Governor of Massachusetts

The Governor of Massachusetts is the chief executive of the Commonwealth, and is supported by a number of subordinate officers. He, like most other state officers, senators, and representatives, was originally elected annually. Eventually this was changed to a two-year term, and currently the office of governor carries a four-year term. The Governor of Massachusetts does not receive a palace, other official residence, or housing allowance. Instead, he resides in his own private residence. The title of "His Excellency" is a throwback to the royally-appointed governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Province of New England, and Royal Colony of Massachusetts, all of whom were afforded this title.

The governor also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth's armed forces. The power of this position has declined as the states of the United States have become less individual nations and more subnational units.

Lieutenant Governor

Current Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey

The lieutenant governor serves in place of the governor when he is outside the borders of Massachusetts. Historically also a one-year term, the office of lieutenant governor now carries a four-year term the same as that of the governor. Noted in the article above are religious, property, and residency requirements for both the office of governor and lieutenant governor, of which only the residency requirement remains in effect. To be eligible for either office, a candidate must have lived in Massachusetts for at least seven years immediately preceding his election, and originally also had to be a Christian owning at least £1,000 worth of real property.

Part the Second, Chapter II, Section II, Article I of the Massachusetts Constitution reads,

There shall be annually elected a lieutenant governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, whose title shall be, His Honor and who shall be qualified, in point of religion, property, and residence in the commonwealth, in the same manner with the governor: and the day and manner of his election, and the qualifications of the electors, shall be the same as are required in the election of a governor.

Succession

Old line of sucession to council

For the ten days between Governor Gill's death and Gov. Caleb Strong's inauguration, the Governor's Council became the executive arm of the government. The council's chair, Thomas Dawes, was the closest person to governor during this time, but was at no point named governor.

New and current line of succession

The new and current line of succession is as follows:

• Governor (Mitt Romney)
• Lieutenant Governor (Kerry Healey)
• Secretary of the Commonwealth (Bill Galvin)
• Attorney General (Tom Reilly)
• Treasurer and Receiver-General (Tim Cahill)
• State Auditor (Joe DeNucci)

List of Governors

Plymouth Colony: 1620 – 1691

Massachusetts Bay Colony: 1629 – 1686

Dominion of New England : 1686 – 1689

When the Dominion was dissolved in 1689, Simon Bradstreet served as Governor of Massachusetts until William Phips arrived as Royal Governor in 1692.

Province of Massachusetts Bay : 1692 – 1774

Colonial Governor	Took Office	Left Office
William Phips	1692	1694
William Stoughton (acting)	1694	1699
Richard Coote	1699	1700
William Stoughton (acting)	1700	July 1701
Governor's Council (acting)	July 1701	June 1702
Joseph Dudley	June 1702	1715
William Tailer	1715	1716
Samuel Shute	1716	1723
William Dummer (acting)	1723	1728
William Burnet	1728	1729
William Dummer (acting)	1729	1730
William Tailer	1730	1730
Jonathan Belcher	1730	1741
William Shirley	1741	1749
Spencer Phips (acting)	1749	1753
William Shirley	1753	1756
Spencer Phips	1756	1757
Thomas Pownall	1757	June 1760
Thomas Hutchinson (acting)	June 1760	August 1760
Francis Bernard	1760	1769
Thomas Hutchinson (acting, August 1769 – November 1770)	August 1769	1774
Thomas Gage	1774	1775
Colonial Governor	Took Office	Left Office

Between 1774 and 1780, as Massachusetts moved toward and then helped lead the American Revolution, and until a new Constitution could be drafted, there was no stable civilian government.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 1780 – present

