This list of governors of Puerto Rico includes all persons who have held the office of Governor of Puerto Rico since its establishment under the rule of the Spanish Empire (1508–1898) to the present under the sovereignty of the United States (1898–present).
The archipelago and island of Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States during the Spanish–American War in 1898, ending 390 years of active rule by the Spanish Empire, which began the European exploration, colonization, and settlement of the main island under conquistador Juan Ponce de León in 1508. Ponce de León was the first person to hold the title and office of governor by orders of King Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1509. The governor remained an appointee of the Spanish Crown during Spanish rule, and was an appointee of the President of the United States during American rule until 1948, when the residents of Puerto Rico began to popularly elect the governor, starting with Luis Muñoz Marín, who took office in 1949.
Since 1508, 167 persons (164 men and 3 women), have served in 190 formal, interim, or de facto governorships, as 17 governors have served twice nonconsecutively and 3 have served thrice nonconsecutively. Of the 190 governors, 175 have been appointed (149 by the Spanish Crown and 26 by the President of the United States), 14 elected through popular vote by the residents of Puerto Rico, and one constitutionally appointed after the resignation of an elected governor.
The governorship has been vacant twice, as two municipal administrators, called alcaldes ordinarios, served in place of a governor each year from 1537 to 1544 and 1548 to 1550. The shortest-serving governor was Andrés González Muñoz, who died hours after the start of his second interim governorship on January 11, 1898. Luis Muñoz Marín served the longest, having held the office for 16 consecutive years, or four terms of four years each, from 1949 to 1965, after he decided not to seek re-election. Ricardo Rosselló, who left office prematurely as a result of the Telegramgate scandal in 2019, is the first and only elected governor to have resigned. No elected governor has been impeached.
The first governor born in Puerto Rico was Ponce de León’s grandchild, Juan Ponce de León II, who served as interim governor from 1578 to 1580. He was the only Puerto Rican-born person to occupy the office until Ángel Rivero Méndez, who served in an interim capacity as the last governor under Spanish rule for two days from October 16 to 18, 1898. Several Puerto Ricans also briefly served as interim governors from 1921 to 1941. During the direct Spanish and American control of the governorship from 1508 to 1948, the first and only native Puerto Rican to have held the office in a formal capacity was Jesús T. Piñero, who served as the last appointed governor of Puerto Rico from 1946 to 1949.
Since 1949, the governor of Puerto Rico has served by popular election as the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States organized under the Constitution of Puerto Rico since its establishment in 1952. The incumbent governor is Jenniffer González, who was elected on November 5, 2024, and sworn in on January 2, 2025.
History
Spanish Empire rule
With the European discovery of Puerto Rico during the second voyage of Christopher Columbus in November 1493, the archipelagic island was claimed by the Spanish Crown. In 1505, Spanish King Ferdinand II of Aragon ordered the colonization of Puerto Rico, appointing Spanish conquistador Vicente Yáñez Pinzón as its captain and corregidor to essentially serve as a de facto governor. However, Yáñez Pinzón never fulfilled the commission. Puerto Rico remained unexplored and unsettled by the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1508.
In 1508, the King ordered Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León to conquer Puerto Rico, becoming the first European to explore, colonize, and settle the archipelago and island. In 1509, the title and position of governor of Puerto Rico was officially established by King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who appointed Ponce de León as the first holder of the office. The governor continued to be appointed by the Spanish Crown for 390 years, serving under various administrative entities: the Viceroyalty of the Indies (1508–1535), the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1535–1582), the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico (1582–1897), and the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico (1897–1898).
From 1537 to 1544 and 1548 to 1550, the governorship remained vacant, as alcaldes ordinarios served in place of a governor. By order of King Charles I of Spain, two alcaldes ordinarios, one for the eastern cabildo of Partido de San Juan and the other for the western cabildo of Partido de San Germán, were elected each year by the regidores of each cabildo. The alcaldes ordinarios, who could only be re-elected two years after the end of their one-year term, served as municipal administrators and not governors.
From 1578 to 1580, Juan Ponce de León’s grandchild, Juan Ponce de León II, served as interim governor, becoming the first Puerto Rican-born person to served as governor of the archipelago and island. He was the only Puerto Rican-born person to occupy the office until Ángel Rivero Méndez, who served for three days as interim governor from October 16 to October 18, 1898.
With the English occupation of San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico, from June to November 1598, which was the only complete takeover of the city by a foreign power before its peaceful transfer to the Americans after hostilities stopped during the Spanish–American War in October 1898, the governor, Antonio de Mosquera, surrendered and was exiled to Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. However, the English, led by George Clifford and John Berkeley, failed to keep the city and to gain control of the main island. From November 1598 to March 1599, former governor Pedro Suárez Coronel, who had been imprisoned in San Juan’s El Morro fortress, assumed the governorship after the retreat of the English and arrival of Mosquera’s formal replacement, Alonso de Mercado.
United States sovereignty
In 1898, the President of the United States assumed the authority to appoint the person occupying the office as a result of the annexation of the archipelago and island by the United States during Spanish American War.
While General Nelson A. Miles led the American invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico from July 25 to August 13, 1898, he never served as governor, as that responsibility was assigned to fellow General John R. Brooke, who was head of the American delegation to the commission for the peaceful transfer of sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States, as stipulated in the armistice signed by the two countries on August 12. After the departure of the Spanish officials from San Juan on October 16, Brooke became the first American governor of the archipelago and island on October 18, 1898, succeeding interim governor Ángel Rivero Méndez, who was the last governor under Spanish administration.
