Governor of Illinois | |
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Residence | Illinois Governor's Mansion |
Term length | Four years, no term limits |
Inaugural holder | Shadrach Bond |
Formation | October 6, 1818 |
Salary | $177,412 (2015)[1]^α |
Website | www2 |
The governor of Illinois is the head of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Illinois's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Illinois Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment.[2] The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.
Since becoming a state in 1818, 43 people have served as governor of Illinois; before statehood, it had only 1 territorial governor, Ninian Edwards. The longest-serving governor was James R. Thompson, who was elected to four terms lasting 14 years, from 1977 to 1991. Only one governor, Richard J. Oglesby, has served multiple separate terms, having been elected in 1864, 1872, and 1884.
One governor, Rod Blagojevich, was impeached and removed from office in 2009. Four of Illinois' seven governors between 1961 and 2009 were imprisoned for various forms of corruption.[3] Governor Walker was imprisoned for irregularities at a bank where he was an officer, for actions unrelated to his previous office of governor.[4] The current governor is J. B. Pritzker, who took office on January 14, 2019.[5]
Governors
Governor of the Territory of Illinois
Illinois Territory was formed on March 1, 1809, from Indiana Territory. It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state, Ninian Edwards. From March to June 1809, Territorial Secretary Nathaniel Pope served as acting governor until Edwards arrived in Illinois.[6]
Portrait | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by |
---|---|---|---|
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Ninian Edwards March 17, 1775 – July 20, 1833 (aged 58) |
March 1, 1809 – October 6, 1818 |
Thomas Jefferson |
Governors of the State of Illinois
Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, consisting of the southern portion of Illinois Territory; the remainder was assigned to Michigan Territory.[7]
The first Illinois Constitution, ratified in 1818, provided that a governor be elected every 4 years[8] for a term starting on the first Monday in the December following an election.[9] The constitution of 1848 moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January starting in 1849, thus shortening the term won in the 1844 election to 2 years.[10] Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves[9] until the 1870 constitution, which removed this limit.
The office of lieutenant governor was created in the first constitution,[11] to exercise the power of governor if that office becomes vacant.[12] The 1848 constitution changed this to say the power "devolves" upon the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy.[13] The current constitution of 1970 made it so that, in the event of a vacancy, the lieutenant becomes governor,[14] and the governor and lieutenant governor are now elected on the same ticket.[15] If the governor feels seriously impeded in performing their job, they can inform the secretary of state and the next in the line of succession, who becomes acting governor until the governor can resume office.[14]
No.[a] | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[b][c] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Shadrach Bond November 30, 1773 – April 12, 1832 (aged 58) |
October 6, 1818 – December 5, 1822 (term limited) |
Independent | 1818 | Pierre Menard | ||
2 | ![]() |
Edward Coles December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868 (aged 81) |
December 5, 1822 – December 6, 1826 (term limited) |
Independent | 1822 | Adolphus Hubbard | ||
3 | ![]() |
Ninian Edwards March 17, 1775 – July 20, 1833 (aged 58) |
December 6, 1826 – December 6, 1830 (term limited) |
Adams-Clay Republican |
1826 | William Kinney | ||
4 | ![]() |
John Reynolds February 26, 1788 – May 8, 1865 (aged 77) |
December 6, 1830 – November 17, 1834 (resigned)[d] |
National Republican | 1830 | Zadok Casey (resigned March 1, 1833) | ||
William Lee D. Ewing (acting) | ||||||||
5 | ![]() |
William Lee D. Ewing August 31, 1795 – March 25, 1846 (aged 50) |
November 17, 1834 – December 3, 1834 (successor took office) |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Vacant | ||
