United States gubernatorial resignations

State Executive Analyses

* * *

Compensation
Education
Irregular office changes
Place of birth
Term limits
Trifectas and triplexes
Vacancy procedures

* * *

Governors
Compensation
Education
Impeachment
Recalls
Residences
Resignations
Term limits
Vacancy procedures
Largest share of the vote
Winning streaks

* * *

Other state executives
Compensation - lieutenant governors
Term limits - attorneys general
Term limits - lieutenant governors
Term limits - secretaries of state

Since 1776, 218 state governors have resigned before the expiration of their term. Andrew Johnson (D) resigned as Governor of Tennessee on two separate occasions, so there have been 219 gubernatorial resignations.

As of August 10, 2021, the most recent case of a gubernatorial resignation occurred in New York, where Andrew Cuomo (D), who first took office in 2011, announced he would resign effective August 24, 2021, amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior.[1] Click here for more information.

Of the 219 gubernatorial resignations, 76% (166) took place because the governor was elected or appointed to another office, 7% (16) took place following allegations of misconduct, and 17% (37) took place for various personal reasons, such as illness or policy disputes with the state legislature.

Twelve governors of New Jersey have resigned, more than any other state. There are three states which have never had a governor resign: Florida, Hawaii, and Washington. The map below shows how many governors have resigned in each state. Hover your mouse cursor over a state or tap on that state to see the specific number.

On this page, you will find a list of all gubernatorial resignations arranged by state. For each resignation, the page includes an explanation of why the governor resigned and who succeeded them. Biographical information on former governors comes from the National Governors Association's database of former governors. Note that governors who were compelled to leave office are not included unless they resigned before being formally removed.

# Alabama[edit]

There have been four governors of Alabama who resigned; two who resigned to take a different office and two who resigned following allegations of misconduct.

* 2017: Robert J. Bentley (R), who was first elected in 2010, resigned following an investigation into allegations that he had used state funds to cover up an affair. Bentley was succeeded by Kay Ivey (R), who won election to a full term in 2018.

* 1993: H. Guy Hunt (R), who was first elected in 1986, resigned after being convicted of using campaign and inaugural funds on personal expenses. He was succeeded by Jim Folsom, Jr. (D), who unsuccessfully sought election to a full term in 1994.

* 1837: Clement Comer Clay (D), who first elected in 1835, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1841. Clay was succeeded by Hugh McVay (D).

* 1831: Gabriel Moore (D), who was elected in 1829, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1837. Moore was succeded by his brother, Samuel B. Moore (D), who unsuccessfully sought election to a full term later that year.

# Alaska[edit]

There have been two governors of Alaska who resigned; one who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 2009: Sarah Palin (R), who was first elected in 2006, resigned. She was succeeded by Sean Parnell (R), who won election to a full term in 2010.

* 1969: Wally Hickel (Alaskan Independence Party), who was first elected in 1966, resigned after he was nominated as Secretary of the Interior by President Richard Nixon (R). He was succeeded by Keith H. Miller (R). Hickel later returned to win a second term as governor in 1990.

# Arizona[edit]

There have been three governors of Arizona who resigned; two who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned following allegations of misconduct.

* 2009: Janet Napolitano (D), who was first elected in 2002, resigned after she was nominated as Secretary of Homeland Security by President Barack Obama (D). She was succeeded by Jan Brewer (R), who won election to a full term in 2010.

* 1997: Fife Symington (R), who was first elected in 1990 (with a runoff which took place in 1991), resigned after he was convicted of having defrauded lenders while working as a real estate investor in the 1980s. He was succeeded by Jane Dee Hull (R), who won election to a full term in 1998. Symington's conviction was later overturned and he was pardoned by President Bill Clinton (D).

* 1977: Raul H. Castro (D), who was elected in 1974, resigned after he was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina by President Jimmy Carter (D). He was succeeded by Wesley Bolin (D), who died after just over four months in office.

# Arkansas[edit]

There have been eight governors of Arkansas who resigned; four who resigned to take a different office, three who resigned for personal reasons, and one who resigned following allegations of misconduct.

* 1996: Jim Guy Tucker (D), who succeeded Bill Clinton (D) as governor in 1992 and was elected to a full term in 1994, resigned after his conviction on charges of conspiracy and mail fraud. He was succeeded by Mike Huckabee (R), who won election to two full terms in 1998 and 2002.

* 1992: Bill Clinton (D), who was first elected in 1978 and later left office before winning re-election in 1982, resigned after he was elected President of the United States. He was succeeded by Jim Guy Tucker (D), who won election to a full term in 1994 before resigning in 1996.

* 1928: John Ellis Martineau (D), who was elected in 1926, resigned after being appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas by President Calvin Coolidge (R). He was succeeded by Harvey Parnell (D), who won election to full terms in 1928 and 1930.

* 1913: Joseph Taylor Robinson (D), who was elected in 1912, resigned after less than two months in office to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until his death in 1937. His resignation led to a constitutional dispute over whether the outgoing state Senate president pro tempore or the newly-elected one would succeed him. The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of incoming president pro tem George Washington Hayes (D), who won election to a full term in 1914.

* 1907: John Sebastian Little (D), who was elected in 1906, resigned for health reasons less than one month into his term. He was succeeded by state Senate President pro tempore John Isaac Moore (D), who served until the adjournment of the state legislature three months later.

* 1871: Powell Clayton (R), who was elected in 1868, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1877. He was succeeded by Ozra A. Hadley (R).

* 1849: Thomas Stevenson Drew (D), who was first elected in 1844, resigned due to what he described as an insufficient salary. He was succeeded by Richard C. Byrd (D), who served until a successor was elected three months later.

* 1844: Archibald Yell (D), who was first elected in 1840, resigned to run for a seat in the U.S. House. He was succeeded by Samuel Adams (D).

# California[edit]

There have been five governors of California who resigned; four who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 1953: Earl Warren (R), who was first elected in 1942, resigned after he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by President Dwight Eisenhower (R), a position he held until 1969. Warren was succeeded by Goodwin Knight (R), who won election to a full term in 1954.

* 1917: Hiram Johnson (Progressive), who was first elected in 1910, resigned after being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1916. Johnson would serve in the Senate until his death in 1945. He was succeeded by William Stephens (R), who won election to a full term in 1918.

* 1875: Newton Booth (R), who was elected in 1871, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1881. He was succeeded by Romualdo Pacheco (R).

