Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama Governors

For more information about the office of the governor, see the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Number	Governor	County	Term	Party	Comments
54	Kay Ivey	Wilcox	2017 -	Republican	Lieutenant Governor Ivey became governor when Governor Robert Bentley resigned, and she was subsequently elected to a four-year term.
53	Robert J. Bentley	Tuscaloosa	2011 - 2017	Republican
52	Robert “Bob” Riley	Clay	2003 - 2011	Republican
51	Don Siegelman	Mobile	1999 - 2003	Democrat
	Forrest “Fob” James	Lee	January 16, 1995 -1999	Republican
50	James E. Folsom Jr.	Cullman	April 22, 1993 - 1995	Democrat	Lieutenant Governor Folsom became governor when Governor Hunt was convicted for ethics violations.
49	Guy Hunt	Cullman	January 19, 1987 - April 22, 1993	Republican
	George C. Wallace	Barbour	January 17, 1983 - 1987	Democrat
48	Forrest “Fob” James	Lee	January 15, 1979 - 1983	Democrat
	Jere Beasley	Barbour	June 5 - July 7,1972	Democrat	Lieutenant Governor Beasley became acting governor while Governor Wallace was recovering in Maryland from an assassination attempt.
	George C. Wallace	Barbour	January 18, 1971 - 1979	Democrat
47	Albert P. Brewer	Morgan	May 7, 1968 - 1971	Democrat	Lieutenant Governor Albert Brewer was acting governor for part of a day when Governor Wallace received out-of-state medical treatment for more than 20 days, and he became governor upon her death.
46	Lurleen B. Wallace	Tuscaloosa	January 16, 1967 - 1968	Democrat
45	George C. Wallace	Barbour	January 14, 1963 - 1967	Democrat
44	John M. Patterson	Russell	January 19, 1959 - 1963	Democrat
	James E. Folsom Sr.	Cullman	January 17, 1955 - 1959	Democrat
43	Seth Gordon Persons	Montgomery	January 15, 1951 - 1955	Democrat
42	James E. Folsom Sr.	Cullman	January 20, 1947 - 1951	Democrat
41	Chauncey Sparks	Barbour	January 19, 1943 - 1947	Democrat
40	Frank M. Dixon	Jefferson	January 17, 1939 - 1943	Democrat
	David Bibb Graves	Montgomery	January 14, 1935 - 1939	Democrat
39	Benjamin Meek Miller	Wilcox	January 19, 1931 - 1935	Democrat
38	David Bibb Graves	Montgomery	January 17, 1927 - 1931	Democrat
	Charles S. McDowell Jr.	Barbour	July 10 - 11, 1924	Democrat	Lieutenant Governor McDowell became acting governor when Governor Brandon was in New York City for 21 days to chair the state delegation to the 1924 Democratic Convention.
37	William W. Brandon	Tuscaloosa	January 15, 1923 - 1927	Democrat
36	Thomas E. Kilby	Calhoun	January 20, 1919 - 1923	Democrat
35	Charles Henderson	Pike	January 18, 1915 - 1919	Democrat
34	Emmet O’Neal	Lauderdale	January 17, 1911 - 1915	Democrat
33	Braxton Bragg Comer	Jefferson	January 14, 1907 - 1911	Democrat
	Russell M. Cunningham	Jefferson	April 25, 1904 - March 5, 1905	Democrat	Lieutenant Governor Cunningham became acting governor during Governor Jelks’s illness.
32	William D. Jelks	Barbour	June 11, 1901 - 1907	Democrat	President of the Senate Jelks became governor upon the death of Governor Samford, and he was subsequently elected to a four-year term.
31	William J. Samford	Lee	December 26, 1900 - 1901	Democrat
	William D. Jelks	Barbour	December 1 - 26, 1900	Democrat	President of the Senate Jelks became acting governor when Governor Samford sought out-of-state medical treatment early in his administration, which began December 1, 1900.
30	Joseph F Johnston	Jefferson	December 1, 1896 - 1900
29	William Calvin Oates	Henry	December 1, 1894 - 1896	Democrat
28	Thomas Goode Jones	Montgomery	December 1, 1890 - 1894	Democrat
27	Thomas Seay	Hale	December 1, 1886 - 1890	Democrat
26	Edward A. O’Neal	Lauderdale	December 1, 1882 - 1886	Democrat
25	Rufus W. Cobb	Shelby	November 28, 1878 - 1882	Democrat
24	George S. Houston	Limestone	November 24, 1874 - 1878	Democrat
23	David P. Lewis	Madison	November 17, 1872 - 1874	Republican
22	Robert Burns Lindsay	Colbert	November 26, 1870 - 1872	Democrat
21	William Hugh Smith	Randolph	July 24, 1868 - 1870	Republican
	Wager Swyane	Montgomery	1867 - 1868		Appointed military governor.
20	Robert M. Patton	Lauderdale	December 13, 1865 - 1867	Whig
19	Lewis Eliphalet Parsons	Talladega	1865 June - December	Democrat	Appointed provisional governor.
18	Thomas Hill Watts	Montgomery	December 1, 1863 - 1865	Democrat
17	John Gill Shorter	Barbour	December 2, 1861 - 1863	Democrat
16	Andrew B. Moore	Perry	December 1, 1857 - 1861	Democrat
15	John A. Winston	Sumter	December 20, 1853 - 1857	Democrat
14	Henry W. Collier	Tuscaloosa	December 17, 1849 - 1853	Democrat
13	Reuben Chapman	Madison	December 16, 1847 - 1849	Democrat
12	Joshua Lanier Martin	Tuscaloosa	December 10, 1845 - 1847	Democrat
11	Benjamin Fitzpatrick	Autauga	November 22, 1841 - 1845	Democrat
10	Arthur P. Bagby	Monroe	November 22 ,1837 - 1841	Democrat
9	Hugh McVay	Lauderdale	July 17 - November 22, 1837	Democrat	President of the Senate McVay became governor when Governor Clay was appointed to the U.S. Senate.
8	Clement Comer Clay	Madison	November 21, 1835 - 1837	Democrat
7	John Gayle	Greene	November 26, 1831 - 1835	Democrat / Whig
6	Samuel B. Moore	Jackson	March 3 - November 1831	Democrat	President of the Senate Samuel Moore became governor when Governor Gabriel Moore was elected to the U.S. Senate.
5	Gabriel Moore	Madison	November 25, 1829 - 1831	Democrat
4	John Murphy	Monroe	November 25, 1825 - 1829	Democrat
3	Israel Pickens	Greene	November 9, 1821 - 1825	Democrat
2	Thomas Bibb	Limestone	July 25, 1820 - 1821	Democrat
1	William Wyatt Bibb	Autauga	November 9, 1819 - 1820	Democrat

Notes:

Initially, the governor served a two-year term. The Alabama Constitution of 1901 set the term at four years and prohibited a governor from serving two consecutive terms. Constitutional Amendment No. 282, ratified in 1968, allows the governor to serve two consecutive terms.
The Constitution of 1901 designated the lieutenant governor as next in line to succeed the governor followed by the president pro tem of the Senate.
The Constitution of 1901 states that if the governor is absent from the state for more than 20 days, then the lieutenant governor shall assume the powers and duties of the governor until his return.
Individuals who served as acting governor or post-Civil War military governor are not numbered in the list above.