Under the military (1898–1900) and insular civil governments (1900–1952) of Puerto Rico, the latter of which was established by the Foraker Act of 1900 and expanded by the Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917, the governor remained an appointee of the American president from 1898 to 1948. While several Puerto Ricans briefly served as interim governors during this period, the only native Puerto Rican to be appointed to the governorship was Jesús T. Piñero, who served as the last appointed governor of Puerto Rico from 1946 to 1949. Piñero was the first and only native Puerto Rican to held the office in a formal, not interim capacity during the direct Spanish and American control of the governorship from 1508 to 1948.
In 1947, the Elective Governor Act granted the residents of Puerto Rico the power to elect the governor through popular vote. The first election for the governorship was held in 1948, resulting in the victory of Luis Muñoz Marín, who became the first democratically elected governor. Since 1949, the governor of Puerto Rico has served by popular election as the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States organized under the Constitution of Puerto Rico since 1952.
In 2019, governor Ricardo Rosselló, alongside other members of his cabinet, including the Secretary of State, resigned as a result of the Telegramgate scandal, becoming the first elected governor to step down. Before leaving office, Rosselló named Pedro Pierluisi as state secretary, with the intention of making Pierluisi his successor, as the state secretary is the first official in the gubernatorial line of succession. Pierluisi was sworn in as governor after Rosselló’s resignation. However, his tenure only lasted five days, as the Supreme Court ruled that his assumption of the office was unconstitutional because his nomination as state secretary was never confirmed by the Legislative Assembly. He was succeeded by the next official in the gubernatorial line of succession, Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez Garced, who became the first governor to serve through constitutional appointment.
Spanish Empire rule (1508–1898)
This list includes all governors of Puerto Rico who served under the Spanish Empire from the start of the colonization of the archipelago and island in 1508 to the end of Spanish rule as a result of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Governors are divided by the administrative territorial entity under which they directly served.
Viceroyalty of the Indies (1508–1535)
In 1492, when explorer Christopher Columbus took possession of the West Indies in the Caribbean in the name of the Spanish Empire, pursuant to the provisions of the Capitulations of Santa Fe granted by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, the Viceroyalty of the Indies was established as an administrative entity, with Columbus as its first viceroy and governor. Headquartered in the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, it was primarily composed of the Greater and Lesser Antilles islands discovered by Columbus during his voyages to the Americas, including the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico, where he landed during his second voyage in 1493.
From the start of the colonization of Puerto Rico by Juan Ponce León in 1508 to the merging of the Viceroyalty of the Indies into the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch of Spain, the president of the Council of the Indies, and the viceroy and governor of the Viceroyalty of the Indies, who was also the governor of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo and the president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola.
| No. | Signature | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| 1 | Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474–1521) | June 15, 1508 | October 28, 1509 | 1 year, 135 days | ||
| 2 | Juan Cerón (unknown) | October 28, 1509 | March 2, 1510 | 125 days | ||
| 3 | Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474–1521) | March 2, 1510 | June 21, 1511 | 1 year, 111 days | ||
| 4 | Gonzalo de Ovalle Interim (unknown) | June 21, 1511 | November 28, 1511 | 160 days | ||
| 5 | Juan Cerón (unknown) | November 28, 1511 | June 2, 1512 | 187 days | ||
| 6 | Rodrigo de Moscoso (unknown) | June 2, 1512 | February 1513 | ≥ 244 days | ||
| 7 | Cristóbal de Mendoza (unknown) | February 1513 | July 15, 1515 | ≥ 2 years, 137 days | ||
| 8 | Juan Ponce de León (c. 1474–1521) | July 15, 1515 | September 12, 1519 | 4 years, 59 days | ||
| 9 | Antonio de la Gama (c. 1489) | September 12, 1519 | January 15, 1521 | 1 year, 125 days | ||
| 10 | Pedro Moreno (unknown) | January 15, 1521 | May 1523 | ≥ 2 years, 106 days | ||
| 11 | Alonso Manso Interim (1460–1539) | May 1523 | 1524 | ≥ 215 days | ||
| 12 | Pedro Moreno (unknown) | 1524 | June 1529 | ≥ 4 years, 152 days | ||
| 13 | Antonio de la Gama (c. 1489) | June 1529 | 1530 | ≥ 185 days | ||
| 14 | Francisco Manuel de Lando (d. 1536) | 1530 | August 1536 | ≥ 6 years, 183 days | ||
Viceroyalty of New Spain (1535–1582)
In 1535, the administrative entity of the Viceroyalty of the Indies was merged into the newly-created Viceroyalty of New Spain. Headquartered in Mexico City, it was composed of Mexico, the Louisiana Purchase, Florida, and the states west of the Mississippi River in the United States, British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua in Central America, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles in the insular Caribbean, and Venezuela in South America.
