The governor of Montana is the head of government of Montana and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Montana State Legislature, to convene the legislature at any time, and to grant pardons and reprieves.
| Governor of Montana | |
|---|---|
State seal | |
State flag | |
Incumbent since January 4, 2021Greg Gianforte | |
| Government of Montana | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Residence | Montana Governor's Residence |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once (limited to eight years in a sixteen year period) |
| Constituting instrument | Montana Constitution of 1889 |
| Inaugural holder | Joseph K. Toole |
| Formation | November 8, 1889 |
| Succession | Line of succession |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Montana |
| Salary | $108,167 (2022) |
| Website | governor |
Montana has had 24 governors, consisting of 9 Republicans and 15 Democrats. The longest-serving governor was Joseph Toole, who served from 1889 to 1893 and again from 1901 until his resignation in 1908 with 11 years in office. He is the only governor to serve nonconsecutive terms. The shortest-serving governor was Elmer Holt, who served less than 13 months when the previous governor died. The current governor is Republican Greg Gianforte, who took office on January 4, 2021.
List of governors
Territory of Montana
Montana Territory was organized from Idaho Territory on May 26, 1864. During its 35-year history, it had nine governors appointed by the president of the United States, and three acting governors, all of whom had been appointed territorial secretary before becoming acting governor. The first, Thomas Francis Meagher, served as acting governor from 1865 until 1867. The second, James Tufts, served in for one month in 1869, and was succeeded by Wiley Scribner, who served 1869–1870.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sidney Edgerton (1818–1900) | June 22, 1864 – July 13, 1866 (successor appointed) | Abraham Lincoln | |
| 2 | Green Clay Smith (1826–1895) | July 13, 1866 – April 9, 1869 (resigned) | Andrew Johnson | |
| 3 | James Mitchell Ashley (1824–1896) | April 9, 1869 – December 17, 1869 (removed) | Ulysses S. Grant | |
| 4 | Benjamin F. Potts (1836–1887) | July 13, 1870 – August 4, 1882 (successor appointed) | Ulysses S. Grant | |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | ||||
| 5 | John Schuyler Crosby (1839–1914) | August 4, 1882 – November 11, 1884 (resigned) | Chester A. Arthur | |
| 6 | B. Platt Carpenter (1837–1921) | December 22, 1884 – July 3, 1885 (removed) | Chester A. Arthur | |
| 7 | Samuel Thomas Hauser (1833–1914) | May 14, 1886 – January 13, 1887 (resigned) | Grover Cleveland | |
| 8 | Preston Leslie (1819–1907) | January 13, 1887 – March 27, 1889 (successor appointed) | Grover Cleveland | |
| 9 | Benjamin F. White (1838–1920) | March 27, 1889 – November 8, 1889 (statehood) | Benjamin Harrison | |
State of Montana
Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889.
The current Montana Constitution, ratified in 1972, calls for a 4-year term for the governor, commencing on the first Monday in January following an election. A 1992 amendment limits the governor to 8 years in any 16-year period. The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket; a provision which did not appear in the state's first constitution, ratified in 1889. In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor due to resignation, disqualification, or death, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term. If the governor is unable to perform his duties for any other reason, the lieutenant governor may become acting governor at the discretion of the state legislature.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Toole (1851–1929) | November 8, 1889 – January 2, 1893 (did not run) | Democratic | 1889 | John E. Rickards | |||
| 2 | John E. Rickards (1848–1927) | January 2, 1893 – January 4, 1897 (did not run) | Republican | 1892 | Alexander Campbell Botkin | |||
| 3 | Robert Burns Smith (1854–1908) | January 4, 1897 – January 7, 1901 (did not run) | Fusion | 1896 | Archibald E. Spriggs | |||
| 4 | Joseph Toole (1851–1929) | January 7, 1901 – April 1, 1908 (resigned) | Democratic | 1900 | Frank G. Higgins | |||
| 1904 | Edwin L. Norris | |||||||
| 5 | Edwin L. Norris (1865–1924) | April 1, 1908 – January 6, 1913 (did not run) | Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Benjamin F. White | |||
| 1908 | William Allen | |||||||
| 6 | Sam V. Stewart (1872–1939) | January 6, 1913 – January 3, 1921 (did not run) | Democratic | 1912 | W. W. McDowell | |||
| 1916 | ||||||||
| 7 | Joseph M. Dixon (1867–1934) | January 3, 1921 – January 5, 1925 (lost election) | Republican | 1920 | Nelson Story Jr. | |||
| 8 | John E. Erickson (1863–1946) | January 5, 1925 – March 13, 1933 (resigned) | Democratic | 1924 | W. S. McCormack | |||
| 1928 | Frank A. Hazelbaker | |||||||
| 1932 | Frank Henry Cooney | |||||||
| 9 | Frank Henry Cooney (1872–1935) | March 13, 1933 – December 15, 1935 (died in office) | Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Tom Kane | |||
| Ernest T. Eaton | ||||||||
| Elmer Holt | ||||||||
