The Governors of California


Key

Spanish Governors of California

NameLifespanYears of
Service		Notes
Matías de ArmonaUnknown1769 - 1771(1)
Felipe de BarriUnknown1771 - 1774(2)
Felipe de Neve1728 - 17841775 - 1782(3) (4)
Pedro Fages1730 - 17941782 - 1791
José Antionio Roméu1742? - 17921791 - 1792(5)
José Joaquín de Arrilaga1750 - 18141792 - 1794
Diego de Borica1742 - 18001794 - 1800
José Joaquin de Arrilaga1750 - 18141800 - 1814(6)
José Darío de Argüello1754 - 1827?1814 - 1815
Pablo Vincente de Solá1761 - 1826?1815 - 1822(7)


Mexican/Californio Governors of California

NameLifespanYears of ServiceNotes
Pablo Vicente de Solá1761 - 18261822(8)
Luís Antonio de Argüello1784 - 18301822 - 1825
José Maria de Echeandía? - 18551825 - 1831
Manuel Victoria? - 18331825 - 1831(9)
Pío Pico1801 - 18941831
Agustin V. Zamorano1798 - 18421832 - 1833
(north)
José Maria de Echeandía? - 18551832 - 1833
(south)
José Figueroa1792 - 18431833 - 1835
José Castro1810 - 18601835-1836
Nicolas GuiterrezUnknown1836(10)
Mariano Chico1796 - 18501836(11)
Nicolas GutiérrezUnknown1836(10)
Juan Bautista Alvarado1800 - 18821836 - 1842(12)
Manuel Micheltorena? - 18521842 - 1845
Pío Pico1801 - 18941845 - 1846
José María FloresUnknown1846 - 1847(13)
Andrés Pico1810 - 18761847(14)


U.S. Military Governors of California

NameLifespanBranch of
Service		Period of
Service		Notes
John Drake Sloat1781 - 1767NavyJuly 7 to 29, 1846
Robert Field Stockton1795 - 1866NavyJuly 29, 1846 to
January 19, 1847
John Charles Fremont1813 - 1891ArmyJanuary 19 to
March 1, 1847		(15)
Stephen Watts Kearny1794 - 1848ArmyMarch 1 to
May 31, 1847
Richard Barnes Mason1797 - 1850ArmyMay 31, 1847 to
February 28, 1849
Persifor F. Smith1798 - 1858ArmyFebruary 28 to
April 12, 1848
Bennet Riley1787 - 1853Army April 12 to
December 20, 1849


State Governors of California

NameLifespanPolitical
Party		Years of
Service		Native
State		Notes
Peter H. Burnett1807 - 1895Democrat1849 - 1851Tennessee(16)
John McDougal1818 - 1866Democrat1851 - 1852Ohio
John Bigler1805 - 1871Democrat1852 - 1856Pennsylvania
John Neely Johnson1828 - 1872Know-Nothing1856 - 1858Indiana
John B. Weller1812 - 1878Democrat1858 - 1860Ohio
Milton S. Latham1827 - 1882Democrat1860Ohio(17)
John G. Downey1826 - 1894Democrat1860 - 1862Ireland
Leland Stanford1824 - 1893Republican1862 - 1863New York
Frederick F. Low1828 - 1894Republican1863 - 1867Maine
Henry H. Haight1825 - 1878Democrat1867 - 1871New York
Newton Booth1825 - 1892Republican1871 - 1875Indiana
Romualdo Pacheco1831 - 1899Republican1875California(18)
William Irwin1827 - 1886Democrat1875 - 1880Ohio
George C. Perkins1839 - 1923Republican1880 - 1883Maine
George Stoneman1822 - 1894Democrat1822 - 1887New York
Washington Bartlett1824 - 1887Democrat1887Georgia(19)
Robert W. Waterman1826 - 1891Republican1887 - 1891Illinois
Henry H. Markham1840 - 1923Republican1891 - 1895Wisconsin
James H. Budd1851 - 1908Democrat1895 - 1899Wisconsin
Henry T. Gage1852 - 1924Republican1899 - 1903New York
George C. Pardee1857 - 1941Republican1903 - 1907California
James N. Gillet1860 - 1937Republican1907 - 1911Wisconsin
Hiram W. Johnson1866 - 1945Progressive/Republican1911 - 1917California
William D. Stephens1859 - 1944Progressive/Republican1917 - 1923Ohio
Friend William Richardson1865 - 1943Republican1923 - 1927Michigan
Clement C. Young1869 - 1947Republican1927 - 1931New Hampshire
James Rolph, Jr.1869 - 1934Republican1931 - 1934California
Frank F. Merriam1965 - 1955Republican1934 - 1939Iowa
Culbert L. Olson1876 - 1962Democrat1939 - 1943Utah
Earl Warren1891 - 1975Republican1943 - 1953California
Goodwin J. Knight1896 - 1970Republican1953 - 1959Utah
Edmund G. Brown, Sr.1905 - 1996Democrat1959 - 1967California
Ronald Reagan1911 - Republican1966 - 1975Illinois
Edmund G. Brown, Jr.1938 -Democrat1975-1983California
George Deukmejian
Republican1983 - 1991California
Pete Wilson
Republican1991 - 1999Illinois
Gray Davis
Democrat1999 -California


