This is a list of minority governors and lieutenant state governors in the United States. In the United States, an ethnic minority is anyone who has at least one parent who is not of non-Hispanic white descent (such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islands Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, or Native Americans).[ according to whom? ] Ethnic minorities currently constitute around 38.9% of the total population. [1] United States governors are included but lieutenant governor-equivalent roles (positions next in the line of succession absent an office of the lieutenant governor, such as secretary of state or senate president) are not currently included.
Image | Name | Minority ethnicity | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P. B. S. Pinchback [2] (1837–1921) | African American | Republican | Louisiana | December 9, 1872 | January 13, 1873 | Term ended | |
Romualdo Pacheco [2] (1831–1899) | Mexican American | Republican | California | February 27, 1875 | December 9, 1875 | Term ended | |
Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca (1864–1917) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 3, 1917 | February 18, 1917 | Died in office | |
Octaviano Larrazolo (1859–1930) | Mexican American | Republican | New Mexico | January 1, 1919 | January 1, 1921 | Lost renomination | |
Johnston Murray [3] (1902-1974) [4] | Native American (Chickasaw) [5] | Democratic | Oklahoma | January 8, 1951 | January 10, 1955 | Term limited. | |
George Ariyoshi [2] (born 1926) | Japanese American | Democratic | Hawaii | October 17, 1973 | December 2, 1986 | Term limited. | |
Jerry Apodaca (1934–2023) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1975 | January 1, 1979 | Term limited | |
Raúl Castro (1916–2015) | Mexican American | Democratic | Arizona | January 6, 1975 | October 20, 1977 | Resigned | |
Toney Anaya (born 1941) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1983 | January 1, 1987 | Term limited | |
John Sununu [6] (born 1939) | Salvadoran American | Republican | New Hampshire | January 6, 1983 | January 4, 1989 | Retired | |
John Waihee (born 1946) | Native Hawaiian | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1986 | December 2, 1994 | Term limited | |
Bob Martinez (born 1934) | Spanish American | Republican | Florida | January 6, 1987 | January 8, 1991 | Lost reelection | |
Douglas Wilder (born 1931) | African American | Democratic | Virginia | January 13, 1990 | January 15, 1994 | Term limited | |
Ben Cayetano (born 1939) | Filipino American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1994 | December 2, 2002 | Term limited | |
Gary Locke (born 1950) | Chinese American | Democratic | Washington | January 15, 1997 | January 12, 2005 | Retired | |
Bill Richardson (1947–2023) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 2003 | January 1, 2011 | Term limited | |
Deval Patrick (born 1956) | African American | Democratic | Massachusetts | January 4, 2007 | January 8, 2015 | Retired | |
Bobby Jindal (born 1971) | Indian American | Republican | Louisiana | January 14, 2008 | January 11, 2016 | Term limited | |
David Paterson [2] (born 1954) | African American | Democratic | New York | March 17, 2008 | December 31, 2010 | Retired | |
Susana Martinez (born 1959) | Mexican American | Republican | New Mexico | January 1, 2011 | January 1, 2019 | Term limited | |
Brian Sandoval (born 1963) | Mexican American | Republican | Nevada | January 3, 2011 | January 7, 2019 | Term limited | |
Nikki Haley (born 1972) | Indian American | Republican | South Carolina | January 12, 2011 | January 24, 2017 | Resigned | |
David Ige (born 1957) | Okinawan American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 1, 2014 | December 5, 2022 | Term limited | |
Michelle Lujan Grisham [7] (born 1959) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Kevin Stitt [8] (born 1972) | Native American (Cherokee) | Republican | Oklahoma | January 14, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Wes Moore (born 1978) | African American, Cuban American, Jamaican American | Democratic | Maryland | January 18, 2023 | Incumbent |
Several governors of U.S. territories have been ethnic minorities. Many of these officials were appointed before elections were instituted in these jurisdictions. In each of the five current U.S. territories, Hispanic or non-white ethnic groups make up large majorities: Puerto Rican Hispanic Americans in Puerto Rico, African Americans in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chamorros in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and Samoans in American Samoa. Elected governors and some appointed governors in these territories that have come from these majority ethnic groups are not listed here; for more details see List of governors of Puerto Rico, List of governors of the United States Virgin Islands, List of governors of Guam, List of governors of the Northern Mariana Islands, and List of governors of American Samoa.