From the establishment of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535 to the creation of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico in 1582, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch of Spain, the president of the Council of the Indies, the viceroy of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo, who was also the governor of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola.
| No. | Signature | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| 15 | Vasco de Tiedra (unknown) | August 1536 | September 28, 1537 | ≥ 1 year, 28 days | ||
| – | Vacant Alcaldes ordinarios | September 28, 1537 | 1544 | ≥ 6 years, 95 days | ||
| 16 | Jerónimo Lebrón de Quiñones (1505–1545) | 1544 | July 6, 1545 | ≥ 187 days | ||
| 17 | Iñigo López Cervantes y Loaysa (unknown) | July 6, 1545 | July 6, 1546 | 1 year, 0 days | ||
| 18 | Diego de Carasa (d. 1570) | July 6, 1546 | 1548 | ≥ 1 year, 179 days | ||
| – | Vacant Alcaldes ordinarios | 1548 | 1550 | ≥ 1 year, 1 day | ||
| 19 | Luis de Vallejo (unknown) | 1550 | 1555 | ≥ 4 years, 1 day | ||
| 20 | Alonso Estévez (unknown) | 1555 | August 12, 1555 | ≥ 1 day | ||
| 21 | Diego de Carasa (d. 1570) | August 12, 1555 | 1561 | ≥ 5 years, 142 days | ||
| 22 | Antonio de la Llama Vallejo (unknown) | 1561 | March 20, 1564 | ≥ 2 years, 80 days | ||
| 23 | Francisco Bahamonde de Lugo (d. 1574) | March 20, 1564 | December 31, 1568 | 4 years, 286 days | ||
| 24 | Francisco de Solís Osorio (unknown) | December 31, 1568 | 1575 | ≥ 6 years, 1 day | ||
| 25 | Francisco de Ovando y Mexía (c. 1546–1579) | 1575 | December 1578 | ≥ 2 years, 335 days | ||
| 26 | Juan Ponce de León II Interim (1524–1591) | December 1578 | 1580 | ≥ 1 year, 1 day | ||
| 27 | Jerónimo de Agüero Campuzano Interim (unknown) | 1580 | April 24, 1580 | ≥ 1 day | ||
| 28 | Juan de Céspedes (d. 1591) | April 24, 1580 | August 2, 1581 | 1 year, 100 days | ||
| 29 | Juan López Melgarejo Interim (unknown) | August 2, 1581 | June 12, 1582 | 314 days | ||
In 1582, the administrative entity of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was established as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was composed of the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico.
From the establishment of the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico in 1582 to the creation of the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico in 1898, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch of Spain, the viceroy of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1582–1821), the president of the Council of the Indies (1582–1714), the secretary of the Secretariat of the Navy and the Indies (1714–1754), the secretary of the Secretariat of State and the Office of the Indies (1754–1863), and the minister of the Ministry of Overseas (1863–1897), and the Valido (1598–1705), the Secretary of State and the Universal Bureau (1705–1734), the First Secretary of State (1734–1823), and the Prime Minister (1823–1897). The Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the president of the Real Audiencia of Santo Domingo until the creation of the Real Audiencia of Puerto Rico in 1831.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| 30 | Diego Menéndez de Valdés (1553–1596) | June 12, 1582 | May 11, 1593 | 10 years, 333 days | ||
| 31 | Pedro Suárez Coronel (unknown) | May 11, 1593 | December 20, 1597 | ≥ 4 years, 223 days | ||
| 32 | Antonio de Mosquera (unknown) | December 20, 1597 | June 21, 1598 | 183 days | ||
| Start of the English occupation of San Juan | ||||||
| – | George Clifford (1558–1605) | June 21, 1598 | August 13, 1598 | 53 days | ||
| John Berkeley (unknown) | August 13, 1598 | September 23, 1598 | 41 days | |||
| End of the English occupation of San Juan | ||||||
| 33 | Pedro Suárez Coronel de facto (unknown) | September 23, 1598 | March 22, 1599 | 181 days | ||
| 34 | Alonso de Mercado (unknown) | March 22, 1599 | August 7, 1602 | 3 years, 138 days | ||
| 35 | Sancho Ochoa de Castro (1566–1608) | August 7, 1602 | July 22, 1608 | 5 years, 350 days | ||
| 36 | Gabriel de Rojas Páramo (1565–c. 1620) | July 22, 1608 | April 1614 | ≥ 5 years, 283 days | ||
| 37 | Felipe de Beaumont y Navarra (1564–1626) | April 1614 | May 31, 1620 | ≥ 6 years, 31 days | ||
| 38 | Juan de Vargas Asejas (1587–1631) | May 31, 1620 | August 25, 1625 | 5 years, 86 days | ||
| 39 | Juan de Haro y Sanvítores (1565–1632) | August 25, 1625 | August 1631 | ≥ 5 years, 341 days | ||
