List of governors of Arkansas
The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the Arkansas government and is charged with enforcing state laws. They have the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Arkansas General Assembly, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.
| Governor of Arkansas | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Government of Arkansas | |
| Style |
|
| Status | Head of Government |
| Residence | Arkansas Governor's Mansion |
| Seat | State Capitol, Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Arkansas |
| Precursor | Governor of Arkansas Territory |
| Inaugural holder | James Sevier Conway |
| Formation | September 13, 1836 |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas |
| Salary | US$141,000 per annum (2016) |
| Website | governor |
The state has had 46 elected governors, as well as 11 acting governors who assumed powers and duties following the resignation or death of the governor. Before becoming a state, Arkansas Territory had four governors appointed to it by the president of the United States. Orval Faubus (1955–1967) served the longest term as governor, being elected six times to serve 12 years. Bill Clinton (1979-1981; 1983-1992), elected five times over two distinct terms, fell only one month short of 12 years, and Mike Huckabee (1996-2007) served 10 years for two full four-year terms. The shortest term for an elected governor was the 38 days served by John Sebastian Little before his nervous breakdown; one of the acting successors to his term, Jesse M. Martin, took office only three days before the end of the term, the shortest term overall.
The current governor of Arkansas is Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was sworn in on January 10, 2023.
List of governors
Arkansas Territory
Arkansaw Territory (renamed Arkansas Territory, circa 1822) was split from the Missouri Territory on July 4, 1819. As territorial secretary from 1819 to 1829, Robert Crittenden served as acting governor whenever the appointed governor was not in the state. This meant that Crittenden was the first person to perform the duties of governor, since James Miller did not arrive in the territory until nine months after his appointment.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Miller (1776–1851) | March 3, 1819 – December 27, 1824 (resigned) | James Monroe | |
| 2 | George Izard (1776–1828) | March 3, 1825 – November 22, 1828 (died in office) | James Monroe | |
| John Quincy Adams | ||||
| 3 | John Pope (1770–1845) | March 9, 1829 – March 9, 1835 (successor appointed) | Andrew Jackson | |
| 4 | William S. Fulton (1795–1844) | March 9, 1835 – September 13, 1836 (statehood) | Andrew Jackson | |
State of Arkansas
Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836. The state seceded on May 6, 1861, and was admitted to the Confederacy on May 18, 1861. When Little Rock, the state capital, was captured on September 10, 1863, the state government relocated to Washington, Arkansas, and a Union government was installed in its place, causing an overlap in the terms of Confederate governor Harris Flanagin and Union governor Isaac Murphy. During the post-war Reconstruction period, it was part of the Fourth Military District. Arkansas was readmitted to the Union on June 22, 1868.
The Arkansas Constitution of 1836 established four-year terms for governors, which was lowered to two years in the 1874, and current, constitution. An amendment in 1984 increased the terms of both governor and lieutenant governor to four years. Governors were originally limited only to serving no more than eight out of every twelve years, but the 1874 constitution removed any term limit. A referendum in 1992 limited governors to two terms.
Until 1864, the constitutions provided that, should the office of governor be rendered vacant, the president of the senate would serve as acting governor until such time as a new governor was elected or the disability removed, or the acting governor's senate term expired. This led to some situations where the governorship changed hands in quick succession, due to senate terms ending or new senate presidents being elected. For example, after John Sebastian Little resigned in 1907, 3 senate presidents acted as governors before the next elected governor took office. Should the president of the senate be similarly incapacitated, the next in line for the governorship was the speaker of the state house of representatives.
The 1864 constitution created the office of lieutenant governor who would also act as president of the senate, and who would serve as acting governor in case of vacancy. The 1868 constitution maintained the position, but the 1874 constitution removed it and returned to the original line of succession. An amendment to the constitution, passed in 1914 but not recognized until 1925, recreated the office of lieutenant governor, who becomes governor in case of vacancy of the governor's office. The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on the same ticket.
