List of governors of Illinois

Governor of Illinois
Incumbent
J. B. Pritzker
since January 14, 2019
ResidenceIllinois Governor's Mansion
Term lengthFour years, no term limits
Inaugural holderShadrach Bond
FormationOctober 6, 1818 (1818-10-06)
Salary$177,412 (2015)
Websitegov.illinois.gov

The governor of Illinois is the head of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Illinois's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Illinois Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.

Since becoming a state in 1818, 43 people have served as governor of Illinois; before statehood, it had only one territorial governor, Ninian Edwards. The longest-serving governor was James R. Thompson, who was elected to four terms lasting 14 years, from 1977 to 1991. Only one governor, Richard J. Oglesby, has served multiple non-consecutive terms, having been elected in 1864, 1872, and 1884.

The current governor is J. B. Pritzker, who took office on January 14, 2019.

List of governors

Territory of Illinois

Illinois Territory was formed on March 1, 1809, from Indiana Territory. It had only two governors appointed by the president of the United States before it became a state, and only one ever took office.

Governors of Illinois Territory
No. Governor Term in office Appointed by
1 John Boyle
(1774–1834)
March 7, 1809

April 3, 1809
(resigned before taking office)
James Madison
2 Ninian Edwards
(1775–1833)
April 24, 1809

October 6, 1818
(statehood)
James Madison

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 4 years for a term starting on the first Monday in the December following an election. The constitution of 1848 moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January starting in 1849, thus shortening the term won in the 1844 election to 2 years. Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves until the 1870 constitution, which removed this limit.

The office of lieutenant governor was created in the first constitution, to exercise the power of governor if that office becomes vacant. The 1848 constitution changed this to say the power "devolves" upon the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy. The current constitution of 1970 made it so that, in the event of a vacancy, the lieutenant becomes governor, and the governor and lieutenant governor are now elected on the same ticket. If the governor feels seriously impeded in performing their job, they can inform the secretary of state and the next in the line of succession, who becomes acting governor until the governor can resume office.

Governors of the State of Illinois
No. Governor Term in office Party Election Lt. Governor
1   Shadrach Bond
(1773–1832)
October 6, 1818

December 5, 1822
(term-limited)
Democratic-
Republican
1818   Pierre Menard
2 Edward Coles
(1786–1868)
December 5, 1822

December 6, 1826
(term-limited)
Democratic-
Republican
1822 Adolphus Hubbard
3 Ninian Edwards
(1775–1833)
December 6, 1826

December 6, 1830
(term-limited)
Democratic-
Republican
1826 William Kinney
4 John Reynolds
(1788–1865)
December 6, 1830

November 17, 1834
(resigned)
Democratic-
Republican
1830 Zadok Casey
(resigned March 1, 1833)
William Lee D. Ewing
(acting)
5 William Lee D. Ewing
(1795–1846)
November 17, 1834

December 3, 1834
(successor took office)
Democratic Lieutenant
governor
acting
Vacant
6 Joseph Duncan
(1794–1844)
December 3, 1834

December 7, 1838
(term-limited)
Whig 1834 Alexander M. Jenkins
(resigned December 9, 1836)
William H. Davidson
(acting)
7 Thomas Carlin
(1789–1852)
December 7, 1838

December 8, 1842
(term-limited)
Democratic 1838 Stinson Anderson
8 Thomas Ford
(1800–1850)
December 8, 1842

December 9, 1846
(term-limited)
Democratic 1842 John Moore
9 Augustus C. French
(1808–1864)
December 9, 1846

January 10, 1853
(term-limited)
Democratic 1846 Joseph Wells
1848 William McMurtry
10 Joel Aldrich Matteson
(1808–1873)
January 10, 1853

January 12, 1857
(term-limited)
Democratic 1852 Gustav Koerner
11 William Henry Bissell
(1811–1860)
January 12, 1857

March 18, 1860
(died in office)
Republican 1856 John Wood
12 John Wood
(1798–1880)
March 18, 1860

January 14, 1861
(successor took office)
Republican Lieutenant
governor
acting
Thomas Marshall
(acting)
13 Richard Yates
(1815–1873)
January 14, 1861

January 16, 1865
(term-limited)
Republican 1860 Francis Hoffmann
14 Richard J. Oglesby
(1824–1899)
January 16, 1865

January 11, 1869
(term-limited)
Republican 1864 William Bross
15 John M. Palmer
(1817–1900)
January 11, 1869

January 13, 1873
(term-limited)
Republican 1868 John Dougherty
14 Richard J. Oglesby
(1824–1899)
January 13, 1873