| 10 | Elmer Holt (1884–1945) | December 15, 1935 – January 4, 1937 (lost nomination) | Democratic | Succeeded from president of the Senate | William P. Pilgeram | |||
| 11 | Roy E. Ayers (1882–1955) | January 4, 1937 – January 6, 1941 (lost election) | Democratic | 1936 | Hugh R. Adair | |||
| 12 | Sam C. Ford (1882–1961) | January 6, 1941 – January 3, 1949 (lost election) | Republican | 1940 | Ernest T. Eaton | |||
| 1944 | ||||||||
| 13 | John W. Bonner (1902–1970) | January 3, 1949 – January 5, 1953 (lost election) | Democratic | 1948 | Paul C. Cannon | |||
| 14 | J. Hugo Aronson (1891–1978) | January 5, 1953 – January 2, 1961 (did not run) | Republican | 1952 | George M. Gosman | |||
| 1956 | Paul C. Cannon | |||||||
| 15 | Donald Grant Nutter (1915–1962) | January 2, 1961 – January 25, 1962 (died in office) | Republican | 1960 | Tim Babcock | |||
| 16 | Tim Babcock (1919–2015) | January 25, 1962 – January 6, 1969 (lost election) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | David F. James | |||
| 1964 | Ted James | |||||||
| 17 | Forrest H. Anderson (1913–1989) | January 6, 1969 – January 1, 1973 (did not run) | Democratic | 1968 | Thomas Lee Judge | |||
| 18 | Thomas Lee Judge (1934–2006) | January 1, 1973 – January 5, 1981 (lost nomination) | Democratic | 1972 | Bill Christiansen | |||
| 1976 | Ted Schwinden | |||||||
| 19 | Ted Schwinden (1925–2023) | January 5, 1981 – January 2, 1989 (did not run) | Democratic | 1980 | George Turman | |||
| 1984 | ||||||||
| Gordon McOmber | ||||||||
| 20 | Stan Stephens (1929–2021) | January 2, 1989 – January 4, 1993 (did not run) | Republican | 1988 | Allen Kolstad | |||
| Denny Rehberg | ||||||||
| 21 | Marc Racicot (b. 1948) | January 4, 1993 – January 2, 2001 (term-limited) | Republican | 1992 | ||||
| 1996 | Judy Martz | |||||||
| 22 | Judy Martz (1943–2017) | January 2, 2001 – January 3, 2005 (did not run) | Republican | 2000 | Karl Ohs | |||
| 23 | Brian Schweitzer (b. 1955) | January 3, 2005 – January 7, 2013 (term-limited) | Democratic | 2004 | John Bohlinger | |||
| 2008 | ||||||||
| 24 | Steve Bullock (b. 1966) | January 7, 2013 – January 4, 2021 (term-limited) | Democratic | 2012 | John Walsh | |||
| Angela McLean | ||||||||
| Mike Cooney | ||||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||
| 25 | Greg Gianforte (b. 1961) | January 4, 2021 – Incumbent | Republican | 2020 | Kristen Juras | |||
| 2024 | ||||||||
Timeline
| Timeline of Montana governors |
| |
Electoral history (1952–)
| Year | Democratic nominee | Republican nominee | Independent candidate | Libertarian nominee | Green nominee | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | Candidate | # | % | ||||||
| 1952 | John W. Bonner | 129,369 | 49.04% | J. Hugo Aronson | 134,423 | 50.96% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1956 | Arnold Olsen | 131,488 | 48.63% | J. Hugo Aronson | 138,878 | 51.37% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1960 | Paul C. Cannon | 125,651 | 44.89% | Donald G. Nutter | 154,230 | 55.11% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1964 | Roland Renne | 136,862 | 48.71% | Tim Babcock | 144,113 | 51.29% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1968 | Forrest H. Anderson | 150,481 | 54.11% | Tim Babcock | 116,432 | 41.87% | Wayne Montgomery (New Reform) | 11,199 | 4.03% | – | – | |||||||||
| 1972 | Thomas Lee Judge | 172,523 | 54.12% | Ed Smith | 146,231 | 45.88% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1976 | Thomas Lee Judge | 195,420 | 61.70% | Bob Woodahl | 115,848 | 36.58% | Charlie Mahoney | 5,452 | 1.72% | – | – | |||||||||
| 1980 | Ted Schwinden | 199,574 | 55.37% | Jack Ramirez | 160,892 | 44.63% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1984 | Ted Schwinden | 266,578 | 70.34% | Pat M. Goodover | 100,070 | 26.41% | – | Larry Dodge | 12,322 | 3.25% | – | |||||||||
| 1988 | Thomas Lee Judge | 169,313 | 46.13% | Stan Stephens | 190,604 | 51.93% | – | William Dee Morris | 7,104 | 1.94% | – | |||||||||
| 1992 | Dorothy Bradley | 198,421 | 48.65% | Marc Racicot | 209,401 | 51.35% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 1996 | Judy Jacobson | 84,407 | 20.83% | Marc Racicot | 320,768 | 79.17% | – | – | – | |||||||||||
| 2000 | Mark O'Keefe | 193,131 | 47.08% | Judy Martz | 209,135 | 50.98% | – | Stan Jones | 7,926 | 1.93% | – | |||||||||
| 2004 | Brian Schweitzer | 225,016 | 50.44% | Bob Brown | 205,313 | 46.02% | – | Stan Jones | 7,424 | 1.66% | Bob Kelleher | 8,393 | 1.88% | |||||||
| 2008 | Brian Schweitzer | 318,670 | 65.47% | Roy Brown | 158,268 | 32.52% | – | Stan Jones | 9,976 | 2.01% | – | |||||||||
| 2012 | Steve Bullock | 236,450 | 48.90% | Rick Hill | 228,879 | 47.34% | – | Ron Vandevender | 18,160 | 3.76% | – | |||||||||
| 2016 | Steve Bullock | 255,933 | 50.25% | Greg Gianforte | 236,115 | 46.35% | – | Ted Dunlap | 17,312 | 3.40% | – | |||||||||
| 2020 | Mike Cooney | 250,860 | 41.56% | Greg Gianforte | 328,548 | 54.43% | – | Lyman Bishop | 24,179 | 4.01% | – | |||||||||
| 2024 | Ryan Busse | 232,644 | 38.62% | Greg Gianforte | 354,569 | 58.86% | – | Kaiser Leib | 15,191 | 2.52% | – | |||||||||
See also
- Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Montana
- First Ladies and Gentlemen of Montana
- List of Montana state legislatures
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