* 1860: Milton Latham (D), who was elected in 1859, resigned after less than a week in office to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1863. He was succeeded by John G. Downey (D).

* 1851: Peter Hardeman Burnett (D), who was elected as California's first governor in 1849, resigned for personal reasons. He was succeeded by John McDougal (D).

# Colorado[edit]

There have been four governors of Colorado who resigned; three who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned following a contested election.

* 1973: John Arthur Love (R), who was first elected in 1962, resigned after being appointed as the first director of the Office of Energy Policy by President Richard Nixon (R). He was succeeded by John D. Vanderhoof (R).

* 1950: William Lee Knous (D), who was first elected in 1946, resigned after being appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Colorado by President Harry Truman (D). He was succeeded by Walter Walfred Johnson (D), who unsuccessfully ran for a full term later that year.

* 1937: Edwin C. Johnson (D), who was first elected in 1932, resigned after being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1936. He served in that office until 1954, when he won election to another term as governor. Ray Herbert Talbot (D) served the remaining 11 days of Johnson's term.

* 1905: James Hamilton Peabody (R), who was first elected in 1902, resigned following the results of the 1904 gubernatorial election. Although Alva Adams (D) had been declared the winner, there were allegations of voter fraud. The state legislature declared Peabody the winner on the condition that he resign immediately after taking the oath of office. He was succeeded by Jesse Fuller McDonald (R).

# Connecticut[edit]

There have been seven governors of Connecticut who resigned; five who resigned to take a different office, one who resigned following allegations of misconduct, and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 2004: John G. Rowland (R), who was first elected in 1994, resigned amid allegations of ethics violations. He was succeeded by Jodi Rell (R), who won election to a full term in 2006.

* 1980: Ella Grasso (D), who was first elected in 1974, resigned due to her ongoing battle with ovarian cancer. She died less than six weeks later. Grasso was succeeded by William A. O'Neill (D), who won election to a full term in 1982 and was re-elected in 1986.

* 1961: Abraham Ribicoff (D), who was first elected in 1954, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by President John F. Kennedy (D). He was succeeded by John Dempsey (D), who won election to a full term in 1962 and was re-elected in 1966.

* 1946: Raymond E. Baldwin (R), who was first elected in 1938, resigned after winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. He would serve in the Senate until his appointment to the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1949. Charles Wilbert Snow (D) served the remaining two weeks of Baldwin's gubernatorial term.

* 1925: Hiram Bingham (R), who won both the 1924 gubernatorial election and the U.S. Senate election, served a single day as governor before resigning to take his seat in the Senate. Bingham served in the Senate until 1933. He was succeeded as governor by John H. Trumbull (R), who won election to a full term in 1926 and was re-elected in 1928.

* 1853: Thomas H. Seymour (D), who was first elected in 1850, resigned after being appointed by President Franklin Pierce (D) as ambassador to Russia. He was succeeded by Charles H. Pond (D).

* 1831: Gideon Tomlinson (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1826, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1837. He was succeeded by John Samuel Peters (National Republican), who won election to a full term in 1832.

# Delaware[edit]

There have been four governors of Delaware who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different office.

* 1992: Mike Castle (R), who was first elected in 1984, resigned after he was elected to the U.S. House, where he would serve until 2011. Dale E. Wolf (R) served the remaining three weeks of Castle's gubernatorial term.

* 1960: J. Caleb Boggs (R), who was first elected in 1952, resigned after he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1973. David P. Buckson (R) served the remaining three weeks of his term.

* 1801: Richard Bassett (Federalist), who was first elected in 1798, resigned after he was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President John Adams (Federalist). He was succeeded by James Sykes (Federalist).

* 1782: John Dickinson (Democratic-Republican), who was elected president (then the equivalent of governor) in 1781, resigned after being elected president of Pennsylvania. He was succeeded by John Cook.

# Florida[edit]

No governor of Florida has resigned their office.

# Georgia[edit]

There have been seven governors of Georgia who resigned; four who resigned to take a different office, one who resigned amid allegations of misconduct, and two who resigned for other reasons.

* 1911: Hoke Smith (D), who was first elected in 1906 and left office before winning re-election in 1910, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1921. John M. Slaton (D) served the remaining three months of Smith's term, then left office before winning a full term in 1912.

* 1871: Rufus Bullock (R), who was first elected in 1868, resigned following allegations of corruption, bribery, and nepotism. Benjamin F. Conley (R) served the remaining three months of Bullock's term.

* 1865: Joseph E. Brown (D) resigned ahead of his capture by Union troops. President Andrew Johnson (D) appointed James Johnson (D) as Brown's successor.

* 1817: David Brydie Mitchell (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1809 and left office before winning re-election in 1815, resigned after he was appointed as an Indian agent (the equivalent of an ambassador) to the Creek Nation. He was succeeded by William Rabun (Democratic-Republican), who won election to a full term later that year.

* 1806: John Milledge (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1802, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1809. He was succeeded by Jared Irwin (Democratic-Republican), who won election to a full term the following year.

* 1802: Josiah Tatnall (Democratic-Republican), who was elected the previous year, resigned due to poor health. He died less than a year later. John Milledge (Democratic-Republican), who later resigned in 1806, was elected as Tatnall's successor.

* 1801: James Jackson (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1797, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, which he would hold until his death in 1806. David Emanuel (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining eight months of Jackson's term.

# Hawaii[edit]

No governor of Hawaii has resigned their office.

# Idaho[edit]

There have been four governors of Idaho who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different office.

* 2006: Dirk Kempthorne (R), who was first elected in 1998, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of the Interior by President George W. Bush (R). He was succeeded by Jim Risch (R).

* 1977: Cecil Andrus (D), who was first elected in 1970, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of the Interior by President Jimmy Carter (D). He was succeeded by John V. Evans (D), who won election to a full term in 1978 and was re-elected in 1982. Andrus was elected to a third term as governor in 1986 and a fourth term in 1990.

* 1945: Charles C. Gossett (D), who had been elected the previous year, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he served for just under one year. He was succeeded by Arnold Williams (D), who was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term in 1946.

* 1890: George L. Shoup (R), who was elected as Idaho's first governor earlier that year, resigned after six weeks in office to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1901. He was succeeded by N.B. Willey (R), who unsuccessfully ran for a full term in 1893.

# Illinois[edit]

There have been four governors of Illinois who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different office.

