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Governor of Wisconsin
Gubernatorial seal
Incumbent Tony Evers since January 7, 2019
Residence	Wisconsin Governor's Mansion
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	Nelson Dewey
Formation	June 7, 1848 (1848-06-07)
Deputy	Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
Salary	$146,597.88
Website	evers.wi.gov

The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.

44 individuals have held the office of governor of Wisconsin since the state's admission to the Union in 1848, one of whom—Philip La Follette—served non-consecutive terms. Nelson Dewey, the first governor, took office on June 7, 1848. The longest-serving governor was Tommy Thompson, who took office on January 5, 1987, and resigned on February 1, 2001, a total of 14 years and 28 days. Arthur MacArthur Sr. had the shortest term: he was governor for a total of just 5 days—from March 21 to 25, 1856. The current governor is Tony Evers, a Democrat who took office on January 7, 2019.

Governors

Initially after the American Revolution, parts of the area now known as Wisconsin were claimed by Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut; however, Virginia ceded its claim in 1784, Massachusetts in 1785 and Connecticut in 1786. On July 13, 1787, the Northwest Territory, including the area now called Wisconsin, was formed; Wisconsin remained part of the territory until 1800. The territorial governor during this period was Arthur St. Clair. As parts of the Northwest Territory were admitted to the Union as states, Wisconsin became part of first the Indiana Territory (1800–1809), then the Illinois Territory (1809–1818), and then the Michigan Territory (1818–1836); see the lists of governors of Indiana, of Illinois, and of Michigan for these periods.

Governors of Wisconsin Territory

Wisconsin Territory was formed on July 3, 1836. During the time of its existence, the Wisconsin Territory had three people appointed governor by the President of the United States, one of whom served non-consecutive terms.

When most of Wisconsin Territory was admitted as the state of Wisconsin, the remainder became unorganized territory. However, the citizens of the region maintained a territorial government, and even elected a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, essentially making it a de facto continuation of Wisconsin Territory. As the region no longer had an official governor, Territorial Secretary John Catlin acted as governor of the region.

Governors of the Territory of Utah

No.	Governor		Term in office	Appointing President
1		Henry Dodge (1782–1867)	April 30, 1836 – September 13, 1841 (successor appointed)	Andrew Jackson
				Martin Van Buren
2		James Duane Doty (1799–1865)	September 13, 1841 – June 15, 1844 (successor appointed)	John Tyler
3		Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (1795–1864)	June 15, 1844 – April 8, 1845 (successor appointed)	John Tyler
4		Henry Dodge (1782–1867)	April 8, 1845 – June 23, 1848 (statehood)	James K. Polk

Governors of the State of Wisconsin

Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848. Since then, it has had 45 governors, one of whom served non-consecutive terms.

Originally, governors of Wisconsin served for two-year terms, but in 1967 the state constitution was amended to change this to four. Jeremiah McLain Rusk served 1 3-year term in the 1880s as the constitution was amended during his first term to move elections from odd to even years, and all officers were allowed to serve an extra year, rather than have their terms cut a year short. Patrick Lucey, elected in the 1970 election, was the first governor to serve a 4-year term. Governors of Wisconsin are not term limited.

The state constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor; originally, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected on different tickets, and thus were not necessarily of the same party. Since the 1967 amendment, however, the two have been nominated, and voted on, together. Originally, if the office of the governor was vacant for any reason, "the powers and duties of the office . . . devolve upon the lieutenant governor." In 1979, the constitution was amended to make this more specific: if the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor, but becomes acting governor if the governor is absent from the state, impeached, or unable to carry out of duties. If any of these events occur while the office of lieutenant governor is vacant, the secretary of state becomes either governor or acting governor. Two Wisconsin governors have died while in office, one has died after being elected but before taking office, and four have resigned.

