The governor of the United States Virgin Islands is the head of government of the United States Virgin Islands whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Territory addresses to the Virgin Islands Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that territory public laws are enforced. The position was created through the passage of the Elective Governor Acts of 1968 which took effect in 1970. Melvin Herbert Evans was the first elected governor.
The following is a list of governors of the United States Virgin Islands. For governors of the territory that is now the U.S. Virgin Islands prior to United States administration (while it was ruled by Denmark as the Danish West Indies), see List of governors of the Danish West Indies.
Appointed governors (1917–1970)
Naval governors (1917–1931)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan=2|
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Appointed by
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| 100px
| Captain<br />Edwin Taylor Pollock<br> <br />
| March 31, 1917
| April 20, 1917
|
| Woodrow Wilson
|-
| 1
| 100px
| Rear Admiral<br />James Harrison Oliver<br>
| April 20, 1917
| April 8, 1919
|
| Woodrow Wilson
|-
| 2
| 100px
| Rear Admiral<br />Joseph Wallace Oman<br>
| April 8, 1919
| April 26, 1921
|
| Woodrow Wilson
|-
| 3
| 100px
| Rear Admiral<br />Sumner Ely Wetmore Kittelle<br>
| April 26, 1921
| September 16, 1922
|
| Warren G. Harding
|-
| 4
| 100px
| Captain<br />Henry Hughes Hough<br>
| September 16, 1922
| December 3, 1923
|
| Warren G. Harding
|-
| 5
| 100px
| Captain<br />Philip Williams<br>
| December 3, 1923
| September 11, 1925
|
| Calvin Coolidge
|-
| 6
| 100px
| Captain<br />Martin Edward Trench<br>
| September 12, 1925
| January 6, 1927 †
|
| Calvin Coolidge
|-
| 7
| 100px
| Captain<br />Waldo A. Evans<br>
| January 19, 1927
| March 18, 1931
|
| Calvin Coolidge
|}
Civilian governors (1931–1970)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan=2|
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Party
! rowspan=2| Appointed by
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
|-
| 1
| 100px
| Paul Martin Pearson<br>
| March 18, 1931
| July 23, 1935
|
| style="background: " |
| Republican
| Herbert Hoover
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| 100px
| Robert Herrick<br> <br />
| July 23, 1935
| August 21, 1935
|
| style="background: " |
| Democratic
| Franklin D. Roosevelt
|-
| 2
| 100px
| Lawrence William Cramer<br>
| August 21, 1935
| December 14, 1940
|
| style="background: " |
| Democratic
| Franklin D. Roosevelt
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| 100px
| Robert Morss Lovett<br> <br />
| December 14, 1940
| February 3, 1941
|
| style="background: " |
| Democratic
| Franklin D. Roosevelt
|-
| 3
| 100px
| Charles Harwood<br>
| February 3, 1941
| May 17, 1946
|
| style="background: " |
| Democratic
| Franklin D. Roosevelt
|-
| 4
| 100px
| William H. Hastie<br>
| May 17, 1946
| October 21, 1949
|
| style="background: " |
| Democratic
| Harry S. Truman
|-
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| –
| rowspan=2| 100px
| rowspan=2| Morris Fidanque de Castro<br>
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| October 21, 1949
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"| March 4, 1950
| style="background:#e6e6aa;"|
| rowspan=2 style="background: " |
| rowspan=2| Democratic
| rowspan=2| Harry S. Truman
|-
| 5
| March 4, 1950
| April 9, 1954
|
|-
| 6
| 100px
| Archie Alexander<br>
| April 9, 1954
| August 18, 1955
|
| style="background: " |
| Republican
| Dwight D. Eisenhower
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| 100px
| Charles Kenneth Claunch<br> <br />
| August 18, 1955
| October 17, 1955
|
| style="background: " |
| Republican
| Dwight D. Eisenhower
|-
| 7
| 100px
| Walter A. Gordon<br>
| October 17, 1955
| September 25, 1958
|
| style="background: " |
| Republican
| Dwight D. Eisenhower
|-
| 8
| 100px
| John David Merwin<br>
| September 25, 1958
| April 5, 1961
|
| style="background: " |
| Republican
| Dwight D. Eisenhower
|-
| 9
| 100px
| Ralph Moses Paiewonsky<br>
| April 5, 1961
| February 12, 1969
|
| style="background: " |
| Democratic
| John F. Kennedy
|- style="background:#e6e6aa;"
| –
| 100px
| Cyril King<br> <br />
| February 12, 1969
| July 1, 1969
|
| style="background: " |
| Independent Citizens Movement
| Richard Nixon
|-
| 10
| 100px
| Melvin H. Evans<br>
| July 1, 1969
| November 1, 1970
|
| style="background: " |
| Republican
| Richard Nixon
|}
Elected governors (1970–present)
; Parties
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan=2|
! rowspan=2| Portrait
! rowspan=2| Name<br />
! colspan=3| Term of office
! colspan=2 rowspan=2| Party
! rowspan=2| Election
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
| 1
| 100px
| Melvin H. Evans<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Republican
| 1970
|-
| 2
| 100px
| Cyril King<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Independent Citizens Movement
| 1974
|-
| rowspan=2| 3
| rowspan=2| 100px
| rowspan=2| Juan Francisco Luis<br>
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2| <br>
| rowspan=2|
| bgcolor=|
| Independent Citizens Movement<br>
| rowspan=2| 1978<br />1982
|-
| bgcolor=|
| Independent<br>
|-
| 4
| 100px
| Alexander Farrelly<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Democratic
| 1986<br />1990
|-
| 5
| 100px
| Roy Schneider<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Independent
| 1994
|-
| 6
| 100px
| Charles Wesley Turnbull<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Democratic
| 1998<br />2002
|-
| 7
| 100px
| John de Jongh<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Democratic
| 2006<br />2010
|-
| 8
| 100px
| Kenneth Mapp<br>
|
| <br>
|
| bgcolor=|
| Independent
| 2014
|-
| 9
| 100px
| Albert Bryan<br>
|
| Incumbent
|
| bgcolor=|
| Democratic
| 2018<br />2022
|-
|}
Succession
See also
- List of Virgin Islands Legislatures
References
External links
- Office of the Governor
- National Governors Association: Former Virgin Islands Governors