It has been requested that the title of this article be changed to List of governors of Oregon . Please see the relevant discussion on the discussion page. The page should not be moved unless the discussion is closed; summarizing the consensus achieved in support of the move. |
This article lists the individuals who have served as Governor of Oregon from the establishment of the Provisional Government between 1841 and 1843 to the present day.
The Governor of Oregon is the head of the executive branch of Oregon's state government and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments.
The Champoeg Meetings, including a constitutional committee, held from February 1841 until May 1843, served as a de facto government before the government was officially established. While early attempts at establishing a government had been unsuccessful because of discontent between English American and French Canadian settlers over the question, whom they should choose as Governor, several other officers were elected at these meetings, including the position of Supreme Judge as the highest position at the second meeting. For lack of a government the Supreme Judge also received executive and legislative duties and was mostly chosen as the chairman of the following meetings. [1] [2]
The Champoeg Meetings were the first attempts at formal governance by European-American and French Canadian pioneers in the Oregon Country on the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Between 1841 and 1843, a series of public councils was held at Champoeg, a settlement on the French Prairie of the Willamette River valley in present-day Marion County, Oregon, and at surrounding settlements. The meetings were organized by newly arrived settlers as well as Protestant missionaries from the Methodist Mission and Catholic Jesuit priests from Canada.
Executive | Term start | Term end | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
– | Chairman Jason Lee [3] | February 17, 1841 | ||
– | Chairman David Leslie [4] | February 18, 1841 | ||
1 | Supreme Judge Ira Babcock | February 18, 1841 | May 2, 1843 | |
– | Vacant [5] | May 2, 1843 | July 5, 1843 |
The meetings at Champoeg led up to the first constitution of the Oregon Country and several petitions for U.S. territorial status. The resulting acts also created this body as a provisional government for the region. The first executives of this government were a three-person, elected committee known as the Executive Committee. In 1845, elections for a chief executive were held. The first person in Oregon to hold the title of governor was George Abernethy, a prominent businessman.
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from the Columbia River frequented by ships from all nations engaged in the maritime fur trade, most of these from the 1790s through 1810s being Boston-based. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 ended disputed joint occupancy pursuant to the Treaty of 1818 and established the British-American boundary at the 49th parallel.
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected settler government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its formation had been advanced at the Champoeg Meetings since February 17, 1841 and it existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849, and provided a legal system and a common defense amongst the mostly American pioneers settling an area then inhabited only by the many Indigenous Nations. Much of the region's geography and many of the Natives were not known by people of European descent until several exploratory tours were authorized at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Organic Laws of Oregon were adopted in 1843 with its preamble stating that settlers only agreed to the laws "until such time as the United States of America extend their jurisdiction over us." According to a message from the government in 1844, the rising settler population was beginning to flourish among the "savages", who were "the chief obstruction to the entrance of civilization" in a land of "ignorance and idolatry."
George Abernethy was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American state of Oregon. He traveled to Oregon Country as a secular member of the Methodist mission, where he became involved in politics and helped found the first American newspaper west of the Rocky Mountains.
Executive | Term start | Term end | Born Date | Died Date | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | First Executive Committee David Hill • Alanson Beers • Joseph Gale | July 5, 1843 | May 14, 1844 | |||
2 | Second Executive Committee Peter G. Stewart • Osborne Russell • William J. Bailey | May 14, 1844 | June 3, 1845 | |||
3 | George Abernethy | June 3, 1845 | March 3, 1849 [6] | October 7, 1807 | March 2, 1877 | |
4 | Thompson Mckenziee | March 3, 1849 | June 3, 1849 | December 25, 1807 | March 2, 1894 | |
Oregon became a U.S. Territory in 1848. Like most other U.S. territorial governments, Oregon's territorial governor was appointed by the President of the United States. As transportation and communications were not as reliable or as fast as 21st-century methods, there were times when a departing governor left office and a new governor could not yet take over. This resulted in several local individuals acting as territorial governor until the new executive was appointed and arrived to take office.
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
President Polk initially appointed Brigadier General James Shields to be Oregon's first territorial governor and Shields was confirmed by the Senate, but he declined the position and Joseph Lane was appointed in his place.
In the United States Armed Forces, brigadier general is a one-star general officer with the pay grade of O-7 in the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. The rank of brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services. The NATO equivalent is OF-6.
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.