| 40 | Enrique Enríquez de Sotomayor (c. 1560–1638) | August 1631 | June 27, 1635 | ≥ 3 years, 300 days | ||
| 41 | Iñigo de la Mota Sarmiento (b. 1598) | June 27, 1635 | June 1641 | ≥ 5 years, 339 days | ||
| 42 | Agustín de Silva y Figueroa (c. 1600–1641) | June 1641 | December 1641 | ≥ 154 days | ||
| 43 | Juan de Bolaños Interim (unknown) | December 1641 | July 9, 1643 | ≥ 1 year, 190 days | ||
| 44 | Fernando de la Riva Agüero y Setién (1606–1663) | July 9, 1643 | July 12, 1650 | 7 years, 3 days | ||
| 45 | Diego de Aguilera y Gamboa (1606–1667) | July 12, 1650 | March 25, 1656 | 5 years, 257 days | ||
| 46 | José de Novoa y Moscoso (b. 1607) | March 25, 1656 | August 28, 1661 | 5 years, 156 days | ||
| 47 | Juan Pérez de Guzmán (c. 1618) | August 28, 1661 | November 23, 1664 | 3 years, 87 days | ||
| 48 | Jerónimo de Velasco (unknown) | November 23, 1664 | August 16, 1670 | 5 years, 266 days | ||
| 49 | Gaspar de Arteaga y Lequedano (c. 1619–1674) | August 16, 1670 | March 7, 1674 | 3 years, 203 days | ||
| 50 | Diego de Robledillo y Velasco Interim (unknown) | March 7, 1674 | July 20, 1674 | 163 days | ||
| 51 | Baltasar de Figueroa y Castilla Interim (unknown) | July 20, 1674 | April 2, 1675 | 256 days | ||
| 52 | Alonso de Campos y Espinosa (unknown) | April 2, 1675 | 1678 | ≥ 2 years, 274 days | ||
| 53 | Juan de Robles Lorenzana (unknown) | 1678 | July 14, 1683 | ≥ 4 years, 195 days | ||
| 54 | Gaspar Martínez de Andino (unknown) | July 14, 1683 | May 5, 1690 | 6 years, 295 days | ||
| 55 | Gaspar de Arredondo y Valle (unknown) | May 5, 1690 | August 11, 1695 | 5 years, 99 days | ||
| 56 | Juan Fernández Franco de Medina (c. 1646–1998) | August 11, 1695 | May 16, 1998 | 2 years, 278 days | ||
| 57 | Antonio de Robles Silva Interim (unknown) | May 16, 1698 | October 17, 1699 | 1 year, 154 days | ||
| 58 | Gaspar de Arredondo y Valle Interim (unknown) | October 17, 1699 | June 21, 1700 | 247 days | ||
| 59 | Gabriel Gutiérrez de Riva (1655–1703) | June 21, 1700 | July 23, 1703 | 3 years, 32 days | ||
| 60 | Diego Jiménez de Villarán Interim (unknown) | July 23, 1703 | October 12, 1703 | 81 days | ||
| 61 | Francisco Sánchez Calderón Interim (unknown) | October 12, 1703 | 1704 | ≥ 81 days | ||
| 62 | Pedro de Arroyo y Guerrero Interim (d. 1706) | 1704 | 1706 | ≥ 1 year, 1 day | ||
| 63 | Juan López de Morla Interim (unknown) | 1706 | 1706 | ≥ 1 day | ||
| 64 | Francisco Danio Granados (unknown) | 1706 | 1709 | ≥ 2 years, 1 day | ||
| 65 | Juan de Ribera (unknown) | 1709 | May 3, 1716 | ≥ 6 years, 124 days | ||
| 66 | José Francisco Carreño Interim (unknown) | May 3, 1716 | August 30, 1716 | 119 days | ||
| 67 | Alberto Bertodano y Navarra (unknown) | August 30, 1716 | April 7, 1720 | 3 years, 221 days | ||
| 68 | Francisco Danio Granados (unknown) | April 7, 1720 | August 22, 1724 | 4 years, 137 days | ||
| 69 | José Antonio de Mendizábal y Azcue (unknown) | August 22, 1724 | October 11, 1731 | 7 years, 50 days | ||
| 70 | Matías de Abadía (unknown) | October 11, 1731 | June 28, 1743 | 11 years, 260 days | ||
| 71 | Domingo Pérez de Nanclares Interim (unknown) | June 28, 1743 | October 29, 1743 | 123 days | ||
| 72 | Juan José Colomo (d. 1750) | October 29, 1743 | August 11, 1750 | 6 years, 286 days | ||
| 73 | Agustín de Pareja (d. 1751) | August 11, 1750 | July 8, 1751 | 331 days | ||
| 74 | Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim (unknown) | July 8, 1751 | May 1, 1753 | 1 year, 297 days | ||
| 75 | Felipe Ramírez de Estenoz (unknown) | May 1, 1753 | August 30, 1757 | 4 years, 121 days | ||
| 76 | Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim (unknown) | August 30, 1757 | June 3, 1759 | 1 year, 277 days | ||
| 77 | Antonio de Guazo Calderón' (d. 1760) | June 3, 1759 | March 7, 1760 | 278 days | ||
| 78 | Esteban Bravo de Rivero Interim (unknown) | March 7, 1760 | November 29, 1760 | 267 days | ||
| 79 | Ambrosio de Benavides (1718–1787) | November 29, 1760 | March 12, 1766 | 5 years, 103 days | ||
| 80 | Marcos de Vergara (unknown) | March 12, 1766 | October 28, 1766 | 230 days | ||
| 81 | José Tentor Interim (unknown) | October 28, 1766 | July 31, 1770 | 3 years, 276 days | ||
| 82 | Miguel de Muesas (unknown) | July 31, 1770 | June 2, 1776 | 5 years, 307 days | ||
| 83 | José Dufresne (1707–1786) | June 2, 1776 | April 6, 1783 | 6 years, 305 days | ||
