List of female governors in the United States
As of late August 2021, 45 women have served or are serving as the governor of a U.S. state (two acting governors due to vacancies) and three women have served or are serving as the governor of an unincorporated U.S. territory. Two women have served or are serving as Mayor of the District of Columbia. Currently, nine women are serving as governors of U.S. states, along with the Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser and territorial governor Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam.
History[]
The first woman to act as governor was Carolyn B. Shelton, who served as Acting Governor of Oregon for one weekend – 9 a.m. Saturday, February 27, through 10 a.m. Monday, March 1, 1909. The outgoing governor, George Earle Chamberlain, had been elected to the U.S. Senate and had to leave for Washington, D.C., before his term was over; the incoming governor, Frank W. Benson, had gotten sick and could not assume office early. Chamberlain left Shelton, his secretary, in charge for the weekend.[1] It was another three and a half years before women were allowed to vote in Oregon.[2][a]
The first woman to be acting governor to be entrusted with substantial duties while in office was Soledad Chávez de Chacón, who held the powers and duties of Governor of New Mexico for two weeks in 1924 while Governor James F. Hinkle attended the Democratic Convention in New York. Lieutenant Governor José A. Baca had died unexpectedly in May, so Chacón, the Secretary of State, filled the position. Chacón said that she believed that her 1924 elevation was the first time in the United States that a woman had been called on to assume the responsibilities of governor.[4]
The first woman to assume office as governor pursuant to a special election was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming (widow of late Governor William B. Ross, served January 1923 to October 1924), who was elected on November 4, 1924, and sworn in on January 5, 1925.[5] Wyoming was the first state to provide women's suffrage[6] after New Jersey had abolished it in 1807. Elected on the November 3, 1924, general election, and sworn in on January 20, 1925, was Miriam A. Ferguson of Texas, whose husband, Governor James Edward Ferguson, had previously held the office but been impeached and removed from office in 1917.[7] The first woman elected governor without being the wife or widow of a past state governor was Ella T. Grasso of Connecticut, elected in 1974 and sworn in on January 8, 1975.[8]
To date, no woman has ever changed parties during her gubernatorial term or has been elected as a third party member or an independent.
Demographics[]
Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut and New Mexico are the only four states to have elected women as governors from both major parties. Arizona was the first state where a woman followed another woman as governor (they were from different parties). Arizona also has had the most with a total of four, and is the first state to have three women in a row serve as governor.
A record nine out of 50 state governorships have been held by women since Kathy Hochul was inaugurated as governor of New York on August 24, 2021. This ties a record previously set on four occasions: first, between July 1, 2004, when Jodi Rell was inaugurated as governor of Connecticut, and January 3, 2005, when Judy Martz left office as governor of Montana and Olene Walker left office as governor of Utah; second, between December 4, 2006, when Sarah Palin was inaugurated as governor of Alaska, and January 14, 2008, when Kathleen Blanco left office as governor of Louisiana; third, between January 10, 2009, when Beverly Perdue was inaugurated as governor of North Carolina, and January 20, 2009, when Ruth Ann Minner left office as governor of Delaware; and fourth, between January 5, 2019, when Kristi Noem was inaugurated as governor of South Dakota, and March 2, 2021, when Gina Raimondo resigned as governor of Rhode Island to become United States Secretary of Commerce. Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, though not states, have also had women as chief executives: Sila María Calderón and Wanda Vázquez Garced as governors of Puerto Rico and Sharon Pratt Kelly and Muriel Bowser as mayors of DC. Additionally, Lou Leon Guerrero has served as the governor of Guam since January 2019.
As of August 24, 2021, 19 states have never had a woman as governor: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Six states (Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and Utah) have never seen a major party nominate a woman in a gubernatorial election, although nine consecutive lieutenant governors have been women in Minnesota, from 1983 to the present day.[9]
Three women of color have been state governors: Susana Martinez and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico (both Hispanic) and Nikki Haley of South Carolina (Asian American). Martinez and Haley are both Republican; Lujan Grisham is a Democrat. Additionally, all five women who governed an insular area have been of an ethnic minority group: Sharon Pratt and Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C. (both African American), Sila María Calderón and Wanda Vázquez Garced of Puerto Rico (both Hispanic) and Lou Leon Guerrero of Guam (Pacific Islander), all Democratic, with the exception of Vázquez Garced, who is a Republican.
