The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Washington Legislature and line-item veto power to cancel specific provisions in spending bills. The Washington governor may also convene the legislature on "extraordinary occasions".

Washington Territory had 14 territorial governors from its organization in 1853 until the formation of the state of Washington in 1889. Territorial governors were appointed by the president of the United States. Elisha P. Ferry had the longest term of eight years and went on to become the state's first governor. William H. Wallace was appointed governor but never took office due to being elected as the territory's congressional delegate. George Edward Cole was appointed governor and took office, but his appointment was never ratified by the U.S. Senate and he was replaced as governor after four months.

Twenty-two individuals have held the office of Governor of Washington since the state's admission to the Union, with Arthur B. Langlie serving non-consecutive terms. Populist Party candidate John Rankin Rogers is the only non-Democratic or Republican nominee to win office. The most recent governor to be from Eastern Washington was Clarence D. Martin, elected in 1932. The current governor is Democrat Jay Inslee, who took office on January 16, 2013, and was reelected in 2016 and 2020; his term will expire on January 15, 2025, as Inslee announced on May 1, 2023, that he will not be seeking re-election to an unprecedented fourth term in 2024. Washington has had the longest current streak of Democratic governors in the nation, with the last Republican to hold the office being John Spellman in 1985.

With the re-election of Inslee in 2020, Langlie, Daniel J. Evans and Inslee are the only three Washington governors to be elected to three terms with 12 years respectively.

List of governors

Territory of Washington

Washington Territory was organized on March 2, 1853, from the northern half of Oregon Territory.

Governors of the Territory of Washington

No.	Governor		Term in office	Appointing President
1		Isaac Stevens (1818–1862)	March 17, 1853 – August 11, 1857 (resigned)	Franklin Pierce
2		Fayette McMullen (1805–1880)	May 13, 1857 – March 5, 1859 (successor appointed)	James Buchanan
3		Richard D. Gholson (1804–1862)	March 5, 1859 – February 14, 1861 (resigned)	James Buchanan
—		William H. Wallace (1811–1879)	April 9, 1861 – July 8, 1861 (resigned before taking office)	Abraham Lincoln
4		William Pickering (1798–1873)	December 19, 1861 – November 21, 1866 (removed)	Abraham Lincoln
				Andrew Johnson
5		George Edward Cole (1826–1906)	November 21, 1866 – March 4, 1867 (rejected by Senate)	Andrew Johnson
6		Marshall F. Moore (1829–1870)	April 20, 1867 – April 5, 1869 (successor appointed)	Andrew Johnson
7		Alvan Flanders (1825–1894)	April 5, 1869 – March 14, 1870 (successor appointed)	Ulysses S. Grant
8		Edward S. Salomon (1836–1913)	March 14, 1870 – April 26, 1872 (resigned)	Ulysses S. Grant
9		Elisha P. Ferry (1825–1895)	April 26, 1872 – April 26, 1880 (successor appointed)	Ulysses S. Grant
10		William A. Newell (1817–1901)	April 26, 1880 – July 2, 1884 (successor appointed)	Rutherford B. Hayes
11		Watson C. Squire (1838–1926)	July 2, 1884 – April 9, 1887 (successor appointed)	Chester A. Arthur
12		Eugene Semple (1840–1908)	April 9, 1887 – March 23, 1889 (successor appointed)	Grover Cleveland
13		Miles Conway Moore (1845–1919)	March 23, 1889 – November 18, 1889 (statehood)	Benjamin Harrison

State of Washington

Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889. The term for governor is four years, commencing on the second Monday in the January following the election. If the office of governor is vacant or the governor is unable to discharge their duties, the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of governor, though still officially retains the office of lieutenant governor. If both the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are unable to fulfill their duties, the secretary of state is next in line, and then the treasurer. There is no limit to the number of terms a governor may serve. The office of lieutenant governor is not elected on the same ticket as the governor.

Governors of the State of Washington

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Elisha P. Ferry (1825–1895)	November 18, 1889 – January 11, 1893 (did not run)	Republican	1889		Charles E. Laughton
2			John McGraw (1850–1910)	January 11, 1893 – January 13, 1897 (did not run)	Republican	1892		F. H. Luce
3			John Rankin Rogers (1838–1901)	January 13, 1897 – December 26, 1901 (died in office)	Populist	1896		Thurston Daniels
					Democratic	1900		Henry McBride
4			Henry McBride (1856–1937)	December 26, 1901 – January 11, 1905 (lost nomination)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
5			Albert E. Mead (1861–1913)	January 11, 1905 – January 27, 1909 (lost nomination)	Republican	1904		Charles E. Coon
6			Samuel G. Cosgrove (1847–1909)	January 27, 1909 – March 28, 1909 (died in office)	Republican	1908		Marion E. Hay
7			Marion E. Hay (1865–1933)	March 28, 1909 – January 15, 1913 (lost election)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
8			Ernest Lister (1870–1919)	January 15, 1913 – June 14, 1919 (died in office)	Democratic	1912		Louis F. Hart
						1916
9			Louis F. Hart (1862–1929)	June 14, 1919 – January 14, 1925 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1920		William J. Coyle
10			Roland H. Hartley (1864–1952)	January 14, 1925 – January 11, 1933 (lost nomination)	Republican	1924		W. Lon Johnson
						1928		John Arthur Gellatly
11			Clarence D. Martin (1886–1955)	January 11, 1933 – January 15, 1941 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1932		Victor Aloysius Meyers
						1936
12			Arthur B. Langlie (1900–1966)	January 15, 1941 – January 10, 1945 (lost election)	Republican	1940
13			Monrad Wallgren (1891–1961)	January 10, 1945 – January 12, 1949 (lost election)	Democratic	1944
14			Arthur B. Langlie (1900–1966)	January 12, 1949 – January 16, 1957 (did not run)	Republican	1948
						1952		Emmett T. Anderson
15			Albert Rosellini (1910–2011)	January 16, 1957 – January 13, 1965 (lost election)	Democratic	1956		John Cherberg
						1960
16			Daniel J. Evans (b. 1925)	January 13, 1965 – January 12, 1977 (did not run)	Republican	1964
						1968
						1972
17			Dixy Lee Ray (1914–1994)	January 12, 1977 – January 14, 1981 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1976
18			John Spellman (1926–2018)	January 14, 1981 – January 16, 1985 (lost election)	Republican	1980
19			Booth Gardner (1936–2013)	January 16, 1985 – January 13, 1993 (did not run)	Democratic	1984
						1988		Joel Pritchard
20			Mike Lowry (1939–2017)	January 13, 1993 – January 15, 1997 (did not run)	Democratic	1992
21			Gary Locke (b. 1950)	January 15, 1997 – January 12, 2005 (did not run)	Democratic	1996		Brad Owen
						2000
22			Christine Gregoire (b. 1947)	January 12, 2005 – January 16, 2013 (did not run)	Democratic	2004
						2008
23			Jay Inslee (b. 1951)	January 16, 2013 – Incumbent	Democratic	2012
						2016		Cyrus Habib
						2020		Denny Heck

See also

• List of Washington state legislatures
• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Washington