| 84 | Juan Andrés Daban y Busterino (1724–1793) | April 6, 1783 | March 27, 1789 | 5 years, 355 days | ||
| 85 | Francisco Torralbo y Robles Interim (c. 1740–1795) | March 27, 1789 | July 8, 1789 | 103 days | ||
| 86 | Miguel Antonio de Ustáriz (d. 1792) | July 8, 1789 | March 27, 1792 | 2 years, 263 days | ||
| 87 | Francisco Torralbo y Robles Interim (c. 1740–1795) | March 27, 1792 | 1794 | ≥ 1 year, 280 days | ||
| 88 | Henrique de Grimarest (unknown) | 1794 | March 21, 1795 | ≥ 80 days | ||
| 89 | Ramón de Castro y Gutiérrez (1751–c. 1812) | March 21, 1795 | November 12, 1804 | 9 years, 236 days | ||
| 90 | Toribio Montes y Pérez (1749–1828) | November 12, 1804 | June 30, 1809 | 4 years, 230 days | ||
| 91 | Salvador Meléndez y Bruna (1757–1824) | June 30, 1809 | March 22, 1820 | 10 years, 266 days | ||
| 92 | Juan Vasco y Pascual (unknown) | March 24, 1820 | August 7, 1820 | 136 days | ||
| 93 | Gonzalo Aróstegui y Herrera (1774–1839) | August 7, 1820 | February 12, 1822 | 1 year, 189 days | ||
| 94 | José de Navarro Interim (unknown) | February 12, 1822 | May 30, 1822 | 107 days | ||
| 95 | Francisco González de Linares (unknown) | May 30, 1822 | December 4, 1822 | 215 days | ||
| 96 | Miguel Luciano de la Torre y Pando (1786–1843) | December 4, 1822 | January 16, 1837 | 14 years, 269 days | ||
| 97 | Francisco Moreda y Prieto (unknown) | January 16, 1837 | December 16, 1837 | 334 days | ||
| 98 | Miguel López de Baños (1779–1861) | December 16, 1837 | October 2, 1840 | 2 years, 291 days | ||
| 99 | Santiago Méndez de Vigo (1791–1860) | October 2, 1840 | April 24, 1844 | 3 years, 205 days | ||
| 100 | Rafael de Arístegui y Vélez (1794–1863) | April 24, 1844 | December 15, 1847 | 3 years, 235 days | ||
| 101 | Juan Prim y Prats (1814–1870) | December 15, 1847 | September 5, 1848 | 265 days | ||
| 102 | Juan de la Pezuela y Cevallos (1810–1906) | September 5, 1848 | April 21, 1851 | 2 years, 228 days | ||
| 103 | Enrique de España y Taberner (1801–1878) | April 21, 1851 | May 4, 1852 | 1 year, 13 days | ||
| 104 | Fernando Norzagaray y Escudero (1808–1860) | May 4, 1852 | January 31, 1855 | 2 years, 272 days | ||
| 105 | Andrés García Camba (1793–1861) | January 31, 1855 | August 23, 1855 | 204 days | ||
| 106 | José Lémery e Ibarrola (1811–1886) | August 23, 1855 | January 28, 1857 | 1 year, 158 days | ||
| 107 | Fernando Cotoner y Chacón (1810–1888) | January 28, 1857 | July 31, 1860 | 3 years, 185 days | ||
| 108 | Joaquín Martínez de Medinilla Interim unknown | July 13, 1860 | August 19, 1860 | 37 days | ||
| 109 | Rafaél de Echagüe y Bermingham (1815–1915) | August 19, 1860 | March 12, 1862 | 1 year, 205 days | ||
| 110 | Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez Interim (1820–1883) | March 12, 1862 | April 29, 1862 | 48 days | ||
| 111 | Félix María de Messina Iglesias (1798–1872) | April 29, 1862 | November 18, 1865 | 3 years, 203 days | ||
| 112 | José María Marchessi y Oleaga (1801–1882) | November 18, 1865 | December 17, 1867 | 2 years, 29 days | ||
| 113 | Julián Juan Pavía y Lacy (1812–1870) | December 17, 1867 | December 30, 1868 | 1 year, 13 days | ||
| 114 | José Laureano Sanz y Posse (1819–1898) | December 30, 1868 | May 28, 1870 | 1 year, 149 days | ||
| 115 | Gabriel Baldrich y Palau (1814–1895) | May 28, 1870 | September 13, 1871 | 1 year, 108 days | ||
| 116 | Ramón Gómez Pulido (1811–1875) | September 13, 1871 | July 30, 1872 | 321 days | ||
| 117 | Simón de la Torre y Ormaza (1803–1884) | July 30, 1872 | November 25, 1872 | 118 days | ||
| 118 | Joaquín Enrile y Hernán Interim (b. 1818) | November 25, 1872 | February 14, 1873 | 81 days | ||
| 119 | Juan Martínez Plowes (1808–1887) | February 14, 1873 | April 14, 1873 | 59 days | ||
| 120 | Rafael Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte (1813–1902) | April 14, 1873 | February 2, 1874 | 294 days | ||
| 121 | José Laureano Sanz y Posse (1819–1898) | February 2, 1874 | December 15, 1875 | 1 year, 316 days | ||
| 122 | Segundo de la Portilla y Gutiérrez (b. 1819) | December 15, 1875 | October 25, 1877 | 1 year, 314 days | ||
| 123 | Manuel de la Serna Hernández Pinzón (1809–1878) | October 25, 1877 | April 26, 1878 | 183 days | ||
| 124 | José Gamir Maladen Interim (1835–1896) | April 26, 1878 | June 24, 1878 | 59 days | ||
| 125 | Eulogio Despujols y Dussay (1834–1807) | June 24, 1878 | July 6, 1881 | 3 years, 12 days | ||
| 126 | Segundo de la Portilla y Gutierrez (b. 1819) | July 6, 1881 | November 23, 1882 | 1 year, 140 days | ||