Histograph[]
Starting | Total | Graph |
---|---|---|
March 4, 1789 | 0 | |
January 5, 1925 | 1 | *
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January 20, 1925 | 2 | **
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January 3, 1927 | 1 | *
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January 17, 1927 | 0 | |
January 17, 1933 | 1 | *
|
January 15, 1935 | 0 | |
January 16, 1967 | 1 | *
|
May 7, 1968 | 0 | |
January 8, 1975 | 1 | *
|
January 12, 1977 | 2 | **
|
December 31, 1980 | 1 | *
|
January 14, 1981 | 0 | |
December 13, 1983 | 1 | *
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January 10, 1985 | 2 | **
|
January 9, 1987 | 3 | ***
|
December 8, 1987 | 2 | **
|
April 4, 1988 | 3 | ***
|
January 9, 1991 | 2 | **
|
January 10, 1991 | 1 | *
|
January 14, 1991 | 3 | ***
|
January 15, 1991 | 4 | ****
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March 6, 1991 | 3 | ***
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January 18, 1994 | 4 | ****
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January 9, 1995 | 2 | **
|
January 17, 1995 | 1 | *
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January 9, 1997 | 2 | **
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September 5, 1997 | 3 | ***
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December 31, 1998 | 4 | ****
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January 11, 1999 | 3 | ***
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January 1, 2001 | 4 | ****
|
January 3, 2001 | 5 | *****
|
January 31, 2001 | 4 | ****
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April 10, 2001 | 5 | *****
|
December 2, 2002 | 6 | ******
|
January 1, 2003 | 7 | *******
|
January 2, 2003 | 6 | ******
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January 9, 2003 | 5 | *****
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January 13, 2003 | 6 | ******
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November 5, 2003 | 7 | *******
|
January 12, 2004 | 8 | ********
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July 1, 2004 | 9 | *********
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January 3, 2005 | 7 | *******
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January 12, 2005 | 8 | ********
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December 4, 2006 | 9 | *********
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January 14, 2008 | 8 | ********
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January 10, 2009 | 9 | *********
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January 20, 2009 | 8 | ********
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April 28, 2009 | 7 | *******
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July 26, 2009 | 6 | ******
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December 6, 2010 | 5 | *****
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January 5, 2011 | 4 | ****
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January 10, 2011 | 5 | *****
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January 12, 2011 | 6 | ******
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January 3, 2013 | 7 | *******
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January 5, 2013 | 6 | ******
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January 16, 2013 | 5 | *****
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January 5, 2015 | 4 | ****
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January 6, 2015 | 5 | *****
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February 16, 2015 | 6 | ******
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January 2, 2017 | 5 | *****
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January 24, 2017 | 4 | ****
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April 10, 2017 | 5 | *****
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May 24, 2017 | 6 | ******
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January 1, 2019 | 7 | *******
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January 2, 2019 | 8 | ********
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January 5, 2019 | 9 | *********
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March 2, 2021 | 8 | ********
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August 24, 2021 | 9 | *********
|
State governors[]
Portrait | Name (lifespan) |
State | Term start | Term end | Party | Notes | Departure | Time in office |
Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nellie Ross (1876–1977) |
Wyoming | January 5, 1925 | January 3, 1927 | Democratic | Widow of Governor William B. Ross. First and only woman as Governor of Wyoming. First woman elected in a special election. |
Lost reelection | 1 year, 363 days | [10] | |
Miriam A. Ferguson (1875–1961) |
Texas | January 20, 1925 | January 17, 1927 | Democratic | Wife of Governor James E. Ferguson. First woman as Governor of Texas. First woman elected in a general election. |
Retired | 1 year, 362 days | [11] | |
January 17, 1933 | January 15, 1935 | Retired | 1 year, 363 days | ||||||
Lurleen Wallace (1926–1968) |
Alabama | January 16, 1967 | May 7, 1968 | Democratic | Wife of Governor George Wallace. First woman as Governor of Alabama. First and only woman to die in office as governor. |