Democratic (3) Whig (1) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | Took office | Left office | Appointed by | Party | |||
1 | Joseph Lane | March 3, 1849 | June 18, 1850 | James Polk | Democratic | ||
– | Kintzing Prichette | June 18, 1850 | August 18, 1850 | Acting Governor | Democratic | ||
2 | John P. Gaines | August 18, 1850 | May 16, 1853 | Zachary Taylor | Whig | ||
– | Joseph Lane | May 16, 1853 | May 19, 1853 | Acting Governor | Democratic | ||
– | George Law Curry | May 19, 1853 | December 2, 1853 | Acting Governor | Democratic | ||
3 | John W. Davis | December 2, 1853 | August 1, 1854 | Franklin Pierce | Democratic | ||
4 | George Law Curry | August 1, 1854 | March 3, 1859 | Franklin Pierce | Democratic |
Democratic (16) Republican (19) Independent (1) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | Took office | Left office | Party | Terms [note 1] | |||
1 | John Whiteaker | March 3, 1859 | September 10, 1862 | Democratic | 1 | ||
2 | A. C. Gibbs | September 10, 1862 | September 12, 1866 | Republican | 1 | ||
3 | George L. Woods | September 12, 1866 | September 14, 1870 | Republican | 1 | ||
4 | La Fayette Grover | September 14, 1870 | February 1, 1877 | Democratic | 1 1⁄2 [note 2] | ||
5 | Stephen F. Chadwick | February 1, 1877 | September 11, 1878 | Democratic | 1⁄2 | ||
6 | W. W. Thayer | September 11, 1878 | September 13, 1882 | Democratic | 1 | ||
7 | Z. F. Moody | September 13, 1882 | January 12, 1887 | Republican | 1 | ||
8 | Sylvester Pennoyer | January 12, 1887 | January 14, 1895 | Democratic | 2 | ||
9 | William Paine Lord | January 14, 1895 | January 9, 1899 | Republican | 1 | ||
10 | T. T. Geer | January 9, 1899 | January 15, 1903 | Republican | 1 | ||
11 | George Chamberlain | January 15, 1903 | March 1, 1909 | Democratic | 1 1⁄3 [note 2] | ||
12 | Frank W. Benson | March 1, 1909 | June 17, 1910 | Republican | 1⁄3 [note 3] | ||
13 | Jay Bowerman | June 17, 1910 | January 11, 1911 | Republican | 1⁄3 | ||
14 | Oswald West | January 11, 1911 | January 12, 1915 | Democratic | 1 | ||
15 | James Withycombe | January 12, 1915 | March 3, 1919 | Republican | 1 1⁄2 [note 4] | ||
16 | Ben W. Olcott | March 3, 1919 | January 8, 1923 | Republican | 1⁄2 | ||
17 | Walter M. Pierce | January 8, 1923 | January 10, 1927 | Democratic | 1 | ||
18 | I. L. Patterson | January 10, 1927 | December 21, 1929 | Republican | 1⁄2 [note 4] | ||
19 | A. W. Norblad | December 21, 1929 | January 12, 1931 | Republican | 1⁄2 | ||
20 | Julius L. Meier | January 12, 1931 | January 14, 1935 | Independent | 1 | ||
21 | Charles H. Martin | January 14, 1935 | January 9, 1939 | Democratic | 1 | ||
22 | Charles A. Sprague | January 9, 1939 | January 11, 1943 | Republican | 1 | ||
23 | Earl Snell | January 11, 1943 | October 30, 1947 | Republican | 1 1⁄3 [note 4] | ||
24 | John H. Hall | October 30, 1947 | January 10, 1949 | Republican | 1⁄3 | ||
25 | Douglas McKay | January 10, 1949 | December 27, 1952 | Republican | 1⁄3 + 1⁄2 [note 5] | ||
26 | Paul L. Patterson | December 27, 1952 | February 1, 1956 | Republican | 1⁄2 + 1⁄3 [note 4] | ||
27 | Elmo Smith | February 1, 1956 | January 14, 1957 | Republican | 1⁄3 | ||
28 | Robert D. Holmes | January 14, 1957 | January 12, 1959 | Democratic | 1⁄3 | ||
29 | Mark Hatfield | January 12, 1959 | January 9, 1967 | Republican | 2 | ||
30 | Tom McCall | January 9, 1967 | January 13, 1975 | Republican | 2 | ||
31 | Robert W. Straub | January 13, 1975 | January 8, 1979 | Democratic | 1 | ||
32 | Victor Atiyeh | January 8, 1979 | January 12, 1987 | Republican | 2 | ||
33 | Neil Goldschmidt | January 12, 1987 | January 14, 1991 | Democratic | 1 | ||
34 | Barbara Roberts | January 14, 1991 | January 9, 1995 | Democratic | 1 | ||
35 | John Kitzhaber | January 9, 1995 | January 13, 2003 | Democratic | 2 | ||
36 | Ted Kulongoski | January 13, 2003 | January 10, 2011 | Democratic | 2 | ||
37 | John Kitzhaber | January 10, 2011 | February 18, 2015 | Democratic | 1 1⁄2 [note 6] [note 7] | ||
38 | Kate Brown | February 18, 2015 | Incumbent | Democratic | 1 1⁄2 |
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Oregon except where noted.
