List of governors of Illinois

Governor of Illinois
Seal of the State of Illinois
Flag of Illinois
200px Incumbent J. B. Pritzker since January 14, 2019
Residence	Illinois Governor's Mansion
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	Shadrach Bond
Formation	October 6, 1818 (1818-10-06)
Salary	$177,412 (2015)^α
Website	www2.illinois.gov/gov/

The governor of Illinois is the head of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Illinois's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Illinois Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of impeachment. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.

Since becoming a state in 1818, 43 people have served as governor of Illinois; before statehood, it had only 1 territorial governor, Ninian Edwards. The longest-serving governor was James R. Thompson, who was elected to four terms lasting 14 years, from 1977 to 1991. Only one governor, Richard J. Oglesby, has served multiple separate terms, having been elected in 1864, 1872, and 1884.

One governor, Rod Blagojevich, was impeached and removed from office in 2009. Four of Illinois' seven governors between 1961 and 2009 were imprisoned for various forms of corruption. Governor Walker was imprisoned for irregularities at a bank where he was an officer, for actions unrelated to his previous office of governor. The current governor is J. B. Pritzker, who took office on January 14, 2019.

Governors

Governor of the Territory of Illinois

Illinois Territory was formed on March 1, 1809, from Indiana Territory. It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state, Ninian Edwards. From March to June 1809, Territorial Secretary Nathaniel Pope served as acting governor until Edwards arrived in Illinois.

Governor of the Territory of Illinois

Portrait	Governor	Term in office	Appointed by
	Ninian Edwards     March 17, 1775 – July 20, 1833    (aged 58)	March 1, 1809 – October 6, 1818	Thomas Jefferson

Governors of the State of Illinois

Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, consisting of the southern portion of Illinois Territory; the remainder was assigned to Michigan Territory.

The first Illinois Constitution, ratified in 1818, provided that a governor be elected every 4 years for a term starting on the first Monday in the December following an election. The constitution of 1848 moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January starting in 1849, thus shortening the term won in the 1844 election to 2 years. Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves until the 1870 constitution, which removed this limit.

The office of lieutenant governor was created in the first constitution, to exercise the power of governor if that office becomes vacant. The 1848 constitution changed this to say the power "devolves" upon the lieutenant governor in case of a vacancy. The current constitution of 1970 made it so that, in the event of a vacancy, the lieutenant becomes governor, and the governor and lieutenant governor are now elected on the same ticket. If the governor feels seriously impeded in performing their job, they can inform the secretary of state and the next in the line of succession, who becomes acting governor until the governor can resume office.