Died in office | 1 year, 112 days | ||
Ella T. Grasso (1919–1981) |
Connecticut | January 8, 1975 | December 31, 1980 | Democratic | First woman elected not a wife or widow of a previous governor. First woman as Governor of Connecticut. First woman to resign as governor, due to terminal ovarian cancer. |
Resigned | 5 years, 358 days | [12] | |
Dixy Lee Ray (1914–1994) |
Washington | January 12, 1977 | January 14, 1981 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Washington. | Lost renomination | 4 years, 2 days | [13] | |
Vesta M. Roy (1925–2002) |
New Hampshire | December 29, 1982 | January 6, 1983 | Democratic | First and only woman as Acting Governor of New Hampshire. Elevated while President of the Senate. |
8 days | |||
Martha Collins (born 1936) |
Kentucky | December 13, 1983 | December 8, 1987 | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Kentucky. | Term-limited | 3 years, 360 days | [14] | |
Madeleine Kunin (born 1933) |
Vermont | January 10, 1985 | January 10, 1991 | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Vermont. First foreign-born woman as governor. |
Retired | 6 years, 0 days | [15] | |
Kay A. Orr (born 1939) |
Nebraska | January 9, 1987 | January 9, 1991 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Nebraska. First woman elected to a governorship over another woman nominated by a major party. First Republican woman elected to a governorship.[b] |
Lost reelection | 4 years, 0 days | [16] | |
Rose Mofford (1922–2016) |
Arizona | April 4, 1988 | March 6, 1991 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Arizona. Elevated from Secretary of State. |
Retired | 2 years, 336 days | [17] | |
Joan Finney (1925–2001) |
Kansas | January 14, 1991 | January 9, 1995 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Kansas. First woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election. |
Retired | 3 years, 360 days | [18] | |
Barbara Roberts (born 1936) |
Oregon | January 14, 1991 | January 9, 1995 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Oregon. | Retired | 3 years, 360 days | ||
Ann Richards (1933–2006) |
Texas | January 15, 1991 | January 17, 1995 | Democratic | Lost reelection | 4 years, 2 days | [19] | ||
Christine Todd Whitman (born 1946) |
New Jersey | January 18, 1994 | January 31, 2001 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of New Jersey. First Republican woman to defeat an incumbent governor in a general election. |
Resigned to become EPA Administrator | 7 years, 13 days | [20] | |
Jeanne Shaheen (born 1947) |
New Hampshire | January 9, 1997 | January 9, 2003 | Democratic | First woman elected Governor of New Hampshire.[b] First woman elected as both Governor and U.S. Senator. |
Retired | 6 years, 0 days | [22][23] | |
Jane Dee Hull (1935–2020) |
Arizona | September 5, 1997 | January 6, 2003 | Republican | Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right. |
Term-limited | 5 years, 123 days | ||
Nancy Hollister (born 1949) |
Ohio | December 31, 1998 | January 11, 1999 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Ohio. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. |
Term ended | 11 days | ||
Judy Martz (1943–2017) |
Montana | January 1, 2001 | January 3, 2005 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Montana. | Retired | 4 years, 2 days | ||
Ruth Ann Minner (1935–2021) |
Delaware | January 3, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Delaware. | Term-limited | 8 years, 17 days | ||
Jane Swift (born 1965) |
Massachusetts | April 10, 2001 | January 2, 2003 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Massachusetts. Elevated to acting governor while Lieutenant Governor. First to give birth while in office.[24] |
Retired | 1 year, 267 days | ||
Linda Lingle (born 1953) |
Hawaii | December 2, 2002 | December 6, 2010 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Hawaii. | Term-limited | 8 years, 4 days | ||
Jennifer Granholm (born 1959) |
Michigan | January 1, 2003 | January 1, 2011 | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Michigan. | Term-limited | 8 years, 0 days | ||
Janet Napolitano (born 1957) |
Arizona | January 6, 2003 | January 21, 2009 | Democratic | First woman to succeed another woman | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security | 6 years, 15 days | ||
Kathleen Sebelius (born 1948) |
Kansas | January 13, 2003 | April 28, 2009 | Democratic | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services | 6 years, 105 days | |||
Olene Walker (1930–2015) |
Utah | November 5, 2003 | January 3, 2005 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Utah. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. |
Lost nomination for full term | 1 year, 59 days | ||
Kathleen Blanco (1942–2019) |
Louisiana | January 12, 2004 | January 14, 2008 | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Louisiana. | Retired | 4 years, 2 days | ||
Jodi Rell (born 1946) |
Connecticut | July 1, 2004 | January 5, 2011 | Republican | Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right. |
Retired | 6 years, 188 days | ||
Christine Gregoire (born 1947) |
Washington | January 12, 2005 | January 16, 2013 | Democratic | Retired | 8 years, 4 days | |||
Sarah Palin (born 1964) |
