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.

List of 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.

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 Wisconsin

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

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[d] 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.

Governors of the State of Wisconsin

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Nelson Dewey (1813–1889)	June 7, 1848 – January 5, 1852 (did not run)	Democratic	1848		John Edwin Holmes
						1849		Samuel Beall
2			Leonard J. Farwell (1819–1889)	January 5, 1852 – January 2, 1854 (did not run)	Whig	1851		Timothy Burns (died September 21, 1853)
							Vacant
3			William A. Barstow (1813–1865)	January 2, 1854 – March 21, 1856 (resigned)	Democratic	1853		James T. Lewis
						1855		Arthur MacArthur Sr.
4			Arthur MacArthur Sr. (1815–1896)	March 21, 1856 – March 25, 1856 (removed from office)	Democratic			Acting as governor
5			Coles Bashford (1816–1878)	March 25, 1856 – January 4, 1858 (did not run)	Republican			Arthur MacArthur Sr.
6			Alexander Randall (1819–1872)	January 4, 1858 – January 6, 1862 (did not run)	Republican	1857		Erasmus D. Campbell
						1859		Butler Noble
7			Louis P. Harvey (1820–1862)	January 6, 1862 – April 19, 1862 (died in office)	Republican	1861		Edward Salomon
8			Edward Salomon (1828–1909)	April 19, 1862 – January 4, 1864 (lost nomination)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
9			James T. Lewis (1819–1904)	January 4, 1864 – January 1, 1866 (did not run)	Republican	1863		Wyman Spooner
10			Lucius Fairchild (1831–1896)	January 1, 1866 – January 1, 1872 (did not run)	Republican	1865
						1867
						1869		Thaddeus C. Pound
11			Cadwallader C. Washburn (1818–1882)	January 1, 1872 – January 5, 1874 (lost election)	Republican	1871		Milton Pettit (died March 23, 1873)
							Vacant
12			William Robert Taylor (1820–1909)	January 5, 1874 – January 3, 1876 (lost election)	Reform	1873		Charles D. Parker
13			Harrison Ludington (1812–1891)	January 3, 1876 – January 7, 1878 (did not run)	Republican	1875
14			William E. Smith (1824–1883)	January 7, 1878 – January 2, 1882 (did not run)	Republican	1877		James M. Bingham
						1879
15			Jeremiah McLain Rusk (1830–1893)	January 2, 1882 – January 7, 1889 (did not run)	Republican	1881		Sam Fifield
						1884
						1886		George Washington Ryland
16			William D. Hoard (1836–1918)	January 7, 1889 – January 5, 1891 (lost election)	Republican	1888
17			George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916)	January 5, 1891 – January 7, 1895 (lost election)	Democratic	1890		Charles Jonas (resigned April 4, 1894)
						1892
							Vacant
18			William H. Upham (1841–1924)	January 7, 1895 – January 4, 1897 (did not run)	Republican	1894		Emil Baensch
19			Edward Scofield (1842–1925)	January 4, 1897 – January 7, 1901 (did not run)	Republican	1896
						1898		Jesse Stone (died May 11, 1902)
20			Robert M. La Follette (1855–1925)	January 7, 1901 – January 1, 1906 (resigned)	Republican	1900
							Vacant
						1902		James O. Davidson
						1904
21			James O. Davidson (1854–1922)	January 1, 1906 – January 2, 1911 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1906		William D. Connor
						1908		John Strange
22			Francis E. McGovern (1866–1946)	January 2, 1911 – January 4, 1915 (did not run)	Republican	1910		Thomas Morris
						1912
23			Emanuel L. Philipp (1861–1925)	January 4, 1915 – January 3, 1921 (did not run)	Republican	1914		Edward Dithmar
						1916
						1918
24			John J. Blaine (1875–1934)	January 3, 1921 – January 3, 1927 (did not run)	Republican	1920		George Comings
						1922
						1924		Henry Huber
25			Fred R. Zimmerman (1880–1954)	January 3, 1927 – January 7, 1929 (lost nomination)	Republican	1926
26			Walter J. Kohler Sr. (1875–1940)	January 7, 1929 – January 5, 1931 (lost nomination)	Republican	1928
27			Philip La Follette (1897–1965)	January 5, 1931 – January 2, 1933 (lost nomination)	Republican	1930
28			Albert G. Schmedeman (1864–1946)	January 2, 1933 – January 7, 1935 (lost election)	Democratic	1932		Thomas J. O'Malley (died May 27, 1936)
29			Philip La Follette (1897–1965)	January 7, 1935 – January 2, 1939 (lost election)	Progressive	1934
							Vacant
						1936		Henry Gunderson (resigned October 16, 1937)
							Vacant
								Herman Ekern (appointed May 16, 1938)
30			Julius P. Heil (1876–1949)	January 2, 1939 – January 4, 1943 (lost election)	Republican	1938		Walter Samuel Goodland
						1940
—			Orland Steen Loomis (1893–1942)	Died before taking office	Progressive	1942
31			Walter Samuel Goodland (1862–1947)	January 4, 1943 – March 12, 1947 (died in office)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1944		Oscar Rennebohm
						1946
32			Oscar Rennebohm (1889–1968)	March 12, 1947 – January 1, 1951 (did not run)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
						1948		George M. Smith
33			Walter J. Kohler Jr. (1904–1976)	January 1, 1951 – January 7, 1957 (did not run)	Republican	1950
						1952
						1954		Warren P. Knowles
34			Vernon Wallace Thomson (1905–1988)	January 7, 1957 – January 5, 1959 (lost election)	Republican	1956
35			Gaylord Nelson (1916–2005)	January 5, 1959 – January 7, 1963 (did not run)	Democratic	1958		Philleo Nash
						1960		Warren P. Knowles
36			John W. Reynolds Jr. (1921–2002)	January 7, 1963 – January 4, 1965 (lost election)	Democratic	1962		Jack B. Olson
37			Warren P. Knowles (1908–1993)	January 4, 1965 – January 4, 1971 (did not run)	Republican	1964		Patrick Lucey
						1966		Jack B. Olson
						1968
38			Patrick Lucey (1918–2014)	January 4, 1971 – July 6, 1977 (resigned)	Democratic	1970		Martin J. Schreiber
						1974
39			Martin J. Schreiber (b. 1939)	July 6, 1977 – January 3, 1979 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
40			Lee S. Dreyfus (1926–2008)	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1983 (did not run)	Republican	1978		Russell Olson
41			Tony Earl (1936–2023)	January 3, 1983 – January 5, 1987 (lost election)	Democratic	1982		James Flynn
42			Tommy Thompson (b. 1941)	January 5, 1987 – February 1, 2001 (resigned)	Republican	1986		Scott McCallum
						1990
						1994
						1998
43			Scott McCallum (b. 1950)	February 1, 2001 – January 6, 2003 (lost election)	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
								Margaret Farrow (appointed May 9, 2001)
44			Jim Doyle (b. 1945)	January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011 (did not run)	Democratic	2002		Barbara Lawton
						2006
45			Scott Walker (b. 1967)	January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (lost election)	Republican	2010		Rebecca Kleefisch
						2012 (recall)
						2014
46			Tony Evers (b. 1951)	January 7, 2019 – Incumbent	Democratic	2018		Mandela Barnes
						2022		Sara Rodriguez

See also

• Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin