List of governors of Wisconsin
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox official post The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin<ref name="a5-s1">Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 1</ref> and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces.<ref name="a5-s4">Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 4</ref> The governor has a duty to enforce state laws,<ref name="a5-s4" /> and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature,<ref>Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 10</ref> to convene the legislature,<ref name="a5-s4" /> and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.<ref>Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 6</ref>
Forty-four individuals have held the office of governor of Wisconsin since the state's admission to the Union in 1848, one of whom—Philip La Follette—served non-consecutive terms. Nelson Dewey, the first governor, took office on June 7, 1848. The longest-serving governor was Tommy Thompson, who took office on January 5, 1987, and resigned on February 1, 2001, a total of 14 years and 28 days. Arthur MacArthur Sr. had the shortest term: he was governor for a total of just 5 days—from March 21 to 25, 1856.<ref name="govlist" /> The current governor is Tony Evers, a Democrat who took office on January 7, 2019.<ref name="govlist" />
List of governors
Initially after the American Revolution, parts of the area now known as Wisconsin were claimed by Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut; however, Virginia ceded its claim in 1784, Massachusetts in 1785 and Connecticut in 1786.<ref name="1911bb">Template:Cite book</ref> On July 13, 1787, the Northwest Territory, including the area now called Wisconsin, was formed; Wisconsin remained part of the territory until 1800.<ref name="WIhist">Template:Cite book</ref> The territorial governor during this period was Arthur St. Clair.<ref name="stclair">Template:Cite web</ref> As parts of the Northwest Territory were admitted to the Union as states, Wisconsin became part of first the Indiana Territory (1800–1809), then the Illinois Territory (1809–1818), and then the Michigan Territory (1818–1836);<ref name="WIhist" /> see the lists of governors of Indiana, of Illinois, and of Michigan for these periods.
Wisconsin Territory
Wisconsin Territory was formed on July 3, 1836. During the time of its existence, the Wisconsin Territory had three people appointed governor by the President of the United States, one of whom served non-consecutive terms.
When most of Wisconsin Territory was admitted as the state of Wisconsin, the remainder became unorganized territory. However, the citizens of the region maintained a territorial government, and even elected a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, essentially making it a de facto continuation of Wisconsin Territory.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> As the region no longer had an official governor, Territorial Secretary John Catlin acted as governor of the region.<ref name="Western Historical Company">Template:Cite book</ref>
| Template:Abbr | Governor | Term in officeTemplate:Efn | Appointing President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portrait of a well-dressed nineteenth-century man | Henry Dodge Template:Small Template:Sfn |
Template:DtsTemplate:Efn – September 13, 1841 Template:Small |
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| Template:Sortname | ||||
| 2 | Portrait of a well-dressed nineteenth-century man | James Duane Doty Template:Small Template:Sfn |
Template:DtsTemplate:Efn – June 15, 1844 Template:Small |
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| 3 | Portrait of a well-dressed nineteenth-century man | Nathaniel P. Tallmadge Template:Small Template:Sfn |
Template:DtsTemplate:Efn – April 8, 1845 Template:Small |
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| 4 | Portrait of a well-dressed nineteenth-century man | Henry Dodge Template:Small Template:Sfn |
Template:DtsTemplate:Efn – June 23, 1848 Template:Small |
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State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848. Since then, it has had 45 governors, one of whom served non-consecutive terms.<ref name="govlist" />
Originally, governors of Wisconsin served for two-year terms, but in 1967 the state constitution was amended to change this to four.<ref name="a5-s1" /> Jeremiah McLain Rusk served 1 3-year term in the 1880s as the constitution was amended during his first term to move elections from odd to even years, and all officers were allowed to serve an extra year, rather than have their terms cut a year short. Patrick Lucey, elected in the 1970 election, was the first governor to serve a 4-year term.<ref name="govlist">Template:Cite book</ref> Governors of Wisconsin are not term limited.
Lucius Fairchild, Jeremiah McLain Rusk, Robert M. La Follette, Emanuel L. Philipp, John J. Blaine, Walter J. Kohler Jr., Warren P. Knowles and Tommy Thompson are one of eight Wisconsin governors to have served three terms. Thompson is the only person to have won four terms having been elected in 1986 and re-elected in 1990, 1994 and again in 1998 before resigning in February 2001.
The state constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor; originally, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected on different tickets, and thus were not necessarily of the same party. Since the 1967 amendment, however, the two have been nominated, and voted on, together.<ref name="a5-s1" /> Originally, if the office of the governor was vacant for any reason, "the powers and duties of the office . . . devolve[d] upon the lieutenant governor." In 1979, the constitution was amended to make this more specific: if the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor, but becomes acting governor if the governor is absent from the state, impeached, or unable to carry out of duties.<ref>Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 7</ref> If any of these events occur while the office of lieutenant governor is vacant, the secretary of state becomes either governor or acting governor.<ref>Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 8</ref> Two Wisconsin governors have died while in office, one has died after being elected but before taking office, and four have resigned.<ref name="govlist" />
See also
- Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin
- List of Wisconsin state legislatures
Notes
References
- General
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External links
Template:US state navigation box Template:Governors of Wisconsin Template:Lists of US Governors Template:Wisconsin constitutional officers