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Governors of Virginia

COLONY AND STATE.

I. VIRGINIA IN THE TIME OF ELIZABETH.

1584-1590

SIR WALTER RALEIGH, Lord Proprietor of Virginia.....
Ralph Lane, Governor of Raleigh's First Colony on Roanoke Island, N. C..... 1585-1586
John White, Governor of Raleigh's Second Colony..

II. VIRGINIA UNDER THE LONDON COMPANY, 1606-1624.

.1587-1590

SIR THOMAS SMITH, President and Treasurer of the London Company.
As treasurer of the London Company, Smith (or Smythe) was President
of the Company, and the real Governor of Virginia, though resident in
England....
Edward Maria Wingfield, President of the Council, resident in Virginia..........................
May 13, 1607 to Sept. 10, 1607.

John Ratcliffe, President of the Council, resident in Virginia.
Captain John Smith, President of the Council, resident in Virginia.
Captain George Percy, President of the Council, resident in Virginia..
THOMAS WEST, LORD DE LA WARR, Governor and Captain-General..

.1606-1618

.1607-1608

.1608-1609

.1609-1610

1609-1618

Sir Thomas Gates, Lieutenant General, and Deputy-Governor...........May to June, 1610 Thomas West, Lord De La Warr, Governor resident in Virginia, June, 1610, March, 1611 Captain George Yeardley, Deputy or Lieutenant-Governor..

Sir Thomas Dale, High Marshal and acting Governor...

Sir Thomas Gates, Acting Governor...

Sir Thomas Dale, Acting Governor..

Captain George Yeardley, Deputy or Lieutenant-Governor.

March to May, 1611

May to August, 1611

SIR EDWIN SANDYS, President and Treasurer of the London Company.
Captain Samuel Argall, Deputy or Lieutenant-Governor...

....1611-1613

Captain Nathaniel Powell, President of the Council in Virginia and Acting
Governor...

SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY, Governor and Captain-General.
SIR FRANCIS WYATT, Governor and Captain-General...

.1613-1616

1616-1617

1618-1624

.1617-1619

April 9 to April 19, 1619

III. VIRGINIA UNDER THE KING, 1624-1652.

SIR FRANCIS WYATT, Governor and Captain-General.
SIR GEORGE YEARDLEY, Governor and Captain-General..
Captain Francis West, President of the Council and Acting Governor..

1619-1621

1621-1624

1624-1626

1626-1627

1627-1629

*It is difficult to make a clear and comprehensive list of the governors of Virginia, for the reason that the person bearing the title of governor often resided in England, while the real official head, residing in Virginia, was a deputy. The history of Virginia executives divides itself into nine heads, including the period of attempted colonization in the time of Elizabeth, though the real history of Virginia begins with the London Company, whose rule lasted for eighteen years, under two presidents or treasurers-Sir. Thomas Smith and Sir Edwin Sandys-neither of whom visited the colony. Therefore, the early government of Virginia was intended to be a colonial council, with a president, often spoken of as governor. The first man ever to have the title of "governor" was Lord Delaware, appointed by the London Company, in 1609, to hold office for life. He held this position for nine years, dying 1618. He resided in Virginia only nine months, and for the balance of the nine years was represented by a deputy. In 1624, the London Company lost its charter, and Virginia then passed into the hands of the King, who, from time to time, appointed royal governors. These governors often resided in England, and were represented in Virginia by deputies. Virginia still retained a

SIR JOHN HARVEY, Governor and Captain-General..

Doctor John Pott, President of the Council and Acting Governor..
Sir John Harvey, Governor and Captain-General.

Captain John West, President of the Council and Acting Governor..
SIR JOHN HARVEY, Governor and Captain-General..
SIR FRANCIS WYATT, Governor and Captain-General.
SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY, Governor and Captain-General.
Richard Kempe,* President of the Council and Acting Governor...
SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY, Governor...

.1628-1639

1629-1630

1630-1635

.1635-1636

1636-1639

.1639-1642

.1642-1644

1644-1645

.1645-1652

IV. VIRGINIA UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH (CROMWELL). 1652-1660.

RICHARD BENNETT, Governor, elected by the Assembly.
EDWARD DIGGS, President of the Council and Governor, elected by As-
sembly.

.1652-1655

.1655-1658

CAPTAIN SAMUEL MATTHEWS, Governor, elected by Assembly.
SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY, Governor, elected by Assembly..

.1658-1660

March to July, 1660

V. VIRGINIA A ROYAL PROVINCE, 1660-1776.

SIR WILLIAM BERKELEY, Governor....