6 | ![]() |
Joseph Duncan February 22, 1794 – January 15, 1844 (aged 49) |
December 3, 1834 – December 7, 1838 (term limited) |
Whig | 1834 | Alexander M. Jenkins[e] (resigned December 9, 1836) | ||
William H. Davidson[e] (acting) | ||||||||
7 | ![]() |
Thomas Carlin July 18, 1789 – February 14, 1852 (aged 62) |
December 7, 1838 – December 8, 1842 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1838 | Stinson Anderson | ||
8 | ![]() |
Thomas Ford December 5, 1800 – November 3, 1850 (aged 49) |
December 8, 1842 – December 9, 1846 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1842 | John Moore | ||
9 | ![]() |
Augustus C. French August 2, 1808 – September 4, 1864 (aged 56) |
December 9, 1846 – January 10, 1853 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1846[f] | Joseph Wells | ||
1848 | William McMurtry | |||||||
10 | ![]() |
Joel Aldrich Matteson August 8, 1808 – January 31, 1873 (aged 64) |
January 10, 1853 – January 12, 1857 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1852 | Gustav Koerner | ||
11 | ![]() |
William Henry Bissell April 25, 1811 – March 18, 1860 (aged 48) |
January 12, 1857 – March 18, 1860 (died in office) |
Republican | 1856 | John Wood | ||
12 | ![]() |
John Wood December 20, 1798 – June 4, 1880 (aged 81) |
March 18, 1860 – January 14, 1861 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Thomas Marshall[e] (acting) | ||
13 | ![]() |
Richard Yates January 18, 1815 – November 27, 1873 (aged 58) |
January 14, 1861 – January 16, 1865 (term limited) |
Republican | 1860 | Francis Hoffmann | ||
14 | ![]() |
Richard J. Oglesby July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899 (aged 74) |
January 16, 1865 – January 11, 1869 (term limited) |
Republican | 1864 | William Bross | ||
15 | ![]() |
John M. Palmer September 13, 1817 – September 25, 1900 (aged 83) |
January 11, 1869 – January 13, 1873 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1868 | John Dougherty | ||
14 | ![]() |
Richard J. Oglesby July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899 (aged 74) |
January 13, 1873 – January 23, 1873 (resigned)[g] |
Republican | 1872 | John Lourie Beveridge | ||
16 | ![]() |
John Lourie Beveridge July 6, 1824 – May 3, 1910 (aged 85) |
January 23, 1873 – January 8, 1877 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
John Early (acting) (term ended January 8, 1875) | ||
Archibald A. Glenn[e] (acting) | ||||||||
17 | ![]() |
Shelby Moore Cullom November 22, 1829 – January 28, 1914 (aged 84) |
January 8, 1877 – February 5, 1883 (resigned)[h] |
Republican | 1876 | Andrew Shuman | ||
1880 | John Marshall Hamilton | |||||||
18 | ![]() |
John Marshall Hamilton May 28, 1847 – September 22, 1905 (aged 58) |
February 5, 1883 – January 30, 1885 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
William J. Campbell (acting) | ||
14 | ![]() |
Richard J. Oglesby July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899 (aged 74) |
January 30, 1885 – January 14, 1889 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1884 | John C. Smith | ||
19 | ![]() |
Joseph W. Fifer October 28, 1840 – August 6, 1938 (aged 97) |
January 14, 1889 – January 10, 1893 (lost election) |
Republican | 1888 | Lyman Beecher Ray | ||
20 | ![]() |
John Peter Altgeld December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902 (aged 54) |
January 10, 1893 – January 11, 1897 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1892 | Joseph B. Gill | ||
21 | ![]() |
John Riley Tanner April 4, 1844 – May 23, 1901 (aged 57) |
January 11, 1897 – January 14, 1901 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1896 | William Northcott | ||
22 | ![]() |
Richard Yates Jr. December 12, 1860 – April 11, 1936 (aged 75) |
January 14, 1901 – January 9, 1905 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1900 | |||
23 | ![]() |
Charles S. Deneen May 4, 1863 – February 5, 1940 (aged 69) |
January 9, 1905 – February 3, 1913 (lost election) |
Republican | 1904 | Lawrence Yates Sherman | ||
1908 | John G. Oglesby | |||||||
24 | ![]() |
Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne October 12, 1853 – May 24, 1937 (aged 83) |
February 3, 1913 – January 8, 1917 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1912 | Barratt O'Hara | ||
25 | ![]() |
Frank Orren Lowden January 26, 1861 – March 20, 1943 (aged 82) |