Governor | Gubernatorial term | U.S. Congress | Other offices held | Source | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
House | Senate | ||||
Joseph Lane | 1848–1850 1853–1853 | S | Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon Territory | [7] | |
John P. Gaines | 1850–1853 | U.S. Representative from Kentucky | [8] | ||
John W. Davis | 1853–1854 | U.S. Representative from Indiana; United States Commissioner to China | [9] | ||
John Whiteaker | 1859–1862 | H | [10] | ||
George L. Woods | 1911–1915 | Governor of Utah Territory | [11] | ||
La Fayette Grover | 1866–1877 | H | S* | [12] | |
William Paine Lord | 1895–1899 | United States Minister to Argentina | [13] | ||
George Chamberlain | 1903–1909 | S* | [14] | ||
Walter M. Pierce | 1923–1927 | H | [15] | ||
Charles H. Martin | 1935–1939 | H | [16] | ||
Douglas McKay | 1949–1952 | United States Secretary of the Interior* | [17] | ||
Mark Hatfield | 1959–1967 | S | [18] | ||
Neil Goldschmidt | 1987–1991 | United States Secretary of Transportation | [19] |
As of December 2018 [update] , there are four former governors of Oregon who are currently living at this time, the oldest governor of Oregon being Barbara Roberts (served 1991–1995, born 1936). The most recent death of a former governor of Oregon and also the death of a former governor of Oregon who served most recently was of Victor Atiyeh, (served 1979–1987) on July 20, 2014. [20]
Barbara Kay Roberts is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, she served as the 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995. She was the first woman to serve as Oregon governor, and the only woman elected to that office until 2016. A Democrat, Roberts was also the first woman to serve as majority leader in the Oregon House of Representatives. She also won two terms as Oregon Secretary of State, and served in local and county government in Portland. Roberts was married to Oregon state Sen. Frank L. Roberts from 1974 until his death in 1993. From February 2011 until January 2013, she served on the council of Metro, the regional government in the Portland metropolitan area.
Victor George "Vic" Atiyeh was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 32nd Governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987. He was also the first elected governor of Syrian descent in the United States.
Governor | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
Neil Goldschmidt | 1987–1991 | June 16, 1940 |
Barbara Roberts | 1991–1995 | December 21, 1936 |
John Kitzhaber | 1995–2003 2011–2015 | March 5, 1947 |
Ted Kulongoski | 2003–2011 | November 5, 1940 |
Since Utah became a U.S. state in 1896, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years. Before the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Utah State Legislature. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms, one from each of Utah's four congressional districts. Before becoming a state, the Territory of Utah elected a non-voting delegate at-large to Congress from 1850 to 1896.
These are tables of congressional delegations from Indiana to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
La Fayette Grover was a Democratic politician and lawyer from the U.S. state of Oregon. He was the fourth Governor of Oregon, represented Oregon in the United States House of Representatives, and served one term in the United States Senate.
Edward Wilson McGaughey was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.
Utah Territory's At-large congressional district is an obsolete congressional district that encompassed the area of the Utah Territory. After Utah's admission to the Union as the 45th state by act of Congress on January 4, 1896, this district was dissolved and replaced by Utah's At-large congressional district.
The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region. This democratically elected legislature became the Oregon Territorial Legislature when the territorial authorities arrived after the creation of the Oregon Territory by the United States in 1848. The body was first termed the Legislative Committee and later renamed the House of Representatives. Over the course of its six-year history the legislature passed laws, including taxation and liquor regulation, and created an army to deal with conflicts with Native Americans.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Hawaii:
General
Constitution
Specific
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