Alaska | December 4, 2006 | July 26, 2009 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Alaska | Resigned | 2 years, 234 days | ||
Bev Perdue (born 1947) |
North Carolina | January 10, 2009 | January 5, 2013 | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of North Carolina. | Retired | 3 years, 361 days | ||
Jan Brewer (born 1944) |
Arizona | January 21, 2009 | January 5, 2015 | Republican | Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right. |
Term-limited | 5 years, 349 days | ||
Susana Martinez (born 1959) |
New Mexico | January 1, 2011 | January 1, 2019 | Republican | First woman as Governor of New Mexico. | Term-limited | 8 years, 0 days | ||
Mary Fallin (born 1954) |
Oklahoma | January 10, 2011 | January 14, 2019 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of Oklahoma. | Term-limited | 8 years, 4 days | ||
Nikki Haley (born 1972) |
South Carolina | January 12, 2011 | January 24, 2017 | Republican | First and only woman as Governor of South Carolina. First Asian American woman serving as governor. |
Resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | 6 years, 12 days | ||
Maggie Hassan (born 1958) |
New Hampshire | January 3, 2013 | January 2, 2017 | Democratic | Second woman elected as both Governor and U.S. Senator. | Resigned to become a U.S. Senator. | 3 years, 365 days | ||
Gina Raimondo (born 1971) |
Rhode Island | January 6, 2015 | March 2, 2021 | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Rhode Island. | Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Commerce | 6 years, 55 days | [25] | |
Kate Brown (born 1960) |
Oregon | February 18, 2015 | Incumbent | Democratic | First openly bisexual governor and first openly LGBT elected governor. Elevated from Secretary of State. Later elected in her own right. |
Serving | 6 years, 344 days | ||
Kay Ivey (born 1944) |
Alabama | April 10, 2017 | Incumbent | Republican | Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right. |
Serving | 4 years, 293 days | [26] | |
Kim Reynolds (born 1959) |
Iowa | May 24, 2017 | Incumbent | Republican | First woman as Governor of Iowa. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. Later elected in her own right. |
Serving | 4 years, 249 days | [27] | |
Gretchen Whitmer (born 1971) |
Michigan | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | Serving | 3 years, 27 days | |||
Michelle Lujan Grisham (born 1959) |
New Mexico | January 1, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | Serving | 3 years, 27 days | |||
Janet Mills (born 1947) |
Maine | January 2, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | First woman as Governor of Maine. | Serving | 3 years, 26 days | ||
Kristi Noem (born 1971) |
South Dakota | January 5, 2019 | Incumbent | Republican | First woman as Governor of South Dakota. | Serving | 3 years, 23 days | ||
Laura Kelly (born 1950) |
Kansas | January 14, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | Serving | 3 years, 14 days | |||
Kathy Hochul (born 1958) |
New York | August 24, 2021 | Incumbent | Democratic | First woman as Governor of New York. Elevated from Lieutenant Governor. |
Serving | 157 days |
Territories and the District of Columbia[]
Portrait | Name (lifespan) |
Jurisdiction | Term start | Term end | Party | Notes | Departure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sharon Pratt (born 1944) |
District of Columbia | January 2, 1991 | January 2, 1995 | Democratic | First African American woman elected mayor of a major city. First woman as Mayor of the District of Columbia. |
Lost renomination | |
Sila Calderón (born 1942) |
Puerto Rico | January 2, 2001 | January 2, 2005 | Popular Democratic/ Democratic |
First woman as Governor of Puerto Rico. First Hispanic American woman as governor. |
Retired | |
Muriel Bowser (born 1972) |
District of Columbia | January 2, 2015 | Incumbent | Democratic | Serving | ||
Lou Leon Guerrero (born 1950) |
Guam | January 7, 2019 | Incumbent | Democratic | First and only woman as Governor of Guam. First Pacific Islander American woman as governor. |
Serving | |
Wanda Vázquez Garced (born 1960) |
Puerto Rico | August 7, 2019 | January 2, 2021 | New Progressive/ Republican |
Elevated from Secretary of Justice when Pedro Pierluisi was removed quo warranto. | Lost renomination |
Timeline of women serving as governors[]
Governors who have been pregnant while in office | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | State | Date of delivery | Mother's age | Notes |
Jane Swift | Massachusetts | May 14, 2001 | 36 | First sitting governor or acting governor to give birth while in office. Gave birth to twin girls one month into her tenure as acting governor.[28] |
Sarah Palin | Alaska | April 18, 2008 | 44 | First sitting governor to give birth while in office. Gave birth to son, Trig while in office.[29] |
See also[]
- List of first gentlemen in the United States
- List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
Notes[]
- ^ Chamberlain and Shelton married each other 17 years later.[3]
- ^ a b Vesta M. Roy served as Acting Governor of New Hampshire from December 29, 1982 to January 6, 1983.[21]
References[]
- ^ Long, James Andrew (1994). Oregon Firsts: Past and Present. North Plains, Ore.: Oregon Firsts Media. p. 57. ISBN 1-882635-00-0.
