List of Governors of Alabama

Governor of Alabama
Seal of the Governor
Standard of the Governor
Incumbent Kay Ivey since April 10, 2017
Style	Governor (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Status	Head of State Head of Government
Residence	Alabama Governor's Mansion
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Precursor	Governor of Alabama Territory
Inaugural holder	William Wyatt Bibb
Formation	December 14, 1819 (199 years ago) (1819-12-14)
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Salary	$119,950 (2013) [1]
Website	http://www.governor.state.al.us

The Governor of Alabama is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Alabama. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Alabama's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.

There have officially been 54 governors of the state of Alabama; this official numbering skips acting and military governors. ^[2] The first governor, William Wyatt Bibb, served as the only governor of the Alabama Territory. Five people have served as acting governor, bringing the total number of people serving as governor to 59, spread over 63 distinct terms. Four governors have served multiple non-consecutive terms: Bibb Graves, Jim Folsom, and Fob James each served two, and George Wallace served three non-consecutive periods. Officially, these non-consecutive terms are numbered only with the number of their first term. William D. Jelks also served non-consecutive terms, but his first term was in an acting capacity.

The longest-serving governor was George Wallace, who served 16 years over four terms. The shortest term for a non-acting governor was that of Hugh McVay, who served four and a half months after replacing the resigning Clement Comer Clay. Lurleen Wallace, wife of George Wallace, was the first woman to serve as governor of Alabama, and the third woman to serve as governor of any state. The current governor is Republican Kay Ivey, who took office on April 10, 2017 following Governor Robert J. Bentley's court-mandated resignation following a guilty plea-deal amidst a corruption scandal. She is the second female governor of Alabama.

Governors

Governor of the Territory of Alabama

Alabama Territory was formed on March 3, 1817, from Mississippi Territory. It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state; he became the first state governor.

Governor of the Territory of Alabama

Governor		Term in office	Appointed by
	William Wyatt Bibb	March 6, 1817 [lower-alpha 1] – November 9, 1819 [lower-alpha 2]	James Monroe

Governors of the State of Alabama

Seal for use by the Governor-Elect

Governor's Flag 1868–1939

Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819. It seceded from the Union on January 11, 1861, and was a founding member of the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861. Following the end of the American Civil War, Alabama during Reconstruction was part of the Third Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. Alabama was readmitted to the Union on July 14, 1868.

The first Alabama Constitution, ratified in 1819, provided that a governor be elected every two years, limited to serve no more than four out of every six years. ^[4] This limit remained in place until the constitution of 1868, which simply allowed governors to serve terms of two years. ^[5] The current constitution of 1901 increased terms to four years, ^[6] but prohibited governors from succeeding themselves. ^[7] Amendment 282 to the constitution, passed in 1968, allowed governors to succeed themselves once; a governor serving two consecutive terms can run again after waiting out the next term. ^[8] The constitution had no set date for the commencement of a governor's term until 1901, when it was set at the first Monday after the second Tuesday in the January following an election. ^[7] However, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that a governor's term ends at midnight at the end of Monday, and the next governor's term begins the next day, regardless of if they were sworn in on Monday. ^[9]

The office of lieutenant governor was created in 1868, ^[10] abolished in 1875, ^[11] and recreated in 1901. ^[12] According to the current constitution, should the governor be out of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor, and if the office of governor becomes vacant the lieutenant governor ascends to the governorship. ^[13] Earlier constitutions said the powers of the governor devolved upon the successor, rather than them necessarily becoming governor, ^[14] but the official listing includes these as full governors. ^[2] The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on the same ticket.

Alabama was a strongly Democratic state before the Civil War, electing only candidates from the Democratic-Republican and Democratic parties. It had two Republican governors following Reconstruction, but after the Democratic Party re-established control, 112 years passed before voters chose another Republican.

