Some of those who held the lead role as governor of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

never visited the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

and governed through deputies resident in the colony. Others, such as Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, held the lead role for many years but were in Virginia for only a short portion of that time and usually delegated responsibilities to others. Probably for those reasons, in many historical documents and references, the deputies and lieutenant governors who had the primary responsibility in Virginia are also often titled simply "governor." Also, transportation from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

routinely took several months and occasionally, much longer. Thus, dates may appear to overlap.

Governor of Virginia (1585–1590)

The first English attempt to colonize Virginia was the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke. Unsuccessful settlements were established under two different governors, and the final fate of the colonists remains unknown. *

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...

, Governor of Virginia (1585–1590, absentee) ** Sir Ralph Lane, Governor of Roanoke (Virginia) (1585–1586) ** John White, Governor of Raleigh (Virginia) (1587–1590)

Virginia Company of London Governors (1607–1624)

From 1606 until 1624, Proprietary Governors oversaw the operation of the Virginia Colony. Most were styled "President of the Council", although some were styled "governor" by the proprietors. # President of the Council

Edward Maria Wingfield Edward Maria Wingfield (1550–1631) was a soldier, Member of Parliament (1593), and English colonist in America. He was the son of Thomas Maria Wingfield, and the grandson of Richard Wingfield. Captain John Smith wrote that from 1602 to 1603 ...

(1607) # President of the Council

John Ratcliffe John Lee Ratcliffe (born October 20, 1965) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the ninth director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since 2025. He previously served as the sixth director of national intelligence from ...

(1608) # Acting President Matthew Scrivener (1608) # President of the Council John Smith (1608–1609) # President of the Council

George Percy George Percy may refer to: *George Percy (governor) (1580–1632), English explorer, author, and early colonial governor of Virginia. * George Percy, Earl Percy (born 1984), British businessman and heir apparent to the Dukedom of Northumberland *Ge ...

(1609–1610) # Lord Governor and Captain General

Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr ( ; 9 July 1576 – 7 June 1618), was an English nobleman, for whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, a Native American people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named. A member of the Ho ...

(1609–1618, sometimes absentee) ## Deputy Governor

Sir Thomas Gates Sir Thomas Gates (died 1622) was the governor of Jamestown in the English Colony of Virginia (now the Commonwealth of Virginia, part of the United States of America). His predecessor, George Percy, through inept leadership, was responsible f ...

(May–June 1610) ## Deputy Governor

(March–May 1611) ## Acting Governor Sir Thomas Dale (May–August 1611) ## Acting Governor

(1611–1613) ## Acting Governor Sir Thomas Dale (1613–1616) ## Lieutenant Governor Sir George Yeardley (1616–1617) ## Lieutenant Governor Sir Samuel Argall (1617–1619) ## Acting Governor Captain

Nathaniel Powell Nathaniel Powell (1587 March 22, 1622) was an English-born early American colonist, cartographer, military leader, and politician who served briefly as the acting governor of the colony of Virginia for a ten-day period in 1619. Powell's additional ...

(April 1619) # Governor Sir George Yeardley (1619–1621) # Governor Sir Francis Wyatt (1621–1624)

Crown Governors (1624–1652)

After the Virginia Company of London lost its proprietary charter in 1624, the colony was taken over by the English Crown, and became a

crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...

. Governors were appointed by the ruling monarch to oversee the interests of the Crown. During the

interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

period (1649–1660), when England came under commonwealth rule and the protectorate rule of Oliver and

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1658 to 1659. He was the son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Following his father ...

, those governments appointed Virginia's governors. William Berkeley, who was governor at the time of the execution of King Charles I, remained in office until the arrival of a Commonwealth fleet in 1651 led to his removal. Berkeley was returned to office by votes of the Virginia assembly and by appointment of the restored King Charles II in 1660. *Governor Sir Francis Wyatt (1624–1626) *Governor Sir George Yeardley (1626–1627) *Acting Governor

Francis West Francis West ( – ) was a Deputy Governor of the Colony of Virginia. Early and family life Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire on 28 October 1586, West was one of four sons of Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr (1556–1602) of Wherwell Abbey in ...