#	Governor		Took office	Left office	Party	Lieutenant Governor(s)
1	John Hancock		1780	1785	None.	Thomas Cushing
A	Thomas Cushing (Acting Governor)		1785	1785	None.	(vacant)
2	James Bowdoin		1785	1787	None.	Thomas Cushing
3	John Hancock		May 30, 1787	October 8, 1793	None.	Thomas Cushing (1787 - 1788)
						Benjamin Lincoln (1788 - 1789)
						Samuel Adams (1789 - 1793)
4	Samuel Adams (Acting, 1793 - 1794)		October 8, 1793	June 2, 1797	None.	Moses Gill (1794 - 1799)
5	Increase Sumner		June 2, 1797	June 7, 1799	Federalist
A	Moses Gill (Acting Governor)		June 2, 1797	May 20, 1800	None.	(vacant)
A	Governor's Council (Acting Governor)		May 20, 1800	May 30, 1800	None.
6	Caleb Strong		May 30, 1800	May 29, 1807	Federalist	Samuel Phillips (1801 - 1802)
						Edward H. Robbins (1802 - 1806)
7	James Sullivan		May 29, 1807	December 10, 1808	Democratic-Republican	Levi Lincoln, Sr.
A	Levi Lincoln, Sr. (Acting Governor)		December 10, 1808	May 1, 1809	Democratic-Republican	(vacant)
8	Christopher Gore		May 1, 1809	June 10, 1810	Federalist	David Cobb
9	Elbridge Gerry		June 10, 1810	June, 1812	Democratic-Republican	William Gray
10	Caleb Strong		June, 1812	May 30, 1816	Federalist	William Phillips, Jr.
11	John Brooks		May 30, 1816	May 31, 1823	Federalist
12	William Eustis		May 31, 1823	February 6, 1825	Democratic-Republican	Levi Lincoln, Jr. (1823 - 1824)
						Marcus Morton (1824 - 1825)
A	Marcus Morton (Acting Governor)		February 6, 1825	May 26, 1825	Democratic-Republican	(vacant)
13	Levi Lincoln, Jr.		May 26, 1825	January 9, 1834	Democratic-Republican	Thomas L. Winthrop (1826 - 1833)
						Samuel Turell Armstrong (1833 - 1834)
14	John Davis		January 9, 1834	March 1, 1835	Whig	Samuel Turell Armstrong
A	Samuel Turell Armstrong (Acting Governor)		March 1, 1835	January 13, 1836	Whig	(vacant)
15	Edward Everett		January 13, 1836	January 18, 1840	Whig	George Hull
16	Marcus Morton		January 18, 1840	January 7, 1841	Democrat
17	John Davis		January 7, 1841	January 17, 1843	Whig
18	Marcus Morton		January 17, 1843	January, 1844	Democrat	Henry H. Childs
19	George N. Briggs		January, 1844	January 11, 1851	Whig	John Reed, Jr.
20	George S. Boutwell		January 11, 1851	January 14, 1853	Democrat	Henry W. Cushman
21	John H. Clifford		January 14, 1853	January 12, 1854	Whig	Elisha Huntington
22	Emory Washburn		January 12, 1854	January 4, 1855	Whig	William C. Plunkett
23	Henry J. Gardner		January 4, 1855	January 7, 1858	Know-Nothing	Simon Brown (1855 - 1856)
						Henry W. Benchley (1856 - 1858)
24	Nathaniel Prentice Banks		January 7, 1858	January 3, 1861	Republican	Eliphalet Trask
25	John Albion Andrew		January 3, 1861	January 4, 1866	Republican	John Z. Goodrich (1861)
						John Nesmith (1862)
						Joel Hayden (1863 - 1866)
26	Alexander H. Bullock		January 4, 1866	January 7, 1869	Republican	William Claflin
27	William Claflin		January 7, 1869	January 4, 1872	Republican	Joseph Tucker
28	William B. Washburn		January 4, 1872	April 29, 1874	Republican	Joseph Tucker (1872 - 1873)
						Thomas Talbot (1873 - 1874)
A	Thomas Talbot (Acting Governor)		April 29, 1874	January 7, 1875	Republican	(vacant)
29	William Gaston		January 7, 1875	January 6, 1876	Republican	Horatio G. Knight
30	Alexander H. Rice		January 6, 1876	January 2, 1879	Republican
31	Thomas Talbot		January 2, 1879	January 8, 1880	Republican	John Davis Long
32	John Davis Long		January 8, 1880	January 4, 1883	Republican	Byron Weston
33	Benjamin Franklin Butler		January 4, 1883	January 3, 1884	Democrat	Oliver Ames
34	George D. Robinson		January 3, 1884	January 6, 1887	Republican
