The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the U.S. state of Indiana. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Indiana's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.

While a territory, Indiana had two governors appointed by the president of the United States. Since statehood in 1816, it has had 49 governors, serving 51 distinct terms; Isaac P. Gray and Henry F. Schricker are the only governors to have served non-consecutive terms. Four governors have served two four-year terms; territorial governor William Henry Harrison served for 11 years. The shortest-serving governor is Henry S. Lane, who served two days before resigning to become a U.S. senator. The current governor is Eric Holcomb, who took office on January 9, 2017.

List of governors

Territory of Indiana

Indiana Territory was formed on July 4, 1800, from the Northwest Territory. Despite remaining a territory for nearly 16 years, it had only two governors appointed by the president of the United States before it became a state.

Governors of Indiana Territory

No.	Governor		Term in office	Appointed by
1		William Henry Harrison (1773–1841)	May 13, 1800 – December 28, 1812 (successor appointed)	John Adams
				Thomas Jefferson
				James Madison
2		Thomas Posey (1750–1818)	March 3, 1813 – November 7, 1816 (lost election)	James Madison

State of Indiana

Indiana was admitted to the Union on December 11, 1816.

The original 1816 Constitution of Indiana provided for the election of a governor and a lieutenant governor every three years, limited to six years out of any nine-year period. The second and current constitution of 1851 lengthened terms to four years and set the commencement of the governor's term on the second Monday in the January following the election. Governors were allowed to serve for four years in any eight-year period, but a 1972 amendment permitted governors to serve for eight years in any twelve-year period. Should the office of governor become vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. If the office of lieutenant governor is vacant, the president pro tempore of the Indiana Senate becomes governor; this has happened once, when James B. Ray succeeded William Hendricks.