Arkansas was a strongly Democratic state before the Civil War, electing only candidates from the Democratic party. It elected three Republican governors following Reconstruction, but after the Democratic Party re-established control, 92 years passed before voters chose another Republican.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Sevier Conway (1796–1855) | September 13, 1836 – November 4, 1840 (did not run) | Democratic | 1836 | Office did not exist | |||
| 2 | Archibald Yell (1797–1847) | November 4, 1840 – April 29, 1844 (resigned) | Democratic | 1840 | ||||
| — | Samuel Adams (1805–1850) | April 29, 1844 – November 9, 1844 (successor took office) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 3 | Thomas Stevenson Drew (1802–1879) | November 9, 1844 – January 10, 1849 (resigned) | Democratic | 1844 | ||||
| 1848 | ||||||||
| — | Richard C. Byrd (1805–1854) | January 10, 1849 – April 19, 1849 (successor took office) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 4 | John Selden Roane (1817–1867) | April 19, 1849 – November 15, 1852 (did not run) | Democratic | 1849 (special) | ||||
| 5 | Elias Nelson Conway (1812–1892) | November 15, 1852 – November 15, 1860 (term-limited) | Democratic | 1852 | ||||
| 1856 | ||||||||
| 6 | Henry Massey Rector (1816–1899) | November 15, 1860 – November 3, 1862 (resigned) | Independent Democratic | 1860 | ||||
| — | Thomas Fletcher (1817–1880) | November 3, 1862 – November 15, 1862 (successor took office) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 7 | Harris Flanagin (1817–1874) | November 15, 1862 – June 1, 1865 (government in exile disestablished) | Independent | 1862 | ||||
| 8 | Isaac Murphy (d. 1882) | January 20, 1864 – July 2, 1868 (did not run) | Independent | Provisional governor appointed by constitutional convention | ||||
| 1864 | Calvin C. Bliss | |||||||
| 9 | Powell Clayton (1833–1914) | July 2, 1868 – March 17, 1871 (resigned) | Republican | 1868 | James M. Johnson (resigned March 14, 1871) | |||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| — | Ozra Amander Hadley (1826–1915) | March 17, 1871 – January 6, 1873 (successor took office) | Republican | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 10 | Elisha Baxter (1827–1899) | January 6, 1873 – November 12, 1874 (did not run) | Republican | 1872 | Volney V. Smith | |||
| 11 | Augustus Hill Garland (1832–1899) | November 12, 1874 – January 11, 1877 (did not run) | Democratic | 1874 | Office did not exist | |||
| 12 | William Read Miller (1823–1887) | January 11, 1877 – January 13, 1881 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1876 | ||||
| 1878 | ||||||||
| 13 | Thomas James Churchill (1824–1905) | January 13, 1881 – January 13, 1883 (did not run) | Democratic | 1880 | ||||
| 14 | James Henderson Berry (1841–1913) | January 13, 1883 – January 15, 1885 (did not run) | Democratic | 1882 | ||||
| 15 | Simon Pollard Hughes Jr. (1830–1906) | January 15, 1885 – January 17, 1889 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1884 | ||||
| 1886 | ||||||||
| 16 | James Philip Eagle (1837–1904) | January 17, 1889 – January 14, 1893 (did not run) | Democratic | 1888 | ||||
| 1890 | ||||||||
| 17 | William Meade Fishback (1831–1903) | January 14, 1893 – January 18, 1895 (did not run) | Democratic | 1892 | ||||
| 18 | James Paul Clarke (1854–1916) | January 18, 1895 – January 18, 1897 (did not run) | Democratic | 1894 | ||||
| 19 | Daniel Webster Jones (1839–1918) | January 18, 1897 – January 18, 1901 (did not run) | Democratic | 1896 | ||||
| 1898 | ||||||||
| 20 | Jeff Davis (1862–1913) | January 18, 1901 – January 18, 1907 (did not run) | Democratic | 1900 | ||||
| 1902 | ||||||||
| 1904 | ||||||||
| 21 | John Sebastian Little (1851–1916) | January 18, 1907 – February 11, 1907 (resigned) | Democratic | 1906 | ||||
| — | John Isaac Moore (1856–1937) | February 11, 1907 – May 14, 1907 (legislature adjourned) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| — | Xenophon Overton Pindall (1873–1935) | May 14, 1907 – January 11, 1909 (senate term expired) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| — | Jesse M. Martin (1877–1915) | January 11, 1909 – January 14, 1909 (successor took office) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 22 | George Washington Donaghey (1856–1937) | January 14, 1909 – January 16, 1913 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1908 | ||||
| 1910 | ||||||||
| 23 | Joseph Taylor Robinson (1872–1937) | January 16, 1913 – March 8, 1913 (resigned) | Democratic | 1912 | ||||
| — | William Kavanaugh Oldham (1865–1938) | March 8, 1913 – March 13, 1913 (new president of the senate elected) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| — | Junius Marion Futrell (1870–1955) | March 13, 1913 – August 6, 1913 (successor took office) | Democratic | President of the Senate acting | ||||
| 24 | George Washington Hays (1863–1927) | August 6, 1913 – January 10, 1917 (did not run) | Democratic | 1913 (special) | ||||
| 1914 | ||||||||
| 25 | Charles Hillman Brough (1876–1935) | January 10, 1917 – January 12, 1921 (did not run) | Democratic | 1916 | ||||
| 1918 | ||||||||
| 26 | Thomas Chipman McRae (1851–1929) | January 12, 1921 – January 14, 1925 (did not run) | Democratic | 1920 | ||||
| 1922 | ||||||||
| 27 | Tom Terral (1882–1946) | January 14, 1925 – January 11, 1927 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1924 | ||||
