List of Governors of Illinois

The Governor of Illinois is the head of the executive branch of Illinois's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Illinois Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons.[1] Governors and other state-wide officials are chosen to four-year terms in the off-year cycle (not in the same year as the presidential elections).

Governors

Governor of the Territory of Illinois

For the colonial military governors of the Illinois Country, see List of commandants of the Illinois Country.
For the period before the Illinois Territory was formed, see Governors of the Northwest Territory and Governors of the Indiana Territory.

Illinois Territory was formed on March 1, 1809, from Indiana Territory. It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state. From March to June, 1809, Territorial Secretary Nathaniel Pope served as acting governor; Edwards' arrival in Illinois ended Pope's brief administration.[2]

#PictureGovernorTook officeLeft officeAppointed by
1 Ninian Edwards March 1, 1809 October 6, 1818 James Madison

Governors of the State of Illinois

Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, consisting of the southern portion of Illinois Territory; the remainder was assigned to Michigan Territory.

The first Illinois Constitution, ratified in 1818, provided that a governor be elected every four years[3] for a term starting on the first Monday in the December following an election.[4] The constitution of 1848 moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January.[5] Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves[6] until the 1870 constitution, which removed this limit.

The office of lieutenant governor was created in the first constitution,[7] to exercise the power of governor if that office becomes vacant.[8] The 1848 constitution changed this to say the power "devolves" upon the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy.[9] The current constitution of 1970 made it so that, in the event of a vacancy, the lieutenant becomes governor,[10] and the governor and lieutenant governor are now elected on the same ticket.[11]

Parties

  No party   Democratic-Republican   Democratic   Whig   Republican

#[lower-alpha 1] Picture Governor Term in office Party Term[lower-alpha 2] Lt. Governor
1   Shadrach Bond October 6, 1818
–
December 5, 1822		 Independent 1818   Pierre Menard
2 Edward Coles December 5, 1822
–
December 6, 1826		 Independent 1822 Adolphus Hubbard
3   Ninian Edwards December 6, 1826
–
December 6, 1830		 Adams-Clay
Republican		 1826   William Kinney
4 John Reynolds December 6, 1830
–
November 17, 1834		 Democratic 1830
[lower-alpha 3]		 Zadok Casey
(resigned March 1, 1833)
William Lee D. Ewing
5 William Lee D. Ewing November 17, 1834
–
December 3, 1834		 Democratic Vacant
6 Joseph Duncan December 3, 1834
–
December 7, 1838		 Whig 1834 Alexander Jenkins
(resigned December 9, 1836)
William H. Davidson[lower-alpha 4]
7 Thomas Carlin December 7, 1838
–
December 8, 1842		 Democratic 1838 Stinson Anderson
8 Thomas Ford December 8, 1842
–
December 9, 1846		 Democratic 1842 John Moore
9 Augustus C. French December 9, 1846
–
January 10, 1853		 Democratic 1846
[lower-alpha 5]		 Joseph Wells
1848 William McMurtry
10 Joel Aldrich Matteson January 10, 1853
–
January 12, 1857		 Democratic 1852 Gustavus Koerner
11 William Henry Bissell January 12, 1857
–
March 18, 1860		 Republican 1856
[lower-alpha 6]		 John Wood
12 John Wood March 18, 1860
–
January 14, 1861		 Republican Vacant
Thomas Marshall[lower-alpha 4]
13 Richard Yates January 14, 1861
–
January 16, 1865		 Republican 1860 Francis Hoffmann
14 Richard J. Oglesby January 16, 1865
–
January 11, 1869		 Republican 1864 William Bross
15 John M. Palmer January 11, 1869
–
January 13, 1873		 Republican 1868 John Dougherty
14 Richard J. Oglesby January 13, 1873
–
January 23, 1873		 Republican 1872
[lower-alpha 7]		 John Lourie Beveridge
16 John Lourie Beveridge January 23, 1873
–
January 8, 1877		 Republican John Early
(term ended January 8, 1875)
Archibald Glenn[lower-alpha 4]
17 Shelby Moore Cullom January 8, 1877
–
February 5, 1883		 Republican 1876 Andrew Shuman
1880
[lower-alpha 8]		 John Marshall Hamilton
18 John Marshall Hamilton February 5, 1883
–
January 30, 1885		 Republican William Campbell
14 Richard J. Oglesby January 30, 1885
–
January 14, 1889		 Republican 1884 John Smith
19 Joseph W. Fifer January 14, 1889
–
January 10, 1893		 Republican 1888 Lyman Ray
20 John Peter Altgeld January 10, 1893
–
January 11, 1897		 Democratic 1892 Joseph B. Gill
21 John R. Tanner January 11, 1897
–
January 14, 1901		 Republican 1896 William Northcott
22 Richard Yates, Jr. January 14, 1901
–
January 9, 1905		 Republican 1900
23 Charles S. Deneen January 9, 1905
–
February 3, 1913		 Republican 1904 Lawrence Sherman
1908 John G. Oglesby
24 Edward F. Dunne February 3, 1913
–
January 8, 1917		 Democratic 1912 Barratt O'Hara
25 Frank O. Lowden January 8, 1917
–
January 10, 1921		 Republican 1916 John G. Oglesby
26 Len Small January 10, 1921
–
January 14, 1929		 Republican 1920 Fred E. Sterling
1924
27 Louis L. Emmerson January 14, 1929
–
January 9, 1933		 Republican 1928
28 Henry Horner January 9, 1933
–
October 6, 1940		 Democratic 1932 Thomas Donovan
1936
[lower-alpha 9]		 John H. Stelle
29 John H. Stelle October 6, 1940
–
January 13, 1941		 Democratic Vacant
30 Dwight H. Green January 13, 1941
–
January 10, 1949		 Republican 1940 Hugh W. Cross
1944
31 Adlai E. Stevenson II January 10, 1949
–
January 12, 1953		 Democratic 1948 Sherwood Dixon
32 William G. Stratton January 12, 1953
–
January 9, 1961		 Republican 1952 John William Chapman
1956
33 Otto Kerner, Jr. January 9, 1961
–
May 21, 1968		 Democratic 1960 Samuel H. Shapiro
1964
[lower-alpha 10]
34 Samuel H. Shapiro May 21, 1968
–
January 13, 1969		 Democratic Vacant
35 Richard Buell Ogilvie January 13, 1969
–
January 8, 1973		 Republican 1968 Paul Simon[lower-alpha 4]
36 Dan Walker January 8, 1973
–
January 10, 1977		 Democratic 1972 Neil Hartigan
37 James R. Thompson January 10, 1977
–
January 14, 1991		 Republican 1976
[lower-alpha 11]		 Dave O'Neal
(resigned July 31, 1981)
1978
Vacant
1982 George Ryan
1986
38 Jim Edgar January 14, 1991
–
January 11, 1999		 Republican 1990 Bob Kustra
1994
39 George Ryan January 11, 1999
–
January 13, 2003		 Republican 1998 Corinne Wood
40 Rod Blagojevich January 13, 2003
–
January 29, 2009		 Democratic 2002 Pat Quinn
2006
[lower-alpha 12]
41 Pat Quinn January 29, 2009
–
January 12, 2015		 Democratic Vacant
2010 Sheila Simon
42 Bruce Rauner January 12, 2015
–
Incumbent		 Republican 2014
[lower-alpha 13]		 Evelyn Sanguinetti

