Governor | Term Start | Term End | Party |
---|---|---|---|
Glenn Youngkin | Jan 15, 2022 | - | Republican |
Ralph Northam | Jan 13, 2018 | Jan 15, 2022 | Democratic |
Terry McAuliffe | Jan 11, 2014 | Jan 13, 2018 | Democratic |
Bob McDonnell | Jan 16, 2010 | Jan 11, 2014 | Republican |
Tim Kaine | Jan 14, 2006 | Jan 16, 2010 | Democratic |
Mark Warner | Jan 12, 2002 | Jan 14, 2006 | Democratic |
Jim Gilmore | Jan 17, 1998 | Jan 12, 2002 | Republican |
George Allen | Jan 15, 1994 | Jan 17, 1998 | Republican |
Douglas Wilder | Jan 13, 1990 | Jan 15, 1994 | Democratic |
Gerald Baliles | Jan 11, 1986 | Jan 13, 1990 | Democratic |
Chuck Robb | Jan 16, 1982 | Jan 11, 1986 | Democratic |
John Dalton | Jan 14, 1978 | Jan 16, 1982 | Republican |
Mills Godwin | Jan 12, 1974 | Jan 14, 1978 | Republican |
Linwood Holton | Jan 17, 1970 | Jan 12, 1974 | Republican |
Mills Godwin | Jan 15, 1966 | Jan 17, 1970 | Democratic |
Albertis Harrison | Jan 13, 1962 | Jan 15, 1966 | Democratic |
J. Lindsay Almond | Jan 11, 1958 | Jan 13, 1962 | Democratic |
Thomas B. Stanley | Jan 20, 1954 | Jan 11, 1958 | Democratic |
John S. Battle | Jan 18, 1950 | Jan 19, 1954 | Democratic |
William M. Tuck | Jan 16, 1946 | Jan 17, 1950 | Democratic |
Colgate Darden | Jan 21, 1942 | Jan 15, 1946 | Democratic |
James H. Price | Jan 19, 1938 | Jan 20, 1942 | Democratic |
George C. Peery | Jan 17, 1934 | Jan 18, 1938 | Democratic |
John Garland Pollard | Jan 15, 1930 | Jan 16, 1934 | Democratic |
Harry F. Byrd | Feb 1, 1926 | Jan 15, 1930 | Democratic |
Elbert Lee Trinkle | Feb 1, 1922 | Feb 1, 1926 | Democratic |
Westmoreland Davis | Feb 1, 1918 | Feb 1, 1922 | Democratic |
Henry Carter Stuart | Feb 1, 1914 | Feb 1, 1918 | Democratic |
William Hodges Mann | Feb 1, 1910 | Feb 1, 1914 | Democratic |
Claude A. Swanson | Feb 1, 1906 | Feb 1, 1910 | Democratic |
Andrew Jackson Montague | Jan 1, 1902 | Feb 1, 1906 | Democratic |
James Hoge Tyler | Jan 1, 1898 | Jan 1, 1902 | Democratic |
Charles Triplett O'Ferrall | Jan 1, 1894 | Jan 1, 1898 | Democratic |
Philip W. McKinney | Jan 1, 1890 | Jan 1, 1894 | Democratic |
Fitzhugh Lee | Jan 1, 1886 | Jan 1, 1890 | Democratic |
William E. Cameron | Jan 1, 1882 | Jan 1, 1886 | Re-adjuster |
Frederick W. M. Holliday | Jan 1, 1878 | Jan 1, 1882 | Democratic |
James L. Kemper | Jan 1, 1874 | Jan 1, 1878 | Democratic |
Gilbert Carlton Walker | Sep 21, 1869 | Jan 1, 1874 | Republican |
Henry H. Wells | Apr 4, 1868 | Sep 21, 1869 | Republican |
William Smith | Jan 1, 1864 | May 9, 1865 | Democratic |
Francis Harrison Pierpont | May 15, 1861 | Apr 4, 1868 | Republican |
John Letcher | Jan 1, 1860 | May 15, 1861 | Democratic |
Henry A. Wise | Jan 1, 1856 | Jan 1, 1860 | Democratic |
Joseph Johnson | Jan 1, 1852 | Jan 1, 1856 | Democratic |
John B. Floyd | Jan 1, 1849 | Jan 1, 1852 | Democratic |
William Smith | Jan 1, 1846 | Jan 1, 1849 | Democratic |
James McDowell | Jan 5, 1843 | Jan 1, 1846 | Democratic |
John Munford Gregory | Mar 31, 1842 | Jan 5, 1843 | Whig |
John Rutherfoord | Mar 31, 1841 | Mar 31, 1842 | Democratic |
John M. Patton | Mar 20, 1841 | Mar 31, 1841 | Whig |
Thomas Walker Gilmer | Mar 31, 1840 | Mar 20, 1841 | Whig |
David Campbell | Mar 31, 1837 | Mar 31, 1840 | Democratic |
Wyndham Robertson | Mar 30, 1836 | Mar 31, 1837 | Whig |
Littleton Waller Tazewell | Mar 31, 1834 | Mar 30, 1836 | Democratic |
John Floyd | Mar 4, 1830 | Mar 31, 1834 | Democratic |
William Branch Giles | Mar 4, 1827 | Mar 4, 1830 | Democratic-Republican |
John Tyler | Dec 11, 1825 | Mar 4, 1827 | Democratic-Republican |
James Pleasants | Dec 11, 1822 | Dec 11, 1825 | Democratic-Republican |
Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. | Dec 11, 1819 | Dec 11, 1822 | Democratic-Republican |
James Patton Preston | Dec 11, 1816 | Dec 11, 1819 | Democratic-Republican |
Wilson Cary Nicholas | Dec 11, 1814 | Dec 11, 1816 | Democratic-Republican |
James Barbour | Jan 4, 1812 | Dec 11, 1814 | Democratic-Republican |
Peyton Randolph | Dec 27, 1811 | Jan 4, 1812 | Democratic-Republican |
George William Smith | Apr 3, 1811 | Dec 26, 1811 | Democratic-Republican |
James Monroe | Jan 19, 1811 | Apr 3, 1811 | Democratic-Republican |
George William Smith | Jan 15, 1811 | Jan 19, 1811 | Democratic-Republican |
John Tyler Sr. | Dec 12, 1808 | Jan 15, 1811 | Democratic-Republican |
William H. Cabell | Dec 11, 1805 | Dec 12, 1808 | Democratic-Republican |
John Page | Dec 24, 1802 | Dec 11, 1805 | Democratic-Republican |
James Monroe | Dec 19, 1799 | Dec 24, 1802 | Democratic-Republican |
John Pendleton Jr. | Dec 11, 1799 | Dec 19, 1799 | |
Hardin Burnley | Dec 7, 1799 | Dec 9, 1799 | |
James Wood | Nov 30, 1796 | Dec 6, 1799 | Federalist |
Robert Brooke | Dec 1, 1794 | Nov 30, 1796 | Democratic-Republican |
Henry Lee III | Dec 1, 1791 | Dec 1, 1794 | Federalist |
Beverley Randolph | Nov 12, 1788 | Dec 1, 1791 | None |
Edmund Randolph | Nov 30, 1786 | Nov 12, 1788 | None |
Patrick Henry | Nov 30, 1784 | Nov 30, 1786 | None |
Benjamin Harrison V | Dec 1, 1781 | Nov 30, 1784 | None |
David Jameson | Nov 22, 1781 | Nov 30, 1781 | None |
Thomas Nelson Jr. | Jun 12, 1781 | Nov 22, 1781 | None |
William Fleming | Jun 4, 1781 | Jun 12, 1781 | None |
Thomas Jefferson | Jun 2, 1779 | Jun 3, 1781 | None |
Patrick Henry | Jul 6, 1776 | Jun 1, 1779 | None |
Virginia is located in the middle of the Atlantic seaboard and has had some close governor's races recently. The current governor of Virginia is Glen Younkin, and he was elected in January of 2022. He was in a hotly-contested election and won the office of the governor back for the Republican party. As one of the original 13 colonies, Virginia has a long history of governors. With a total of 80 governors since the formation of the United States, Virginia has moved the office back and forth between the two parties with regularity.
As one of the original 13 colonies, Virginia has had a variety of famous governors. The first governor of Virginia took office in 1776, and he was Patrick Henry. He is the famous Revolutionary War leader who stated “Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death.” He served for a total of three years from 1776 to 1779. At that time, the governor of Virginia was only elected for a single year, and he was elected as the governor of Virginia 3 separate times.
Thomas Jefferson also served as the governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. He is largely seen as the author of the Declaration of Independence, and he also served as the third president of the United States following George Washington and John Adams.
Virginia was one of the last states to secede from the Union right before the Civil War. At that time, the governor of Virginia was John Letcher, serving from 1860 to 1861. While Virginia was a member of the Confederacy, the governor was William Smith, who was the leader of the Richmond secessionist government. He was replaced as governor when Virginia rejoined the United States.
The current governor of Virginia is Glenn Youngkin, a Republican.
There have been 80 governors of Virginia, 40 Democrats, 10 Republicans, and 31 from other parties.
The last Republican governor in Virginia is Glenn Youngkin, who has served from 2022 to the present day.
The last Democrat governor in Virginia was Ralph Northam, who served from 2018 to 2022.