Governor of Texas

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The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces.

Established in the Constitution of Texas, the governor's responsibilities include ensuring the enforcement of state laws, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, overseeing state agencies, issuing executive orders, proposing and overseeing the state budget, and making key appointments to state offices. The governor also has the power to call special sessions of the legislature and, with the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, grant pardons.

Qualifications

Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of Texas sets three qualifications for candidates for governor of Texas:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

  • Be at least 30 years old;
  • Be a citizen of the United States;
  • Be a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding the election.

Oath of Office and Election

Governors of Texas are directly elected by registered voters in Texas and serve terms of four years, with no term limits. Before executing the powers of the office, a governor is required to recite the oath of office as found in Article XVI, Section 1 of the Constitution of Texas:

I, _______________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of governor of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Incoming Texas governors take office on the third Tuesday of January following an election.

Removal of a governor from office

The Texas governor can be impeached by the State House of Representatives for committing treason, bribery, or any other high crime or misdemeanor. Once the governor is impeached, the case is forwarded to the State Senate for trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to remove the governor from office. Unlike other states, Texas does not have a provision in the state constitution that allows voters to petition for a recall election to remove the governor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Historical development

The state's first constitution in 1845<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six (essentially a limit of no more than two consecutive terms).<ref>1845 Const. Art V sec 4</ref> The 1861 secessionist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> constitution set the term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election.<ref>1861 Const. art V sec 12</ref> The 1866 constitution,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> adopted just after the American Civil War, increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable".<ref>1866 Const. art V sec 4</ref> The Reconstruction-era constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms,<ref>1869 Const. Art IV sec 4</ref> Texas remains one of 16 states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) <ref>Executive Branch Template:Webarchive retrieved 23-October-2008</ref> with no gubernatorial term limits. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years,<ref>TX Const. Art IV sec 4</ref> but a 1972 amendment increased it to four years again.<ref>Texas Politics - The Executive Branch Template:Webarchive. Texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.</ref>

The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November that does not coincide with the presidential elections. All gubernatorial elections have been a part of the midterm elections since the 1974 election, invalidating the latter. The governor is sworn in every four years along with the lieutenant governor.

Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th century ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office (Allan Shivers) or eight years total service (Bill Clements, in two non-consecutive four-year terms). Former governor Rick Perry, who served from 2000 to 2015, surpassed both these records, becoming the first Texas governor to serve three consecutive four-year terms. When Perry won the general election on November 2, 2010, he joined Shivers, Price Daniel, and John Connally as the only Texas governors elected to three terms (the terms served by governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were two-year terms). On November 8, 2022, current governor Greg Abbott was re-elected and became the fifth Texas governor to serve three terms following Shivers, Daniel, Connally and Perry. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.<ref>TX Const. art IV sec 16 graf d</ref> This rule was added only in a 1999<ref>The Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 16; https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.4.htm</ref> amendment, prior to which the lieutenant governor only acted as governor, except during the time of the 1861 constitution, which said that the lieutenant governor would be styled "Governor of the State of Texas" in case of vacancy.<ref>1861 Const art V sec 12</ref>

Executive powers

Texas utilizes a plural executive government where no single government official is solely responsible for the Executive Branch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Texas governor has a very minimal control over the Legislative Budget Board. The Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House manages the state's budget.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Official residence and workplace

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The Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas.

The official residence of the Texas governor is the Texas Governor's Mansion, in Austin. The mansion was built in 1854<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has been the home of every governor since 1856.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is also one of the official workplaces for the governor.

The governor's primary official workplace is located within the Texas State Capitol in Austin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Timeline

Line of succession

Template:See also The gubernatorial line of succession is set by Article IV, Sections 3a and 16–18 of the Constitution of Texas<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Chapter 401.023 of Title 4 the Texas Gov't Code.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

No. Office Current officeholder Party
1 Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
2 President pro tempore of the Senate Charles Perry style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
3 Speaker of the House of Representatives Dustin Burrows style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
4 Attorney General Ken Paxton style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
Chief Justices of the Texas Courts of Appeals, in numerical order
5 1st Court of Appeals (Houston) Terry Adams style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
6 2nd Court of Appeals (Fort Worth) Bonnie Sudderth style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
7 3rd Court of Appeals (Austin) Darlene Byrne style="background: Template:Party color" | Democratic
8 4th Court of Appeals (San Antonio) Rebeca Martinez style="background: Template:Party color" | Democratic
9 5th Court of Appeals (Dallas) Robert Burns III style="background: Template:Party color" | Democratic
10 6th Court of Appeals (Texarkana) Josh Morriss style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
11 7th Court of Appeals (Amarillo) Brian Quinn style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
12 8th Court of Appeals (El Paso) Maria Salas-Mendoza style="background: Template:Party color" | Democratic
13 9th Court of Appeals (Beaumont) Scott Golemon style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
14 10th Court of Appeals (Waco) Tom Gray style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
15 11th Court of Appeals (Eastland) John M. Bailey style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
16 12th Court of Appeals (Tyler) Jim Worthen style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican
17 13th Court of Appeals (Corpus Christi) Dori Contreras style="background: Template:Party color" | Democratic
18 14th Court of Appeals (Houston) Tracy Christopher style="background: Template:Party color" | Republican

See also

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References

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