Notes

1. Governor of Los Californios, capital Loreto (now in Baja California). Gaspar de Portolá (1723-1886) governed Alta California as commandante and leader of the Sacred Expedition from 1769 to 1770. Pedro Fages, who succeeded Portolá governed during the last year of Armona's governorship. [Return]

2. Power in Alta California was effectively exercised by military commander Pedro Fages until 1774. [Return]

3. de Neve was resident in Loreto, Baja California, until ordered by the Spanish government to move his capital to Monterey. From 1774 to 1777, control of Alta California was in the hands of military commander Fernando Rivera y Moncada. [Return]

4. On June 1, 1779, de Neve became California's first lawgiver with the issuance of the Reglamento. [Return]

5. Roméu arrived in Monterey an invalid. He died the following year, after serving for only six months (October 1791 to April 1792). [Return]

6. After 1804, Arrillaga was governor only of the newly created province of Alta California. [Return]

7. Solá was the Alta's California's last Spanish Governor and its first Mexican Governor. His term as Spanish governor formally ended when he swore allegiance to Emperor Iturbide on April 11, 1822. [Return]

8. Solá's reign as Mexican Governor of California was brief: he served from April 11 to November 22 before being summoned back to the capital to fill other positions. [Return]

9. Victoria faced insurrection after he refused to secularize the Missions. He was wounded by rebels at the Battle of Cahuenga Pass (December 6) and returned to Mexico. He served from January 31 to December 6. [Return]

10. Gutierrez acceded to the post of Governor twice after being appointed commanding officer of the army in Alta California. He first served from October 8, 1835 until January 2, 1836. His second term of service lasted from May 1 to July 30 1836.[Return]

11. Chico clashed with Californios when he insisted on centralized government. He left to seek aid to subdue his charges and never returned. He served from January 2 to May 1, 1836. [Return]

12. Alvarado served as governor through a tumulteous period, having risen to power when Californios rejected central government and chose to secede from Mexico. Mexican officials negotiated the return of California and gave Alvarado the governorship. For a short period, Jose Castro formed a counter-government to Alvarado (November 5 to December 7, 1836). [Return]

13. Flores assumed command of the Californio Army and became Governor of the province from October 31, 1846 to January 11, 1847. Los Angeles was his seat of government. [Return]

14. Andres Pico served only two days as Governor of California, his term ending with the Capitulation of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847. [Return]

15. Fremont was appointed to the military governorship by Commodore Phillip Stockton. He ran afoul of General Phillip Kearny who had orders, unknown to Fremont, to organize a military government in the territory. Fremont was stripped of his command and sent back east for a court-martial. President Polk later pardoned him. He left the army and became one of California's first senators. [Return]

16. Burnett resigned his post early, on January 8, 1851, to return to private law practice. He was later pointed as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, a position in which he was noted for his racist opinions. [Return]

17. Milton S. Latham served for only six days (January 9 to January 14, 1860), at which time he resigned to become Senator. [Return]

18. Pacheco, the state's only governor of Spanish origin, served from February 27 to December 9, 1875. [Return]

19. Washington Bartlett died in office on September 12, 1887. [Return]

Key to Picture
1st RowPeter H. Burnett
John McDougal
John Bigler
J. Neeley Johnson
2nd RowMilton S. Latham
John G. Downey
Leland Stanford
Frederick F. Low
Henry F. Haight
3rd RowNewton Booth
Romualdo Pacheco
William Irwin
George C. Perkins
4th RowGeorge Stoneman
Washington Bartlett
R.W. Waterman
Henry Harrison Markham
5th RowJames Herbert Budd
Henry T. Gage
George C. Pardee
James N. Gilett
Hiram W. Johnson

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