Governors of the State of Illinois

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor
1			Shadrach Bond     November 30, 1773 – April 12, 1832    (aged 58)	October 6, 1818 – December 5, 1822 (term limited)	Independent	1818		Pierre Menard
2			Edward Coles     December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868    (aged 81)	December 5, 1822 – December 6, 1826 (term limited)	Independent	1822		Adolphus Hubbard
3			Ninian Edwards     March 17, 1775 – July 20, 1833    (aged 58)	December 6, 1826 – December 6, 1830 (term limited)	Adams-Clay Republican	1826		William Kinney
4	75px		John Reynolds     February 26, 1788 – May 8, 1865    (aged 77)	December 6, 1830 – November 17, 1834 (resigned)	National Republican	1830		Zadok Casey (resigned March 1, 1833)
								William Lee D. Ewing (acting)
5			William Lee D. Ewing     August 31, 1795 – March 25, 1846    (aged 50)	November 17, 1834 – December 3, 1834 (successor took office)	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor	Vacant
6			Joseph Duncan     February 22, 1794 – January 15, 1844    (aged 49)	December 3, 1834 – December 7, 1838 (term limited)	Whig	1834		Alexander M. Jenkins (resigned December 9, 1836)
								William H. Davidson (acting)
7	75px		Thomas Carlin     July 18, 1789 – February 14, 1852    (aged 62)	December 7, 1838 – December 8, 1842 (term limited)	Democratic	1838		Stinson Anderson
8	75px		Thomas Ford     December 5, 1800 – November 3, 1850    (aged 49)	December 8, 1842 – December 9, 1846 (term limited)	Democratic	1842		John Moore
9			Augustus C. French     August 2, 1808 – September 4, 1864    (aged 56)	December 9, 1846 – January 10, 1853 (term limited)	Democratic	1846		Joseph Wells
						1848		William McMurtry
10			Joel Aldrich Matteson     August 8, 1808 – January 31, 1873    (aged 64)	January 10, 1853 – January 12, 1857 (term limited)	Democratic	1852		Gustav Koerner
11			William Henry Bissell     April 25, 1811 – March 18, 1860    (aged 48)	January 12, 1857 – March 18, 1860 (died in office)	Republican	1856		John Wood
12			John Wood     December 20, 1798 – June 4, 1880    (aged 81)	March 18, 1860 – January 14, 1861 (not candidate for election)	Republican	Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor		Thomas Marshall (acting)
13			Richard Yates     January 18, 1815 – November 27, 1873    (aged 58)	January 14, 1861 – January 16, 1865 (term limited)	Republican	1860		Francis Hoffmann
14			Richard J. Oglesby     July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899    (aged 74)	January 16, 1865 – January 11, 1869 (term limited)	Republican	1864		William Bross
15			John M. Palmer     September 13, 1817 – September 25, 1900    (aged 83)	January 11, 1869 – January 13, 1873 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1868		John Dougherty
14			Richard J. Oglesby     July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899    (aged 74)	January 13, 1873 – January 23, 1873 (resigned)	Republican	1872		John Lourie Beveridge
16			John Lourie Beveridge     July 6, 1824 – May 3, 1910    (aged 85)	January 23, 1873 – January 8, 1877 (not candidate for election)	Republican	Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor		John Early (acting) (term ended January 8, 1875)
								Archibald A. Glenn (acting)
17			Shelby Moore Cullom     November 22, 1829 – January 28, 1914    (aged 84)	January 8, 1877 – February 5, 1883 (resigned)	Republican	1876		Andrew Shuman
						1880		John Marshall Hamilton
18	75px		John Marshall Hamilton     May 28, 1847 – September 22, 1905    (aged 58)	February 5, 1883 – January 30, 1885 (not candidate for election)	Republican	Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor		William J. Campbell (acting)
14			Richard J. Oglesby     July 25, 1824 – April 24, 1899    (aged 74)	January 30, 1885 – January 14, 1889 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1884		John C. Smith
19			Joseph W. Fifer     October 28, 1840 – August 6, 1938    (aged 97)	January 14, 1889 – January 10, 1893 (lost election)	Republican	1888		Lyman Beecher Ray
20			John Peter Altgeld     December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902    (aged 54)	January 10, 1893 – January 11, 1897 (lost election)	Democratic	1892		Joseph B. Gill
21	75px		John Riley Tanner     April 4, 1844 – May 23, 1901    (aged 57)	January 11, 1897 – January 14, 1901 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1896		William Northcott
22			Richard Yates Jr.     December 12, 1860 – April 11, 1936    (aged 75)	January 14, 1901 – January 9, 1905 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1900