* 1968: Otto Kerner (D), who was first elected in 1960, resigned after being appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit by President Lyndon B. Johnson (D). He was succeeded by Samuel H. Shapiro (D), who was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

* 1883: Shelby Moore Cullom (R), who was first elected in 1876, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1913. He was succeeded by John Marshall Hamilton (R).

* 1873: Richard J. Oglesby (R), who was first elected in 1864 and later left office before winning another term in 1872, resigned less than two weeks into his second term to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Oglesby served in the Senate until 1879 and won election to a third gubernatorial term in 1884. He was succeeded by John Lourie Beveridge (R).

* 1834: John Reynolds (D), who was elected in 1830, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. House, where he served until 1837. William Lee Davidson Ewing (D) served the remaining three weeks of his term.

# Indiana[edit]

There have been six governors of Indiana who resigned; five who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned following allegations of misconduct.

* 1924: Warren T. McCray (R), who was elected in 1920, resigned after he was convicted of mail fraud. He was pardoned by President Herbert Hoover (R) in 1930. Emmett Forrest Branch (R) served the remainder of his term.

* 1867: Oliver P. Morton (R), who succeeded to the governorship in 1861 and was elected to a full term in 1864, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death in 1877. He was succeeded by Conrad Baker (R), who won election to a full term in 1868.

* 1861: Henry Smith Lane (R), who had been elected governor the previous year, resigned two days into his term to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1867. He was succeeded by Oliver P. Morton (R), who went on to win a full term in 1864 before himself resigning to succeed Lane in the Senate.

* 1848: James Whitcomb (D), who was first elected in 1842, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death in 1852. He was succeeded by Paris C. Dunning (D).

* 1825: William Hendricks (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1822, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1837. He was succeeded by James B. Ray (D), who was elected to two terms in his own right in 1825 and 1828.

* 1822: Johnathan Jennings (Democratic-Republican), who was elected Indiana's first governor in 1816, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. House, where he would serve until 1831. Ratliff Boon (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining three months of Jennings' term.

# Iowa[edit]

There have been four governors of Iowa who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different office.

* 2017: Terry E. Branstad (R), who was first elected in 1982 and later left office before winning re-election in 2010, resigned after his appointment as U.S. Ambassador to China by President Donald Trump (R). He was succeeded by Kim Reynolds (R), who won election to a full term in 2018.

* 1969: Harold Hughes (D), who was first elected in 1962, resigned after he was elected to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Hughes served in the Senate until 1975. Robert D. Fulton (D) served the remaining three weeks of Hughes' gubernatorial term.

* 1908: Albert B. Cummins (R), who was first elected in 1901, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, which he would hold until his death in 1926. He was succeeded by Warren Garst (R).

* 1877: Samuel J. Kirkwood (R), who was first elected in 1859 and later left office before winning re-election in 1875, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Kirkwood served in the Senate until 1881. Joshua G. Newbold (R) served the remainder of his term.

# Kansas[edit]

There have been five governors of Kansas who resigned, including four who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 2018: Sam Brownback (R), who was first elected in 2010, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Ambassador at-Large for International Religious Freedom by President Donald Trump (R). He was succeeded by Jeff Colyer (R), who was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

* 2009: Kathleen Sebelius (D), who was first elected in 2002, resigned after she was appointed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services by President Barack Obama (D). She was succeeded by Mark V. Parkinson (D).

* 1957: Frederick Lee Hall (R), who was first elected in 1954, resigned for personal reasons. John Berridge McCuish (R) served the remaining two weeks of Hall's term.

* 1950: Frank Carlson (R), who was first elected in 1946, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1969. Frank Lester Hagaman (R) served the remaining six weeks of Carlson's term.

* 1868: Samuel J. Crawford (R), who was first elected in 1864, resigned to take command of the 19th Kansas Volunteer Regiment in a campaign against local Native Americans. Nehemiah Green (R) served the remaining two months of Crawford's term.

# Kentucky[edit]

There have been seven governors of Kentucky who resigned, including six who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned over policy disagreements with the state Legislature.

* 1974: Wendell Ford (D), who was elected in 1970, resigned to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy opened when Sen. Marlow Cook (R) resigned after Ford defeated him in the U.S. Senate race that year. Ford served in the Senate until 1999. Julian Carroll (D) succeeded Ford and was elected to a full term as governor the next year.

* 1950: Earle Clements (D), who was elected in 1947, resigned following his election to the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1957. Lawrence Wetherby (D) succeeded Clements and won election to a full term in 1951.

* 1939: Happy Chandler (D), who was elected in 1935, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1945. Keen Johnson (D) succeeded Chandler and was elected to a full term later that year. Chandler would later win election to a second gubernatorial term in 1955.

* 1919: Owsley Stanley (D), who was first elected in 1915, resigned following his election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Stanley would serve in the Senate until 1925. James D. Black (D) served the remaining seven months of Stanley's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term that year.

* 1871: John W. Stevenson (D), who succeeded to the governorship following John L. Helm's (D) death in 1867, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1877. Preston Leslie (D) succeeded Stevenson and won election to a full term later that year.

* 1862: Beriah Magoffin (D), who was elected in 1859, resigned in protest over the state Legislature's position on the Civil War; the legislature had a pro-Union majority while Magoffin supported neutrality. He was succeeded by James Fisher Robinson (D).

* 1850: John J. Crittenden (Whig), who was elected in 1848, resigned after he was nominated as U.S. Attorney General by President Millard Fillmore (Whig). John L. Helm (Whig) succeeded him.

# Louisiana[edit]

There have been seven governors of Louisiana who resigned, including three who resigned to take a different office, one who resigned following allegations of misconduct, and three who resigned for various other reasons.

* 1939: Richard W. Leche (D), who was elected in 1936, resigned following allegations of corruption and mail fraud. He was later pardoned by President Harry Truman (D). Earl Long (D) succeeded Leche and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term in 1940.

* 1932: Huey Long (D), who was elected in 1928, resigned to take office in the U.S. Senate. Long had been elected to that office in 1930 but delayed the start of his senatorial term for nine months. He continued to serve in the Senate until his assassination in 1935. Alvin Olin King (D) served the remaining four months of Long's gubernatorial term.

* 1868: Benjamin Flanders (R), who had been appointed as Louisiana's military governor in 1867 by General Philip Sheridan, resigned at the request of Sheridan's successor, Major General Winfield Scott Hancock. Hancock appointed Joshua Baker (D) as Flanders' successor.

* 1865: Michael Hahn (R), who was elected by the Union-controlled portion of Louisiana the previous year, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Hahn was not permitted to take the seat owing to a wartime moratorium on Southern senators taking office. He was succeeded by James Madison Wells (R), who won election to a full term later that year.

* 1865: Henry Watkins Allen (D), who was elected by the Confederate-controlled portion of Louisiana in 1863, resigned ahead of the advance of Union forces into the remainder of the state. Michael Hahn (R), who had been elected by the Union-controlled part of the state the previous year, took over as Louisiana's only governor.

* 1853: Joseph Marshall Walker (D), who was elected in 1849, resigned in protest against the 1852 Constitution. He was succeeded by Paul Octave Hébert (D), who had been elected to a full term the previous year.

* 1824: Thomas B. Robertson (Democratic-Republican), who was elected in 1820, resigned following his appointment to the United States District Court for the District of Louisiana by President James Monroe (Democratic-Republican). Henry S. Thibodeaux (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining month of Robertson's gubernatorial term.

# Maine[edit]

There have been 10 governors of Maine who resigned, including six who resigned to take a different office and four who resigned for personal reasons.

* 1959: Edmund Muskie (D), who was first elected in 1954, resigned after winning a seat in the U.S. Senate the previous year. He would serve in the Senate until 1980. Robert Haskell (R) served the remaining five days of Muskie's term.

* 1952: Frederick G. Payne (R), who was first elected in 1948, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate. Payne served in the Senate until 1959. Burton M. Cross (R) served the remaining two weeks of Payne's term.

* 1857: Hannibal Hamlin (R), who was elected the previous year, resigned less than two months after taking office to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1861. Joseph H. Williams (R) served the remainder of Hamlin's term.

* 1844: David Dunn (D), who had taken office after Edward Kavanagh's (D) resignation, resigned after three days in office. John W. Dana (D) succeeded Dunn, serving in the role for less than a day before newly-elected Gov. Hugh Johnson Anderson (D) was sworn in.

* 1844: Edward Kavanagh (D), who had taken office after John Fairfield's (D) resignation the previous year, resigned for personal reasons. He died less than a month later. Kavanagh's successor, David Dunn (D), resigned three days after taking office.

* 1843: John Fairfield (D), who was first elected in 1838 and later left office before winning election again in 1841, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. He would serve in that office until his death in 1847. He was succeeded by Edward Kavanagh (D).

* 1827: Albion Keith Parris (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1821, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1828. He was succeeded by Enoch Lincoln (Democratic-Republican), who went on to win a full term later that year and was re-elected in 1828.

* 1822: Benjamin Ames (Democratic-Republican), who succeeded to the governorship after William D. Williamson's (Democratic-Republican) resignation the previous year, himself resigned after just under one month in office. He was succeeded by Daniel Rose (Democratic-Republican), who served for three days before newly-elected Gov. Albion Keith Parris (Democratic-Republican) could be sworn in.

* 1821: William D. Williamson (Democratic-Republican), who succeeded to the governorship after William King's (Democratic-Republican) resignation earlier that year, resigned after just over six months in office. He was succeeded by Benjamin Ames (Democratic-Republican), who served just under one month.

* 1821: William King (Democratic-Republican), who was elected as Maine's first governor the previous year, resigned after President James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) appointed him as special commissioner to negotiate a treaty with Spain. His successor, William D. Williamson (Democratic-Republican) served for less than a year.

# Maryland[edit]

There have been five governors of Maryland who resigned, including four who resigned to take a different office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 1969: Spiro Agnew (R), who was elected in 1966, resigned to take office as Vice President of the United States after winning election the previous year on a ticket with Richard Nixon (R). Agnew was succeeded by Marvin Mandel (D), who won election to a full term in 1970 and was re-elected in 1974.

* 1947: Herbert O'Conor (D), who was first elected in 1938, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year, where he would serve until 1953. O'Conor was succeeded by William Preston Lane, Jr. (D), who had won the gubernatorial election the previous year and was sworn in five days early.

* 1885: Robert Milligan McLane (D), who was first elected in 1883, resigned after being appointed U.S. Ambassador to France by President Grover Cleveland (D). McLane was succeeded as governor by Henry Lloyd (D).

* 1874: William Pinkney Whyte (D), who was first elected in 1871, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1881. He was succeeded by James Black Groome (D).

* 1809: Robert Wright (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1806, resigned in order to increase his chance of winning appointment to the Maryland Court of Appeals. Wright was not nominated to the court. Edward Lloyd (Democratic-Republican) served the remainder of Wright's term before being elected to his own terms in 1809 and 1810.

# Massachusetts[edit]

There have been five governors of Massachusetts who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different office.

* 2001: Paul Cellucci (R), who became governor in 1997 after the resignation of Bill Weld (R), resigned after he was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Canada by President George W. Bush (R). Jane Swift (R) served the remainder of his term.

* 1997: Bill Weld (R), who was first elected in 1990, resigned after he was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico by President Bill Clinton (D). The U.S. Senate did not confirm Weld's nomination. He was succeeded by Paul Celluci (R), who won election to a full term in 1998.

* 1969: John Volpe (R), who was first elected in 1960 and later left office before winning re-election in 1964, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Transportation by President Richard Nixon (R). He was succeeded by Francis Sargent (R), who won election to a full term the following year.

* 1874: William B. Washburn (R), who was first elected in 1871, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1875. He was succeeded by Thomas Talbot (R), who was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

* 1835: John Davis (Whig), who was first elected in 1833, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was succeeded by Samuel Turell Armstrong (Whig). In 1841, Davis resigned his Senate seat after winning election to a second term as governor.

# Michigan[edit]

There have been four governors of Michigan who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different office.

* 1969: George W. Romney (R), who was first elected in 1962, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Richard Nixon (R). He was succeeded by William Milliken (R), who won election to a full term in 1970 and was re-elected in 1974 and 1978.

* 1853: Robert McClelland (D), who was elected in 1851, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. Secretary of the Interior by President Franklin Pierce (D). Andrew Parsons (D) served the remainder of his term.

* 1847: Alpheus Felch (D), who was elected in 1845, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1853. William L. Greenly (D) served the remaining nine months of Felch's gubernatorial term.

* 1841: William Woodbridge (Whig), who was elected in 1839, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1847. James Wright Gordon (Whig) served the remaining year of his term.

# Minnesota[edit]

There have been five governors of Minnesota who resigned, all of whom resigned to take a different political or military office.

* 1976: Wendell R. Anderson (DFL), who was first elected in 1970, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1978. His successor was Rudy Perpich (DFL), who was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term in 1978 but later won two full terms in 1982 and 1986.