Image | Name | Minority ethnicity | Party | Territory/ District | Term start | Term end | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miguel Otero (1859–1944) | Mexican American | Republican | New Mexico | July 14, 1897 | January 22, 1906 | Appointment ended | |
Frank Portusach (1864–1919) | Spanish American | Independent | Guam | June 22, 1898 | December 12, 1898 | Deposed [9] | |
William Coe (1857–1909) | Samoan | Independent | Guam | April 20, 1899 | May 9, 1899 | Appointment ended | |
Morris de Castro [2] (1902–1966) | Panamanian American | Democratic | U.S. Virgin Islands | October 21, 1949 | April 9, 1954 | Resigned appointment | |
Samuel King (1886-1959) | Native Hawaiian | Republican | Hawaii | January 28, 1953 | July 26, 1957 | Resigned appointment | |
Juan Luis [2] (1940–2011) | Puerto Rican | Independent Citizens Movement (1978–1979) | U.S. Virgin Islands | January 2, 1978 | January 5, 1987 | Term limited | |
Independent (1979–1987) | |||||||
Benigno Fitial (born 1945) | Carolinian | Covenant (2006–2011) | Northern Mariana Islands | January 9, 2006 | February 20, 2013 | Impeached | |
Republican (2011–2013) |
Image | Name | Minority ethnicity | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pablo de la Guerra (1819–1874) | Mexican American | Democratic | California | January 7, 1861 | January 10, 1862 | Retired | |
Oscar Dunn (1826–1871) | African American | Republican | Louisiana | June 27, 1868 | November 22, 1871 | Died | |
Alonzo Ransier (1834–1882) | African American | Republican | South Carolina | December 3, 1870 | December 7, 1872 | Retired | |
Alexander Kelso Davis [10] (-1884) | African American | Republican | Mississippi | November 30, 1871 | March 29, 1876 | Resigned | |
P. B. S. Pinchback (1837–1921) | African American | Republican | Louisiana | December 6, 1871 | December 9, 1872 | Elevated | |
Romualdo Pacheco (1831–1899) | Mexican American | Republican | California | December 8, 1871 | February 27, 1875 | Elevated | |
Richard Howell Gleaves (1819–1907) | African American | Republican | South Carolina | December 7, 1872 | December 14, 1876 | Lost reelection | |
Caesar Antoine (1836–1921) | African American | Republican | Louisiana | May 22, 1873 | April 24, 1877 | Lost reelection | |
Albert Estopinal (1845–1919) | Spanish American | Democratic | Louisiana | May 8, 1900 | May 10, 1904 | Retired | |
Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca (1864–1917) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 6, 1912 | January 1, 1917 | Retired | |
José Baca (1876–1924) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1923 | May 17, 1924 | Died | |
Louis Cabeza de Baca (1894–1969) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1935 | January 1, 1937 | Retired | |
Ceferino Quintana (1894–1977) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1941 | January 1, 1943 | Retired | |
Joseph Montoya (1915–1978) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1947 | January 1, 1951 | Lost reelection | |
January 1, 1955 | April 9, 1957 | Retired | |||||
Tibo J. Chávez (1912–1991) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1951 | January 1, 1955 | Lost reelection | |
James Kealoha (1908–1983) | Native Hawaiian, Chinese American | Republican | Hawaii | August 21, 1959 | December 2, 1962 | Retired | |
William S. Richardson (1919–2010) | Native Hawaiian, Chinese American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1962 | April 13, 1966 | Resigned | |
Andrew T. F. Ing (1919–1999) | Chinese American | Democratic | Hawaii | April 13, 1966 | December 2, 1966 | Resigned | |
Thomas Gill (1922–2009) | Cuban American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1966 | December 2, 1970 | Retired | |
George Ariyoshi (born 1926) | Japanese American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1970 | December 2, 1974 | Retired | |
