Wikipedia
List of governors of Idaho
The governor of Idaho is the head of government of Idaho[2] and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[3] The officeholder has the duty to see state laws are executed, power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Idaho Legislature.[3] The current governor of Idaho is Republican Brad Little, who took office on January 7, 2019.
| Governor of Idaho | |
|---|---|
| Residence | None |
| Term length | Four years, no term limit |
| Inaugural holder | George L. Shoup |
| Formation | October 1, 1890 |
| Deputy | Janice McGeachin |
| Salary | $117,000 (2013)[1] |
| Website | gov.idaho.gov |
History
Office of the Idaho Governor
The Territory of Idaho had sixteen territorial governors appointed by the president of the United States from the territory's organization in 1863 until the formation of the state of Idaho in 1890. Four of these never took office, resigning before reaching the territory.
31 individuals have held the office of governor of Idaho since the state's admission to the Union in 1890, two of whom—C. A. Bottolfsen and Cecil Andrus—served non-consecutive terms. The state's first governor, George L. Shoup, had the shortest term of three months; Cecil Andrus served as governor the longest at 14 years. Four governors resigned, but none have died while in office.
20 governors have been Republicans while 11 were Democrats. Andrus was the last Democrat to hold the governorship in Idaho; he left office in 1995.
Governors
Qualifications
Anyone who seeks to be elected Governor of Idaho must meet the following qualifications:[4]
- Be at least 30 years old
- Be a United States citizen
- Be a resident of Idaho at least two years prior to the election
Governors of the Territory of Idaho
Idaho Territory was created from Dakota Territory, Nebraska Territory, and Washington Territory on March 4, 1863.[5]
Due to the long distance between Washington, D.C. and Boise, there was often a lengthy gap between a governor being appointed and his arrival in the territory; four resigned before even arriving.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William H. Wallace July 19, 1811 – February 7, 1879 (aged 67) | July 1863[6][7] – December 1863[6] | Abraham Lincoln | [a] | |
| 2 | Caleb Lyon December 7, 1822 – September 8, 1875 (aged 52) | August 1, 1864[6][7] – April 1866[9] | |||
| 3 | David W. Ballard February 21, 1824 – September 18, 1883 (aged 59) | June 14, 1866[10] – July 1870[11] | Andrew Johnson | ||
| — | Samuel Bard May 18, 1825 – September 18, 1878 (aged 53) | Appointed March 30, 1870[12] | Ulysses S. Grant | [b] | |
| — | Gilman Marston August 20, 1811 – July 3, 1890 (aged 78) | Appointed June 7, 1870[12] | [c] | ||
| — | Alexander H. Conner August 5, 1831 – May 29, 1891 (aged 59) | Appointed January 12, 1871[12] | [d] | ||
| 4 | Thomas M. Bowen October 26, 1835 – December 30, 1906 (aged 71) | July 1871[13] – August 15, 1871[13] | [e] | ||
| 5 | Thomas W. Bennett February 16, 1831 – February 2, 1893 (aged 61) | December 1871[14] – December 4, 1875[15] | [f] | ||
| 6 | David P. Thompson November 8, 1834 – December 14, 1901 (aged 67) | April 1876[17] – May 1876[17] | [g] | ||
| 7 | Mason Brayman May 23, 1813 – February 27, 1895 (aged 81) | July 1876[18] – July 24, 1880[19] | [h] | ||
| — | John Philo Hoyt October 6, 1841 – August 27, 1926 (aged 84) | Appointed June 8, 1878[21] Appointed August 7, 1878[22] | Rutherford B. Hayes | [i] | |
| 8 | John Baldwin Neil July 28, 1842 – October 6, 1902 (aged 60) | August 3, 1880[23] – March 2, 1883[24] | |||
| 9 | John N. Irwin December 25, 1844 – December 22, 1905 (aged 60) | April 1883[25] – December 20, 1883[25] | Chester A. Arthur | [j] | |
| 10 | William M. Bunn January 1, 1842 – September 19, 1923 (aged 81) | June 26, 1884[27] – July 3, 1885[28] | [k] | ||
| 11 | Edward A. Stevenson June 15, 1831 – July 6, 1895 (aged 64) | September 29, 1885[29] – April 1, 1889[30] | Grover Cleveland | ||
| 12 | George L. Shoup June 15, 1836 – December 21, 1904 (aged 68) | April 30, 1889[31] – July 3, 1890 | Benjamin Harrison | ||
Governors of the State of Idaho
Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890. Since then, the state has had 33 governors, two of whom served non-consecutive terms. The terms for governor and lieutenant governor are 4 years, commencing on the first Monday in the January following the election.[32] Prior to 1946, the offices were elected to terms of two years.[33] If the office of governor is vacant or the governor is out of state or unable to discharge his duties, the lieutenant governor acts as governor until such time as the disability is removed.[34] If both the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are vacant or both those officers are unable to fulfill their duties, the President pro tempore of the Idaho Senate is next in line, and then the Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives.[35] After the change to four-year terms, self-succession (re-election) was not initially allowed; newly elected Governor Robert E. Smylie, formerly the state's attorney general, successfully lobbied the 1955 legislature to propose an amendment to the state constitution to allow gubernatorial re-election, which was approved by voters in the 1956 general election.[36][37] There is no limit to the number of terms a governor may serve.[38]
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[l] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George L. Shoup June 15, 1836 – December 21, 1904 (aged 68) | October 1, 1890 – December 18, 1890 (resigned)[m] | Republican | 1890 | N. B. Willey | |||
| 2 | N. B. Willey March 25, 1838 – October 20, 1921 (aged 83) | December 18, 1890 – January 2, 1893 (not candidate for election) | Republican | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor | John S. Gray | |||
| 3 | William J. McConnell September 18, 1839 – March 30, 1925 (aged 85) | January 2, 1893 – January 4, 1897 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1892 | F. B. Willis | |||
| 1894 | F. J. Mills | |||||||
| 4 | Frank Steunenberg August 8, 1861 – December 30, 1905 (aged 44) | January 4, 1897 – January 7, 1901 (not candidate for election) | Democratic[n] | 1896 | George F. Moore[n] | |||
| 1898 | J. H. Hutchinson[n] | |||||||
| 5 | Frank W. Hunt December 16, 1861 – November 25, 1906 (aged 44) | January 7, 1901 – January 5, 1903 (lost election) | Democratic | 1900 | Thomas F. Terrell | |||
| 6 | John T. Morrison December 25, 1860 – December 20, 1915 (aged 54) | January 5, 1903 – January 2, 1905 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1902 | James M. Stevens | |||
| 7 | Frank R. Gooding September 16, 1859 – June 24, 1928 (aged 68) | January 2, 1905 – January 4, 1909 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1904 | Burpee L. Steeves | |||
| 1906 | Ezra A. Burrell | |||||||
| 8 | James H. Brady June 12, 1862 – January 13, 1918 (aged 55) | January 4, 1909 – January 2, 1911 (lost election) | Republican | 1908 | Lewis H. Sweetser | |||
| 9 | James H. Hawley January 17, 1847 – August 3, 1929 (aged 82) | January 2, 1911 – January 6, 1913 (lost election) | Democratic | 1910 | ||||
| 10 | John M. Haines January 1, 1863 – June 4, 1917 (aged 54) | January 6, 1913 – January 4, 1915 (lost election) | Republican | 1912 | Herman H. Taylor[o] | |||
| 11 | Moses Alexander November 13, 1853 – January 4, 1932 (aged 78) | January 4, 1915 – January 6, 1919 (not candidate for election) | Democratic | 1914 | ||||
| 1916 | Ernest L. Parker | |||||||
| 12 | D. W. Davis April 23, 1873 – August 5, 1959 (aged 86) | January 6, 1919 – January 1, 1923 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1918 | Charles C. Moore | |||
| 1920 | ||||||||
| 13 | Charles C. Moore February 26, 1866 – March 19, 1958 (aged 92) | January 1, 1923 – January 3, 1927 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1922 | H. C. Baldridge | |||
| 1924 | ||||||||
| 14 | H. C. Baldridge November 24, 1868 – June 8, 1947 (aged 78) | January 3, 1927 – January 5, 1931 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1926 | O. E. Hailey | |||
| 1928 | W. B. Kinne (died October 1, 1929) | |||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| O. E. Hailey (appointed October 25, 1929) | ||||||||
| 15 | C. Ben Ross December 27, 1876 – March 31, 1946 (aged 69) | January 5, 1931 – January 4, 1937 (not candidate for election) | Democratic | 1930 | G. P. Mix | |||
| 1932 | George Hill | |||||||
| 1934 | G. P. Mix | |||||||
| 16 | Barzilla W. Clark December 22, 1880 – September 21, 1943 (aged 62) | January 4, 1937 – January 2, 1939 (not candidate for election) | Democratic | 1936 | Charles C. Gossett | |||
| 17 | C. A. Bottolfsen October 10, 1891 – July 18, 1964 (aged 72) | January 2, 1939 – January 6, 1941 (lost election) | Republican | 1938 | Donald S. Whitehead | |||
