List of longest-serving governors of U.S. states

Last updated March 21, 2024

This list contains the 50 governors of states in the United States who have served for the longest years consecutively or otherwise. Territorial and colonial governors are not included.^[1]

By time in office
#	Governor	State	Party	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	Terry Branstad ^[2]	Iowa	Republican	January 14, 1983	January 15, 1999	8,169 days
1	Terry Branstad ^[2]	Iowa	Republican	January 14, 2011	May 24, 2017	8,169 days
2	George Clinton	New York	Democratic-Republican	July 30, 1777	June 30, 1795	7,641 days
2	George Clinton	New York	Democratic-Republican	July 1, 1801	June 30, 1804	7,641 days
3	George Wallace	Alabama	Democratic	January 14, 1963	January 16, 1967	5,848 days
				January 18, 1971	January 15, 1979
				January 17, 1983	January 19, 1987
4	Jerry Brown	California	Democratic	January 6, 1975	January 3, 1983	5,847 days
4	Jerry Brown	California	Democratic	January 3, 2011	January 7, 2019	5,847 days
5	Bill Janklow	South Dakota	Republican	January 1, 1979	January 6, 1987	5,845 days
5	Bill Janklow	South Dakota	Republican	January 7, 1995	January 3, 2003	5,845 days
6	Jim Rhodes	Ohio	Republican	January 14, 1963	January 11, 1971	5,840 days
	Jim Rhodes	Ohio	Republican	January 13, 1975	January 10, 1983	5,840 days
	Jim Hunt	North Carolina	Democratic	January 8, 1977	January 5, 1985	5,840 days
	Jim Hunt	North Carolina	Democratic	January 9, 1993	January 6, 2001	5,840 days
8	Edwin Edwards	Louisiana	Democratic	May 9, 1972	March 10, 1980	5,784 days
				March 12, 1984	March 14, 1988
				January 13, 1992	January 8, 1996
9	Arthur Fenner	Rhode Island	Country	May 5, 1790	October 15, 1805	5,642 days
10	Albert Ritchie	Maryland	Democratic	January 14, 1920	January 9, 1935	5,475 days
11	Nelson Rockefeller	New York	Republican	January 1, 1959	December 18, 1973	5,466 days
12	Rick Perry	Texas	Republican	December 21, 2000	January 20, 2015	5,144 days
13	Tommy Thompson	Wisconsin	Republican	January 5, 1987	February 1, 2001	5,142 days
14	Cecil Andrus	Idaho	Democratic	January 4, 1971	January 23, 1977	5,132 days
14	Cecil Andrus	Idaho	Democratic	January 5, 1987	January 2, 1995	5,132 days
15	John Taylor Gilman	New Hampshire	Federalist	June 5, 1794	June 6, 1805	5,119 days
15	John Taylor Gilman	New Hampshire	Federalist	June 3, 1813	June 6, 1816	5,119 days
16	James R. Thompson	Illinois	Republican	January 10, 1977	January 14, 1991	5,118 days
17	Robert D. Ray	Iowa	Republican	January 16, 1969	January 14, 1983	5,112 days
18	George W. P. Hunt	Arizona	Democratic	February 14, 1912	January 1, 1917	5,108 days
				December 25, 1917	January 6, 1919
				January 1, 1923	January 27, 1929
				January 5, 1931	January 2, 1933
19	William Milliken	Michigan	Republican	January 22, 1969	January 1, 1983	5,093 days
20	William Livingston	New Jersey	Federalist	August 31, 1776	July 25, 1790	5,076 days
21	James Fenner	Rhode Island	Democratic-Republican, Law and Order	May 6, 1807	May 1, 1811	4,749 days
				May 5, 1824	May 4, 1831
				May 2, 1843	May 6, 1845
22	Isaac Halstead Williamson	New Jersey	Democratic-Republican	February 6, 1817	October 30, 1829	4,650 days
23	John Kitzhaber	Oregon	Democratic	January 9, 1995	January 13, 2003	4,428 days
23	John Kitzhaber	Oregon	Democratic	January 10, 2011	February 18, 2015	4,428 days
24	William Carroll	Tennessee	Democratic-Republican, Democratic	October 1, 1821	October 1, 1827	4,395 days
24	William Carroll	Tennessee	Democratic-Republican, Democratic	October 1, 1829	October 12, 1835	4,395 days
