List of governors of North Carolina

The governor of North Carolina has a duty to enforce state laws and to convene the legislature.^[1] The governor may grant pardons except in cases of impeachment.^[2] For about 220 years the governor had no power to veto bills passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, but a referendum in November 1996 altered the state's constitution, so that North Carolina ceased to be the only state whose governor lacked that power.^[3]

There have been three Presidents and 69 governors of North Carolina, with six governors (Richard Caswell, Alexander Martin, Benjamin Williams, Zebulon Baird Vance, William Woods Holden, and Jim Hunt) serving non-consecutive terms, totaling 78 terms in both offices. The current governor is Democrat Roy Cooper, who took office on January 1, 2017.

Presidents of the Provincial Council

North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies, and was admitted as a state on November 21, 1789 . Prior to declaring its independence, North Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain. The 13-member Provincial Council, renamed the Council of Safety in April 1776, was essentially the executive authority during the second year of the Revolution, and was appointed by the Provincial Congress. The Presidency of the Council and the Presidency of the Congress could each be considered the highest offices in the state during this time, but the council was supreme when the congress was not in session.

List of presidents

Terms and backgrounds of the three men who served as president of the Provincial Council:^[4]^[5]

Name	County/town	Term	Length	Previous position
Harnett, CorneliusCornelius Harnett (1723–1781)	Wilmington	October 18, 1775 – August 21, 1776	308 days	Member of the House of Assembly
Ashe, SamuelSamuel Ashe (1725–1813)	New Hanover	August 21, 1776 – September 27, 1776	37 days	Member of the Provincial Congress
Jones, WillieWillie Jones (1741–1801) ^[a]	Halifax	September 27, 1776 – October 25, 1776	28 days	Member of the Provincial Congress

Governors from 1776 to 1836

Governors were elected to one-year terms by the state legislature. Governors that serve non-consecutive terms are counted twice.

Governors of the State of North Carolina
No.		Party	Term in office^[b]	Time in Office	Notes
1	Richard Caswell	No Party	November 12, 1776 – April 20, 1780	3.5 years
2	Abner Nash	No Party	April 20, 1780 – June 26, 1781	1.25 years
3	Thomas Burke	No Party	June 26, 1781 – April 22, 1782	1 year
4	Alexander Martin	Anti-Federalist	April 22, 1782 – May 13, 1785	3 years
5	Richard Caswell	No Party	May 13, 1785 – December 20, 1787	2.5 years	2nd time
6	Samuel Johnston	Federalist	December 20, 1787 – December 17, 1789	2 years
7	Alexander Martin	Anti-Federalist	December 17, 1789 – December 14, 1792	2 years	2nd time
8	Richard Dobbs Spaight	Federalist	December 14, 1792 – November 19, 1795	3 years
9	Samuel Ashe	Anti-Federalist	November 19, 1795 – December 7, 1798	3 years
10	William Richardson Davie	Federalist	December 7, 1798 – November 23, 1799	1 year
11	Benjamin Williams	Federalist	November 23, 1799 – December 6, 1802	1 year
12	James Turner	Democratic-Republican	December 6, 1802 – December 10, 1805	3 years
13	Nathaniel Alexander	Democratic-Republican	December 10, 1805 – December 1, 1807	2 years
14	Benjamin Williams	Federalist	December 1, 1807 – December 12, 1808	1 year
15	David Stone	Democratic-Republican	December 12, 1808 – December 1, 1810	2 years
16	Benjamin Smith	Democratic-Republican	December 1, 1810 – December 11, 1811	1 year
17	William Hawkins	Democratic-Republican	December 11, 1811 – November 29, 1814	3 years
18	William Miller	Democratic-Republican	November 29, 1814 – December 6, 1817	3 years
19	John Branch	Democratic-Republican	December 6, 1817 – December 7, 1820	3 years
20	Jesse Franklin	Democratic-Republican	December 7, 1820 – December 7, 1821	1 year
21	Gabriel Holmes	Democratic-Republican	December 7, 1821 – December 7, 1824	3 years
22	Hutchins Gordon Burton	No party	December 7, 1824 – December 8, 1827	3 years
23	James Iredell Jr.	Democratic-Republican	December 8, 1827 – December 12, 1828	1 year
24	John Owen	Democratic	December 12, 1828 – December 18, 1830	2 years
25	Montfort Stokes	Democratic	December 18, 1830 – December 6, 1832	2 years
26	David Lowry Swain	National Republican	December 6, 1832 – December 10, 1835	3 years
27	Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.	Democratic	December 10, 1835 – December 31, 1836	1 year

