The governor of Washington is the
head of government
In the Executive (government), executive branch, the head of government is the highest or the second-highest official of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presid ...
of
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
and commander-in-chief of the
state's military forces.
[WA Const. art. III, § 2.] The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws,
[WA Const. art. III, § 5.] the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the
Washington Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the State of Washington (state), Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower house, lower Washington House of Representatives, compose ...
and
line-item veto
The line-item veto, also called the partial veto, is a special form of veto power that authorizes a chief executive to reject particular provisions of a bill enacted by a legislature without vetoing the entire bill. Many countries have differen ...
power to cancel specific provisions in spending bills. The Washington governor may also convene the legislature on "extraordinary occasions".
Washington Territory had 14 territorial governors from its organization in 1853 until the formation of the state of Washington in 1889. Territorial governors were appointed by the president of the United States.
Elisha P. Ferry had the longest term of eight years and went on to become the state's first governor.
William H. Wallace was appointed governor but never took office due to being elected as the territory's congressional delegate.
George Edward Cole was appointed governor and took office, but his appointment was never ratified by the U.S. Senate and he was replaced as governor after four months.
Twenty-two individuals have held the office of Governor of Washington since the state's admission to the Union, with
Arthur B. Langlie
Arthur Bernard Langlie (July 25, 1900 – July 24, 1966) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Seattle, Washington and was the List of governors of Washington, 12th and 14th governor of the Washington (state), U.S. state of W ...
serving non-consecutive terms.
Populist Party candidate
John Rankin Rogers is the only non-
Democratic or
Republican nominee to win office. The most recent governor to be from
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the H ...
was
Clarence D. Martin, elected in 1932. The current governor is Democrat
Bob Ferguson, who took office on January 15, 2025.
List of governors
Territory of Washington
Washington Territory
The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
was organized on March 2, 1853, from the northern half of
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...
.
State of Washington
Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889. The term for governor is four years,
commencing on the second Monday in the January following the election. If the office of governor is vacant or the governor is unable to discharge their duties, the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of governor, though still officially retains the office of lieutenant governor. If both the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are unable to fulfill their duties, the secretary of state is next in line, and then the treasurer. There is no limit to the number of terms a governor may serve.
The office of
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
is not elected on the same
ticket
Ticket or tickets may refer to:
Slips of paper
* Lottery ticket
* Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start)
* Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...
as the governor.
See also
*
List of Washington state legislatures
The Washington State Legislature, legislature of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington has convened many times since List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union, statehood became effective on November 11, 1889 in the United S ...
*
Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Washington
Notes
References
;General
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External links
Office of the Governor of Washington
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, List of Governors of
Lists of state governors of the United States
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Governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Governors of Washington Territory
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...
1889 establishments in Washington (state)
Governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...