Governors of the State of Alabama ^{[lower-alpha 3]}

No. [lower-alpha 4]	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor [lower-alpha 5] [lower-alpha 6]
1			William Wyatt Bibb	November 9, 1819 [lower-alpha 2] – July 10, 1820 [lower-alpha 7] [lower-alpha 8] (died in office)	Democratic- Republican	1819	Office did not exist
2			Thomas Bibb	July 10, 1820 [lower-alpha 8] – November 9, 1821 (not candidate for election)	Democratic- Republican	Succeeded from President of the Senate
3			Israel Pickens	November 9, 1821 – November 25, 1825 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1821
						1823
4			John Murphy	November 25, 1825 – November 25, 1829 (term limited)	Jackson Democrat	1825
						1827
5			Gabriel Moore	November 25, 1829 – March 3, 1831 (resigned) [lower-alpha 9]	Jackson Democrat	1829
6			Samuel B. Moore	March 3, 1831 – November 26, 1831 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate
7			John Gayle	November 26, 1831 – November 21, 1835 (term limited)	Democratic	1831
						1833
8			Clement Comer Clay	November 21, 1835 – July 17, 1837 [lower-alpha 10] (resigned) [lower-alpha 11]	Democratic	1835
9			Hugh McVay	July 17, 1837 [lower-alpha 10] – November 21, 1837 [lower-alpha 12] (not candidate for election)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate
10			Arthur P. Bagby	November 21, 1837 [lower-alpha 12] – November 22, 1841 (term limited)	Democratic	1837
						1839
11			Benjamin Fitzpatrick	November 22, 1841 – December 10, 1845 (term limited)	Democratic	1841
						1843
12			Joshua L. Martin	December 10, 1845 – December 16, 1847 (not candidate for election)	Independent [lower-alpha 13]	1845
13			Reuben Chapman	December 16, 1847 – December 17, 1849 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1847
14			Henry W. Collier	December 17, 1849 – December 20, 1853 (term limited)	Democratic	1849
						1851
15			John A. Winston	December 20, 1853 – December 1, 1857 (term limited)	Democratic	1853
						1855
16			Andrew B. Moore	December 1, 1857 – December 2, 1861 (term limited)	Democratic	1857
						1859
17			John Gill Shorter	December 2, 1861 – December 1, 1863 (lost election)	Democratic	1861
18			Thomas H. Watts	December 1, 1863 – May 1, 1865 (arrested and removed) [lower-alpha 14]	Whig [lower-alpha 15]	1863
—	Vacant			May 1, 1865 – June 21, 1865	—	Office vacated after civil war
19			Lewis E. Parsons	June 21, 1865 – December 13, 1865 (provisional term ended)	— [lower-alpha 16]	Provisional governor appointed by President [lower-alpha 17]
20			Robert M. Patton	December 13, 1865 – July 14, 1868 [lower-alpha 18] (not candidate for election)	Pre-War Whig [lower-alpha 19]	1865 [lower-alpha 20]
—			Wager Swayne	March 2, 1867 [lower-alpha 21] – January 11, 1868 [lower-alpha 22] (removed) [30]	—	Military occupation [lower-alpha 20]
21			William Hugh Smith	July 14, 1868 [lower-alpha 18] – November 26, 1870 [lower-alpha 23] (lost election)	Republican	1868
								Andrew J. Applegate (took office August 13, 1868) (died August 21, 1870)
							Vacant
22			Robert B. Lindsay	November 26, 1870 – November 17, 1872 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1870 [lower-alpha 23]		Edward H. Moren
23			David P. Lewis	November 17, 1872 – November 24, 1874 (lost election) [32]	Republican	1872		Alexander McKinstry
24			George S. Houston	November 24, 1874 – November 28, 1878 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1874		Robert F. Ligon
						1876	Office did not exist
25			Rufus W. Cobb	November 28, 1878 – December 1, 1882 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1878
						1880
26			Edward A. O'Neal	December 1, 1882 – December 1, 1886 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1882
						1884
27			Thomas Seay	December 1, 1886 – December 1, 1890 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1886
						1888
28			Thomas G. Jones	December 1, 1890 – December 1, 1894 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1890
						1892
29			William C. Oates	December 1, 1894 – December 1, 1896 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1894
30			Joseph F. Johnston	December 1, 1896 – December 1, 1900 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1896