| 28 | John Ellis Martineau (1873–1937) | January 11, 1927 – March 14, 1928 (resigned) | Democratic | 1926 | Harvey Parnell | |||
| 29 | Harvey Parnell (1880–1936) | March 14, 1928 – January 10, 1933 (did not run) | Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1928 | Lee Cazort | |||||||
| 1930 | Lawrence Elery Wilson | |||||||
| 30 | Junius Marion Futrell (1870–1955) | January 10, 1933 – January 12, 1937 (did not run) | Democratic | 1932 | Lee Cazort | |||
| 1934 | ||||||||
| 31 | Carl E. Bailey (1894–1948) | January 12, 1937 – January 14, 1941 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1936 | Robert L. Bailey | |||
| 1938 | ||||||||
| 32 | Homer Martin Adkins (1890–1964) | January 14, 1941 – January 9, 1945 (did not run) | Democratic | 1940 | ||||
| 1942 | James L. Shaver | |||||||
| 33 | Benjamin T. Laney (1896–1977) | January 9, 1945 – January 11, 1949 (did not run) | Democratic | 1944 | ||||
| 1946 | Nathan Green Gordon | |||||||
| 34 | Sid McMath (1912–2003) | January 11, 1949 – January 13, 1953 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1948 | ||||
| 1950 | ||||||||
| 35 | Francis Cherry (1908–1965) | January 13, 1953 – January 11, 1955 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1952 | ||||
| 36 | Orval Faubus (1910–1994) | January 11, 1955 – January 10, 1967 (did not run) | Democratic | 1954 | ||||
| 1956 | ||||||||
| 1958 | ||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 1964 | ||||||||
| 37 | Winthrop Rockefeller (1912–1973) | January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 (lost election) | Republican | 1966 | Maurice Britt | |||
| 1968 | ||||||||
| 38 | Dale Bumpers (1925–2016) | January 12, 1971 – January 3, 1975 (resigned) | Democratic | 1970 | Bob C. Riley | |||
| 1972 | ||||||||
| — | Bob C. Riley (1924–1994) | January 3, 1975 – January 14, 1975 (successor took office) | Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 39 | David Pryor (1934–2024) | January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979 (resigned) | Democratic | 1974 | Joe Purcell | |||
| 1976 | ||||||||
| — | Joe Purcell (1923–1987) | January 3, 1979 – January 9, 1979 (successor took office) | Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 40 | Bill Clinton (b. 1946) | January 9, 1979 – January 13, 1981 (lost election) | Democratic | 1978 | Joe Purcell | |||
| 41 | Frank D. White (1933–2003) | January 13, 1981 – January 11, 1983 (lost election) | Republican | 1980 | Winston Bryant | |||
| 42 | Bill Clinton (b. 1946) | January 11, 1983 – December 12, 1992 (resigned) | Democratic | 1982 | ||||
| 1984 | ||||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||
| 1990 | Jim Guy Tucker | |||||||
| 43 | Jim Guy Tucker (b. 1943) | December 12, 1992 – July 15, 1996 (resigned) | Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| Mike Huckabee (elected November 20, 1993) | ||||||||
| 1994 | ||||||||
| 44 | Mike Huckabee (b. 1955) | July 15, 1996 – January 9, 2007 (term-limited) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (elected November 19, 1996) (died July 16, 2006) | ||||||||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 2002 | ||||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 45 | Mike Beebe (b. 1946) | January 9, 2007 – January 13, 2015 (term-limited) | Democratic | 2006 | Bill Halter | |||
| 2010 | Mark Darr (resigned February 1, 2014) | |||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 46 | Asa Hutchinson (b. 1950) | January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023 (term-limited) | Republican | 2014 | Tim Griffin | |||
| 2018 | ||||||||
| 47 | Sarah Huckabee Sanders (b. 1982) | January 10, 2023 – Incumbent | Republican | 2022 | Leslie Rutledge | |||
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Notes
References
- General
- "Former Arkansas Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Governor, Office of the". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- Herndon, Dallas Tabor (1922). Centennial History of Arkansas. Southern Historical Press. ISBN 978-0-89308-068-6. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
- Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. I. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466015. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). Biographical directory of American territorial governors. Westport, CT : Meckler. ISBN 978-0-930466-11-4. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2014). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911: The Official Results by State and County. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5646-8.
- Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 978-0-930466-17-6.
- "Our Campaigns - Governor of Arkansas - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "Our Campaigns - Governor of Arkansas (CSA) - History". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- Constitutions
- "Constitution of the State of Arkansas". Arkansas State Legislature. 1874. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Constitution of the State of Arkansas". Arkansas State Legislature. 1836. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Constitution of the State of Arkansas". Arkansas State Legislature. 1861. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Constitution of the State of Arkansas". Arkansas State Legislature. 1864. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- "Constitution of the State of Arkansas". Arkansas State Legislature. 1868. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- Specific