Roberto Mondragón (born 1940) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1971 | January 1, 1975 | Retired | |
January 1, 1979 | January 1, 1983 | Retired | |||||
Nelson Doi (1922–2015) | Japanese American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1974 | December 2, 1978 | Retired | |
Mervyn Dymally [11] (1926–2012) | African American, Indian American | Democratic | California | January 6, 1975 | January 8, 1979 | Lost reelection | |
George L. Brown (1926–2006) | African American | Democratic | Colorado | January 14, 1975 | January 10, 1979 | Retired | |
Jean King (1925–2013) | Japanese American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1978 | December 2, 1982 | Retired | |
Mike Curb (born 1944) | Mexican American | Republican | California | January 8, 1979 | January 3, 1983 | Retired | |
John D. Waiheʻe III (born 1946) | Native Hawaiian | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1982 | December 2, 1986 | Retired | |
S. B. Woo (born 1937) | Chinese American | Democratic | Delaware | January 15, 1985 | January 20, 1989 | Retired | |
Douglas Wilder (born 1931) | African American | Democratic | Virginia | January 18, 1986 | January 12, 1990 | Retired | |
Ben Cayetano (born 1939) | Filipino American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1986 | December 2, 1994 | Retired | |
Casey Luna (born 1931) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 1991 | January 1, 1995 | Retired | |
Mazie Hirono (born 1947) | Japanese American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 2, 1994 | December 2, 2002 | Retired | |
Cruz Bustamante (born 1953) | Mexican American | Democratic | California | January 4, 1999 | January 8, 2007 | Retired | |
Joe Rogers (1964–2013) | African American | Republican | Colorado | January 12, 1999 | January 14, 2003 | Retired | |
Loren Leman (born 1950) | Native Alaskan (Alutiiq) | Republican | Alaska | December 2, 2002 | December 4, 2006 | Retired | |
Duke Aiona (born 1955) | Native Hawaiian, Chinese American | Republican | Hawaii | December 4, 2002 | December 6, 2010 | Retired | |
Jennette Bradley (born 1952) | African American | Republican | Ohio | January 13, 2003 | January 5, 2005 | Resigned | |
Michael Steele [12] (born 1958) | African American | Republican | Maryland | January 15, 2003 | January 17, 2007 | Retired | |
David Paterson (born 1954) | African American | Democratic | New York | January 1, 2007 | March 17, 2008 | Elevated | |
Anthony Brown (born 1961) | African American | Democratic | Maryland | January 17, 2007 | January 21, 2015 | Retired | |
Malcolm Smith (born 1956) | African American | Democratic | New York | January 7, 2009 | June 8, 2009 | Resigned | |
Pedro Espada Jr. (born 1953) | Puerto Rican | Democratic | New York | June 8, 2009 | July 8, 2009 | Resigned | |
John Garamendi (born 1945) | Basque American | Democratic | California | January 8, 2007 | November 3, 2009 | Resigned | |
Mona Pasquil (born 1962) | Filipino American | Democratic | California | November 4, 2009 | April 27, 2010 | Retired | |
Abel Maldonado (born 1967) | Mexican American | Republican | California | April 27, 2010 | January 10, 2011 | Lost reelection | |
John Sanchez (born 1963) | Mexican American | Republican | New Mexico | January 1, 2011 | January 1, 2019 | Term limited | |
Jennifer Carroll (born 1959) | African American | Republican | Florida | January 4, 2011 | March 12, 2013 | Resigned | |
Joseph Garcia (born 1957) | Mexican American | Democratic | Colorado | January 11, 2011 | May 12, 2016 | Resigned | |
Shan Tsutsui (born 1971) | Japanese American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 27, 2012 | January 31, 2018 | Resigned | |
Carlos Lopez-Cantera (born 1973) | Cuban American | Republican | Florida | February 3, 2014 | January 8, 2019 | Retired | |
Byron Mallott (1943-2020) | Native Alaskan (Tlingit) | Democratic | Alaska | December 1, 2014 | October 16, 2018 | Resigned | |