						1898
—			William D. Jelks	December 1, 1900 – December 26, 1900 (acting)	Democratic	1900 [lower-alpha 24]
31			William J. Samford	December 1, 1900 – June 11, 1901 (died in office)	Democratic
32			William D. Jelks	June 11, 1901 – January 14, 1907 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate
						1902 [lower-alpha 25] [lower-alpha 26]		Russell McWhortor Cunningham (acted as governor April 25, 1904–March 5, 1905)
33			B. B. Comer	January 14, 1907 [lower-alpha 27] – January 16, 1911 (term limited)	Democratic	1906		Henry B. Gray
34			Emmet O'Neal	January 17, 1911 [lower-alpha 27] – January 18, 1915 (term limited)	Democratic	1910		Walter D. Seed Sr.
35			Charles Henderson	January 19, 1915 [lower-alpha 27] – January 20, 1919 (term limited)	Democratic	1914		Thomas Kilby
36			Thomas Kilby	January 21, 1919 [lower-alpha 27] – January 15, 1923 (term limited)	Democratic	1918		Nathan Lee Miller
37			William W. Brandon	January 16, 1923 [lower-alpha 27] – January 17, 1927 (term limited)	Democratic	1922 [lower-alpha 28]		Charles S. McDowell (acted as governor July 10, 1924–July 11, 1924)
38			Bibb Graves	January 18, 1927 [lower-alpha 27] – January 19, 1931 (term limited)	Democratic	1926		William C. Davis
39			Benjamin M. Miller	January 20, 1931 [lower-alpha 27] – January 14, 1935 (term limited)	Democratic	1930		Hugh Davis Merrill
38			Bibb Graves	January 15, 1935 [lower-alpha 27] – January 16, 1939 (term limited)	Democratic	1934		Thomas E. Knight (died May 17, 1937)
							Vacant
40			Frank M. Dixon	January 17, 1939 [lower-alpha 27] – January 18, 1943 (term limited)	Democratic	1938		Albert A. Carmichael
41			Chauncey Sparks	January 19, 1943 [lower-alpha 27] – January 20, 1947 (term limited)	Democratic	1942		Leven H. Ellis
42			Jim Folsom	January 21, 1947 [lower-alpha 27] – January 15, 1951 (term limited)	Democratic	1946		James C. Inzer
43			Gordon Persons	January 16, 1951 [lower-alpha 27] – January 17, 1955 (term limited)	Democratic	1950		James Allen
42			Jim Folsom	January 18, 1955 [lower-alpha 27] – January 19, 1959 (term limited)	Democratic	1954		William G. Hardwick
44			John Malcolm Patterson	January 20, 1959 [lower-alpha 27] – January 14, 1963 (term limited)	Democratic	1958		Albert Boutwell
45			George Wallace	January 15, 1963 [lower-alpha 27] – January 16, 1967 (term limited)	Democratic	1962		James Allen
46			Lurleen Wallace	January 17, 1967 [lower-alpha 27] – May 7, 1968 (died in office)	Democratic	1966 [lower-alpha 29]		Albert Brewer (acted as governor July 25, 1967)
47			Albert Brewer	May 7, 1968 – January 18, 1971 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
45			George Wallace	January 19, 1971 [lower-alpha 27] – January 15, 1979 (term limited)	Democratic	1970 [lower-alpha 30]		Jere Beasley (acted as governor June 5, 1972–July 7, 1972)
						1974
48			Fob James	January 16, 1979 [lower-alpha 27] – January 17, 1983 (not candidate for election) [37]	Democratic	1978		George McMillan
45			George Wallace	January 18, 1983 [lower-alpha 27] – January 19, 1987 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1982		Bill Baxley
49			H. Guy Hunt	January 20, 1987 [lower-alpha 27] – April 22, 1993 (resigned) [lower-alpha 31]	Republican	1986		Jim Folsom Jr. [lower-alpha 32]
						1990
50			Jim Folsom Jr.	April 22, 1993 – January 16, 1995 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
48			Fob James	January 17, 1995 [lower-alpha 27] – January 18, 1999 (lost election) [39]	Republican	1994		Don Siegelman [lower-alpha 32]
51			Don Siegelman	January 19, 1999 [lower-alpha 27] – January 20, 2003 (lost election) [39]	Democratic	1998		Steve Windom [lower-alpha 33]
52			Bob Riley	January 21, 2003 [lower-alpha 27] – January 17, 2011 (term limited)	Republican	2002		Lucy Baxley [lower-alpha 32]
						2006		Jim Folsom Jr. [lower-alpha 32]
53			Robert J. Bentley	January 18, 2011 [lower-alpha 27] – April 10, 2017 (resigned) [lower-alpha 34]	Republican	2010		Kay Ivey
						2014
54			Kay Ivey	April 10, 2017 – present [lower-alpha 35]	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
						2018		Will Ainsworth