| 18 | Chase A. Clark August 21, 1883 – December 30, 1966 (aged 83) | January 6, 1941 – January 4, 1943 (lost election) | Democratic | 1940 | Charles C. Gossett | |||
| 19 | C. A. Bottolfsen October 10, 1891 – July 18, 1964 (aged 72) | January 4, 1943 – January 1, 1945 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1942 | Edwin Nelson | |||
| 20 | Charles C. Gossett September 2, 1888 – September 20, 1974 (aged 86) | January 1, 1945 – November 17, 1945 (resigned)[p] | Democratic | 1944 | Arnold Williams | |||
| 21 | Arnold Williams May 21, 1898 – May 25, 1970 (aged 72) | November 17, 1945 – January 6, 1947 (lost election) | Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor | Vacant | |||
| A. R. McCabe (appointed March 20, 1946) | ||||||||
| 22 | C. A. Robins December 8, 1884 – September 20, 1970 (aged 85) | January 6, 1947 – January 1, 1951 (re-election not allowed) | Republican | 1946 [q] | Donald S. Whitehead | |||
| 23 | Leonard B. Jordan May 15, 1899 – June 30, 1983 (aged 84) | January 1, 1951 – January 3, 1955 (re-election not allowed) | Republican | 1950 | Edson H. Deal | |||
| 24 | Robert E. Smylie October 31, 1914 – July 17, 2004 (aged 89) | January 3, 1955 – January 2, 1967 (lost renomination) | Republican | 1954 | J. Berkeley Larsen | |||
| 1958 | W. E. Drevlow[r] | |||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 25 | Don Samuelson July 27, 1913 – January 20, 2000 (aged 86) | January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971 (lost election) | Republican | 1966 | Jack M. Murphy[o] | |||
| 26 | Cecil Andrus August 25, 1931 – August 24, 2017 (aged 85) | January 4, 1971 – January 24, 1977 (resigned)[s] | Democratic | 1970 | ||||
| 1974 | John V. Evans | |||||||
| 27 | John V. Evans January 18, 1925 – July 8, 2014 (aged 89) | January 24, 1977 – January 5, 1987 (not candidate for election) | Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor | Vacant | |||
| William J. Murphy (appointed January 28, 1977) | ||||||||
| 1978 | Phil Batt[o] | |||||||
| 1982 | David H. Leroy[o] | |||||||
| 28 | Cecil Andrus August 25, 1931 – August 24, 2017 (aged 85) | January 5, 1987 – January 2, 1995 (not candidate for election) | Democratic | 1986 | Butch Otter[o] (resigned January 3, 2001) | |||
| 1990 | ||||||||
| 29 | Phil Batt March 4, 1927 | January 2, 1995 – January 4, 1999 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 1994 | ||||
| 30 | Dirk Kempthorne October 29, 1951 | January 4, 1999 – May 26, 2006 (resigned)[t] | Republican | 1998 | ||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Jack Riggs (appointed January 30, 2001) | ||||||||
| 2002 | Jim Risch | |||||||
| 31 | Jim Risch May 3, 1943 | May 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007 (not candidate for election) | Republican | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor | Vacant | |||
| Mark Ricks (appointed June 15, 2006) | ||||||||
| 32 | Butch Otter May 3, 1942 | January 1, 2007 – January 7, 2019 (not candidate for election) | Republican | 2006 | Jim Risch (resigned January 3, 2009) | |||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Brad Little (appointed January 6, 2009) | ||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| 33 | Brad Little February 15, 1954 | January 7, 2019 – Incumbent[u] | Republican | 2018 | Janice McGeachin | |||
| 2022 | ||||||||
Succession
See also
Notes
- ^ Wallace resigned to take an elected seat as delegate in the United States House of Representatives.[8]
- ^ Appointed governor but resigned in April 1870 to become postmaster of Atlanta, Georgia, before arriving in Idaho.[11]
- ^ Appointed governor but resigned in December 1870 before arriving in Idaho.[11]
- ^ Appointed governor but declined the offer.[11]
- ^ Upon arriving in Idaho, Bowen did not like the looks of the landscape, so he decided to stay only a few weeks.[13]
- ^ Bennett resigned to take an elected seat as delegate in the United States House of Representatives.[16]
- ^ Thompson left Idaho in May 1876 to attend the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. He resigned in Cincinnati after he learned federal officers couldn't hold government contracts.[17]
- ^ Brayman was suspended by President Hayes on June 8, 1878 and Hoyt was appointed Governor of Idaho. After Hoyt refused the appointment, Brayman was allowed to serve out the remainder of his term.[20]