January 8, 1917 – January 10, 1921 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1916 | John G. Oglesby | ||
26 | ![]() |
Len Small June 16, 1862 – May 17, 1936 (aged 73) |
January 10, 1921 – January 14, 1929 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1920 | Fred E. Sterling | ||
1924 | ||||||||
27 | ![]() |
Louis Lincoln Emmerson December 27, 1863 – February 4, 1941 (aged 77) |
January 14, 1929 – January 9, 1933 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1928 | |||
28 | ![]() |
Henry Horner November 30, 1878 – October 6, 1940 (aged 61) |
January 9, 1933 – October 6, 1940 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1932 | Thomas Donovan | ||
1936 | John Henry Stelle | |||||||
29 | ![]() |
John Henry Stelle August 10, 1891 – July 5, 1962 (aged 70) |
October 6, 1940 – January 13, 1941 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Vacant | ||
30 | ![]() |
Dwight H. Green January 9, 1897 – February 20, 1958 (aged 61) |
January 13, 1941 – January 10, 1949 (lost election) |
Republican | 1940 | Hugh W. Cross | ||
1944 | ||||||||
31 | ![]() |
Adlai Stevenson II February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965 (aged 65) |
January 10, 1949 – January 12, 1953 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1948 | Sherwood Dixon | ||
32 | ![]() |
William Stratton February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001 (aged 87) |
January 12, 1953 – January 9, 1961 (lost election) |
Republican | 1952 | John William Chapman | ||
1956 | ||||||||
33 | ![]() |
Otto Kerner Jr. August 15, 1908 – May 9, 1976 (aged 67) |
January 9, 1961 – May 21, 1968 (resigned)[i] |
Democratic | 1960 | Samuel H. Shapiro | ||
1964 | ||||||||
34 | ![]() |
Samuel H. Shapiro April 25, 1907 – March 16, 1987 (aged 79) |
May 21, 1968 – January 13, 1969 |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Vacant | ||
35 | ![]() |
Richard B. Ogilvie February 22, 1923 – May 10, 1988 (aged 65) |
January 13, 1969 – January 8, 1973 (lost election) |
Republican | 1968 | Paul Simon[e] | ||
36 | ![]() |
Dan Walker August 6, 1922 – April 29, 2015 (aged 92) |
January 8, 1973 – January 10, 1977 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1972 | Neil Hartigan | ||
37 | ![]() |
James R. Thompson May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020 (aged 84) |
January 10, 1977 – January 14, 1991 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1976[j] | Dave O'Neal (resigned July 31, 1981) | ||
1978 | ||||||||
Vacant | ||||||||
1982 | George Ryan | |||||||
1986 | ||||||||
38 | ![]() |
Jim Edgar July 22, 1946 |
January 14, 1991 – January 11, 1999 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1990 | Bob Kustra (resigned July 1, 1998) | ||
1994 | ||||||||
Vacant | ||||||||
39 | George Ryan February 24, 1934 |
January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1998 | Corinne Wood | |||
40 | ![]() |
Rod Blagojevich December 10, 1956 |
January 13, 2003 – January 29, 2009 (impeached and removed)[k] |
Democratic | 2002 | Pat Quinn | ||
2006 | ||||||||
41 | ![]() |
Pat Quinn December 16, 1948 |
January 29, 2009 – January 12, 2015 (lost election) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | ||
2010 | Sheila Simon | |||||||
42 | ![]() |
Bruce Rauner February 18, 1956 |
January 12, 2015 – January 14, 2019 (lost election) |
Republican | 2014 | Evelyn Sanguinetti | ||
43 | ![]() |
J. B. Pritzker January 19, 1965 |
January 14, 2019 – Incumbent[l] |
Democratic | 2018 | Juliana Stratton |
Living former governors of Illinois
As of 18 May 2022, five former governors of Illinois are currently living, the oldest being George Ryan (served 1999–2003, born 1934). The most recent and most recently serving governor of Illinois to die was James R. Thompson (served 1977–1991), on August 14, 2020.[27]
Governor | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
George Ryan | 1999–2003 | February 24, 1934 |
Jim Edgar | 1991–1999 | July 22, 1946 |
Pat Quinn | 2009–2015 | December 16, 1948 |
Bruce Rauner | 2015–2019 | February 18, 1956 |
Rod Blagojevich | 2003–2009 | December 10, 1956 |
See also
Notes
- ^ Based on the official site labeling Bruce Rauner as the 42nd governor,[16] it is assumed the official numbering includes repeat governors only once; subsequent terms are marked with their original number italicized.