(1627–1629) *Governor Sir John Harvey (1628–1639) **Acting Governor John Pott (1629–1630) **Acting Governor John West (1635–1636) **Acting Governor Col. George Reade (1638–1639) *Governor Sir Francis Wyatt (1639–1642) *Governor Sir William Berkeley (1642–1652) **Acting Governor Sir Richard Kemp (1644–1645)

Commonwealth and Protectorate Governors (1652–1660)

*Governor Richard Bennett (1652–1655) *Governor

Edward Digges Edward Digges (14 February 1620 – 15 March 1674/75) was an English barrister and colonist who became a premium tobacco planter and official in the Virginia colony. The son of the English politician Dudley Digges represented the colony before ...

(1655–1656) *Governor Lt. Col. Samuel Mathews (1656–1660, died in office)

Crown Governors (1660–1775)

*Governor Sir William Berkeley (1660–1677) **Lieutenant Governor Francis Moryson (1661–1662) *Governor Col. Herbert Jeffreys (1677–1678) *Governor

Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper (21 March 1635– 27 January 1689) was an English colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Isle of Wight from 1661 to 1667 and as the governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683. Life Born ...

(1677–1683) **Lieutenant Governor Sir

Henry Chicheley Sir Henry Chicheley (b. 1614 or 1615 – d. February 5, 1683) was a Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, lieutenant governor of Colony of Virginia, Virginia Colony who also served as Acting Governor during multiple periods in the aftermath of Bacon ...

(1678–1680) *Acting Governor Col.

Nicholas Spencer Colonel Nicholas Spencer (1633 23 September 1689) was an English-born merchant, planter and politician in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia. Born in Cople, Bedfordshire, Spencer migrated to the Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he became ...

(September 1683–April 1684) *Governor Francis Howard, 5th Baron Howard of Effingham (1684–1692, absentee from 1688) ** Gen. Joseph Bridger (1684) **President of the Council Nathaniel Bacon (1688–1690) **Lieutenant Governor

Francis Nicholson Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, ...

(1690–1692) *Governor

Sir Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714; also spelled ''Edmond'') was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other ...

(1692–1698) *Governor

George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, (9 February 1666 – 29 January 1737), styled Lord George Hamilton from 1666 to 1696, was a British army officer and the first officer of the British Army to be ...

(1698–1737, absentee) **Lieutenant Governor

(1698–1705) **Lieutenant Governor Col. Edward Nott (1705–1706) **Acting Governor Edmund Jenings (1706–1710) **Lieutenant Governor General Robert Hunter (1707, captured at sea and never served) **Lieutenant Governor Lt. Col.

Alexander Spotswood Major-General Alexander Spotswood (12 December 1676 – 7 June 1740) was a British army officer, explorer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1710 to 1722. After an unsatisfactory military career, in 1710 ...

(1710–1722) **Lieutenant Governor Col. Hugh Drysdale (1722–1726) **President of the Council Robert "King" Carter (1726–September 1727) **Lieutenant Governor Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet (1727–1740) *Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle (1737–1754, absentee) **Acting Governor James Blair (1740–1741) (acting for Lt. Gov. Gooch while latter out-of-country) **Lieutenant Governor Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet (1741–1749) **Acting Governor John Robinson Sr. died months after being sworn in as President August 1749; father of Speaker of the VA House of Burgess John Robinson (Virginia politician) Jr (1705–1766) and Colonel

Beverley Robinson Beverley Robinson (11 January 1721 – 9 April 1792), was a Virginia-born soldier who became a wealthy colonist of the Province of New York and is best known as a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Robinson married Susanna Philips ...

(1721–1792) **Acting Governor Thomas Lee (1749–1750) **Acting Governor Lewis Burwell (1750–1751) **Lieutenant Governor

Robert Dinwiddie Robert Dinwiddie (1692 – 27 July 1770) was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. Since the governors of Virginia remained in Great Britain, he served as the ''de facto'' head o ...

(1751–1756) *Governor

John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun General John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun (5 May 1705 – 27 April 1782) was a British Army officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, North America from 1756 to 1757. Early life and career Born in Scotland two years before the creation of Gre ...

(1756–1759) **Lieutenant Governor

(1756–January 1758) **Lieutenant Governor

Francis Fauquier Francis Fauquier (1703 – 3 March 1768) was a British colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of Virginia, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1758 to 1768. Born in England to a Huguenots, Huguenot family, he emigrat ...

(1758–1768) *Governor

Jeffery Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the ...

(1759–1768, absentee) **Acting Governor John Blair, Sr. (1768) *Governor Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt (1768–1770) *Acting Governor William Nelson (1770–1771) *Governor

John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1730 – 25 February 1809) was a British colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of Virginia, governor of Virginia from 1771 to 1775. Dunmore was named List of colonial governors of ...

(1771–June 1775)

References