Governors from 1837 to present

Governors of the State of North Carolina
No.		Party	Term in office^[c]	Time in Office	Election	Lieutenant Governor		Notes
28	Edward Bishop Dudley	Whig	December 31, 1836 – January 1, 1841 (Term limited)	4 years		No such office		First popularly elected
29	John Motley Morehead	Whig	January 1, 1841 – January 1, 1845 (Term limited)	4 years
30	William Alexander Graham	Whig	January 1, 1845 – January 1, 1849 (Term limited)	4 years
31	Charles Manly	Whig	January 1, 1849 – January 1, 1851 (Lost reelection)	2 years
32	David Settle Reid	Democratic Party (United States)	January 1, 1851 – December 6, 1854 (Resigned)	3 years, 11 months
33	Warren Winslow	Democratic Party (United States)	December 6, 1854 – January 1, 1855 (Not a candidate for election)	1 month
34	Thomas Bragg	Democratic Party (United States)	January 1, 1855 – January 1, 1859 (Term limited)	4 years
35	John Willis Ellis	Democratic Party (United States)	January 1, 1859 – July 7, 1861 (Died)	2.5 years
36	Henry Toole Clark	Democratic Party (United States)	July 7, 1861 – September 8, 1862 (Resigned)	1 year, 3 months
37	Zebulon Baird Vance	Conservative	September 8, 1862 – May 29, 1865 (Overthrown)	2 years, 9 months				Imprisoned by Union Army
State government dissolved and controlled by United States government
38	William Woods Holden	National Union	May 29, 1865 – December 15, 1865 (Served until state government reestablished)	7 months		No such office		Not elected; appointed by President Andrew Johnson to serve until special election
State government reestablished
39	Johnathan Worth	Conservative	December 15, 1865 – July 1, 1868 (Not a candidate for reelection)	2.5 years^[d]		No such office
40	William Woods Holden	Republican	July 1, 1868 – March 22, 1871 (Impeached and removed)	2 years, 10 months	1868		Tod Robinson Caldwell	2nd time First elected to four-year term^[e]
41	Tod Robinson Caldwell	Republican	March 22, 1871 – July 11, 1874 (Died)	3 years, 3 months	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Vacant
41	Tod Robinson Caldwell	Republican	March 22, 1871 – July 11, 1874 (Died)	3 years, 3 months	1872		Curtis H. Brogden
42	Curtis Hooks Brogden	Republican	July 11, 1874 – January 1, 1877 (Lost nomination)	2 years, 5 months	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Vacant
43	Zebulon Baird Vance^[f]	Democratic	January 1, 1877 – February 5, 1879 (Resigned)^[g]	2 years, 1 month	1876		Thomas J. Jarvis	2nd time
44	Thomas Jordan Jarvis	Democratic	February 5, 1879 – January 21, 1885 (Term limited)	6 years	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Vacant
44	Thomas Jordan Jarvis	Democratic	February 5, 1879 – January 21, 1885 (Term limited)	6 years	1880		James L. Robinson
45	Alfred Moore Scales	Democratic	January 21, 1885 – January 17, 1889 (Term limited)	4 years	1884		Charles M. Stedman
46	Daniel Gould Fowle	Democratic	January 17, 1889 – April 7, 1891 (Died)	2 years, 3 months	1888		Thomas M. Holt
47	Thomas Michael Holt	Democratic	April 7, 1891 – January 18, 1893 (Lost nomination)	1 year, 9 months	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Vacant
48	Elias Carr	Democratic	January 18, 1893 – January 12, 1897 (Term limited)	4 years	1892		Rufus A. Doughton
49	Daniel Lindsay Russell	Republican	January 12, 1897 – January 15, 1901 (Term limited)	4 years	1896		Charles A. Reynolds
50	Charles Brantley Aycock	Democratic	January 15, 1901 – January 11, 1905 (Term limited)	4 years	1900		Wilfred D. Turner
51	Robert Broadnax Glenn	Democratic	January 11, 1905 – January 12, 1909 (Term limited)	4 years	1904		Francis D. Winston
