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

There have officially been 54 governors of the state of Alabama; this official numbering skips acting and military governors. The first governor, William Wyatt Bibb, served as the only governor of the Alabama Territory. Five people have served as acting governor, bringing the total number of people serving as governor to 59, spread over 63 distinct terms. Four governors have served multiple non-consecutive terms: Bibb Graves, Jim Folsom, and Fob James each served two, and George Wallace served three non-consecutive periods. Officially, these non-consecutive terms are numbered only with the number of their first term. William D. Jelks also served non-consecutive terms, but his first term was in an acting capacity.

The longest-serving governor was George Wallace, who served 16 years over four terms. The shortest term for a non-acting governor was that of Hugh McVay, who served four and a half months after replacing the resigning Clement Comer Clay. Lurleen Wallace, the first wife of George Wallace, was the first woman to serve as governor of Alabama, and the third woman to serve as governor of any state. The current governor is Republican Kay Ivey, who took office on April 10, 2017 following Robert J. Bentley's resignation amidst a corruption scandal. She is the second female governor of Alabama.

List of governors

Territory of Alabama

Alabama Territory was formed on March 3, 1817, from Mississippi Territory. It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state; he became the first state governor.

Governor of the Territory of Alabama

No.	Governor		Term in office	Appointed by
1		William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820)	September 25, 1817 – November 9, 1819 (elected state governor)	James Monroe

State of Alabama

Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819. It seceded from the Union on January 11, 1861, and was a founding member of the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861. Following the end of the American Civil War, Alabama during Reconstruction was part of the Third Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. Alabama was readmitted to the Union on July 14, 1868.

The first Alabama Constitution, ratified in 1819, provided that a governor be elected every two years, limited to serve no more than 4 out of every 6 years. This limit remained in place until the constitution of 1868, which simply allowed governors to serve terms of two years. The current constitution of 1901 increased terms to four years, but prohibited governors from succeeding themselves. An amendment in 1968 allowed governors to succeed themselves once; a governor serving two consecutive terms can run again after waiting out the next term. The constitution had no set date for the commencement of a governor's term until 1901, when it was set at the first Monday after the second Tuesday in the January following an election. However, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in 1911 that a governor's term ends at midnight at the end of Monday, and the next governor's term begins the next day, regardless of if they were sworn in on Monday.

The office of lieutenant governor was created in 1868, abolished in 1875, and recreated in 1901. According to the current constitution, should the governor be out of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor, and if the office of governor becomes vacant the lieutenant governor ascends to the governorship. The governor and the lieutenant governor are elected at the same time but not on the same ticket.

Alabama was a strongly Democratic state before the Civil War, electing only candidates from the Democratic-Republican and Democratic parties. It had two Republican governors following Reconstruction, but after the Democratic Party re-established control, 112 years passed before voters chose another Republican.