See also

• List of Alabama state legislatures

Notes

1. Records are scarce as to when Bibb was actually appointed. The territory was formed on March 3, 1817, but he was appointed by President James Monroe, who did not take office until the next day. Other resources indicate that other major appointments for the territory were made on March 6, 1817. ^[3]
2. Bibb was inaugurated on November 9, even though Alabama did not formally become a state until December 14. ^[2]
3. Data is sourced from the Alabama Department of Archives and History, unless supplemental references are required.
4. Repeat governors are officially numbered only once; ^[2] subsequent terms are marked with their original number italicized.
5. The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1868 constitution, ^[10] abolished in the 1875 Constitution, ^[11] and recreated in the 1901 Constitution. ^[12]
6. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
7. Sources are evenly split on if Bibb died on July 9 or 10; the Alabama Department of Archives and History says July 10. ^[2]
8. Multiple sources state that Thomas Bibb did not succeed William Wyatt Bibb until either July 15 ^[15] or July 25. ^[2] It is unknown if this was the formal inauguration, or if a vacancy existed in the office; it is assumed that succession was automatic, as per the constitution, and that Thomas Bibb's term began on July 10.
9. Moore resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate. ^[16]
10. Sources disagree on the exact date McVay succeeded Clay, with the Alabama Department of Archives and History and National Governors Association mentioning both July 16 and July 17, though July 17 is used more prominently. Further confusing matters, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress says that Clay's term in the United States Senate began on June 19. ^[18]
11. Clay resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate. ^[17]
12. Sources are evenly split on when Bagby succeeded McVay, with some saying November 21, 22, or 30. ^{[19] [20]} However, contemporary news places the inauguration on November 21. ^[21]
13. Martin was a Democrat who opposed party leaders and ran as an independent. ^[22]
14. Watts was arrested by Union forces soon after the American Civil War ended; he was released a few weeks later. ^{[23] [24]}
15. Sources disagree on Watts' party; the Alabama Department of Archives and History says Democratic, ^[2] but most others say Whig. ^{[23] [25] [26]}
16. Parsons was appointed and therefore did not run for office under a party; he was a member of the Democratic Party. ^[27]
17. Parsons was appointed provisional governor by the Union occupation. ^[27]
18. Some sources say Patton left office on July 24, after Smith was sworn in on July 14; ^{[28] [2]} it is unknown what would cause this discrepancy.
19. Patton later switched to the Republican Party, but ran as a Whig. ^[28]
20. The United States Congress stripped Patton of most of his authority in March 1867, after which time the state was effectively under the control of Major General Swayne. ^[28]
21. The date given for Swayne is the date of the first Reconstruction Act, which placed Alabama into the Third Military District; all references only say "March 1867" ^[28] and "when the Reconstruction Acts were passed". ^[29]
22. In December 1867, President Andrew Johnson ordered the removal of Major General Swayne, and he was replaced on January 11, 1868, by Major General Julius Hayden. ^[30]
23. Lindsay was sworn into office on November 26, 1870, but Smith refused to leave his seat for two weeks, claiming Lindsay was fraudulently elected; he finally left office on December 8, 1870, when a court so ordered. ^[31]
24. At the start of Samford's term, he was out of state seeking medical treatment; as president of the senate, Jelks acted as governor in his absence. Samford later died in office, and Jelks succeeded him. ^[33]
25. First term under the 1901 constitution, which lengthened terms to four years. ^[6]
26. Jelks was out of state for medical treatment for nearly a year; as lieutenant governor, Cunningham acted as governor in his absence. ^[34]
27. The constitutional start date for 1911 was January 16. However, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in the case of Oberhaus v. State ex rel. McNamara that, regardless of when the swearing in took place, B. B. Comer's term did not end until the end of Monday, and Emmet O'Neal's term did not begin until the first minute of the next day. ^[9] This precedent appears to have quietly continued, as contemporary news coverage of Robert J. Bentley's inauguration noted he would not officially take office until midnight. ^[35] Therefore, governors since 1911 that served to the end of their term are noted as leaving office on Monday, and their successor taking office on Tuesday. It is assumed this did not apply ex post facto to terms between when the constitutional date was established in 1901, and the court ruling in 1911.
28. Brandon was out of state for 21 days as a delegate to the 1924 Democratic National Convention; as lieutenant governor, McDowell acted as governor for two days. ^[2]
29. Wallace was out of state for 20 days for medical treatment; as lieutenant governor, Brewer became acting governor on July 25, 1967; Wallace returned to the state later that day. ^{[2] [36]}
30. Wallace was out of state for 52 days for medical treatment following an assassination attempt while campaigning for President of the United States; as lieutenant governor, Beasley acted as governor for 32 days. ^[2]
31. Hunt was forced to resign upon being convicted of illegally using campaign and inaugural funds to pay personal debts; he was later pardoned by the state parole board. ^[38]
32. Represented the Democratic Party.
33. Represented the Republican Party.
34. Bentley resigned from office as part of a plea deal involving campaign violations. ^[40]
35. Ivey's first full term began on January 15, 2019, and will expire on January 16, 2023.