52	William Walton Kitchin	Democratic	January 12, 1909 – January 15, 1913 (Term limited)	4 years	1908		William C. Newland
53	Locke Craig	Democratic	January 15, 1913 – January 11, 1917 (Term limited)	4 years	1912		Elijah L. Daughtridge
54	Thomas Walter Bickett	Democratic	January 11, 1917 – January 12, 1921 (Term limited)	4 years	1916		Oliver Max Gardner
55	Cameron A. Morrison	Democratic	January 12, 1921 – January 14, 1925 (Term limited)	4 years	1920		William Cooper
56	Angus Wilton McLean	Democratic	January 14, 1925 – January 11, 1929 (Term limited)	4 years	1924		Jacob E. Long
57	O. Max Gardner	Democratic	January 11, 1929 – January 5, 1933 (Term limited)	4 years	1928		Richard T. Fountain
58	John C.B. Ehringhaus	Democratic	January 5, 1933 – January 7, 1937 (Term limited)	4 years	1932		Alexander H. Graham
59	Clyde R. Hoey	Democratic	January 7, 1937 – January 9, 1941 (Term limited)	4 years	1936		Wilkins P. Horton
60	J. Melville Broughton	Democratic	January 9, 1941 – January 4, 1945 (Term limited)	4 years	1940		Reginald L. Harris
61	R. Gregg Cherry	Democratic	January 4, 1945 – January 6, 1949 (Term limited)	4 years	1944		Lynton Y. Ballentine
62	W. Kerr Scott	Democratic	January 6, 1949 – January 8, 1953 (Term limited)	4 years	1948		Hoyt Patrick Taylor
63	William B. Umstead	Democratic	January 8, 1953 – November 7, 1954 (Died)	1 year, 10 months	1952		Luther H. Hodges
64	Luther H. Hodges	Democratic	November 7, 1954 – January 5, 1961 (Term limited)	7 years, 2 months	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Vacant
64	Luther H. Hodges	Democratic	November 7, 1954 – January 5, 1961 (Term limited)	7 years, 2 months	1956		Luther E. Barnhardt
65	Terry Sanford	Democratic	January 5, 1961 – January 8, 1965 (Term limited)	4 years	1960		Harvey Cloyd Philpott (Died)
65	Terry Sanford	Democratic	January 5, 1961 – January 8, 1965 (Term limited)	4 years	1960		Vacant
66	Dan K. Moore	Democratic	January 8, 1965 – January 3, 1969 (Term limited)	4 years	1964		Robert W. Scott
67	Robert W. Scott	Democratic	January 3, 1969 – January 5, 1973 (Term limited)	4 years	1968		Hoyt Patrick Taylor, Jr.
68	James Holshouser	Republican	January 5, 1973 – January 8, 1977 (Term limited)	4 years	1972		Jim Hunt
69	Jim Hunt	Democratic	January 8, 1977 – January 5, 1985 (Term limited)	8 years	1976		James C. Green	First elected to two consecutive four-year terms
69	Jim Hunt	Democratic	January 8, 1977 – January 5, 1985 (Term limited)	8 years	1980		James C. Green	First elected to two consecutive four-year terms
70	James G. Martin	Republican	January 5, 1985 – January 9, 1993 (Term limited)	8 years	1984		Robert B. Jordan
70	James G. Martin	Republican	January 5, 1985 – January 9, 1993 (Term limited)	8 years	1988		Jim Gardner
71	Jim Hunt	Democratic	January 9, 1993 – January 6, 2001 (Term limited)	8 years	1992		Dennis Wicker	2nd time Longest-serving (16 years)
71	Jim Hunt	Democratic	January 9, 1993 – January 6, 2001 (Term limited)	8 years	1996		Dennis Wicker	2nd time Longest-serving (16 years)
72	Mike Easley	Democratic	January 6, 2001 – January 10, 2009 (Term limited)	8 years	2000		Bev Perdue
72	Mike Easley	Democratic	January 6, 2001 – January 10, 2009 (Term limited)	8 years	2004		Bev Perdue
73	Bev Perdue	Democratic	January 10, 2009 – January 5, 2013 (Not a candidate for reelection)	4 years	2008		Walter Dalton	First female
74	Pat McCrory	Republican	January 5, 2013 – January 1, 2017 (Lost reelection)	4 years	2012		Dan Forest
75	Roy Cooper	Democratic	January 1, 2017 – Incumbent^[h]	7 years, 347 days^[i]	2016		Dan Forest
75	Roy Cooper	Democratic	January 1, 2017 – Incumbent^[h]	7 years, 347 days^[i]	2020		Mark Robinson