Notes

  1. ↑ Based on Jim Edgar being the 38th governor, repeat governors are officially only numbered once; subsequent terms are marked with their original number italicized.
  2. ↑ Each term for which a governor is elected is listed here; if multiple governors served in a single term, due to resignations, deaths, and the like, then that term will be shared among those governors. If a governor was elected multiple times, then there will be multiple terms listed for that governor.
  3. ↑ Reynolds resigned to take elected seat in the United States House of Representatives; as acting lieutenant governor, Ewing acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Represented the Democratic Party.
  5. ↑ The election schedule was shifted after this term, shortening it to two years.
  6. ↑ Bissell died in office; as lieutenant governor, Wood acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  7. ↑ Oglesby resigned so that Lieutenant Governor Beveridge would appoint him to the United States Senate; as lieutenant governor, Beveridge acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  8. ↑ Cullom resigned to take elected seat in the United States Senate; as lieutenant governor, Hamilton acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  9. ↑ Horner died in office; as lieutenant governor, Stelle acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  10. ↑ Kerner resigned to take seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; as lieutenant governor, Shapiro acted as governor for the remainder of the term.
  11. ↑ A constitutional amendment came into effect with this term, moving the election schedule to coincide with Congressional midterms and shortening the term by two years.
  12. ↑ Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption; as lieutenant governor, Quinn filled the remainder of the term.
  13. ↑ Governor Rauner's term expires on January 14, 2019.

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional seats and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Illinois. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Governor Gubernatorial term Other offices held Sources
Ninian Edwards 1809–1818
1826–1830		 Senator
Shadrach Bond 1818–1822 Delegate from Illinois Territory
John Reynolds 1830–1834 Representative*
William Lee D. Ewing 1834 Senator
Joseph Duncan 1834–1838 Representative
William Henry Bissell 1857–1860 Representative
Richard Yates 1861–1865 Representative, Senator
Richard J. Oglesby 1865–1869
1873
1885–1889		 Senator*
John M. Palmer 1869–1873 Senator
Shelby Moore Cullom 1877–1883 Representative, Senator*
Richard Yates 1901–1905 Representative
Charles S. Deneen 1905–1913 Senator
Frank O. Lowden 1917–1921 Representative
Adlai Stevenson 1949–1953 Ambassador to the United Nations
William Stratton 1953–1961 Representative
Otto Kerner, Jr. 1961–1968 Seventh Circuit Court Judge*
Rod Blagojevich 2003–2009 Representative

Living former U.S. governors of Illinois

As of May 2015, there are five former U.S. governors of Illinois who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. governor of Illinois being George Ryan (served 1999–2003, born 1934). The most recent death of a former U.S. governor of Illinois was that of Dan Walker (served 1973–1977, born 1922), who died on April 29, 2015 at the age of 92. Walker was also the most recently serving U.S. governor of Illinois to die, having left office on January 10, 1977.

GovernorGubernatorial termDate of birth (and age)
James R. Thompson 1977–1991 May 8, 1936
Jim Edgar 1991–1999 July 22, 1946
George Ryan 1999–2003 February 24, 1934
Rod Blagojevich 2003–2009 December 10, 1956
Pat Quinn 2009–2015 December 16, 1948

References

  1. ↑ IL Const. art. V
  2. ↑ Robert P. Howard (1988), Mostly Good and Competent Men: Illinois Governors, 1818–1988, Illinois Issues and the Illinois State Historical Society, 39–40.
  3. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 2
  4. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 3
  5. ↑ 1848 Const. art. IV, § 3
  6. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 3
  7. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 13
  8. ↑ 1818 Const. art. III, § 18
  9. ↑ 1848 Const. art. IV, § 19
  10. ↑ IL Const. art. V, § 6
  11. ↑ IL Const. art. V, § 4
Sources
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