* 1951: Luther Youngdahl (R), who was first elected in 1946, resigned after he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by President Harry Truman (D). He was succeeded by C. Elmer Anderson (R), who won election to a full term in 1952 but was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1954.

* 1943: Harold Stassen (R), who was first elected in 1938, resigned at the age of 36 to serve in World War II. Stassen entered the U.S. Navy at the rank of captain and served as an aide to Admiral William F. Halsey. Edward John Thye (R) finished Stassen's term as governor and won election to a full term the following year.

* 1895: Knute Nelson (R), who was first elected in 1892, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until his death in 1923. David Marston Clough (R) finished Nelson's gubernatorial term and was elected to a full term the following year.

* 1863: Alexander Ramsey (R), who was first elected in 1859, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1875. Henry Adoniram Swift (R) served the remaining six months of his term.

# Mississippi[edit]

There have been five governors of Mississippi who resigned; three who resigned for personal reasons, one who resigned following allegations of misconduct, and one who resigned to take a different office.

* 1876: Adelbert Ames (R), who was appointed as military governor in 1868 and later left office before winning an elected term in 1873, resigned in exchange for the waiving of impeachment charges by the state legislature; no specific offenses were named. John Marshall Stone (D) succeeded Ames and won election to a full term in 1877.

* 1871: James L. Alcorn (R), who was elected in 1869, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1877. His successor was Ridgely C. Powers (Unknown).

* 1854: Henry S. Foote (D), who was elected in 1851, resigned over political tensions caused by his opposition to secession. John J. Pettus (D) served the remaining five days of Foote's term.

* 1851: John A. Quitman (D), who was first elected in 1849, resigned over allegations that he had violated U.S. neutrality laws by advocating for Cuba's independence from Spain. John Isaac Guion (D) served the remaining 10 months of Quitman's term.

* 1826: David Holmes (D), who was elected Mississippi's first governor in 1817 and later left office before winning re-election in 1825, resigned due to poor health. Gerrard C. Brandon (Unknown) succeeded Holmes and served through 1832.

# Missouri[edit]

There have been three governors of Missouri who resigned; two who resigned to take another office and one who resigned following allegations of misconduct.

* 2018: Eric Greitens (R), who was elected in 2016, resigned following allegations of misconduct. He was succeeded by Mike Parson (R).

* 1857: Trusten Polk (D), who had been elected as governor the previous year, resigned less than two months into his term to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1862. Hancock Lee Jackson (D) served until a special election could be held later that year.

* 1836: Daniel Dunklin (D), who was elected in 1832, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Surveyor General for Missouri and Illinois by President Andrew Jackson (D). Lilburn Boggs (D) succeeded Dunklin and won election to a full term later that year.

# Montana[edit]

There have been two governors of Montana who resigned; one who resigned to take another office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 1933: John E. Erickson (D), who was first elected in 1924, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until the following year. Frank H. Cooney (D) succeeded Erickson and served until his death in 1935.

* 1908: Joseph Toole (D), who was elected Montana's first governor in 1889 and later left office before winning re-election in 1900, resigned owing to poor health. Edwin L. Norris (D) succeeded him.

# Nebraska[edit]

There have been two governors of Nebraska who resigned, both of whom resigned to take another office.

* 2005: Mike Johanns (R), who was first elected in 1998, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by President George W. Bush (R). He was succeeded by Dave Heineman (R), who was elected to full terms in 2006 and 2010.

* 1901: Charles Henry Dietrich (R), who was elected the previous year, resigned after less than four months in office to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1905. He was succeeded by Ezra P. Savage (R).

# Nevada[edit]

There have been two governors of Nevada who resigned, both of whom resigned to take another office.

* 1989: Richard H. Bryan (D), who was first elected in 1982, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Bryan went on to serve in the Senate until 2001. Bob Miller (D) served the remainder of Bryan's gubernatorial term and won election to two full terms in 1990 and 1994.

* 1945: Edward P. Carville (D), who was first elected in 1938, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1947. He was succeeded by Vail M. Pittman (D), who won election to a full term the following year.

# New Hampshire[edit]

There have been three governors of New Hampshire who resigned, all of whom resigned to take another office.

* 2017: Maggie Hassan (D), who was first elected in 2012, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Chuck Morse (R) served the remaining three days of her term.

* 1831: Matthew Harvey (D), who was first elected in 1830, resigned after he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Andrew Jackson (D). Joseph Morrill Harper (D) served the remaining three months of Harvey's term.

* 1790: John Sullivan (Federalist), who was first elected in 1786 and later left office before winning re-election in 1789, resigned after he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire by President George Washington (Federalist). He was succeeded by John Pickering.

# New Jersey[edit]

There have been 12 governors of New Jersey who resigned, including nine who resigned to take another office, two who resigned in order to run for a full term, and one who resigned amid allegations of misconduct.

* 2004: Jim McGreevey (D), who was first elected in 2001, resigned amid allegations that he had had an affair. Richard Codey (D) served the remaining 14 months of McGreevey's term.

* 2001: Christine Todd Whitman (R), who was first elected in 1993, resigned after she was appointed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator by President George W. Bush (R). At the time, New Jersey did not have a lieutenant governor, meaning that Whitman was succeeded by the president of the state Senate. Outgoing state Senate President Donald DiFrancesco (D) served as governor for just over one week until his term expired. Control of the state Senate was split between the parties following the 2001 elections, so state Senate co-Presidents John Bennett (R) and Richard Codey (D) each served four days as governor after DiFrancesco left office.

* 1935: A. Harry Moore (D), who was first elected governor in 1925 and later left office before winning re-election in 1928, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Horace Griggs Prall (R) served the remaining two weeks of Moore's term. Moore would later leave the Senate after winning a third gubernatorial term in 1937.

* 1919: Walter Evans Edge (R), who was elected in 1916, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. William Nelson Runyon (R) served the remainder of Edge's term. Edge, who had left the Senate in 1929, won a second term as governor in 1943.

* 1913: James Fairman Fielder (D), who took office as governor after Woodrow Wilson's (D) resignation earlier that year, resigned in order to run for a full term in the 1898 election. Leon R. Taylor (D) succeeded Fielder and held the office for three months before the beginning of Fielder's elected term.

* 1913: Woodrow Wilson (D), who was elected in 1910, resigned after winning election as President of the United States the previous year. James Fairman Fielder (D) succeeded him and won election to a full term later that year.