Parties

  Democratic (12)   Republican (31)   Whig (1)   Wisconsin Progressive (2)

#	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Nelson Dewey     December 19, 1813 – July 21, 1889    (aged 75)	June 7, 1848 – January 5, 1852	Democratic	1848		John E. Holmes
						1849		Samuel W. Beall
2			Leonard J. Farwell     January 5, 1819 – April 11, 1889    (aged 70)	January 5, 1852 – January 2, 1854	Whig	1851		Timothy Burns
3			William A. Barstow     September 13, 1813 – December 13, 1865    (aged 52)	January 2, 1854 – March 21, 1856	Democratic	1853		James T. Lewis
						1855		Arthur MacArthur Sr.
4			Arthur MacArthur Sr.     January 26, 1815 – August 26, 1896    (aged 81)	March 21, 1856 – March 25, 1856	Democratic		vacant
5			Coles Bashford     January 24, 1816 – April 25, 1878    (aged 62)	March 25, 1856 – January 4, 1858	Republican			Arthur MacArthur Sr.
6			Alexander Randall     October 31, 1819 – July 26, 1872    (aged 52)	January 4, 1858 – January 6, 1862	Republican	1857		Erasmus D. Campbell
						1859		Butler G. Noble
7			Louis P. Harvey     July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1862    (aged 41)	January 6, 1862 – April 19, 1862 (died)	Republican	1861		Edward Salomon
8			Edward Salomon     August 11, 1828 – April 21, 1909    (aged 80)	April 19, 1862 – January 4, 1864	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	vacant
9			James T. Lewis     October 30, 1819 – August 5, 1904    (aged 84)	January 4, 1864 – January 1, 1866	Republican	1863		Wyman Spooner
10			Lucius Fairchild     December 27, 1831 – May 23, 1896    (aged 64)	January 1, 1866 – January 1, 1872	Republican	1865
						1867
						1869		Thaddeus C. Pound
11			Cadwallader C. Washburn     April 22, 1818 – May 14, 1882    (aged 64)	January 1, 1872 – January 5, 1874	Republican	1871		Milton H. Pettit
12			William Robert Taylor     July 10, 1820 – March 17, 1909    (aged 88)	January 5, 1874 – January 3, 1876	Democratic	1873		Charles D. Parker
13			Harrison Ludington     July 30, 1812 – June 17, 1891    (aged 78)	January 3, 1876 – January 7, 1878	Republican	1875
14			William E. Smith     June 18, 1824 – February 13, 1883    (aged 58)	January 7, 1878 – January 2, 1882	Republican	1877		James M. Bingham
						1879
15			Jeremiah McLain Rusk     June 17, 1830 – November 21, 1893    (aged 63)	January 2, 1882 – January 7, 1889	Republican	1881		Sam S. Fifield
						1884
						1886		George W. Ryland
16			William D. Hoard     October 10, 1836 – November 22, 1918    (aged 82)	January 7, 1889 – January 5, 1891	Republican	1888
17			George Wilbur Peck     September 28, 1840 – April 16, 1916    (aged 75)	January 5, 1891 – January 7, 1895	Democratic	1890		Charles Jonas
						1892
18			William H. Upham     May 3, 1841 – July 2, 1924    (aged 83)	January 7, 1895 – January 4, 1897	Republican	1894		Emil Baensch
19			Edward Scofield     March 28, 1842 – February 3, 1925    (aged 82)	January 4, 1897 – January 7, 1901	Republican	1896
						1898		Jesse Stone
20			Robert M. La Follette Sr.     June 14, 1855 – June 21, 1925    (aged 70)	January 7, 1901 – January 1, 1906 (resigned)	Republican	1900
						1902		James O. Davidson
						1904
21			James O. Davidson     February 10, 1854 – December 16, 1922    (aged 68)	January 1, 1906 – January 2, 1911	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	vacant
						1906		William D. Connor
						1908		John Strange
22			Francis E. McGovern     January 21, 1866 – May 16, 1946    (aged 80)	January 2, 1911 – January 4, 1915	Republican	1910		Thomas Morris
						1912
23			Emanuel L. Philipp     March 25, 1861 – June 15, 1925    (aged 64)	January 4, 1915 – January 3, 1921	Republican	1914		Edward F. Dithmar
						1916
						1918
24			John J. Blaine     May 4, 1875 – April 16, 1934    (aged 75)	January 3, 1921 – January 3, 1927	Republican	1920		George F. Comings
						1922
						1924		Henry A. Huber