References

General

• "Alabama Governors". Alabama Department of Archives & History. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
• "Alabama: Past Governors Bios". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.

Constitutions

• "Constitution of the State of Alabama". Alabama Legislature. 1901.
• "Constitution of the State of Alabama". Alabama Legislature. 1875.
• "Constitution of the State of Alabama". Alabama Legislature. 1868.
• "Constitution of the State of Alabama". Alabama Legislature. 1865.
• "Constitution of the State of Alabama". Alabama Legislature. 1861.
• "Constitution of the State of Alabama". Alabama Legislature. 1819.

Specific

1. "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
2. "Alabama Governors". Alabama Department of Archives and History . Retrieved April 10, 2012.
3. Shearer, Benjamin. The Uniting States – The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States, Volume 1: Alabama to Kentucky. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 41. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
4. 1819 Const. art. IV, § 4
5. 1868 Const. art. V, § 2
6. AL Const. art. V, § 114
7. AL Const. art. V, § 116
8. AL Const. amendment 282
9. Oberhaus v. State ex rel. McNamara, [https://books.google.com/books?id=pVotAQAAMAAJ pp. 483–499
10. 1868 Const. art. V, § 1
11. 1875 Const. art. V, § 1
12. AL Const. art. V, § 112
13. AL Const. art. V, § 127
14. 1819 Const. art. IV, § 18; 1861 Const. art. IV, § 18; 1865 Const. art V, § 19; 1868 Const. art. V, § 15; 1875 Const. art. V § 15
15. "Thomas Bibb". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.
16. "Gabriel Moore". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.
17. "Clement Comer Clay". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.
18. United States Congress. "CLAY, Clement Comer (id: C000481)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress .
19. Webb, Samuel; Armbrester, Margaret (2014). Alabama Governors: A Political History of the State. University of Alabama Press. p. 47. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
20. Du Bose, Jose Campbell (1915). Alabama History. B. F. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 357. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
21. "Inauguration". Voice of Sumter. Livingston, Alabama. November 28, 1837. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
22. "Joshua Lanier Martin". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.
23. "Thomas Hill Watts". National Governors Association . Retrieved December 7, 2018.
24. "Thomas Hill Watts". Alabama Department of Archives and History . Retrieved December 7, 2018.
25. Thornton, J. Mills (2014). Politics and Power in a Slave Society: Alabama, 1800–1860. LSU Press. pp. 440–441. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
26. Alexander, Thomas (August 1961). "Persistent Whiggery in the Confederate South, 1860-1877". The Journal of Southern History. 27 (3): 305–329. JSTOR   2205211.
27. "Lewis Eliphalet Parsons". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.
28. "Robert Miller Patton". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 24, 2018.
29. "Robert Miller Patton". Alabama Department of Archives and History . Retrieved October 13, 2008.
30. "Wager T. Swayne". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
31. White, James Terry (1900). The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. James T. White & Company. p. 435. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
32. "David Peter Lewis". National Governors Association . Retrieved December 8, 2018.
33. "William Dorsey Jelks". Alabama Department of Archives and History . Retrieved December 7, 2018.
34. "Russell Cunningham". Alabama Department of Archives and History . Retrieved October 13, 2008.
35. White, David (January 17, 2011). "Robert Bentley ready to take office as next Alabama governor". The Birmingham News . Retrieved December 10, 2018. Bentley under state law won't officially be governor until just after the stroke of midnight Tuesday morning.
36. Owen, Thomas McAdory (1979). Alabama Official and Statistical Register. Alabama Department of Archives & History. p. 17. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
37. "Forrest Hood James". National Governors Association . Retrieved December 8, 2018.
38. Nossiter, Adam (12 June 1997). "Ex-Gov. Hunt of Alabama Cleared by Pardon Board". The New York Times . p. 18. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
39. "Don Siegelman (1999-2003)". Encyclopedia of Alabama . Retrieved December 8, 2018.
40. Blinder, Alan (10 April 2017). "Robert Bentley, Alabama Governor, Resigns Amid Scandal". The New York Times . Retrieved April 10, 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Governors of Alabama .

• Office of the Governor of Alabama