* 1898: Foster McGowan Voorhees (R), who took office as governor after John W. Griggs' (R) resignation earlier that year, resigned in order to run for a full term in the 1898 election. David Ogden Watkins (R) succeeded Voorhees and held the office for three months before the beginning of Voorhees' elected term.

* 1898: John W. Griggs (R), who was elected in 1895, resigned after he was appointed as U.S. attorney general by President William McKinley (R). Foster McGowan Voorhees (R) succeeded him and won election to a full term later that year.

* 1833: Samuel L. Southard (Whig), who was elected the previous year, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1842. Elias Pettit Seeley (Whig) served the remaining nine months of his term.

* 1817: Mahlon Dickerson (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1815, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1833. Isaac Halsted Williamson (Democratic-Republican) succeeded him and served through 1829.

* 1815: William Sanford Pennington (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1813, resigned after he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President James Madison (Democratic-Republican).

* 1793: William Paterson (Federalist), who was first elected in 1790, resigned after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by President George Washington (Federalist). Thomas Henderson (Federalist) served the remaining two months of Paterson's term.

# New Mexico[edit]

There has been one governor of New Mexico who resigned. He resigned to take another office.

* 1962: Edwin L. Mechem (R), who was first elected in 1950 and won election to two more non-consecutive terms in 1956 and 1960, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Mechem served in the Senate until 1964. Tom Bolack (R) served the remaining month of Mechem's term.

# New York[edit]

There have been nine governors of New York who resigned; six who resigned to take another office and three who resigned following allegations of misconduct or inappropriate behavior.

* 2021: Andrew Cuomo (D), who was first elected in 2010, announced he would resign effective August 24, 2021, amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) succeeded him to complete his term ending January 1, 2023.[1]

* 2008: Eliot Spitzer (D), who was elected in 2006, resigned amid allegations of misconduct. David Paterson (D) succeeded him.

* 1973: Nelson Rockefeller (R), who was first elected in 1958, resigned to lead the Commission on Critical Choices for Americans. Malcolm Wilson (R) succeeded him.

* 1942: Herbert H. Lehman (D), who was first elected in 1932, resigned after he was appointed as director of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations. Charles Poletti (D) served the remaining month of Lehman's term.

* 1913: William Sulzer (D), who was elected the previous year, resigned after impeachment proceedings were opened against him stemming from allegations that he had committed campaign finance fraud. Martin H. Glynn (D) succeeded him.

* 1910: Charles Evans Hughes (R), who was first elected in 1906, resigned after he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by President William Howard Taft (R). Horace White (R) served the remaining three months of Hughes' gubernatorial term. Hughes served on the Court until 1916 and was appointed to the Court a second time as Chief Justice, serving from 1930 to 1941.

* 1885: Grover Cleveland (D), who was first elected in 1882, resigned after winning election as President of the United States the previous year. David Bennett Hill (D) succeeded Cleveland and won election to two full terms in 1885 and 1888. Cleveland was defeated in his 1888 presidential re-election bid but won re-election in 1892, becoming the only president in U.S. history to serve two non-consecutive terms.

* 1829: Martin Van Buren (D), who had been elected the previous year, resigned after two months in office after he was appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President Andrew Jackson (D). Enos T. Throop (D) succeeded Van Buren and won election to a full term in 1830.

* 1817: Daniel D. Tompkins (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1807, resigned after winning election as Vice President of the United States on a ticket with James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) the previous year. John Tayler (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining four months of Tompkins' term.

# North Carolina[edit]

There have been four governors of North Carolina who resigned, including three who resigned to take another office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 1854: David Settle Reid (D), who was first elected in 1850, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1859. Warren Winslow (D) served the remaining month of his term.

* 1832: Montfort Stokes (D), who was first elected in 1830, resigned after he was appointed chairman of the Federal Indian Commission by President Andrew Jackson (D). The office was left vacant for three weeks before David Lowry Swain (Whig) was elected to succeed Stokes.

* 1789: Samuel Johnston (Federalist), who was first elected in 1787, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1793. Richard Dobbs Spaight (Anti-Federalist) succeeded him and served through 1795.

* 1781: Abner Nash, who was elected the previous year, resigned over disagreements with the state Legislature over the Revolutionary War. He was succeeded by Thomas Burke.

# North Dakota[edit]

There has been one governor of North Dakota who resigned. He did so to take another office.

* 2010: John Hoeven (R), who was first elected in 2000, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate. Jack Dalrymple (R) succeeded him and won election to a full term in 2012.

# Ohio[edit]

There have been seven governors of Ohio who resigned, all of whom did so to take another office.

* 1998: George Voinovich (R), who was first elected in 1990, resigned after he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 2011. Nancy Hollister (R) served the remaining two weeks of Voinovich's term.

* 1957: Frank Lausche (D), who was first elected in 1944 and later left office before winning re-election in 1948, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. John William Brown (R) served the remaining two weeks of his term. Lausche served in the Senate until 1969.

* 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes (R), who was first elected in 1867 and later left office before winning re-election in 1875, resigned after winning election as President of the United States the previous year. Thomas L. Young (R) served the remaining ten months of Hayes' gubernatorial term.

* 1844: Wilson Shannon (D), who was first elected in 1838 and later left office before winning re-election in 1842, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mexico by President John Tyler (I). Thomas W. Bartley (D) served the remaining nine months of Shannon's term.

* 1822: Ethan Allen Brown (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1818, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1825. Allen Trimble (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining year of Brown's term.

* 1814: Return J. Meigs (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1810, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Postmaster General by President James Madison (Democratic-Republican). Othneil Looker (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining nine months of Meigs' term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

* 1807: Edward Tiffin (Democratic-Republican), who was elected Ohio's first governor in 1803, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1809. Thomas Kirker (Democratic-Republican) served the remainder of Tiffin's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

# Oklahoma[edit]

There has been one governor of Oklahoma who resigned. He did so to take another office.

* 1963: J. Howard Edmondson (D), who was elected in 1958, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1964. George Nigh (D) served the remaining two weeks of Edmondson's term.

# Oregon[edit]

There have been five governors of Oregon who resigned, including three who did so to take another office, one who resigned amid allegations of misconduct, and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 2015: John Kitzhaber (D), who was first elected in 1994 and later left office before winning election again in 2010, resigned amid allegations of misconduct. Kate Brown (D) succeeded him, winning election to the remainder of Kitzhaber's term in 2016 and a full term in 2018.