25			Fred R. Zimmerman     November 20, 1880 – December 14, 1954    (aged 74)	January 3, 1927 – January 7, 1929	Republican	1926
26			Walter J. Kohler Sr.     March 5, 1875 – April 21, 1940    (aged 65)	January 7, 1929 – January 5, 1931	Republican	1928
27			Philip La Follette     May 8, 1897 – August 18, 1965    (aged 68)	January 5, 1931 – January 2, 1933 (lost renomination)	Republican	1930
28			Albert G. Schmedeman     November 25, 1864 – November 26, 1946    (aged 82)	January 2, 1933 – January 7, 1935 (lost election)	Democratic	1932		Thomas J. O'Malley
29			Philip La Follette     May 8, 1897 – August 18, 1965    (aged 68)	January 7, 1935 – January 2, 1939 (lost election)	Wisconsin Progressive	1934
						1936		Henry A. Gunderson
								Herman L. Ekern
30			Julius P. Heil     July 8, 1876 – November 30, 1949    (aged 73)	January 2, 1939 – January 4, 1943 (lost election)	Republican	1938		Walter S. Goodland
						1940
—			Orland Steen Loomis     November 2, 1893 – December 7, 1942    (aged 49)	Died before assuming office	Wisconsin Progressive	1942
31			Walter Samuel Goodland     December 22, 1862 – March 12, 1947    (aged 84)	January 4, 1943 – March 12, 1947 (died)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	vacant
						1944		Oscar Rennebohm
						1946
32			Oscar Rennebohm     May 25, 1889 – October 15, 1968    (aged 79)	March 12, 1947 – January 1, 1951 (not candidate election)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	vacant
						1948		George M. Smith
33			Walter J. Kohler Jr.     April 4, 1904 – March 21, 1976    (aged 71)	January 1, 1951 – January 7, 1957 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1950
						1952
						1954		Warren P. Knowles
34			Vernon Wallace Thomson     November 5, 1905 – April 2, 1988    (aged 82)	January 7, 1957 – January 5, 1959 (lost election)	Republican	1956
35			Gaylord Nelson     June 4, 1916 – July 3, 2005    (aged 89)	January 5, 1959 – January 7, 1963 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1958		Philleo Nash
						1960		Warren P. Knowles
36			John W. Reynolds Jr.     April 4, 1921 – January 6, 2002    (aged 80)	January 7, 1963 – January 4, 1965 (lost election)	Democratic	1962		Jack B. Olson
37	File:WarrenPKnowles.jpg		Warren P. Knowles     August 19, 1908 – May 1, 1993    (aged 84)	January 4, 1965 – January 4, 1971 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1964		Patrick Lucey
						1966		Jack B. Olson
						1968
38			Patrick Lucey     March 21, 1918 – May 10, 2014    (aged 96)	January 4, 1971 – July 6, 1977 (resigned)	Democratic	1970		Martin J. Schreiber
						1974
39			Martin J. Schreiber     (1939-04-08) April 8, 1939 (age 85)	July 6, 1977 – January 3, 1979 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	vacant
40			Lee S. Dreyfus     June 20, 1926 – January 2, 2008    (aged 81)	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1978		Russell A. Olson
41			Tony Earl     April 12, 1936 – February 23, 2023    (aged 86)	January 3, 1983 – January 5, 1987 (lost election)	Democratic	1982		James T. Flynn
42			Tommy Thompson     (1941-11-19) November 19, 1941 (age 83)	January 5, 1987 – February 1, 2001 (resigned)	Republican	1986		Scott McCallum
						1990
						1994
						1998
43			Scott McCallum     (1950-05-02) May 2, 1950 (age 74)	February 1, 2001 – January 6, 2003 (lost election)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Margaret A. Farrow
44			Jim Doyle     (1945-11-23) November 23, 1945 (age 79)	January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	2002		Barbara Lawton
						2006
45			Scott Walker     (1967-11-02) November 2, 1967 (age 57)	January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (lost election)	Republican	2010		Rebecca Kleefisch
						2012 (special)
						2014
46			Tony Evers     (1951-11-05) November 5, 1951 (age 73)	January 7, 2019 – Incumbent	Democratic	2018		Mandela Barnes
						2022		Sara Rodriguez