| 127 | Miguel de la Vega Inclán y Palma (1820–1884) | November 23, 1882 | July 31, 1884 | 1 year, 251 days | ||
| 128 | Carlos Suances y Campos Interim (1818–1891) | July 31, 1884 | September 19, 1884 | 50 days | ||
| 129 | Ramón Fajardo e Izquierdo Interim (1826–1888) | September 19, 1884 | November 1, 1884 | 33 days | ||
| 130 | Carlos Suances y Campos Interim (1818–1891) | November 1, 1884 | November 23, 1884 | 22 days | ||
| 131 | Luis Daban y Ramírez de Arellano (1841–1892) | November 23, 1884 | January 10, 1887 | 2 years, 48 days | ||
| 132 | Juan Contreras Martínez Interim (1834–1907) | January 10, 1887 | March 23, 1887 | 72 days | ||
| 133 | Romualdo Palacios González (1827–1908) | March 23, 1887 | November 11, 1887 | 233 days | ||
| 134 | Juan Contreras Martínez Interim (1834–1907) | November 11, 1887 | February 23, 1888 | 104 days | ||
| 135 | Pedro Ruiz Dana (1826–1891) | February 23, 1888 | April 18, 1890 | 2 years, 54 days | ||
| 136 | José Pascual Bonanza Interim (1834–1892) | April 18, 1890 | April 21, 1890 | 3 days | ||
| 137 | José Lasso Pérez (1837–1913) | April 21, 1890 | November 15, 1892 | 2 years, 208 days | ||
| 138 | Manuel Delgado y Zuleta Interim (1842–1915) | November 15, 1892 | January 10, 1893 | 56 days | ||
| 139 | Antonio Daban y Ramírez de Arrellano (1844–1902) | January 10, 1893 | June 1, 1895 | 2 years, 142 days | ||
| 140 | Andrés González Muñoz Interim (1840–1898) | June 1, 1895 | June 20, 1895 | 19 days | ||
| 141 | José Gamir Maladen (1835–1896) | June 20, 1895 | January 17, 1896 | 211 days | ||
| 142 | Emilio March García Interim (1844–1919) | January 17, 1896 | February 15, 1896 | 29 days | ||
| 143 | Sabas Marín González (1831–1901) | February 15, 1896 | January 4, 1898 | 1 year, 323 days | ||
| 144 | Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim (1838–1917) | January 4, 1898 | January 11, 1898 | 7 days | ||
| 145 | Andrés González Muñoz (1840–1898) | January 11, 1898 | January 11, 1898 | 8 hours | ||
| 146 | Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim (1838–1917) | January 11, 1898 | February 2, 1898 | 22 days | ||
Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico (1898)
In 1897, the Spanish Crown granted local autonomous administration to Puerto Rico under a statute of autonomy, authorizing the establishment of the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico, with a government headed by a partially democratically elected bicameral parliament and a governor, who remained an appointee of the Crown. From the implementation of the Autonomous Province of Puerto Rico in February 1898 to the annexation of the archipelago and island by the United States during the Spanish–American War in October 1898, the governor of Puerto Rico operated under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Crown, which exercised its authority through the monarch, the prime minister, and the overseas minister.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| 147 | Manuel Macías y Casado (1844–1937) | February 2, 1898 | October 14, 1898 | 254 days | ||
| 148 | Ricardo de Ortega y Díez Interim (1838–1917) | October 14, 1898 | October 16, 1898 | 2 days | ||
| 149 | Ángel Rivero Méndez Interim (1856–1930) | October 16, 1898 | October 18, 1898 | 2 days | ||
United States sovereignty (1898–present)
This list includes all governors of Puerto Rico who have served under the United States from the start of the annexation of the archipelago and island during the Spanish-American War in 1898 to the present. Governors are divided by the administrative territorial entity under which they directly served.
In 1898, the United States bombarded, invaded, occupied, and annexed the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The United States Navy carried out the Bombardment of San Juan, the fortified capital city in northeastern Puerto Rico (today the historic quarter of Old San Juan), on May 12, while the United States Army began the land invasion of the territory through the municipality of Guánica in southwestern Puerto Rico on July 25. After an armistice, a cease-fire agreement, was signed on August 12, the active hostilities between Spain and the United States stopped, with the war officially ending by the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10. The armistice led to Spain ceding Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States and agreed to the American occupation of Manila in the Philippines.