- ^ Appointed governor on June 8, 1878, but was rejected by the United States Senate for taking too long to respond to the offer. Appointed again on August 7, 1878, but declined the offer after researching the suspension of Governor Brayman.[20]
- ^ Irwin left Idaho Territory in May 1883, never to return. He returned his paychecks from July 1883 through December 1883 to the U.S. Treasury.[26]
- ^ Bunn left Idaho on April 17, 1885 for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he subsequently resigned on July 3, 1885.[25]
- ^ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
- ^ Shoup resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ a b c Part of a fusion ticket that was also endorsed by the Populist Party[22]
- ^ a b c d e Represented the Republican Party
- ^ Gossett resigned to let Lieutenant Governor Williams succeed him and then appoint him to the United States Senate.[39]
- ^ First term under a constitution amendment which lengthened terms to four years[32]
- ^ Represented the Democratic Party
- ^ Andrus resigned to be United States Secretary of the Interior.
- ^ Kempthorne resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior.
- ^ Little's second term began on January 2, 2023 and will expire January 4, 2027.
References
- General
- . National Governors Association. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- Brosnan, C. J. (1918). History of the State of Idaho. Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 217. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- (PDF). Idaho Bluebook. State of Idaho. pp. 70–72. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- Hailey, John (1910). History of Idaho. Boise, Idaho: Syms-York Company. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- Limbaugh, Ronald H. (1982). Rocky Mountain Carpetbaggers: Idaho's Territorial Governors, 1863–1890. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho. ISBN 0-89301-082-0. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- Constitution
- . Idaho State Legislature. 1890. Archived from the original on July 1, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ ID Const. art. IV, § 5
- ^ a b ID Const. art. IV, § 4
- ^ "Governor of Idaho".
- ^ Brosnan, Cornelius James (1918). History of the State of Idaho. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 117–128. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c Limbaugh p. 47
- ^ a b Hailey p. 166
- ^ "Wallace, William Henson". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ Limbaugh p. 65
- ^ (PDF). Idaho State Historical Society. 1963. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Limbaugh p. 90
- ^ a b c Hailey p. 165
- ^ a b c Limbaugh p. 92
- ^ Limbaugh p. 103
- ^ Poore, Perley (1875). Congressional Directory. Washington D.C.: Congressional Printing Office. p. 71. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ "Bennett, Thomas Warren". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c Limbaugh p. 106
- ^ Limbaugh p. 114
- ^ Limbaugh p. 130
- ^ a b Limbaugh pp. 127–129
- ^ (PDF). Idaho State Historical Society. 1988. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
- ^ a b (PDF). Idaho Bluebook. State of Idaho. pp. 70–71. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ Limbaugh p. 139
- ^ Limbaugh p. 147
- ^ a b c Limbaugh p. 148
- ^ "Notes from Washington". The New York Times. December 28, 1883. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ Donaldson, Thomas (1941). Idaho of Yesterday. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 271. OCLC 100976.
- ^ "Resignation of Gov. Bunn". The New York Times. July 14, 1885. p. 4. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ Limbaugh p. 172
- ^ Limbaugh pp. 179–180
- ^ Limbaugh p. 181
- ^ a b ID Const. art. IV, § 1
- ^ "Idaho Constitutional Amendment History". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ ID Const. art. IV, § 12
- ^ ID Const. art. IV, § 14
- ^ "Idaho voters adopt three amendments". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. November 7, 1956. p. 1.
- ^ Corlett, John (March 31, 1963). "It's mystery why law barring self-succession not repealed". Lewiston Morning Tribune. p. 5.
- ^ "Idaho Makes Term Limits History". National Conference of State Legislatures. February 1, 2002. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ "Idaho Shake-Up Draws Criticism". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 30, 1945. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Governors of Idaho.
- Office of the Governor of Idaho