Governors of Maryland

History of Maryland Governors

Maryland is one of the original 13 colonies that helped establish the United States. It follows that Maryland has a long line of governors that span several political parties, including the Independent, Federalist, Democratic-Republican, Anti-Jacksonian, Jacksonian, Whig, Union parties, and the traditional Republican and Democratic parties most people know today.

The first governor of Maryland was Thomas Johnson, who served from 1777 until 1779 as part of the Independent Party. Independent officials continued to hold office until 1788 when a string of Federalist governors took over. From 1788 until about 1872, Maryland saw a slew of governors, all serving very short terms. Some governors in the 1830s held office for only one year, including Daniel Martin and Thomas King Carroll. In 1872, William Pinkney Whyte was elected, beginning the traditional line of Democratic and Republican officials.

Current Maryland Governor

Wes Moore is the current Governor of Maryland, and he represents the Democratic Party. He follows Republican Larry Hogan who was elected into office in 2015. Larry Hogan was routinely voted one of the most popular governors and was praised for handling and controlling the Covid-19 pandemic within his state.