The Spanish Empire rule of Puerto Rico effectively ended on October 18, when the United States assumed sovereignty over the territory, establishing the Military Government of Porto Rico (the spelling "Porto Rico" was officially used by U.S. government until 1932), which operated under the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of War. From the establishment of the Military Government Porto Rico in 1898 to the creation of the Insular Government of Porto Rico in 1900, the governor of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States, William McKinley, and his Secretary of War, Elihu Root.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| – | Nelson A. Miles (1839–1925) | July 25, 1898 | August 13, 1898 | 19 days | ||
| 150 | John R. Brooke (1838–1926) | October 18, 1898 | December 6, 1898 | 49 days | ||
| 151 | Guy V. Henry (1839–1899) | December 6, 1898 | May 9, 1899 | 154 days | ||
| 152 | George W. Davis (1839–1918) | May 9, 1899 | May 1, 1900 | 357 days | ||
In 1900, the Insular Government of Porto Rico replaced the Military Government of Porto Rico, establishing a civil government in Puerto Rico as the local administration of an unincorporated territory under the sovereign federal jurisdiction of the United States. The insular government was organized under the organic acts of the Foraker Act from 1900 to 1917 and the Jones–Shafroth Act from 1917 to 1952.
Foraker Act (1900–1917)
The Foraker Act divided the local government of Puerto Rico into three branches: an executive, consisting of a Governor and an 11-member Executive Council appointed by the President of the United States, a legislative, composed of bicameral Legislative Assembly, with the Executive Council as its upper chamber and a 35-member House of Delegates elected by the residents of Puerto Rico as its lower chamber, and a judicial, headed by a chief justice and a district judge appointed by the President. The Act also created the office of Resident Commissioner, a non-voting member to the United States House of Representatives elected by the residents of Puerto Rico.
During the Insular Government of Porto Rico, from the passing of the Foraker Act in 1900 to the implementation of the Jones–Shafroth Act in 1917, the governor of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States and his Secretary of War, as the territory operated under the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of War.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| 153 | Charles H. Allen (1848–1934) | May 1, 1900 | September 15, 1901 | 1 year, 137 days | ||
| 154 | William H. Hunt (1857–1949) | September 15, 1901 | July 4, 1904 | 2 years, 293 days | ||
| 155 | Beekman Winthrop (1874–1940) | July 4, 1904 | April 17, 1907 | 2 years, 287 days | ||
| 156 | Regis H. Post (1870–1944) | April 17, 1907 | November 6, 1909 | 2 years, 203 days | ||
| 157 | George R. Colton (1865–1916) | November 6, 1909 | November 15, 1913 | 4 years, 9 days | ||
| 158 | Arthur Yager (1858–1941) | November 15, 1913 | March 2, 1917 | 3 years, 107 days | ||
Jones–Shafroth Act (1917–1952)
The Jones–Shafroth Act established a bill of rights based on the United States Bill of Rights and granted statutory birthright United States citizenship to anyone born in the archipelago and island of Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899.
The Act expanded the executive and legislative branches of the Insular Government of Porto Rico. It created the executive departments of Justice, Education, Finance, Interior, Labor and Agriculture, and Health, with their heads, the first two appointed by the President of the United States, and the rest appointed by the Governor, who was also appointed by the President, forming an executive council to the Governor. It formed a legislative 19-member Senate elected by the residents of Puerto Rico, and increased the membership and term length of the House of Representatives to 39 popularly elected members serving four-year terms. It also increased to four years the term length of the Resident Commissioner, a non-voting member to the United States House of Representatives elected by the residents of Puerto Rico.
During the Insular Government of Porto Rico, from the passing of the Jones–Shafroth Act in 1917 to the implementation of the Elective Governor Act in 1948, which granted the residents of Puerto Rico the power to elect the governor through popular vote, the governor of Puerto Rico was under the jurisdiction of the President of the United States. As part of the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of War, it remained under the purview of the Secretary of War until 1934, when the responsibility was assumed by the Secretary of Interior, as Puerto Rico was transferred to the Division of Territories and Island Possessions of the United States Department of Interior. Puerto Rico remained under said organization until the proclamation of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952, when it achieved complete local self-governance as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Tenure | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||
| 158 | Arthur Yager (1848–1934) | March 2, 1917 | May 15, 1921 | 4 years, 74 days | ||
| 159 | José E. Benedicto Interim (1880–1924) | May 15, 1921 | July 30, 1921 | 76 days | ||
| 160 | E. Mont Reily (1866–1954) | July 30, 1921 | February 16, 1923 | 1 year, 201 days | ||
| 161 | Juan B. Huyke Interim (1880–1961) | February 16, 1923 | April 1, 1923 | 44 days | ||
| 162 | Horace M. Towner (1855–1937) | April 1, 1923 | September 29, 1929 | 6 years, 181 days | ||
| 163 | James R. Beverley Interim (1894–1967) | September 29, 1929 | October 7, 1929 | 8 days | ||
| 164 | Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1887–1954) | October 7, 1929 | January 30, 1932 | 2 years, 115 days | ||
| 165 | James R. Beverley Interim (1894–1967) | January 30, 1932 | July 3, 1933 | 1 year, 154 days | ||
| 166 | Robert H. Gore (1887–1972) | July 3, 1933 | January 11, 1934 | 192 days | ||
| 167 | Benjamin J. Horton (1873–1963) | January 11, 1934 | February 5, 1934 | 25 days | ||
| 168 | Blanton C. Winship (1869–1947) | February 5, 1934 | June 25, 1939 | 5 years, 140 days | ||
| 169 | José E. Colom Interim (1889–1973) | June 25, 1939 | September 11, 1939 | 78 days | ||
| 170 | William D. Leahy (1875–1959) | September 11, 1939 | November 28, 1940 | 1 year, 78 days | ||
| 171 | José M. Gallardo Interim (1897–1976) | November 28, 1940 | February 3, 1941 | 67 days | ||
| 172 | Guy J. Swope (1892–1969) | February 3, 1941 | July 24, 1941 | 171 days | ||
| 173 | José M. Gallardo Interim (1897–1976) | July 24, 1941 | September 19, 1941 | 57 days | ||
| 174 | Rexford G. Tugwell (1891–1979) | September 19, 1941 | September 2, 1946 | 4 years, 348 days | ||
| 175 | Jesús T. Piñero (1897–1952) | September 2, 1946 | January 2, 1949 | 2 years, 122 days | ||
| 176 | Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980) | January 2, 1949 | January 2, 1953 | 4 years | ||
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (1952–present)
Constitution of Puerto Rico (1952–present)
In 1952, the Constitution of Puerto Rico established the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its government. With its ratification, the full authority and responsibility for the local administration of Puerto Rico was vested in the residents of Puerto Rico, resulting in complete self-governance within the archipelago and island as an unincorporated territory under the sovereign federal jurisdiction of the United States.