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin

Notes

1. The range given is from the date the governor was confirmed by the Senate, or appointed by the President during a Senate recess, to the date the governor's successor was confirmed, unless noted.
2. Dodge was nominated and confirmed by the Senate on April 30, 1836. He was reconfirmed by the Senate on March 2, 1839.
3. Doty was appointed on April 15, 1841, during a Senate recess; nominated on June 17; and confirmed by the Senate on September 13.
4. Tallmadge was nominated and confirmed by the Senate on June 15, 1844.
5. Dodge was appointed on April 8, 1845, during a Senate recess; nominated on December 23, 1846; and confirmed by the Senate on February 3.
6. Vacancies in the office of the lieutenant governor are only listed if they lasted for the entire term. For a full list of vacancies, see Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin.
7. Died in office
8. Initially, Barstow was declared the winner of the 1855 election, but soon resigned amid claims that he had won through fraudulent means. MacArthur, as lieutenant governor, acted as governor for five days, until the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared Barstow's opponent, Bashford, the legitimate governor. Bashford completed the term, with MacArthur continuing to serve as lieutenant governor.
9. Died in office
10. During Rusk's first term, the Wisconsin Constitution was amended to say that all elections of state and county officers would henceforth take place in even-numbered years. By the provisions of the amendment, the terms of all officials who would have left office in 1884, including Rusk, were extended by one year.
11. Died in office
12. Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
13. Died in office
14. Resigned to take an appointment to the state tax commission.
15. Loomis was elected in the 1942 election, but died before taking office. Per a ruling of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Goodland, who had been re-elected lieutenant governor in the same election, served as governor for the entire term.
16. Resigned to become Ambassador to Mexico.
17. As per a 1967 amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution, Lucey's first term was the first gubernatorial term to last 4 years.
18. Contemporary newspaper sources indicate that Dreyfus was sworn in on January 3; the Wisconsin Blue Book, however, states that he was sworn in on January 1.
19. Resigned to become United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
20. Walker survived a recall election.
21. Evers' second term began on January 2, 2023, and will expire January 4, 2027.

References

General

• "Former Wisconsin Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
• Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. IV. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466008. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
• Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). American State Governors, 1776-1976. Oceana Publications. ISBN 978-0-379-00665-0. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
• McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). Biographical directory of American territorial governors. Westport, CT : Meckler. ISBN 978-0-930466-11-4. Retrieved January 19, 2023.