35	Oliver Ames		January 6, 1887	January 7, 1890	Republican	John Q. A. Brackett
36	John Q. A. Brackett		January 7, 1890	January 8, 1891	Republican	William H. Haile
37	William E. Russell		January 8, 1891	January 4, 1894	Democrat	William H. Haile (1891 - 1893)
						Roger Wolcott (1893 - 1894)
38	Frederic T. Greenhalge		January 4, 1894	March 5, 1896	Republican	Roger Wolcott
39	Roger Wolcott (Acting, 1896 - 1897)		March 5, 1896	January 4, 1900	Republican	(vacant) (1896 - 1897)
						Winthrop M. Crane (1987 - 1900)
40	Winthrop M. Crane		January 4, 1900	January 8, 1903	Republican	John L. Bates
41	John L. Bates		January 8, 1903	January 5, 1905	Republican	Curtis Guild, Jr.
42	William Lewis Douglas		January 5, 1905	January 4, 1906	Democrat
43	Curtis Guild, Jr.		January 4, 1906	January 7, 1909	Republican	Ebenezer Sumner Draper
44	Ebenezer Sumner Draper		January 7, 1909	January 5, 1911	Republican	Louis A. Frothingham
45	Eugene Foss		January 5, 1911	January 8, 1914	Democrat	Louis A. Frothingham (1911 - 1912)
						Robert Luce (1912 - 1913)
						David I. Walsh (1913 - 1914)
46	David I. Walsh		January 8, 1914	January 6, 1916	Democrat	Edward P. Barry (1914 - 1915)
						Grafton D. Cushing (1915 - 1916)
47	Samuel W. McCall		January 6, 1916	January 2, 1919	Republican	Calvin Coolidge
48	Calvin Coolidge		January 2, 1919	January 6, 1921	Republican	Channing H. Cox
49	Channing H. Cox		January 6, 1921	January 8, 1925	Republican	Alvan T. Fuller
50	Alvan T. Fuller		January 8, 1925	January 3, 1929	Republican	Frank G. Allen
51	Frank G. Allen		January 3, 1929	January 8, 1931	Republican	William S. Youngman
52	Joseph B. Ely		January 8, 1931	January 3, 1935	Democrat	William S. Youngman (1931 - 1933)
						Gaspar G. Bacon (1933 - 1935)
53	James Michael Curley		January 3, 1935	January 7, 1937	Democrat	Joseph L. Hurley
54	Charles F. Hurley		January 7, 1937	January 5, 1939	Democrat	Francis E. Kelly
55	Leverett Saltonstall		January 5, 1939	January 3, 1945	Republican	Horace T. Cahill
56	Maurice J. Tobin		January 3, 1945	January 2, 1947	Democrat	Robert F. Bradford
57	Robert F. Bradford		January 2, 1947	January 6, 1949	Republican	Arthur W. Coolidge
58	Paul A. Dever		January 6, 1949	January 8, 1953	Democrat	Charles F. Sullivan
59	Christian Herter		January 8, 1953	January 3, 1957	Republican	Samuel G. Whittier
60	Foster Furcolo		January 3, 1957	January 5, 1961	Democrat	Robert F. Murphy (1957 - 1960)
61	John A. Volpe		January 5, 1961	January 3, 1963	Republican	Edward F. McLaughlin, Jr.
62	Endicott Peabody		January 3, 1963	January 7, 1965	Democrat	Francis X. Belotti
63	John A. Volpe		January 7, 1965	January 22, 1969	Republican	Elliot Richardson (1965 - 1967)
						Francis W. Sargent (1967 - 1969)
64	Francis W. Sargent (Acting, 1969-1971)		January 22, 1969	January 2, 1975	Republican	Donald R. Dwight
65	Michael Dukakis		January 2, 1975	January 4, 1979	Democrat	Thomas P. O'Neill, III
66	Edward J. King		January 4, 1979	January 6, 1983	Democrat
67	Michael Dukakis		January 6, 1983	January 3, 1991	Democrat	John Kerry (1983 - 1985)
						(vacant) (1985 - 1987)
						Evelyn Murphy (1987 - 1991)
68	William Weld		January 3, 1991	July 29, 1997	Republican	A. Paul Cellucci
69	A. Paul Cellucci (Acting, 1997-1999)		July 29, 1997	April 10, 2001	Republican	Jane Swift
A	Jane Swift (Acting Governor)		April 10, 2001	January 2, 2003	Republican	(vacant)
70	W. Mitt Romney		January 2, 2003	Incumbent (Term expires January 4, 2007)	Republican	Kerry Healey

See also

• Government of Massachusetts

External link

• [Office of the Governor]

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