Elected to unlimited four-year terms through popular vote by the residents of Puerto Rico, the governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico and the commander-in-chief of the National Guard of Puerto Rico. The incumbent governor is Jenniffer González, who was elected on November 5, 2024, and sworn in on January 2, 2025.
Puerto Rico political affiliation
New Progressive Party (PNP) (8)
Popular Democratic Party (PPD) (7)
United States political affiliation
Democratic Party (D) (10)
Republican Party (R) (4)
Independent (I) (1)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Election | Term of office | Puerto Rico political party | United States political party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office (end reason) | ||||||||
| 176 | Luis Muñoz Marín (1898–1980) | 1952 | January 2, 1953 | January 2, 1957 | 12 years (did not seek reelection) | Popular Democratic | Independent | |||
| 1956 | January 2, 1957 | January 2, 1961 | ||||||||
| 1960 | January 2, 1961 | January 2, 1965 | ||||||||
| 177 | Roberto Sánchez Vilella (1913–1997) | 1964 | January 2, 1965 | January 2, 1969 | 4 years (lost reelection) | Popular Democratic | Democratic | |||
| 178 | Luis A. Ferré (1904–2003) | 1968 | January 2, 1969 | January 2, 1973 | 4 years (lost reelection) | New Progressive | Republican | |||
| 179 | Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019) | 1972 | January 2, 1973 | January 2, 1977 | 4 years (lost reelection) | Popular Democratic | Democratic | |||
| 180 | Carlos Romero Barceló (1932–2021) | 1976 | January 2, 1977 | January 2, 1981 | 8 years (lost reelection) | New Progressive | Democratic | |||
| 1980 | January 2, 1981 | January 2, 1985 | ||||||||
| 181 | Rafael Hernández Colón (1936–2019) | 1984 | January 2, 1985 | January 2, 1989 | 8 years (did not seek reelection) | Popular Democratic | Democratic | |||
| 1988 | January 2, 1989 | January 2, 1993 | ||||||||
| 182 | Pedro Rosselló (b. 1944) | 1992 | January 2, 1993 | January 2, 1997 | 8 years (did not seek reelection) | New Progressive | Democratic | |||
| 1996 | January 2, 1997 | January 2, 2001 | ||||||||
| 183 | Sila María Calderón (b. 1942) | 2000 | January 2, 2001 | January 2, 2005 | 4 years (did not seek reelection) | Popular Democratic | Democratic | |||
| 184 | Aníbal Acevedo Vilá (b. 1962) | 2004 | January 2, 2005 | January 2, 2009 | 4 years (lost reelection) | Popular Democratic | Democratic | |||
| 185 | Luis Fortuño (b. 1960) | 2008 | January 2, 2009 | January 2, 2013 | 4 years (lost reelection) | New Progressive | Republican | |||
| 186 | Alejandro García Padilla (b. 1971) | 2012 | January 2, 2013 | January 2, 2017 | 4 years (did not seek reelection) | Popular Democratic | Democratic | |||
| 187 | Ricardo Rosselló (b. 1979) | 2016 | January 2, 2017 | August 2, 2019 | 2 years, 212 days (resigned) | New Progressive | Democratic | |||
| – | Pedro Pierluisi De facto (b. 1959) | None | August 2, 2019 | August 7, 2019 | 5 days (judicial removal) | New Progressive | Democratic | |||
| 188 | Wanda Vázquez Appointment (b. 1960) | None | August 7, 2019 | January 2, 2021 | 1 year, 148 days (lost nomination) | New Progressive | Republican | |||
| 189 | Pedro Pierluisi (b. 1959) | 2020 | January 2, 2021 | January 2, 2025 | 4 years (lost renomination) | New Progressive | Democratic | |||
| 190 | Jenniffer González (b. 1976) | 2024 | January 2, 2025 | Incumbent | 1 year, 38 days | New Progressive | Republican | |||
Timeline (1508–present)
Spanish Empire rule (1508–1898)
United States sovereignty (1898–present)
See also
- First ladies and gentlemen of Puerto Rico
- Resident commissioner of Puerto Rico
- History of Puerto Rico
- Politics of Puerto Rico
- List of Legislative Assemblies of Puerto Rico
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