- ^ Kessler, Lauren (1983). "The Ideas of Woman Suffrage and the Mainstream Press". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 84: 257–76.
- ^ "Milestones: Jul. 26, 1926". Time. July 26, 1926. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
- ^ Albuquerque Journal, October 24, 2010, reporting on an article from Albuquerque Morning Journal, June 21, 1924.
- ^ "Today in History". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ Lasky, Mandy (October 12, 2019). "How Nellie Tayloe Ross became the nation's first female governor". Casper Star-Tribune.
- ^ "Governors of Texas, 1846–present". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
- ^ "Ella Grasso: First Woman Elected State Governor". Essortment. May 16, 1986. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ "Minnesota: Where Female Lieutenant Governors Reign | Smart Politics". editions.lib.umn.edu. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ Rea, Tom. "The Ambition of Nellie Tayloe Ross". Wyoming State Historical Society. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ^ Huddlston, D. John (June 12, 2010). "Ferguson, Miriam Amanda Wallace [Ma]". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ^ Wald, Matthew L. (February 6, 1981). "Ex-Gov. Grasso of Connecticut Dead of Cancer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "From Mt. Rainier to the Governorship of Washington, Dixy Lee Ray Was a Climber". American Association of University Women. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ Crawford, Allison (March 29, 2016). "Former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins Partners with Baptist Health Paducah". Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ "Once a Refugee from Nazi Europe, Madeleine Kunin Takes Charge as Vermont's First Woman Governor – Vol. 23 No. 13". People. April 1, 1985. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ Hickey, Donald R.; Wunder, Susan A.; Wunder, John R. (January 1, 2007). Nebraska Moments. U of Nebraska Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-0803215726.
- ^ Bland, Karina; Harris, Craig (September 16, 2016). "Rose Mofford, first woman to serve as Arizona governor, has died". azcentral. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ Myers, Roger (July 29, 2001). "Trailblazer did it her way". cjonline.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ Ratcliffe, R.G.; Kilday, Ann Marie (September 13, 2006). "Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards dies at 73". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ "Governor Christine Todd Whitman Gubernatorial Timeline". Rutgers.edu. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "Vesta Roy, 76, New Hampshire Ex-Governor". The New York Times. February 22, 2002. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "Gov. Jeanne Shaheen". NGA.org. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "Granite State Stories: Jeanne Shaheen is first woman elected governor of New Hampshire". Concord Monitor. September 28, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "Swift's Unusual Ride to the Governor's Office". Boston Globe. April 8, 2001. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ^ Herbst-Bayliss, Sva (November 4, 2014). "Democrat Gina Raimondo becomes Rhode Island's first female governor". Reuters. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ NBC, AP. "New Information: Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey sworn in as Alabama's 54th governor". Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^ Noble, Jason (May 24, 2017). "Kim Reynolds becomes Iowa's first female governor". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Palin confirms baby has Down syndrome (04/21/08): Gov. Sarah Palin family - adn.com". September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010.
External links[]
- "History of Women Governors" Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Lists of female political office-holders in the United States
- Lists of state governors of the United States
- Women state governors of the United States
- Female heads of government by country
- Lists of female state governors