Filed Under: 
Government
Filed Under: 
History

Following are lists of Texas' principal administrative officials with dates of their tenures of office. In a few instances, there are disputes as to the exact dates of tenures. Dates listed here are those that appear the most authentic.

Spanish Royal Governors*

Governor Began office Left office
Domingo Terán de los Rios 1691 1692
Gregorio de Salinas Varona 1692 1697
Francisco Cuerbo y Valdés 1698 1702
Mathías de Aguirre 1703 1705
Martín de Alarcón 1705 1708
Simón Padilla y Córdova 1708 1712
Pedro Fermin de Echevers y Subisa 1712 1714
Juan Valdéz 1714 1716
Martín de Alarcón 1716 1719
José de Azlor y Virto de Vera, Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo 1719 1722
Fernando Pérez de Almazán 1722 1727
Melchor de Mediavilla y Azcona 1727 1731
Juan Antonio Bustillo y Ceballos 1731 1734
Manuel de Sandoval 1734 1736
Carlos Benites Franquis de Lugo 1736 1737
Joseph Fernández de Jáuregui y Urrutia 1737 1737
Prudencio de Orobio y Basterra 1737 1741
Tomás Felipe Winthuisen (or Winthuysen) 1741 1743
Justo Boneo y Morales 1743 1744
Francisco García Larios 1744 1748
Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriella 1748 1750
Jacinto de Barrios y Jáuregui 1751 1759
Angel de Martos y Navarrete 1759 1767
Hugo Oconór 1767 1770
Juan María Vicencio, Barón de Ripperdá 1770 1778
Domingo Cabello y Robles 1778 1786
Rafael Martínez Pacheco 1787 1790
Manuel Muñoz 1790 1799
Juan Bautista de Elguezábal 1799 1805
Antonio Cordero y Bustamante 1805 1808
Manuel María de Salcedo 1808 1813

(Mexico's War of Independence 1810–1821 created governmental instabliity.)     

Juan Bautista de las Casas (revolutionary gov.) 1811 1811
Cristóbal Domínguez, Benito de Armiñan, Mariano Varela, Juan Ignacio Pérez, Manuel Pardo (ad interim) 1813 1817
Antonio María Martínez 1817 1821

 *Some authorities would include Texas under administrations of several earlier Spanish governors. The late Dr. Carlos E. Castañeda, Latin American librarian of the University of Texas and authority on the history of Texas and the Southwest, would include the following four: Francisco de Garay, 1523–1526; Pánfilo de Narváez, 1526–1528; Nuño de Guzmán, 1528–1530; Hernando de Soto, 1538–1543.

Governors under Mexican Rule

The first two governors under Mexican rule, Trespalacios and García, were of Texas only as Texas was then constituted. Beginning with Gonzáles, 1824, the governors were for the joint State of Coahuila y Texas.

Governor Began office Left office
José Felix Trespalacios 1822 1823
Luciano García 1823 1824
Rafael Gonzáles 1824 1826
Victor Blanco 1826 1827
José María Viesca 1827 1830
Ramón Eca y Músquiz 1830 1831
José María Letona 1831 1832
Ramón Eca y Músquiz 1832 1832
Juan Martín de Veramendi 1832 1833
Juan José de Vidáurri y Villasenor 1833 1834
Juan José Elguezábal 1834 1835
José María Cantú 1835 1835
Agustín M. Viesca 1835 1835
Marciel Borrego 1835 1835
Ramón Eca y Músquiz 1835 1835

  Provisional Colonial Governor, before Independence

Governor Began office Left office
Henry Smith 1835 Jan. 1836
(James W. Robinson served as acting governor just prior to March 2, 1836, after Smith was impeached.)    

 Presidents of the Republic of Texas

President Began office Left office
David G. Burnet (provisional) March 16, 1836 Oct. 22, 1836
Sam Houston Oct. 22, 1836 Dec. 10, 1838
Mirabeau B. Lamar Dec. 10, 1838 Dec. 13, 1841
Sam Houston Dec. 13, 1841 Dec. 9, 1844
Anson Jones Dec. 9, 1844 Feb. 19, 1846