Evelyn Sanguinetti (born 1970) | Cuban American, Ecuadorian American | Republican | Illinois | January 12, 2015 | January 14, 2019 | Lost reelection | |
Jenean Hampton (born 1958) | African American | Republican | Kentucky | December 8, 2015 | December 10, 2019 | Retired | |
Boyd Rutherford (born 1957) | African American | Republican | Maryland | January 21, 2015 | January 18, 2023 | Term limited | |
Cyrus Habib (born 1981) | Iranian American | Democratic | Washington | January 11, 2017 | January 13, 2021 | Retired | |
Justin Fairfax (born 1979) | African American | Democratic | Virginia | January 13, 2018 | January 15, 2022 | Retired | |
Sheila Oliver (1952–2023) | African American | Democratic | New Jersey | January 16, 2018 | August 1, 2023 | Died | |
Doug Chin (born 1971) | Chinese American | Democratic | Hawaii | February 2, 2018 | December 3, 2018 | Retired | |
Valerie Davidson (born 1967) | Native Alaskan (Yup'ik) | Democratic | Alaska | October 16, 2018 | December 3, 2018 | Retired | |
Garlin Gilchrist (born 1982) | African American | Democratic | Michigan | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Howie Morales (born 1973) | Mexican American | Democratic | New Mexico | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Mandela Barnes (born 1986) | African American | Democratic | Wisconsin | January 7, 2019 | January 3, 2023 | Retired | |
Peggy Flanagan (born 1979) | Native American (White Earth Band of Ojibwe) | Democratic (DFL) | Minnesota | January 7, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Jeanette Nuñez (born 1972) | Cuban American | Republican | Florida | January 8, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Juliana Stratton (born 1965) | African American | Democratic | Illinois | January 14, 2019 | Incumbent | ||
Mark Robinson (born 1968) | African American | Republican | North Carolina | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | ||
Sabina Matos (born 1974) | African American, Dominican American | Democratic | Rhode Island | April 14, 2021 | Incumbent | ||
Andrea Stewart-Cousins [13] (born 1950) | African American | Democratic | New York | August 24, 2021 | September 9, 2021 | New Lieutenant Governor appointed | |
April 12, 2022 | May 25, 2022 | New Lieutenant Governor appointed | |||||
Brian Benjamin (born 1976) | African American | Democratic | New York | September 9, 2021 | April 12, 2022 | Resigned | |
Lisa Cano Burkhead (born 1970) | Argentine American, Paraguayan American | Democratic | Nevada | December 16, 2021 | January 3, 2023 | Lost election to a full term | |
Winsome Sears (born 1964) | African American,Jamaican American | Republican | Virginia | January 15, 2022 | Incumbent | ||
Antonio Delgado (born 1977) | African American, Colombian American, Mexican American, Venezuelan American | Democratic | New York | May 25, 2022 | Incumbent | ||
Sylvia Luke (born 1967) | Korean American | Democratic | Hawaii | December 5, 2022 | Incumbent | ||
Austin Davis (born 1989) | African American | Democratic | Pennsylvania | January 17, 2023 | Incumbent | ||
Aruna Miller (born 1964) | Indian American | Democratic | Maryland | January 18, 2023 | Incumbent | ||
Tahesha Way (born 1971/1972) | African American | Democratic | New Jersey | September 8, 2023 | Incumbent |
In each of the four current U.S. territories that have the office of lieutenant governor, non-white ethnic groups make up large majorities: African Americans in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chamorros in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and Samoans in American Samoa. Elected governors and some appointed governors in these territories that have come from these majority ethnic groups are not listed here; for more details see Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands, Lieutenant Governor of Guam, Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa.