January 23, 1873
(resigned)
Republican 1872 John Lourie Beveridge
16 John Lourie Beveridge
(1824–1910)
January 23, 1873

January 8, 1877
(successor took office)
Republican Lieutenant
governor
acting
John Early
(acting)
(term ended January 8, 1875)
Archibald A. Glenn
(acting)
17 Shelby Moore Cullom
(1829–1914)
January 8, 1877

February 6, 1883
(resigned)
Republican 1876 Andrew Shuman
1880 John Marshall Hamilton
18 John Marshall Hamilton
(1847–1905)
February 6, 1883

January 30, 1885
(successor took office)
Republican Lieutenant
governor
acting
William J. Campbell
(acting)
14 Richard J. Oglesby
(1824–1899)
January 30, 1885

January 14, 1889
(did not run)
Republican 1884 John C. Smith
19 Joseph W. Fifer
(1840–1938)
January 14, 1889

January 10, 1893
(lost election)
Republican 1888 Lyman Beecher Ray
20 John Peter Altgeld
(1847–1902)
January 10, 1893

January 11, 1897
(lost election)
Democratic 1892 Joseph B. Gill
21 John Riley Tanner
(1844–1901)
January 11, 1897

January 14, 1901
(did not run)
Republican 1896 William Northcott
22 Richard Yates Jr.
(1860–1936)
January 14, 1901

January 9, 1905
(lost nomination)
Republican 1900
23 Charles S. Deneen
(1863–1940)
January 9, 1905

February 3, 1913
(lost election)
Republican 1904 Lawrence Yates Sherman
1908 John G. Oglesby
24 Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne
(1853–1937)
February 3, 1913

January 8, 1917
(lost election)
Democratic 1912 Barratt O'Hara
25 Frank Orren Lowden
(1861–1943)
January 8, 1917

January 10, 1921
(did not run)
Republican 1916 John G. Oglesby
26 Len Small
(1862–1936)
January 10, 1921

January 14, 1929
(did not run)
Republican 1920 Fred E. Sterling
1924
27 Louis Lincoln Emmerson
(1863–1941)
January 14, 1929

January 9, 1933
(did not run)
Republican 1928
28 Henry Horner
(1878–1940)
January 9, 1933

October 6, 1940
(died in office)
Democratic 1932 Thomas Donovan
1936 John Henry Stelle
29 John Henry Stelle
(1891–1962)
October 6, 1940

January 13, 1941
(successor took office)
Democratic Lieutenant
governor
acting
Vacant
30 Dwight H. Green
(1897–1958)
January 13, 1941

January 10, 1949
(lost election)
Republican 1940 Hugh W. Cross
1944
31 Adlai Stevenson II
(1900–1965)
January 10, 1949

January 12, 1953
(did not run)
Democratic 1948 Sherwood Dixon
32 William Stratton
(1914–2001)
January 12, 1953

January 9, 1961
(lost election)
Republican 1952 John William Chapman
1956
33 Otto Kerner Jr.
(1908–1976)
January 9, 1961

May 20, 1968
(resigned)
Democratic 1960 Samuel H. Shapiro
1964
34 Samuel H. Shapiro
(1907–1987)
May 21, 1968

January 13, 1969
(lost election)
Democratic Lieutenant
governor
acting
Vacant
35 Richard B. Ogilvie
(1923–1988)
January 13, 1969

January 8, 1973
(lost election)
Republican 1968 Paul Simon
36 Dan Walker
(1922–2015)
January 8, 1973

January 10, 1977
(lost nomination)
Democratic 1972 Neil Hartigan
37 James R. Thompson
(1936–2020)
January 10, 1977

January 14, 1991
(did not run)
Republican 1976 Dave O'Neal
(resigned July 31, 1981)
1978
Vacant
1982 George Ryan
1986
38 Jim Edgar
(b. 1946)
January 14, 1991

January 11, 1999
(did not run)
Republican 1990 Bob Kustra
(resigned July 1, 1998)
1994
Vacant
39 George Ryan
(b. 1934)
January 11, 1999

January 13, 2003
(did not run)
Republican 1998 Corinne Wood
40 Rod Blagojevich
(b. 1956)
January 13, 2003

January 29, 2009
(impeached and removed)
Democratic 2002 Pat Quinn
2006
41 Pat Quinn
(b. 1948)
January 29, 2009

January 12, 2015
(lost election)
Democratic Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor
Vacant
2010 Sheila Simon
42 Bruce Rauner
(b. 1956)
January 12, 2015

January 14, 2019
(lost election)
Republican 2014 Evelyn Sanguinetti
43 J. B. Pritzker
(b. 1965)
January 14, 2019

Incumbent
Democratic 2018 Juliana Stratton
2022

See also


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