25	Arch A. Moore Jr.	West Virginia	Republican	January 13, 1969	January 17, 1977	4,391 days
25	Arch A. Moore Jr.	West Virginia	Republican	January 14, 1985	January 16, 1989	4,391 days
26	Butch Otter	Idaho	Republican	January 1, 2007	January 7, 2019	4,390 days
27	Bruce King	New Mexico	Democratic	January 1, 1971	January 1, 1975	4,386 days
				January 1, 1979	January 1, 1983
				January 1, 1991	January 1, 1995
28	Daniel J. Evans	Washington	Republican	January 11, 1965	January 12, 1977	4,385 days
29	G. Mennen Williams	Michigan	Democratic	January 1, 1949	January 1, 1961	4,384 days
	Michael Dukakis	Massachusetts	Democratic	January 2, 1975	January 4, 1979	4,384 days
	Michael Dukakis	Massachusetts	Democratic	January 6, 1983	January 3, 1991	4,384 days
	John Engler	Michigan	Republican	January 1, 1991	January 1, 2003	4,384 days
32	Thomas E. Dewey	New York	Republican	January 1, 1943	December 31, 1954	4,383 days
	Robert E. Smylie	Idaho	Republican	January 3, 1955	January 2, 1967	4,383 days
	Orval Faubus	Arkansas	Democratic	January 11, 1955	January 10, 1967	4,383 days
	John A. Burns	Hawaii	Democratic	December 3, 1962	December 2, 1974	4,383 days
	Cal Rampton	Utah	Democratic	January 4, 1965	January 3, 1977	4,383 days
	George Ariyoshi	Hawaii	Democratic	December 2, 1974	December 1, 1986	4,383 days
	Edgar Herschler	Wyoming	Democratic	January 6, 1975	January 5, 1987	4,383 days
	Richard Lamm	Colorado	Democratic	January 14, 1975	January 13, 1987	4,383 days
	Mario Cuomo	New York	Democratic	January 1, 1983	December 31, 1994	4,383 days
	Roy Romer	Colorado	Democratic	January 13, 1987	January 12, 1999	4,383 days
	George Pataki	New York	Republican	January 1, 1995	December 31, 2006	4,383 days
43	Arthur B. Langlie	Washington	Republican	January 13, 1941	January 8, 1945	4,382 days
	Arthur B. Langlie	Washington	Republican	January 12, 1949	January 14, 1957	4,382 days
	William L. Guy	North Dakota	Democratic–Nonpartisan League	January 4, 1961	January 2, 1973	4,382 days
45	Bill Clinton	Arkansas	Democratic	January 9, 1979	January 19, 1981	4,366 days
45	Bill Clinton	Arkansas	Democratic	January 11, 1983	December 12, 1992	4,366 days
46	William A. Egan	Alaska	Democratic	January 3, 1959	December 5, 1966	4,324 days
46	William A. Egan	Alaska	Democratic	December 7, 1970	December 2, 1974	4,324 days
47	John Marshall Stone	Mississippi	Democratic	March 29, 1876	January 2, 1882	4,305 days
47	John Marshall Stone	Mississippi	Democratic	January 13, 1890	January 20, 1896	4,305 days
48	Jonathan Trumbull Jr.	Connecticut	Federalist	December 1, 1797	August 7, 1809	4,267 days
49	John Sevier	Tennessee	Democratic-Republican	March 30, 1796	September 23, 1801	4,193 days
49	John Sevier	Tennessee	Democratic-Republican	September 23, 1803	September 20, 1809	4,193 days
50	Howard Dean	Vermont	Democratic	August 13, 1991	January 8, 2003	4,167 days

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References

↑ "The Top 50 Longest Serving Governors in US History (Updated)". 29 May 2017.
↑ "Terry Branstad Is Now The Longest-Serving Governor In American History". The Huffington Post (archived). Associated Press. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.

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[1] "The Top 50 Longest Serving Governors in US History (Updated)". 29 May 2017.

[2] "Terry Branstad Is Now The Longest-Serving Governor In American History". The Huffington Post (archived). Associated Press. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.

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