* 1952: Douglas McKay (R), who was elected in 1948, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Secretary of the Interior by President Dwight Eisenhower (R). Paul Linton Patterson (R) served the remaining month of his term.

* 1910: Frank W. Benson (R), who had succeeded to the governorship following George E. Chamberlain's (D) resignation the previous year, resigned due to poor health. He died less than a year later. He was succeeded by Jay Bowerman (R), who was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

* 1909: George E. Chamberlain (D), who was first elected in 1902, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1921. Frank W. Benson (R) succeeded Chamberlain before himself resigning the following year.

* 1877: Lafayette Grover (D), who was first elected in 1870, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1883. He was succeeded by Stephen F. Chadwick (D).

# Pennsylvania[edit]

There have been three governors of Pennsylvania who resigned, including two who resigned to take another office and one who resigned for personal reasons.

* 2001: Tom Ridge (R), who was first elected in 1994, resigned after President George W. Bush (R) appointed him as director of the newly-created Office of Homeland Security. Mark Schweiker (R) succeeded him.

* 1947: Edward Martin (R), who was elected in 1942, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. John C. Bell (R) served the remaining two weeks of his gubernatorial term. Martin would serve in the Senate until 1959.

* 1848: Francis R. Shunk (D), who was first elected in 1844, resigned after contracting tuberculosis. He died less than two weeks later. William F. Johnston (Whig) succeeded him and won election to a full term later that year.

# Rhode Island[edit]

There have been six governors of Rhode Island who resigned, all of whom did so to take another office.

* 2021: Gina Raimondo (D), who was first elected in 2014, resigned on March 2, 2021, after being confirmed as U.S. secretary of commerce by the U.S. Senate. Daniel McKee (D) served the remainder of Raimondo's term.
* 1950: John Pastore (D), who succeeded to the office in 1945 after James McGrath's (D) resignation, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1976. John S. McKiernan (D) served the remaining three weeks of Pastore's term.

* 1945: James McGrath (D), who was first elected in 1940, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Solicitor General by President Harry Truman (D). John Pastore (D) succeeded him and won election to full terms in 1946 and 1948.

* 1863: William Sprague (R), who was first elected in 1860, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1875. William C. Cozzens (D) served the remaining three months of Sprague's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term.

* 1853: Phillip Allen (D), who was first elected in 1851, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1859. Francis M. Dimond (D) served the remainder of Allen's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term the following year.

* 1821: Nehemiah R. Knight (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1817, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1841. Edward Cox (Unknown) served the remaining four months of Knight's term.

# South Carolina[edit]

There have been 10 governors of South Carolina who resigned, including eight who resigned to take another office and two who resigned for personal reasons.

* 2017: Nikki Haley (R), who was first elected in 2010, resigned after she was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations by President Donald Trump (R). Henry McMaster (R) succeeded her and won election to a full term in 2018.

* 1965: Donald S. Russell (D), who was elected in 1962, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1966. Robert Evander McNair (D) succeeded Russell and won election to a full term in 1966.

* 1945: Olin D. Johnston (D), who was first elected in 1934 and later left office before winning election again in 1942, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Ransome Judson Williams (D) served the remainder of Johnston's term. Johnston would serve in the Senate until his death in 1965.

* 1941: Burnet R. Maybank (D), who was elected in 1938, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Joseph Emile Harley (D) succeeded Maybank and served as governor for three months before dying in office. Maybank would serve in the Senate until his death in 1954.

* 1922: Robert Archer Cooper (D), who was first elected in 1918, resigned after he was appointed to the Federal Farm Loan Board. Wilson Godfrey Harvey (D) served the remaining eight months of Cooper's term.

* 1915: Coleman Livingston Blease (D), who was first elected in 1910, resigned over disagreements with Richard I. Manning (D), who had been elected as his successor. Charles A. Smith (D) served the remaining five days of Blease's term.

* 1886: Hugh Smith Thompson (D), who was first elected in 1881, resigned after he was appointed Assistant U.S. Secretary of the Treasury by President Grover Cleveland (D). John Calhoun Sheppard (D) served the remaining four months of Thompson's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term later that year.

* 1880: William Dunlap Simpson (D), who succeeded Wade Hampton III (D) as governor in 1879, resigned after he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. Thomas Bothwell Jeter (D) served the remaining three months of Simpson's term.

* 1879: Wade Hampton III (D), who was elected in 1876, resigned after sustaining serious injuries in a hunting accident. William Dunlap Simpson (D) succeeded him.

* 1782: John Rutledge (Nonpartisan), who was elected South Carolina's first president (the equivalent of a modern-day governor) in 1776 and later left office before winning election again in 1779, resigned to take a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. John Mathews (Nonpartisan) was elected to succeed him.

# South Dakota[edit]

There has been one governor of South Dakota who resigned; he did so to take another office.

* 1978: Richard F. Kneip (D), who was first elected in 1970, resigned after President Jimmy Carter (D) appointed him U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. Harvey Wollman (D) served the remaining five months of Kneip's term.

# Tennessee[edit]

There have been five gubernatorial resignations in Tennessee history, including four where a governor resigned to take a different office and one where a governor resigned for personal reasons.

* 1905: James B. Frazier (D), who was first elected in 1902, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1911. John I. Cox (D) served the remainder of Frazier's term but was unsuccessful in winning a full term in the next year's gubernatorial election.

* 1869: William Gannaway Brownlow (R), who was first elected in 1865, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1875. DeWitt Clinton Senter (R) succeeded Brownlow and was elected to a full term later that year.

* 1865: Andrew Johnson (D), who had been appointed as Tennessee's military governor in 1862, resigned after being elected Vice President of the United States on the National Union ticket alongside President Abraham Lincoln (R). Johnson, having previously resigned as governor in 1857, is the only governor in U.S. history to have resigned twice. Edward H. East (D) served as governor for the month between Johnson's resignation and the inauguration of elected governor William Gannaway Brownlow (R).

* 1857: Andrew Johnson (D), who was first elected in 1853, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1862. Isham G. Harris (D) succeeded Johnson and won election to full terms in 1857, 1859, and 1861.

* 1829: Samuel Houston (D), who was elected in 1827, resigned after divorcing his wife Eliza. William Hall (D) served the remaining six months of Houston's term. Houston would later win election as governor of Texas in 1829, becoming the only person in U.S. history to be elected governor of two different states.

