Chronology of North Carolina Governors

Original Virginia Colony

Ralph Lane

1585

1586

-

John White

1587

-

-

Commander of the Southern Plantation

Samuel Stephens

1662

1664

Governor under Lords Proprietors; 1667-1669

Lords Proprietors

The President of the Council or Speaker of the Assembly often acted as governor. Please note that at times the dates overlap. Suggested reading; "William S. Powell's Dictionary of North Carolina Biography".

William Drummond

1664

1667

-

Samuel Stephens

1667

1669

Commander of the Southern Plantation; 1662-1664

Peter Carteret

1670

1672

-

John Jenkins

1672

1675

-

Thomas Eastchurch

1675

1676

-

John Jenkins

1676

1677

-

Thomas Miller

1677

1679

-

John Harvey

1679

1680

-

Henry Wilkinson

1680

-

-

John Jenkins

1680

1681

-

Seth Sothel

1682

1689

-

John Archdale

1683

1686

-

John Gibbs

1689

1690

-

Thomas Jarvis

1690

1694

-

Philip Ludwell

1690

1695

-

Thomas Harvey

1694

1699

-

John Archdale

1695

1696

-

Henderson Walker

1699

1703

-

Robert Daniel

1703

1705

-

Thomas Cary

1705

1711

-

William Glover

1706

1710

-

Edward Hyde

1711

1712

-

Thomas Pollock

1712

1714

-

Charles Eden

1714

1722

-

Thomas Pollock

1722

-

-

William Reed

1722

1724

-

George Burrington

1724

1725

Royal Governor; 1731-1734

Richard Everard

1725

1731

-

Royal Governors

George Burrington

1731

1734

Lords Proprietors Governor 1724-1725

Nathaniel Rice

1734

-

-

Gabriel Johnston

1734

1752

-

Nathaniel Rice

1752

1753

-

Matthew Rowan

1753

1754

-

Arthur Dobbs

1753

1763

-

-

1763

1765

-

William Tryon

1765

1771

-

James Hasell

1771

-

-

Josiah Martin

1771

1775

-

North Carolina State Governors

Richard Caswell

1776

1780

First of two terms

Abner Nash

1780

1781

-

Thomas Burke

1781

1782

-

Alexander Martin

1782

1785

First of two terms

Richard Caswell

1784

1787

Second of two terms

Samuel Johnston

1787

1789

-

Alexander Martin

1789

1792

Second of two terms

Richard Dobbs Spaight Sr.

1792

1795

-

Samuel Ashe

1795

1798

-

William Richardson Davie

1798

1799

-

Benjamin Williams

1799

1802

First of two terms

James Turner

1802

1805

-

Nathaniel Alexander

1805

1807

-

Benjamin Williams

1807

1808

Second of two terms

David Stone

1808

1810

-

Benjamin Smith

1810

1811

-

William Hawkins

1811

1814

-

William Miller

1814

1817

-

John Branch

1817

1820

-

Jesse Franklin

1820

1821

-

Gabriel Holmes

1821

1824

-

Hutchins Gordon Burton

1824

1827

-

James Iredell Jr.

1827

1828

-

John Owen

1828

1830

-

Montford Stokes

1830

1832

-

David Lowry Swain

1832

1835

-

Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.

1835

1836

-

Edward Bishop Dudley

1836

1841

-

John Motley Morehead

1841

1845

-

William Alexander Graham

1845

1849

-

Charles Manly

1849

1850

-

David Settle Reid

1851

1854

-

Warren Winslow

1854

1855

-

Thomas Bragg

1855

1859

-

John Willis Ellis

1859

1861

-

Henry Toole Clark

1861

1862

-

Zebulon Baird Vance

1862

1865

First of two terms

William Woods Holden

1865

-

First of two terms

Jonathan Worth

1865

1868

-

William Woods Holden

1868

1870

Second of two terms

Tod Robinson Caldwell

1870

1874

-

Curtis Hooks Brogden

1874

1877

-

Zebulon Baird Vance

1877

1879

Second of two terms

Thomas Jordan Jarvis

1879

1885

-

Alfred Moore Scales

1885

1889

-

Daniel Gould Fowle

1889

1891

-

Thomas Michael Holt

1891

1893

-

Elias Carr

1893

1897

-

Daniel Lindsay Russell

1897

1901

-

Charles Brantley Aycock

1901

1905

-

Robert Broadnax Glenn

1905

1909

-

William Walton Kitchin

1909

1913

-

Locke Craig

1913

1917

-

Thomas Walter Bickett

1917

1921

-

Cameron Morrison

1921

1925

-

Angus Wilton McLean

1925

1929

-

Oliver Ma Gardner

1929

1933

-

John Christoph Blucher Ehringhaus

1933

1937

-

Clyde Roark Hoey

1937

1941

-

Joseph Melville Broughton

1941

1945

-

Robert Gregg Cherry

1945

1949

-

William Kerr Scott

1949

1953

-

William Bradley Umstead

1953

1954

-

Luther Hartwell Hodges

1954

1961

-

Terry Sanford

1961

1965

-

Dan Killian Moore

1965

1969

-

Robert Walter Scott

1969

1973

-

James Eubert Holshouser Jr.

1973

1977

-

James Baxter Hunt Jr.

1977

1985

First of two terms

James Grubbs Martin

1985

1993

-

James Baxter Hunt Jr.

1993

2001

Second of two terms

Michael F. Easley

2001

Present

-

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