The governor of Montana is the head of government of Montana and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, to convene the legislature at any time, and to grant pardons and reprieves.
Montana has had 24 governors, consisting of 9 Republicans and 15 Democrats. The longest-serving governor was Joseph Toole, who served from 1889 to 1893 and again from 1901 until his resignation in 1908 with 11 years in office. He is the only governor to serve nonconsecutive terms. The shortest-serving governor was Elmer Holt, who served less than 13 months when the previous governor died. The current governor is Republican Greg Gianforte, who took office on January 4, 2021.
List of governors
Territory of Montana
Montana Territory was organized from Idaho Territory on May 26, 1864. During its 35-year history, it had nine governors appointed by the president of the United States, and three acting governors, all of whom had been appointed territorial secretary before becoming acting governor. The first, Thomas Francis Meagher, served as acting governor from 1865 until 1867. The second, James Tufts, served in for one month in 1869, and was succeeded by Wiley Scribner, who served 1869–1870.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Governors of the Territory of Montana
!scope="col" data-sort-type="number"|
!scope="colgroup" colspan="2"|Governor
!scope="col"|Term in office
!scope="col"|Appointed by
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|1
|data-sort-value="Edgerton, Sidney"|75px
|Sidney Edgerton<br><br>
|<br />–<br />July 13, 1866<br>
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|2
|data-sort-value="Smith, Green"|75px
|Green Clay Smith<br><br>
|<br />–<br />April 9, 1869<br><br />–<br />December 17, 1869<br>
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|4
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Potts, Benjamin"|75px
|rowspan="2"|Benjamin F. Potts<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />August 4, 1882<br>
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|5
|data-sort-value="Crosby, John"|75px
|John Schuyler Crosby<br><br>
|<br />–<br />July 3, 1885<br>
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|7
|data-sort-value="Hauser, Samuel"|75px
|Samuel Thomas Hauser<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 13, 1887<br>
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|8
|data-sort-value="Leslie, Preston"|75px
|Preston Leslie<br><br>
|<br />–<br />March 27, 1889<br>
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|9
|data-sort-value="White, Benjami"|75px
|Benjamin F. White<br><br>
|<br />–<br />November 8, 1889<br>
|
|}
State of Montana
Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889.
The current Montana Constitution, ratified in 1972, calls for a 4-year term for the governor, commencing on the first Monday in January following an election. A 1992 amendment limits the governor to 8 years in any 16-year period. The constitution provides for the election of a lieutenant governor for the same term as the governor. The two offices are elected on the same ticket;
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible sticky-header-multi" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Governors of the State of Montana
!scope="col" data-sort-type="number"|
!scope="colgroup" colspan="3"|Governor
!scope="col"|Term in office
!scope="col"|Party
!scope="col"|Election
!scope="colgroup" colspan="2"|Lt. Governor
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|1
|data-sort-value="Toole, Joseph"|75px
|style="background: ;"|
|Joseph Toole<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 2, 1893<br>
|Democratic
|1889
|rowspan="2" style="background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|2
|data-sort-value="Rickards, John"|75px
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|John E. Rickards<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 4, 1897<br>
|Republican
|1892
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|3
|data-sort-value="Smith, Robert"|75px
|style="background: #79CDCD;"|
|Robert Burns Smith<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 7, 1901<br>
|Fusion
|1896
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|4
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Toole, Joseph"|75px
|rowspan="6" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|rowspan="2"|Joseph Toole<br><br><br />–<br />April 1, 1908<br>
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|1900
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1904
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|5
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Norris, Edwin"|75px
|rowspan="2"|Edwin L. Norris<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 6, 1913<br>
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|style="background:#EEEEEE;"|
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1908
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|6
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Stewart, Sam"|75px
|rowspan="2"|Sam V. Stewart<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 3, 1921<br>
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|1912
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|rowspan="2"|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1916
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|7
|data-sort-value="Dixon, Joseph"|75px
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|Joseph M. Dixon<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 5, 1925<br>
|Republican
|1920
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="3" scope="rowgroup"|8
|rowspan="3" data-sort-value="Erickson, John"|75px
|rowspan="8" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|rowspan="3"|John E. Erickson<br><br>
|rowspan="3"|<br />–<br />March 13, 1933<br>
|rowspan="3"|Democratic
|1924
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1928
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1932
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="3" scope="rowgroup"|9
|rowspan="3" data-sort-value="Cooney, Frank"|75px
|rowspan="3"|Frank Henry Cooney<br><br>
|rowspan="3"|<br />–<br />December 15, 1935<br>
|rowspan="3"|Democratic
|rowspan="3" style="background:#EEEEEE;"|
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|10
|data-sort-value="Holt, Elmer"|75px
|Elmer Holt<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 4, 1937<br>
|Democratic
|style="background:#EEEEEE;"|
|William P. Pilgeram
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|11
|data-sort-value="Ayers, Roy"|75px
|Roy E. Ayers<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 6, 1941<br>
|Democratic
|1936
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|12
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Ford, Sam"|75px
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|rowspan="2"|Sam C. Ford<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 3, 1949<br>
|rowspan="2"|Republican
|1940
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|rowspan="2"|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1944
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|13
|data-sort-value="Bonner, John"|75px
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|John W. Bonner<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 5, 1953<br>
|Democratic
|1948
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|14
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Aronson, J."|75px
|rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|rowspan="2"|J. Hugo Aronson<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 2, 1961<br>
|rowspan="2"|Republican
|1952
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1956
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|15
|data-sort-value="Nutter, Donald"|75px
|Donald Grant Nutter<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 25, 1962<br>
|Republican
|1960
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|16
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Babock, Tim"|75px
|rowspan="2"|Tim Babcock<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 6, 1969<br>
|rowspan="2"|Republican
|style="background:#EEEEEE;"|
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1964
|style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!scope="row"|17
|data-sort-value="Anderson, Forrest"|75px
|rowspan="6" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|Forrest H. Anderson<br><br>
|<br />–<br />January 1, 1973<br>
|Democratic
|1968
|rowspan="6" style="color:inherit;background: ;"|
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup"|18
|rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Judge, Thomas"|75px
|rowspan="2"|Thomas Lee Judge<br><br>
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 5, 1981<br>
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|1972
|
|- style="height:2em;"
|1976
|
|- style="height:2em;"
!rowspan="3" scope="rowgroup"|19
|rowspan="3" data-sort-value="Schwinden, Ted"|75px
|rowspan="3"|Ted Schwinden<br><br>
|rowspan="3"|<br />–<br />January 2, 1989<br>
|rowspan="3"|Democratic
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 4, 1993<br>
|rowspan="2"|Republican
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 2, 2001<br>
|rowspan="2"|Republican
|<br />–<br />January 3, 2005<br>
|Republican
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />January 7, 2013<br>
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|rowspan="4"|<br />–<br />January 4, 2021<br>
|rowspan="4"|Democratic
|rowspan="2"|<br />–<br />Incumbent
|rowspan="2"|Republican