Notes

^ Some sources indicate that Jones was president through November 12, when the Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress convened. This congress also elected Richard Caswell acting governor.
^ Years are rounded
^ Years are rounded
^ Worth served the remainder of the special term plus a 2-year term of his own. Afterward, the new state constitution changed the terms of office to four years.
^ Holden did not finish this term because of his removal from office
^ Though in his first term he was overthrown and imprisoned for treason, he was granted amnesty by President Ulysses S. Grant, thus allowing him to serve as governor again]].
^ Resigned to become United States Senator
^ Current term will expire January 2025. He will be term-limited.
^ As of December 13, 2024

References

^ NC Constitution article III, § 5 (11).
^ NC Constitution article III, § 5 (6).
^ NC Constitution article II, § 22.
^ Connor, Robert Digges Wimberly (1878-1950), ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina Issued by the North Carolina Historical Commission for the Use of the Members of the General Assembly Session. p. 323.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)
^ Whitaker, Bessie Lewis (1908). "The Provincial Council and Committees of Safety in North Carolina". Chapel Hill University Press.

External links

Official

Official website

General information

Governor of North Carolina at Ballotpedia
Governors of North Carolina at The Political Graveyard
History of NC Gubernatorial Races at OurCampaigns.com
Works by or about Governors of North Carolina at the Internet Archive
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[Jones-6] Some sources indicate that Jones was president through November 12, when the Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress convened. This congress also elected Richard Caswell acting governor.

[7] Years are rounded

[8] Years are rounded

[9] Worth served the remainder of the special term plus a 2-year term of his own. Afterward, the new state constitution changed the terms of office to four years.

[10] Holden did not finish this term because of his removal from office

[11] Though in his first term he was overthrown and imprisoned for treason, he was granted amnesty by President Ulysses S. Grant, thus allowing him to serve as governor again]].

[12] Resigned to become United States Senator

[13] Current term will expire January 2025. He will be term-limited.

[14] As of December 13, 2024

[1] NC Constitution article III, § 5 (11).

[2] NC Constitution article III, § 5 (6).

[3] NC Constitution article II, § 22.

[Connor-4] Connor, Robert Digges Wimberly (1878-1950), ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina Issued by the North Carolina Historical Commission for the Use of the Members of the General Assembly Session. p. 323.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: editors list (link)

[Thesis-5] Whitaker, Bessie Lewis (1908). "The Provincial Council and Committees of Safety in North Carolina". Chapel Hill University Press.

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v t e Governors and lieutenant governors of North Carolina
Governors	Caswell Nash Burke A. Martin Caswell Johnston A. Martin Spaight Sr. Ashe Davie Williams Turner Alexander Williams Stone Smith Hawkins Miller Branch Franklin Holmes Burton Iredell Owen Stokes Swain Spaight Jr. Dudley Morehead Graham Manly Reid Winslow Bragg Ellis Clark Vance Holden Worth Holden Caldwell Brogden Vance Jarvis Scales Fowle Holt Carr Russell Aycock Glenn Kitchin Craig Bickett Morrison McLean O. M. Gardner Ehringhaus Hoey Broughton Cherry W. K. Scott Umstead Hodges Sanford Moore R. W. Scott Holshouser Hunt J. G. Martin Hunt Easley Perdue McCrory Cooper Stein (elect)
Lieutenant governors	Caldwell Brogden Jarvis Robinson Stedman Holt Doughton Reynolds Turner Winston Newland Daughtridge O. M. Gardner Cooper Long Fountain Graham Horton Harris Ballentine Taylor Sr. Hodges Barnhardt Philpott R. W. Scott Taylor Jr. Hunt Green Jordan J. Gardner Wicker Perdue Dalton Forest Robinson Hunt (elect)