23			Charles S. Deneen     May 4, 1863 – February 5, 1940    (aged 69)	January 9, 1905 – February 3, 1913 (lost election)	Republican	1904		Lawrence Yates Sherman
						1908		John G. Oglesby
24			Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne     October 12, 1853 – May 24, 1937    (aged 83)	February 3, 1913 – January 8, 1917 (lost election)	Democratic	1912		Barratt O'Hara
25			Frank Orren Lowden     January 26, 1861 – March 20, 1943    (aged 82)	January 8, 1917 – January 10, 1921 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1916		John G. Oglesby
26			Len Small     June 16, 1862 – May 17, 1936    (aged 73)	January 10, 1921 – January 14, 1929 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1920		Fred E. Sterling
						1924
27	75px		Louis Lincoln Emmerson     December 27, 1863 – February 4, 1941    (aged 77)	January 14, 1929 – January 9, 1933 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1928
28			Henry Horner     November 30, 1878 – October 6, 1940    (aged 61)	January 9, 1933 – October 6, 1940 (died in office)	Democratic	1932		Thomas Donovan
						1936		John Henry Stelle
29	75px		John Henry Stelle     August 10, 1891 – July 5, 1962    (aged 70)	October 6, 1940 – January 13, 1941 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor	Vacant
30	75px		Dwight H. Green     January 9, 1897 – February 20, 1958    (aged 61)	January 13, 1941 – January 10, 1949 (lost election)	Republican	1940		Hugh W. Cross
						1944
31	75px		Adlai Stevenson II     February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965    (aged 65)	January 10, 1949 – January 12, 1953 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1948		Sherwood Dixon
32	75px		William Stratton     February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001    (aged 87)	January 12, 1953 – January 9, 1961 (lost election)	Republican	1952		John William Chapman
						1956
33			Otto Kerner Jr.     August 15, 1908 – May 9, 1976    (aged 67)	January 9, 1961 – May 21, 1968 (resigned)	Democratic	1960		Samuel H. Shapiro
						1964
34	75px		Samuel H. Shapiro     April 25, 1907 – March 16, 1987    (aged 79)	May 21, 1968 – January 13, 1969	Democratic	Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor	Vacant
35			Richard B. Ogilvie     February 22, 1923 – May 10, 1988    (aged 65)	January 13, 1969 – January 8, 1973 (lost election)	Republican	1968		Paul Simon
36	75px		Dan Walker     August 6, 1922 – April 29, 2015    (aged 92)	January 8, 1973 – January 10, 1977 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1972		Neil Hartigan
37			James R. Thompson     May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020    (aged 84)	January 10, 1977 – January 14, 1991 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1976		Dave O'Neal (resigned July 31, 1981)
						1978
							Vacant
						1982		George Ryan
						1986
38	75px		Jim Edgar     (1946-07-22) July 22, 1946	January 14, 1991 – January 11, 1999 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1990		Bob Kustra (resigned July 1, 1998)
						1994
							Vacant
39	75px		George Ryan     (1934-02-24) February 24, 1934	January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1998		Corinne Wood
40	75px		Rod Blagojevich     (1956-12-10) December 10, 1956	January 13, 2003 – January 29, 2009 (impeached and removed)	Democratic	2002		Pat Quinn
						2006
41			Pat Quinn     (1948-12-16) December 16, 1948	January 29, 2009 – January 12, 2015 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
						2010		Sheila Simon
42	75px		Bruce Rauner     (1956-02-18) February 18, 1956	January 12, 2015 – January 14, 2019 (lost election)	Republican	2014		Evelyn Sanguinetti
43	75px		J. B. Pritzker     (1965-01-19) January 19, 1965	January 14, 2019 – Incumbent	Democratic	2018		Juliana Stratton

Living former governors of Illinois

As of 14 January 2025, five former governors of Illinois are currently living, the oldest being George Ryan (served 1999–2003, born 1934). The most recent and most recently serving governor of Illinois to die was James R. Thompson (served 1977–1991), on August 14, 2020.

Governor	Gubernatorial term	Date of birth (and age)
George Ryan	1999–2003	(1934-02-24) February 24, 1934
Jim Edgar	1991–1999	(1946-07-22) July 22, 1946
Pat Quinn	2009–2015	(1948-12-16) December 16, 1948
Bruce Rauner	2015–2019	(1956-02-18) February 18, 1956
Rod Blagojevich	2003–2009	(1956-12-10) December 10, 1956

See also

• List of Illinois state legislatures
• List of commandants of the Illinois Country

References

General

Constitutions

Specific