The 'Governor of North Carolina' is the top executive of the government of the
U.S. state of
North Carolina. As of
2007, the governor of North Carolina is
Mike Easley, a
Democrat.
Powers
Among other responsibilities, the governor heads the
Council of State. The Governor of North Carolina was the last state chief executive to receive veto power; the Governor did not have this power until
1996. The Governor of North Carolina has extensive powers of
appointment of executive branch officials, some judges, and members of boards and commissions. Nevertheless, the office has a lower-than-average amount of institutional power compared to governors in other states, according to a 2007 study.
[1]
History
Originally, under the first
North Carolina Constitution, the office was very weak, and was elected by the legislature (the
North Carolina General Assembly) for a one-year term.
Edward B. Dudley became the first governor elected by the people in 1836. Governors served two-year terms from 1836 until a new constitution was adopted in 1868; since then all governors are elected for four-year terms.
Well into the twentieth century, the North Carolina state constitution made the state's governor one of the weakest in the nation. Until an amendment was added to the state constitution in 1971, North Carolina Governors could only serve a single four-year term and could not run for re-election. After the amendment was passed, in 1980
James B. Hunt became the first governor in state history to be re-elected to a second term. Governors are still limited to only two consecutive four-year terms, but they may run for a third non-consecutive term. Governor Hunt did just that, winning election to a third and fourth term in 1992 and 1996 after being out of the office for the eight years between 1984 and 1992. The
Lieutenant Governor is also limited to two consecutive four-year terms. North Carolina was also the last state in the Union to give its governors
veto power over legislation, this was not added to the state constitution until the mid-1980's. Much of North Carolina's traditional resistance to strong executive power came from the harsh treatment the state suffered from British Royal Governors in the colonial period before the
American Revolution. After the state gained its independence from Britain, the state constitution deliberately weakened the executive branch of state government and strengthened the legislative branch. Since the end of
Reconstruction in the 1870's the overwhelming majority of the state's governors have been Democrats. The only Republican to be elected Governor between 1876 and 1972 was
Daniel L. Russell, who served from 1897-1901. As Republican strength grew in North Carolina in the 1950's and 1960's the state's gubernatorial elections became increasingly competitive, and in 1972
James Holshouser became the state's first Republican governor of the twentieth century. Even so, Republicans have still had difficulty in winning gubernatorial elections in North Carolina, and the office has usually remained in Democratic hands.
The Governor lives in the
North Carolina Executive Mansion, a
Queen Anne style Victorian house in downtown
Raleigh, which was completed in 1891.
[2] His or her principal office is located in the
North Carolina State Capitol.
List of Governors
===
Roanoke Colony, 1585 - 1587===
★
Ralph Lane,
1585 -
1586
★
John White,
1587
===
Proprietary Colony, 1664-1731
Governors of Albemarle, 1664-1689
★
William Drummond 1664-1667
★
Samuel Stephens 1667-1669
★
Peter Carteret 1670-1672
★
John Jenkins 1672-1675
★
Thomas Eastchurch 1675-1676
★
John Jenkins 1676-1677
★
Thomas Miller 1677
★
John Harvey 1679
★
Henry Wilkinson 1680
★
John Jenkins 1680-1681
★
Seth Sothel 1682-1689
Deputy Governors of
Carolina, 1689-1710
★
John Gibbs 1689-1690
★
Thomas Jarvis 1690-1694
★
Philip Ludwell 1690-1691, 1692-1693, 1693-1695
★
Thomas Harvey 1694-1699
★
John Archdale 1695-1696 (Governor of North and South Carolina)
★
Henderson Walker 1699-1703
★
Robert Daniel 1703-1705
★
Thomas Cary 1705-1711
★
William Glover 1706-1710
Governors of North Carolina, 1711-1731
★
Edward Hyde 1711-1712
★
Thomas Pollock 1712-1714 (''acting'')
★
Charles Eden 1714-1722
★
Thomas Pollock 1722 (''acting'')
★
William Reed 1722-1724 (''acting'')
★
George Burrington 1724-1725
★
Richard Everard 1725-1731
Royal Colony, 1731-1775
★
George Burrington 1731-1734
★
Nathaniel Rice 1734 (''acting'')
★
Gabriel Johnston 1734-1752
★
Nathaniel Rice 1752-1753 (''acting'')
★
Matthew Rowan 1753-1754 (''acting'')
★
Arthur Dobbs 1753-1765
★
William Tryon 1765-1771
★
James Hasell 1771, 1774 (''acting'')
★
Josiah Martin 1771-1775 (''Martin considered himself to remain in office throughout the Revolutionary War, but he left North Carolina in July of 1775'')
===Provincial Council (
American Revolution)===
''The 13-member Provincial Council, renamed the Council of Safety in April 1776, was essentially the executive authority during the first year of the Revolution, and was appointed by the
Provincial Congress. The Presidency of the Council and the Presidency of the Congress could each be considered the highest offices in the state during this time, but the council was supreme when the congress was not in session.''
[3]
★ 'Presidents of the Council:'
★
★
Cornelius Harnett 18 Oct. 1775 - 5 March 1776; 5 June 1776 - 21 August 1776
★
★
Samuel Ashe 21 August 1776 - 27 September 1776
★
★
Willie Jones 27 September 1776 - 25 Oct. 1776 ''(some sources indicate that Jones was president through Nov. 12, when the Fifth Provincial Congress convened.)''
State of North Carolina, 1776-present
Notes
1. Son of a previous governor, Samuel Ashe; elected by the legislature, but died before taking office.
See also
★
North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2004
★
North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2008
★
North Carolina Democratic Party
External links
★
North Carolina Office of the Governor
★
History of NC Gubernatorial Races at OurCampaigns.com
★
North Carolina Encyclopedia
★
North Carolina Democratic Party
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