. This resulted in several local individuals acting as territorial governor until the new executive was appointed and arrived to take office.

President Polk initially appointed Brigadier General James Shields to be Oregon's first territorial governor and Shields was confirmed by the Senate, but he declined the position and Joseph Lane was appointed in his place.

  Democratic       Whig

Governor Took office Left office Appointed by Party
1   Joseph Lane March 3, 1849 June 18, 1850 James Polk Democratic
–   Kintzing Prichette June 18, 1850 August 18, 1850 Acting Governor Democratic
2   John P. Gaines August 18, 1850 May 16, 1853 Zachary Taylor Whig
–   Joseph Lane May 16, 1853 May 19, 1853 Acting Governor Democratic
–   George Law Curry May 19, 1853 December 2, 1853 Acting Governor Democratic
3   John W. Davis December 2, 1853 August 1, 1854 Franklin Pierce Democratic
4   George Law Curry August 1, 1854 March 3, 1859 Franklin Pierce Democratic

Governors of the State of Oregon

  Democratic       Republican       Independent

Governor Took office Left office Party Terms
[note 1]
1   John Whiteaker March 3, 1859 September 10, 1862 Democratic 1
2   A. C. Gibbs September 10, 1862 September 12, 1866 Republican 1
3 George L. Woods September 12, 1866 September 14, 1870 Republican 1
4 La Fayette Grover September 14, 1870 February 1, 1877 Democratic  1 1⁄2
[note 2]
5 Stephen F. Chadwick February 1, 1877 September 11, 1878 Democratic  1⁄2
6 W. W. Thayer September 11, 1878 September 13, 1882 Democratic 1
7 Z. F. Moody September 13, 1882 January 12, 1887 Republican 1
8 Sylvester Pennoyer January 12, 1887 January 14, 1895 Democratic 2
9 William Paine Lord January 14, 1895 January 9, 1899 Republican 1
10 T. T. Geer January 9, 1899 January 15, 1903 Republican 1
11 George Chamberlain January 15, 1903 March 1, 1909 Democratic  1 1⁄3
[note 2]
12 Frank W. Benson March 1, 1909 June 17, 1910 Republican  1⁄3
[note 3]
13 Jay Bowerman June 17, 1910 January 11, 1911 Republican  1⁄3
14 Oswald West January 11, 1911 January 12, 1915 Democratic 1
15 James Withycombe January 12, 1915 March 3, 1919 Republican  1 1⁄2
[note 4]
16 Ben W. Olcott March 3, 1919 January 8, 1923 Republican  1⁄2
17 Walter M. Pierce January 8, 1923 January 10, 1927 Democratic 1
18 I. L. Patterson January 10, 1927 December 22, 1929 Republican  1⁄2
[note 4]
19 A. W. Norblad December 22, 1929 January 12, 1931 Republican  1⁄2
20 Julius L. Meier January 12, 1931 January 14, 1935 Independent 1
21 Charles H. Martin January 14, 1935 January 9, 1939 Democratic 1
22 Charles A. Sprague January 9, 1939 January 11, 1943 Republican 1
23 Earl Snell January 11, 1943 October 30, 1947 Republican  1 1⁄3
[note 4]
24 John H. Hall October 30, 1947 January 10, 1949 Republican  1⁄3
25 Douglas McKay January 10, 1949 December 17, 1952 Republican  1⁄3 +  1⁄2
[note 5]
26 Paul L. Patterson December 27, 1952 February 1, 1956 Republican  1⁄2 +  1⁄3
[note 4]
27 Elmo Smith February 1, 1956 January 14, 1957 Republican  1⁄3
28 Robert D. Holmes January 14, 1957 January 12, 1959 Democratic  1⁄3
29 Mark Hatfield January 12, 1959 January 9, 1967 Republican 2
30 Tom McCall January 9, 1967 January 13, 1975 Republican 2
31 Robert W. Straub January 13, 1975 January 8, 1979 Democratic 1
32 Victor G. Atiyeh January 8, 1979 January 12, 1987 Republican 2
33 Neil Goldschmidt January 12, 1987 January 14, 1991 Democratic 1
34 Barbara Roberts January 14, 1991 January 9, 1995 Democratic 1
35 John Kitzhaber January 9, 1995 January 13, 2003 Democratic 2
36 Ted Kulongoski January 13, 2003 January 10, 2011 Democratic 2
37 John Kitzhaber January 10, 2011 February 18, 2015 Democratic  1 1⁄2
[note 6]
[note 7]
38 Kate Brown February 18, 2015 Incumbent Democratic  1⁄2

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Oregon except where noted.

* Denotes those offices that the governor resigned to take.
Governor Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held Source
House Senate
Joseph Lane 1848–1850
1853–1853		 S Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon Territory [1]
John P. Gaines 1850–1853 U.S. Representative from Kentucky [2]
John W. Davis 1853–1854 U.S. Representative from Indiana; United States Commissioner to China [3]
John Whiteaker 1859–1862 H [4]
George L. Woods 1911–1915 Governor of Utah Territory [5]
La Fayette Grover 1866–1877 H S* [6]
William Paine Lord 1895–1899 United States Minister to Argentina [7]
George Chamberlain 1903–1909 S* [8]
Walter M. Pierce 1923–1927 H [9]
Charles H. Martin 1935–1939 H [10]
Douglas McKay 1949–1952 United States Secretary of the Interior* [11]
Mark Hatfield 1959–1967 S [12]
Neil Goldschmidt 1987–1991 United States Secretary of Transportation [13]

Living former U.S. governors of Oregon

As of May 2015, there are four former U.S. governors of Oregon who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. governor of Oregon being Barbara Roberts (served 1991–1995, born 1936). The most recent death of a former U.S. governor of Oregon and also the death of a former U.S. governor of Oregon who served most recently was of Victor Atiyeh, who served from January 8, 1979 until he left office on January 12, 1987 and died on July 20, 2014 at the age of ninety-one.[14]

GovernorGubernatorial termDate of birth (and age)
Neil Goldschmidt 1987–1991 June 16, 1940
Barbara Roberts 1991–1995 December 21, 1936
John Kitzhaber 1995–2003
2011–2015		 March 5, 1947
Ted Kulongoski 2003–2011 November 5, 1940

Notes

  1. ↑ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
  2. 1 2 Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate
  3. ↑ Resigned due to ill health
  4. 1 2 3 4 Died while in office
  5. ↑ Resigned to take the position as United States Secretary of the Interior
  6. ↑ Also served two consecutive terms from 1995 to 2003.
  7. ↑ Resigned due to an ethics scandal.

References

General
Constitution
Specific
  1. ↑ "Lane, Joseph". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Gaines, John Pollard". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Davis, John Wesley". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Whiteaker, John". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  5. ↑ "George Lemuel Woods". Utah History to Go. State of Utah. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Grover, La Fayette". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Former U.S. Ambassadors to Argentina". Embassy of the United States, Argentina. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Chamberlain, George Earle". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Pierce, Walter Marcus". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Martin, Charles Henry". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Past Secretaries of the Department of the Interior". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Hatfield, Mark". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries of Transportation". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  14. ↑ Mapes, Jeff (July 20, 2014). "Republican Vic Atiyeh, who guided Oregon through economic upheaval, dies at 91". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
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