Governors of the State of Alabama

No.	Governor				Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1				William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820)	November 9, 1819 – July 10, 1820 (died in office)	Democratic- Republican	1819	Office did not exist
2				Thomas Bibb (1783–1839)	July 10, 1820 – November 9, 1821 (did not run)	Democratic- Republican	Succeeded from president of the Senate
3				Israel Pickens (1780–1827)	November 9, 1821 – November 25, 1825 (term-limited)	Democratic- Republican	1821
							1823
4				John Murphy (d. 1841)	November 25, 1825 – November 21, 1829 (term-limited)	Jackson Democrat	1825
							1827
5				Gabriel Moore (1785–1844)	November 21, 1829 – March 3, 1831 (resigned)	Jackson Democrat	1829
6				Samuel B. Moore (1789–1846)	March 3, 1831 – November 26, 1831 (lost election)	Jackson Democrat	Succeeded from president of the Senate
7				John Gayle (1792–1859)	November 26, 1831 – November 21, 1835 (term-limited)	Jackson Democrat	1831
						Democratic	1833
8				Clement Comer Clay (1789–1866)	November 21, 1835 – July 17, 1837 (resigned)	Democratic	1835
9				Hugh McVay (1766–1851)	July 17, 1837 – November 21, 1837 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from president of the Senate
10				Arthur P. Bagby (1794–1858)	November 21, 1837 – November 22, 1841 (term-limited)	Democratic	1837
							1839
11				Benjamin Fitzpatrick (1802–1869)	November 22, 1841 – December 9, 1845 (term-limited)	Democratic	1841
							1843
12				Joshua L. Martin (1799–1856)	December 9, 1845 – December 16, 1847 (did not run)	Independent	1845
13				Reuben Chapman (1799–1882)	December 16, 1847 – December 17, 1849 (lost nomination)	Democratic	1847
14				Henry W. Collier (1801–1855)	December 17, 1849 – December 20, 1853 (term-limited)	Democratic	1849
							1851
15				John A. Winston (1812–1871)	December 20, 1853 – December 1, 1857 (term-limited)	Democratic	1853
							1855
16				Andrew B. Moore (1807–1873)	December 1, 1857 – December 2, 1861 (term-limited)	Democratic	1857
							1859
17				John Gill Shorter (1818–1872)	December 2, 1861 – December 1, 1863 (lost election)	Democratic	1861
18				Thomas H. Watts (1819–1892)	December 1, 1863 – May 3, 1865 (arrested and removed)	Whig	1863
—	Vacant				May 3, 1865 – June 21, 1865	Office vacated after civil war
19				Lewis E. Parsons (1817–1895)	June 21, 1865 – December 13, 1865 (successor took office)	Provisional governor appointed by President
20				Robert M. Patton (1809–1885)	December 13, 1865 – July 13, 1868 (did not run)	Nonpartisan	1865
—				Wager Swayne (1834–1902)	March 2, 1867 – January 11, 1868 (removed)	Military occupation
21				William Hugh Smith (1826–1899)	July 13, 1868 – November 26, 1870 (lost election)	Republican	1868		Andrew J. Applegate (died August 21, 1870)
								Vacant
22				Robert B. Lindsay (1824–1902)	November 26, 1870 – November 25, 1872 (did not run)	Democratic	1870		Edward H. Moren
23				David P. Lewis (1820–1884)	November 25, 1872 – November 24, 1874 (lost election)	Republican	1872		Alexander McKinstry
24				George S. Houston (1811–1879)	November 24, 1874 – November 27, 1878 (did not run)	Democratic	1874		Robert F. Ligon
							1876	Office did not exist
25				Rufus W. Cobb (1829–1913)	November 27, 1878 – December 1, 1882 (did not run)	Democratic	1878
							1880
26				Edward A. O'Neal (1818–1890)	December 1, 1882 – December 1, 1886 (did not run)	Democratic	1882
							1884
27				Thomas Seay (1846–1896)	December 1, 1886 – December 1, 1890 (did not run)	Democratic	1886
							1888
28				Thomas G. Jones (1844–1914)	December 1, 1890 – December 1, 1894 (did not run)	Democratic	1890
							1892
29				William C. Oates (1835–1910)	December 1, 1894 – December 1, 1896 (did not run)	Democratic	1894
30				Joseph F. Johnston (1843–1913)	December 1, 1896 – December 1, 1900 (did not run)	Democratic	1896
							1898