Image | Name | Minority ethnicity | Party | Territory | Term start | Term end | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Morris de Castro (1902–1966) | Panamanian American | Democratic | U.S. Virgin Islands | 1945 | March 4, 1950 | Elevated | |
Kurt Moylan (born 1939) | Native Hawaiian, Chinese American | Republican | Guam | July 20, 1969 | January 6, 1975 | Lost reelection | |
Kaleo Moylan (born 1966) | Native Hawaiian, Chinese American | Republican | Guam | January 6, 2003 | January 1, 2007 | Retired |
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, and the most populous village is Dededo. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States, reckoned from the geographic center of the U.S. In Oceania, Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia.
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The CNMI includes the 14 northernmost islands in the Mariana Archipelago; the southernmost island, Guam, is a separate U.S. territory. The Northern Mariana Islands were listed by the United Nations as a non-self governing territory until 1990.
Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indian reservations as they are not sovereign entities. In contrast, each state has a sovereignty separate from that of the federal government and each federally recognized Native American tribe possesses limited tribal sovereignty as a "dependent sovereign nation." Territories are classified by incorporation and whether they have an "organized" government through an organic act passed by the Congress. American territories are under American sovereignty and, consequently, may be treated as part of the United States proper in some ways and not others. Unincorporated territories in particular are not considered to be integral parts of the United States, and the Constitution of the United States applies only partially in those territories.
In the United States, each state has its own written constitution.
The Chamorro people are the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia, a commonwealth of the US. Today, significant Chamorro populations also exist in several U.S. states, including Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Nevada, all of which together are designated as Pacific Islander Americans according to the U.S. Census. According to the 2000 Census, about 64,590 people of Chamorro ancestry live in Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas.
The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse population. At the federal level, race and ethnicity have been categorized separately. The most recent United States census recognized five racial categories, as well as people who belong to two or more of the racial categories. The United States also recognizes the broader notion of ethnicity. The 2000 census and 2010 American Community Survey inquired about the "ancestry" of residents, while the 2020 census allowed people to enter their "origins". The Census Bureau also classified respondents as either Hispanic or Latino, identifying as an ethnicity, which comprises the minority group in the nation.
Pacific Islander Americans are Americans who are of Pacific Islander ancestry. For its purposes, the United States census also counts Aboriginal Australians as part of this group.
In the United States, a governor serves as the chief executive and commander-in-chief in each of the fifty states and in the five permanently inhabited territories, functioning as head of state and head of government therein. As such, governors are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. As state leaders, governors advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs using a variety of tools, among them executive orders, executive budgets, and legislative proposals and vetoes. Governors carry out their management and leadership responsibilities and objectives with the support and assistance of department and agency heads, many of whom they are empowered to appoint. A majority of governors have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, in most cases from a list of names submitted by a nominations committee.
The District of Columbia and United States Territories quarters were a series of six quarters minted by the United States Mint in 2009 to honor the District of Columbia and the unincorporated United States insular areas of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The islands commonly grouped together as the United States Minor Outlying Islands were not featured, as the law defined the word "territory" as being limited to the areas mentioned above. They followed the completion of the 50 State Quarters Program. The coins used the same George Washington obverse as with the quarters of the previous 10 years. The reverse of the quarters featured a design selected by the Mint depicting the federal district and each territory. Unlike on the 50 State quarters, the motto "E Pluribus Unum" preceded and was the same size as the mint date on the reverse.
Voting rights of citizens in Guam differ from those of United States citizens in each of the fifty states. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Guam is entitled to a delegate, who is not allowed to vote on the floor of the House, but can vote on procedural matters and in House committees. Citizens of Guam may not vote in general elections for President.