Governors of the State of Indiana

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Jonathan Jennings (1784–1834)	November 7, 1816 – September 12, 1822 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1816		Christopher Harrison (resigned December 18, 1818)
							Vacant
						1819		Ratliff Boon
2			Ratliff Boon (1781–1844)	September 12, 1822 – December 4, 1822 (successor took office)	Democratic- Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
3			William Hendricks (1782–1850)	December 4, 1822 – February 12, 1825 (resigned)	Democratic- Republican	1822		Ratliff Boon (resigned January 30, 1824)
							Vacant
4			James B. Ray (1794–1848)	February 12, 1825 – December 7, 1831 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	Succeeded from president of the Senate
						1825		John H. Thompson
						1828		Milton Stapp
5			Noah Noble (1794–1844)	December 7, 1831 – December 6, 1837 (term-limited)	National Republican	1831		David Wallace
					Whig	1834
6			David Wallace (1799–1859)	December 6, 1837 – December 9, 1840 (did not run)	Whig	1837		David Hillis
7			Samuel Bigger (1802–1846)	December 9, 1840 – December 6, 1843 (lost election)	Whig	1840		Samuel Hall
8			James Whitcomb (1795–1852)	December 6, 1843 – December 27, 1848 (resigned)	Democratic	1843		Jesse D. Bright (resigned December 8, 1845)
							Vacant
						1846		Paris C. Dunning
9			Paris C. Dunning (1806–1884)	December 27, 1848 – December 5, 1849 (did not run)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
10			Joseph A. Wright (1810–1867)	December 5, 1849 – January 12, 1857 (term-limited)	Democratic	1849		Jim Lane
						1852		Ashbel P. Willard
11			Ashbel P. Willard (1820–1860)	January 12, 1857 – October 4, 1860 (died in office)	Democratic	1856		Abram A. Hammond
12			Abram A. Hammond (1814–1874)	October 4, 1860 – January 14, 1861 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
13			Henry S. Lane (1811–1881)	January 14, 1861 – January 16, 1861 (resigned)	Republican	1860		Oliver P. Morton
14			Oliver P. Morton (1823–1877)	January 16, 1861 – January 24, 1867 (resigned)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
					Union	1864		Conrad Baker
15			Conrad Baker (1817–1885)	January 24, 1867 – January 13, 1873 (term-limited)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1868		William Cumback (resigned January 11, 1871)
							Vacant
16			Thomas A. Hendricks (1819–1885)	January 13, 1873 – January 8, 1877 (term-limited)	Democratic	1872		Leonidas Sexton
17			James D. Williams (1808–1880)	January 8, 1877 – November 20, 1880 (died in office)	Democratic	1876		Isaac P. Gray
18			Isaac P. Gray (1828–1895)	November 20, 1880 – January 10, 1881 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
19			Albert G. Porter (1824–1897)	January 10, 1881 – January 12, 1885 (term-limited)	Republican	1880		Thomas Hanna
20			Isaac P. Gray (1828–1895)	January 12, 1885 – January 14, 1889 (term-limited)	Democratic	1884		Mahlon Dickerson Manson (resigned July 1886)
							Vacant
21			Alvin Peterson Hovey (1821–1891)	January 14, 1889 – November 23, 1891 (died in office)	Republican	1888		Ira Joy Chase
22			Ira Joy Chase (1834–1895)	November 23, 1891 – January 9, 1893 (lost election)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
23			Claude Matthews (1845–1898)	January 9, 1893 – January 11, 1897 (term-limited)	Democratic	1892		Mortimer Nye
24			James A. Mount (1843–1901)	January 11, 1897 – January 14, 1901 (term-limited)	Republican	1896		William S. Haggard
25			Winfield T. Durbin (1847–1928)	January 14, 1901 – January 9, 1905 (term-limited)	Republican	1900		Newton W. Gilbert
26			Frank Hanly (1863–1920)	January 9, 1905 – January 11, 1909 (term-limited)	Republican	1904		Hugh Thomas Miller
27			Thomas R. Marshall (1854–1925)	January 11, 1909 – January 13, 1913 (term-limited)	Democratic	1908		Frank J. Hall
28			Samuel M. Ralston (1857–1925)	January 13, 1913 – January 8, 1917 (term-limited)	Democratic	1912		William P. O'Neill
29			James P. Goodrich (1864–1940)	January 8, 1917 – January 10, 1921 (term-limited)	Republican	1916		Edgar D. Bush
30			Warren T. McCray (1865–1938)	January 10, 1921 – April 30, 1924 (resigned)	Republican	1920		Emmett Forest Branch
31			Emmett Forest Branch (1874–1932)	April 30, 1924 – January 12, 1925 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
32			Edward L. Jackson (1873–1954)	January 12, 1925 – January 14, 1929 (term-limited)	Republican	1924		F. Harold Van Orman
33			Harry G. Leslie (1878–1937)	January 14, 1929 – January 9, 1933 (term-limited)	Republican	1928		Edgar D. Bush
34			Paul V. McNutt (1891–1955)	January 9, 1933 – January 11, 1937 (term-limited)	Democratic	1932		M. Clifford Townsend
35			M. Clifford Townsend (1884–1954)	January 11, 1937 – January 13, 1941 (term-limited)	Democratic	1936		Henry F. Schricker
36			Henry F. Schricker (1883–1966)	January 13, 1941 – January 8, 1945 (term-limited)	Democratic	1940		Charles M. Dawson
37			Ralph F. Gates (1893–1978)	January 8, 1945 – January 10, 1949 (term-limited)	Republican	1944		Richard T. James (resigned April 1, 1948)
							Vacant
								Rue J. Alexander (appointed April 14, 1948) (died January 2, 1949)
							Vacant
38			Henry F. Schricker (1883–1966)	January 10, 1949 – January 12, 1953 (term-limited)	Democratic	1948		John A. Watkins
39			George N. Craig (1909–1992)	January 12, 1953 – January 14, 1957 (term-limited)	Republican	1952		Harold W. Handley
40			Harold W. Handley (1909–1972)	January 14, 1957 – January 9, 1961 (term-limited)	Republican	1956		Crawford F. Parker
41			Matthew E. Welsh (1912–1995)	January 9, 1961 – January 11, 1965 (term-limited)	Democratic	1960		Richard O. Ristine
42			Roger D. Branigin (1902–1975)	January 11, 1965 – January 13, 1969 (term-limited)	Democratic	1964		Robert L. Rock
43			Edgar Whitcomb (1917–2016)	January 13, 1969 – January 8, 1973 (did not run)	Republican	1968		Richard E. Folz
44			Otis Bowen (1918–2013)	January 8, 1973 – January 12, 1981 (term-limited)	Republican	1972		Robert D. Orr
						1976
45			Robert D. Orr (1917–2004)	January 12, 1981 – January 9, 1989 (term-limited)	Republican	1980		John Mutz
						1984
46			Evan Bayh (b. 1955)	January 9, 1989 – January 13, 1997 (term-limited)	Democratic	1988		Frank O'Bannon
						1992
47			Frank O'Bannon (1930–2003)	January 13, 1997 – September 13, 2003 (died in office)	Democratic	1996		Joe Kernan
						2000
48			Joe Kernan (1946–2020)	September 13, 2003 – January 10, 2005 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
								Kathy Davis (appointed October 20, 2003)
49			Mitch Daniels (b. 1949)	January 10, 2005 – January 14, 2013 (term-limited)	Republican	2004		Becky Skillman
						2008
50			Mike Pence (b. 1959)	January 14, 2013 – January 9, 2017 (withdrew)	Republican	2012		Sue Ellspermann (resigned March 2, 2016)
							Vacant
								Eric Holcomb (appointed March 3, 2016)
51			Eric Holcomb (b. 1968)	January 9, 2017 – Incumbent	Republican	2016		Suzanne Crouch
						2020

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Indiana