List of governors of Oregon

The governor of Oregon is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oregon.

List of governors
The Oregon Country was obtained by the United States on January 30, 1819, as a shared region with the United Kingdom. The Oregon Treaty ended the sharing and formally established the borders on June 15, 1846.

The Champoeg Meetings, including a constitutional committee, held from February 1841 until May 1843, served as a de facto government before the government was officially established. While early attempts at establishing a government had been unsuccessful because of discontent between English American and French Canadian settlers over the question of whom they should choose as governor, several other officers were elected at these meetings, including Ira Babcock as Supreme Judge. For lack of a government, the Supreme Judge also received executive and legislative duties.

The meetings at Champoeg led up to the first constitution of the Oregon Country and several petitions for U.S. territorial status. The resulting acts created a provisional government on July 5, 1843. The first leaders of this government were an elected three-person Executive Committee. Later, George Abernethy was elected governor, and served from June 3, 1845, to March 3, 1849, though this government was never recognized by the federal government.

Oregon Territory
The region was organized as Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848. During its history it had five governors appointed by the president of the United States.

State of Oregon
The state of Oregon was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1859.

The 1857 Constitution of Oregon provided for the election of a governor every four years, to serve no more than eight out of any twelve years. This length and limit have never been changed. It is one of the few states without a lieutenant governor. The office would devolve upon the secretary of state upon vacancy until a 1920 amendment put the president of the Senate first in the line of succession, and a 1972 amendment returned the secretary of state to the front.