—				William D. Jelks (1855–1931)	December 1, 1900 – December 26, 1900 (acting)	Democratic	President of the Senate acting
31				William J. Samford (1844–1901)	December 1, 1900 – June 11, 1901 (died in office)	Democratic	1900
32				William D. Jelks (1855–1931)	June 11, 1901 – January 14, 1907 (term-limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from president of the Senate
							1902		Russell McWhortor Cunningham (acted as governor April 25, 1904–March 5, 1905)
33				B. B. Comer (1848–1927)	January 14, 1907 – January 16, 1911 (term-limited)	Democratic	1906		Henry B. Gray
34				Emmet O'Neal (1853–1922)	January 17, 1911 – January 18, 1915 (term-limited)	Democratic	1910		Walter D. Seed Sr.
35				Charles Henderson (1860–1937)	January 19, 1915 – January 20, 1919 (term-limited)	Democratic	1914		Thomas Kilby
36				Thomas Kilby (1865–1943)	January 21, 1919 – January 15, 1923 (term-limited)	Democratic	1918		Nathan Lee Miller
37				William W. Brandon (1868–1934)	January 16, 1923 – January 17, 1927 (term-limited)	Democratic	1922		Charles S. McDowell (acted as governor July 10, 1924–July 11, 1924)
38				Bibb Graves (1873–1942)	January 18, 1927 – January 19, 1931 (term-limited)	Democratic	1926		William C. Davis
39				Benjamin M. Miller (1864–1944)	January 20, 1931 – January 14, 1935 (term-limited)	Democratic	1930		Hugh Davis Merrill
(38)				Bibb Graves (1873–1942)	January 15, 1935 – January 16, 1939 (term-limited)	Democratic	1934		Thomas E. Knight (died May 17, 1937)
								Vacant
40				Frank M. Dixon (1892–1965)	January 17, 1939 – January 18, 1943 (term-limited)	Democratic	1938		Albert A. Carmichael
41				Chauncey Sparks (1884–1968)	January 19, 1943 – January 20, 1947 (term-limited)	Democratic	1942		Leven H. Ellis
42				Jim Folsom (1908–1987)	January 21, 1947 – January 15, 1951 (term-limited)	Democratic	1946		James C. Inzer
43				Gordon Persons (1902–1965)	January 16, 1951 – January 17, 1955 (term-limited)	Democratic	1950		James Allen
(42)				Jim Folsom (1908–1987)	January 18, 1955 – January 19, 1959 (term-limited)	Democratic	1954		William G. Hardwick
44				John M. Patterson (1921–2021)	January 20, 1959 – January 14, 1963 (term-limited)	Democratic	1958		Albert Boutwell
45				George Wallace (1919–1998)	January 15, 1963 – January 16, 1967 (term-limited)	Democratic	1962		James Allen
46				Lurleen Wallace (1926–1968)	January 17, 1967 – May 7, 1968 (died in office)	Democratic	1966		Albert Brewer (acted as governor July 25, 1967)
47				Albert Brewer (1928–2017)	May 7, 1968 – January 18, 1971 (lost nomination)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
(45)				George Wallace (1919–1998)	January 19, 1971 – January 15, 1979 (term-limited)	Democratic	1970		Jere Beasley (acted as governor June 5, 1972–July 7, 1972)
							1974
48				Fob James (b. 1934)	January 16, 1979 – January 17, 1983 (did not run)	Democratic	1978		George McMillan
(45)				George Wallace (1919–1998)	January 18, 1983 – January 19, 1987 (did not run)	Democratic	1982		Bill Baxley
49				H. Guy Hunt (1933–2009)	January 20, 1987 – April 22, 1993 (removed from office)	Republican	1986		Jim Folsom Jr.
							1990
50				Jim Folsom Jr. (b. 1949)	April 22, 1993 – January 16, 1995 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
(48)				Fob James (b. 1934)	January 17, 1995 – January 18, 1999 (lost election)	Republican	1994		Don Siegelman
51				Don Siegelman (b. 1946)	January 19, 1999 – January 20, 2003 (lost election)	Democratic	1998		Steve Windom
52				Bob Riley (b. 1944)	January 21, 2003 – January 17, 2011 (term-limited)	Republican	2002		Lucy Baxley
							2006		Jim Folsom Jr.
53				Robert J. Bentley (b. 1943)	January 18, 2011 – April 10, 2017 (resigned)	Republican	2010		Kay Ivey
							2014
54				Kay Ivey (b. 1944)	April 10, 2017 – Incumbent	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
							2018		Will Ainsworth
							2022

See also

• List of Alabama state legislatures