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.
Who Are the Most Famous Governors of Virginia?
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.
Who Was the Governor When Virginia Seceded?
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.