# Texas[edit]

There have been five governors of Texas who resigned, including four who resigned to take another office and one who resigned amid allegations of misconduct.

* 2000: George W. Bush (R), who was first elected in 1994, resigned after winning election as President of the United States. Bush was succeeded by Rick Perry (R), who won election to full terms in 2002, 2006, and 2010.

* 1939: W. Lee O'Daniel (D), who was first elected in 1938, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1949. Coke R. Stevenson (D) succeeded him and won election to full terms in 1942 and 1944.

* 1917: James E. Ferguson (D), who was first elected in 1914, resigned after impeachment proceedings were opened against him over allegations that he had misused state funds. William P. Hobby (D) succeeded Ferguson and won election to a full term the following year.

* 1876: Richard Coke (D), who was first elected in 1873, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1895. Richard B. Hubbard (D) succeeded him.

* 1853: Peter Hansborough Bell (D), who was first elected in 1849, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. James W. Henderson (D) served the remaining month of Bell's term.

# Utah[edit]

There have been two governors of Utah who resigned, both of whom did so to take another office.

* 2009: Jon Huntsman (R), who was first elected in 2004, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to China by President Barack Obama (D). Gary Herbert (R) succeeded him and won election to full terms in 2012 and 2016.

* 2003: Mike Leavitt (R), who was first elected in 1992, resigned after he was appointed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator by President George W. Bush (R). Olene Walker (R) served the remainder of his term.

# Vermont[edit]

There has been one governor of Vermont who resigned. He did so to take another office.

* 1950: Ernest W. Gibson (R), who was first elected in 1946, resigned after he was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Vermont by President Harry Truman (D). Harold J. Arthur (R) served the remaining year of Gibson's term.

# Virginia[edit]

There have been nine governors of Virginia who resigned, including five who resigned to take another office and four who resigned for personal reasons.

* 1869: Henry H. Wells (R), who was appointed provisional military governor the previous year, resigned after losing a bid for an elected term. Gilbert Carlton Walker (R), who had won that year's election, was sworn in as a provisional governor three months early.

* 1842: John Rutherfoord (D), who had succeeded to the governorship the previous year, resigned to return to private life. John Munford Gregory (Whig) served the remaining nine months of Rutherfoord's term.

* 1841: Thomas Walker Gilmer (Whig), who had been elected the previous year, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he would serve until 1844. John M. Patton (Whig) succeeded Gilmer, serving for just under two weeks before the state Legislature selected John Rutherfoord (D) to finish Gilmer's term.

* 1836: Littleton Waller Tazewell (Whig), who was elected in 1834, resigned for unspecified reasons. Wyndham Robertson (Whig) served the remaining year of Tazewell's term.

* 1827: John Tyler, Jr. (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1825, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1835. William Branch Giles (Democratic-Republican) succeeded Tyler and won election to full terms in 1828 and 1829.

* 1811: James Monroe (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected governor in 1799 and later left office before winning another term in 1811, resigned after three months following his appointment as U.S. Secretary of State by President James Madison (Democratic-Republican). George William Smith (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining nine months of Monroe's term. Although Smith was elected to a full term later that year, he was killed in a theater fire less than a month later.

* 1811: John Tyler Sr. (Democratic-Republican), who was first elected in 1808, resigned following his appointment to the United States District Court for the District of Virginia by President James Madison (Democratic-Republican). George William Smith (Democratic-Republican) served the remaining week of Tyler's term.

* 1788: Edmund Randolph, who was first elected governor in 1786, resigned to take a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Beverley Randolph succeeded him, serving through 1791.

* 1781: Thomas Nelson, who had been elected earlier that year, resigned due to poor health. David Jameson succeeded Nelson, serving for just over one week before Benjamin Harrison was chosen as Nelson's permanent successor.

# Washington[edit]

No governor of Washington has resigned their office.

# West Virginia[edit]

There have been two governors of West Virginia who resigned, both of whom did so to take another office.

* 2010: Joe Manchin (D), who was first elected in 2004, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) succeeded Manchin, winning election to the remainder of Manchin's term in 2011 and to a full term in 2012.

* 1869: Arthur I. Boreman (R), who was elected West Virginia's first governor in 1863, resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until 1875. Daniel D. T. Farnsworth (R) served the remaining week of Boreman's term.

# Wisconsin[edit]

There have been four governors of Wisconsin who resigned; three who resigned to take another office and one who resigned following a disputed election.

* 2001: Tommy Thompson (R), who was first elected in 1986, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services by President George W. Bush (R). Scott McCallum (R) served the remainder of Thompson's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term the following year.

* 1977: Patrick Lucey (D), who was first elected in 1970, resigned after he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mexico by President Jimmy Carter (D). Martin J. Schreiber (D) served the remainder of Lucey's term and was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term the following year.

* 1906: Robert M. La Follette (R), who was first elected in 1900, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he would serve until his death in 1925. James O. Davidson (R) served the remainder of La Follette's term and won election to full terms in 1906 and 1908.

* 1856: William A. Barstow (D), who was first elected in 1853, resigned following the Supreme Court of Wisconsin's ruling that he had lost the disputed election of 1855. Arthur MacArthur (D) succeeded Barstow but only remained in office four days before Coles Bashford (R), who had been declared the winner of the previous year's election, took office.

# Wyoming[edit]

There have been five governors of Wyoming who resigned; four who resigned to take another office and one who resigned to run for another office.

* 1961: John J. Hickey (D), who was elected in 1958, resigned to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1962. Jack R. Gage (D) served the remainder of Hickey's term but was unsuccessful in his bid for a full term in 1962.

* 1953: Frank A. Barrett (R), who was elected in 1950, resigned in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Clifford Joy Rogers (R) served the remainder of his term.

* 1949: Lester C. Hunt (D), who was first elected in 1942, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Arthur G. Crane (R) served the remainder of his term. Hunt served in the Senate until his death in 1954.

* 1917: John B. Kendrick (D), who was elected in 1914, resigned after winning election to the U.S. Senate the previous year. Frank L. Houx (D) served the remainder of Kendrick's term and unsuccessfully sought election to a full term in 1918. Kendrick served in the Senate until his death in 1933.

* 1890: Francis E. Warren (R), who was elected as Wyoming's first governor earlier that year, resigned after six weeks in office to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death in 1929. Amos W. Barber (R) served the remainder of Warren's term.

## See also[edit]

* Governor
* How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
* State executive offices

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The New York Times, "Live Updates: Governor Cuomo Says He Will Resign," August 10, 2021

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