Governors since Annexation

Governor Began office Left office Party
J. Pinckney Henderson Feb. 19, 1846 Dec. 21, 1847
 (Albert C. Horton served as acting governor while Henderson was away in the Mexican War.)
George T. Wood Dec. 21, 1847 Dec. 21, 1849  
Peter Hansbrough Bell Dec. 21, 1849 Nov. 23, 1853  
 (Resigned to enter the U.S. House of Representatives.)
J.W. Henderson Nov. 23, 1853 Dec. 21, 1853  
Elisha M. Pease Dec. 21, 1853 Dec. 21, 1857  
Hardin R. Runnels Dec. 21, 1857 Dec. 21, 1859 Democrat
Sam Houston Dec. 21, 1859 March 16, 1861
 (Resigned because of state's secession from the Union.)
Edward Clark March 16, 1861 Nov. 7, 1861  
Francis R. Lubbock Nov. 7, 1861 Nov. 5, 1863
 (Resigned to enter the Confederate Army.)
Pendleton Murrah Nov. 5, 1863 June 1865  
 (Fled to Mexico upon the fall of the Confederacy. Lt. Gov. Fletcher S. Stockdale briefly acted as governor after Murrah's departure.)
Andrew J. Hamilton June 17, 1865 Aug. 9, 1866 Unionist
 (Hamilton received a commission as "military governor of Texas" from President Abraham Lincoln on Nov. 14, 1862. He appears to have served in that capacity continuously until his "reappointment" as "provisional governor" by President Andrew Johnson on June 17, 1865. Apparently Johnson used the term reappointment because Hamilton was already serving as military governor.)
James W. Throckmorton Aug. 9, 1866 Aug. 8, 1867  
Elisha M. Pease Aug. 8, 1867 Sept. 30, 1869 Republican
 (Appointed under martial law after Throckmorton was ordered removed on July 30 by Gen. Philip Sheridan. Pease formally took possession of the office Aug. 8. He resigned and vacated office Sept. 30, 1869, but no successor was named until Jan. 8, 1870. Some historians extend Pease's term to that date, but in reality Texas was without a head of its civil government for that period.)
Edmund J. Davis Jan. 8, 1870 Jan. 15, 1874 Republican
 (Appointed provisional governor after being elected.)
Richard Coke Jan. 15, 1874 Dec. 1, 1876 Democrat
 (Resigned to enter U.S. Senate.)
Richard B. Hubbard Dec. 1, 1876 Jan. 21, 1879 Democrat
Oran M. Roberts Jan. 21, 1879 Jan. 16, 1883 Democrat
John Ireland Jan. 16, 1883 Jan. 18, 1887 Democrat
Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross Jan. 18, 1887 Jan. 20, 1891 Democrat
James Stephen Hogg Jan. 20, 1891 Jan. 15, 1895 Democrat
Charles A. Culberson Jan. 15, 1895 Jan. 17, 1899 Democrat
Joseph D. Sayers Jan. 17, 1899 Jan. 20, 1903 Democrat
S.W.T. Lanham Jan. 20, 1903 Jan. 15, 1907 Democrat
Thos. Mitchell Campbell Jan. 15, 1907 Jan. 17, 1911 Democrat
Oscar Branch Colquitt Jan. 17, 1911 Jan. 19, 1915 Democrat
James E. Ferguson Jan. 19, 1915 Sept. 25, 1917 Democrat
 (Impeached in August 1917. Lt. Gov. Hobby served as acting governor during the impeachment proceedings. Ferguson was removed from office Sept. 25.)
William P. Hobby Aug. 25, 1917 Jan. 18, 1921 Democrat
Pat M. Neff Jan. 18, 1921 Jan. 20, 1925 Democrat
Miriam A. Ferguson Jan. 20, 1925 Jan. 17, 1927 Democrat
Dan Moody Jan. 17, 1927 Jan. 20, 1931 Democrat
Ross S. Sterling Jan. 20, 1931 Jan. 17, 1933 Democrat
Miriam A. Ferguson Jan. 17, 1933 Jan. 15, 1935 Democrat
James A. Allred Jan. 15, 1935 Jan. 17, 1939 Democrat
W. Lee O'Daniel Jan. 17, 1939 Aug. 4, 1941 Democrat
 (Resigned to enter U.S. Senate.)
Coke R. Stevenson Aug. 4, 1941 Jan. 21, 1947 Democrat
Beauford H. Jester (died in office) Jan. 21, 1947 July 11, 1949 Democrat
Allan Shivers July 11, 1949 Jan. 15, 1957 Democrat
Price Daniel Jan. 15, 1957 Jan. 15, 1963 Democrat
John Connally Jan. 15, 1963 Jan. 21, 1969 Democrat
Preston Smith Jan. 21, 1969 Jan. 16, 1973 Democrat
Dolph Briscoe Jan. 16, 1973 Jan. 16, 1979 Democrat
 (Effective in 1975, the term of office was increased from 2 years to 4 years.)
William P. Clements Jan. 16, 1979 Jan. 18, 1983 Republican
Mark White Jan. 18, 1983 Jan. 20, 1987 Democrat
William P. Clements Jan. 20, 1987 Jan. 15, 1991 Republican
Ann W. Richards Jan. 15, 1991 Jan. 17, 1995 Democrat
George W. Bush Jan. 17, 1995 Dec. 21, 2000 Republican
 (Resigned to become U.S. president.)
Rick Perry Dec. 21, 2000 Jan. 20, 2015 Republican
Gregg Abbott Jan. 20, 2015 present Republican

 

          

 

Sources:  Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Legislative Reference Library of Texas, the Handbook of Texas Online, Texas Almanac archive, the Dallas Morning News, and Journals of the House of Representatives.