- ^ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
- ^ When the lieutenant governor is serving as governor, the Illinois Blue Book considers the president pro tempore of the senate to be acting lieutenant governor. However, this only applies to acting lieutenant governors before 1883; after that, there are no acting lieutenant governors noted, and instead these are marked vacant. It is unknown why this changed; the constitution does not appear to have any relevant changes around that time.[17]
- ^ Reynolds resigned to take elected seat in the United States House of Representatives.[18]
- ^ a b c d e Represented the Democratic Party
- ^ The election schedule was shifted after this term, shortening it to two years.[10]
- ^ Oglesby resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.[19][20]
- ^ Cullom resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.[21]
- ^ Kerner resigned to take seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[22][23]
- ^ The schedule for the 1970 constitution provided that the 1976 election would be for a two-year term, shifting the election schedule away from presidential election years.[24]
- ^ Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption.[25][26]
- ^ Pritzker's first term expires on January 9, 2023.
References
- General
- "Illinois: Past Governors Bios". National Governors Association. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- "Illinois Blue Book" (PDF). Illinois Secretary of State. pp. 359–360. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- Constitutions
- Specific
- ^ "Governors' Salaries, 2015". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ^ IL Const. art. V
- ^ "4 of Illinois' last 7 governors went to prison". Kankakee Daily Journal. 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
- ^ "4 out of previous 7 Illinois governors (Kerner, Walker, Ryan and Blagojevich) went to prison". WLS-TV Eyewitness News. 2013-01-13. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
- ^ "Election Results". Elections.il.gov. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ Robert P. Howard (1988), Mostly Good and Competent Men: Illinois Governors, 1818–1988, Illinois Issues and the Illinois State Historical Society, 39–40.
- ^ 3 Stat. 536
- ^ 1818 Const. art. III, § 2
- ^ a b 1818 Const. art. III, § 3
- ^ a b 1848 Const. art. IV, § 3
- ^ 1818 Const. art. III, § 13
- ^ 1818 Const. art. III, § 18
- ^ 1848 Const. art. IV, § 19
- ^ a b IL Const. art. V, § 6
- ^ IL Const. art. V, § 4
- ^ "About the Governor". State of Illinois. Archived from the original on 2018-04-26. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ Illinois Blue Book, p. 360
- ^ "John Reynolds". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Richard James Oglesby". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Nomination of Gov. Oglesby for United States Senator". The New York Times. January 10, 1873. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Shelby Moore Cullom". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Otto Kerner". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Otto Kerner Goes to Jail Today, His Once‐Shining Career at End". The New York Times. July 29, 1974. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ Lousin, Ann (2011). The Illinois State Constitution. Oxford University Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780199766925.
- ^ "Rod R. Blagojevich". National Governors Association. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ "Blagojevich Ousted by Illinois State Senate". The New York Times. January 29, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- ^ Steinberg, Neil (August 15, 2020). "Former Gov. James Thompson, a giant of Illinois politics, dead at 84". Chicago Sun-Times.