Specific

1. "Database: Wisconsin state employee salaries | Politics and Elections". Wisconsin State Journal. May 13, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
2. ^ Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 1
3. ^ Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 4
4. Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 10
5. Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 6
6. ^ "Wisconsin Governors since 1848". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF). p. 724. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
7. Beck, J. D., ed. (1911). The blue book of the state of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Company. p. 512. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
8. ^ "Significant Events in Wisconsin History". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF). p. 696. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
9. "St. Clair, Arthur". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Government Printing Office. 2005. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
10. Williams, J. Fletcher (1894). Henry Hastings Sibley: A Memoir. Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 277–281. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
11. The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Racine County, Wisconsin: Western Historical Company. 1879. pp. 54–56. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
12. ^ McMullin pp. 329–331
13. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 24th Cong., 1st sess., 30 April 1836, 535. Accessed July 22, 2023.
14. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 24th Cong., 1st sess., 30 April 1836, 536. Accessed July 22, 2023.
15. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 25th Cong., 3rd sess., 2 March 1839, 219. Accessed July 22, 2023.
16. ^ McMullin pp. 331–333
17. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 27th Cong., 1st sess., 17 June 1841, 386. Accessed July 22, 2023.
18. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 27th Cong., 1st sess., 13 September 1841, 441. Accessed July 22, 2023.
19. McMullin pp. 333–335
20. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 28th Cong., 1st sess., 15 June 1844, 343. Accessed July 22, 2023.
21. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 29th Cong., 1st sess., 23 December 1846, 10. Accessed July 22, 2023.
22. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 29th Cong., 1st sess., 3 February 1846, 41. Accessed July 22, 2023.
23. Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 7
24. Wisconsin Constitution article V, § 8
25. "Wisconsin Constitutional Officers; Lieutenant Governors". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006 (PDF). p. 725. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
26. McCann, Dennis (December 10, 1998). "3 governors held office within weeks. Corruption charges helped spark power struggle, office turnover in 1856". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
27. "Inaugural Caps Dreyfus Miracle". Ironwood Daily Globe. Ironwood, Michigan. January 4, 1979. p. 3.

External links

• Office of the Governor of Wisconsin

v t e State of Wisconsin
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Regions	Apostle Islands Central Plain Chippewa Valley Door Peninsula Driftless Area Eastern Ridges and Lowlands Fox River Valley Great River Road Lake Superior Lowland Northern Highland Western Upland
Major metropolitan areas (pop. over 500,000)	Chicago metropolitan area Madison metropolitan area Milwaukee metropolitan area Twin Cities metropolitan area
Largest cities (pop. over 50,000)	Appleton Eau Claire Green Bay Janesville Kenosha La Crosse Madison Milwaukee Oshkosh Racine Waukesha West Allis
Smaller cities (pop. 15,000 to 50,000)	Beaver Dam Beloit Brookfield Cudahy De Pere Fitchburg Fond du Lac Franklin Greenfield Hartford Hudson Kaukauna Manitowoc Marshfield Menasha Menomonie Mequon Middleton Muskego Neenah New Berlin Oak Creek Oconomowoc Onalaska River Falls Sheboygan South Milwaukee Stevens Point Sun Prairie Superior Watertown Wausau Wauwatosa West Bend Wisconsin Rapids
Largest villages (pop. over 15,000)	Ashwaubenon Bellevue Caledonia Fox Crossing Germantown Howard Menomonee Falls Mount Pleasant Pleasant Prairie
Counties	Adams Ashland Barron Bayfield Brown Buffalo Burnett Calumet Chippewa Clark Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Door Douglas Dunn Eau Claire Florence Fond du Lac Forest Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Iron Jackson Jefferson Juneau Kenosha Kewaunee La Crosse Lafayette Langlade Lincoln Manitowoc Marathon Marinette Marquette Menominee Milwaukee Monroe Oconto Oneida Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Pierce Polk Portage Price Racine Richland Rock Rusk Sauk Sawyer Shawano Sheboygan St. Croix Taylor Trempealeau Vernon Vilas Walworth Washburn Washington Waukesha Waupaca Waushara Winnebago Wood
Wisconsin portal

v t e Governors of Wisconsin
Territory (1836–1848)	Dodge Doty Tallmadge Dodge Catlin (acting)
State (since 1848)	Dewey Farwell Barstow MacArthur Bashford Randall Harvey Salomon Lewis Fairchild Washburn Taylor Ludington Smith Rusk Hoard Peck Upham Scofield R. La Follette Sr. Davidson McGovern Philipp Blaine Zimmerman Kohler Sr. P. La Follette Schmedeman P. La Follette Heil (Loomis) * Goodland Rennebohm Kohler Jr. Thomson Nelson Reynolds Knowles Lucey Schreiber Dreyfus Earl Thompson McCallum Doyle Walker Evers
(*) elected but died before taking office

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