1660-1677

Colonel Francis Morryson,* or Morrison, Deputy or Lieutenant-Governor......1661-1662 SIR HERBERT JEFFRIES, Lieutenant-Governor and Governor..

.1677-1678

Sir Henry Chicheley, Deputy-Governor...

.1678-1680

THOMAS LORD CULPEPER (Baron of Thorsway), Governor..
Nicholas Spencer, President of the Council and Acting Governor...
Francis, Lord Howard (Baron Effingham), Lieutenant-Governor.,
Nathaniel Bacon, President of the Council..

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GOERGE HAMILTON DOUGLAS,† (Earl of Orkney), Governor-in-Chief..

1697-1737

Sir Francis Nicholson, Lieutenant-Governor..

1698-1705

Edward Nott, Lieutenant-Governor.....

1705-1710

Edmund Jennings, President of the Council and Acting Governor........
Robert Hunter, Lieutenant-Governor, so commissioned, but being captured

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Robert Carter, President of the Council and Acting Governor..

.1726-1727

William Gooch, Lieutenant-Governor...

.1727-1737

WILLIAM ANNE KEPPEL,† (Second Earl of Albemarle), Governor-in

Chief..

.1737-1754

William Gooch, Lieutenant-Governor..

.1737-1740

resident council, and if, for any reason, the governor or deputy governor was absent from the colony, the president of the council was the acting governor. In 1652, Virginia passed under the Commonwealth (Cromwell), and the General Assembly, by its own authority, elected four governors. From 1660 to 1776 Virginia was again under the rule of the King, who appointed the governors. During this period there were only ten governors of Virginia, but a great number of deputies. Of these governors, Sir William Berkeley, Sir Herbert Jeffries, Lord Culpeper and Sir Edmund Andros were residents of Virginia the greater portion of their terms. But the Earl of Orkney, the Earle of Albemarle, the Earl of Loudoun and Sir Jeffrey Amherst, governors from 1697 to 1763, never came to Virginia, and were represented by deputies. The last two governors to be appointed by the King, Lord Botetourt and Lord Dunmore, resided in Virginia during their term of office. *Acted as governor while Berkeley was on a visit to England.

†Never came to Virginia.

Commissary James Blair, President of the Council and Acting Governor.

1740-1741

William Gooch, Lieutenant-Governor...

.1741-1749

John Robinson, President of the Council and Acting Governor.

1749-1749

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JOHN CAMPBELL,‡ Earl of London, Governor-General of all the American
Colonies.......

Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant-Governor.

.1756-1763 .1756-1758

John Blair, President of the Council and Acting Governor.

Francis Fauquier, Lieutenant-Governor....

SIR JEFFREY AMHERST,‡ Governor-in-Chief...

John Blair, President of the Council and Acting Governor. NORBORNE BERKELEY (Baron de Botetourt), Governor-in-chief. William Nelson, President of the Council and Acting Governor... JOHN MURRAY (Earl Dunmore), Governor-in-chief.

VI. VIRGINIA IN REVOLT-THE CONVENTION PERIOD.

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Edmond Pendleton, President of the Conventions........May, 1776, and December, 1777

January to June, 1758 .1758-1868

.1763-1768

..March to October, 1768

.1768-1770

.1770-1771

.1771-1776

VII. VIRGINIA AS AN INDEPENDENT COMMONWEALTH.

PATRICK HENRY, Governor..
THOMAS JEFFERSON, Governor...
THOMAS NELSON, Jr., Governor..
BENJAMIN HARRISON, Governor...
PATRICK HENRY, Governor....
EDMUND RANDOLPH, Governor..
BEVERLY RANDOLPH, Governor..

HENRY LEE, Governor..

ROBERT BROOKE, Governor.

JAMES WOOD, Governor...

JAMES MONROE, Governor..

JOHN PAGE, Governor......

WILLIAM H. CABELL, Governor.

JOHN TYLER, Governor...

JAMES MONROE*, Governor..

Acting Governor...

.1777-1779

.1779-1781

1781-1781

.1781-1784

.1784-1786

.1786-1788

1788-1791

.1791-1794

.1794-1796

1796-1799

.1799-1802

1802-1805

.1805-1808

.1808-1811

January to November, 1811

GEORGE WILLIAM SMITH,† as Senior member of the Council of State,

November to December, 1811

PEYTON RANDOLPH,† as Senior Member of the Council of State, Acting

Governor.....

JAMES BARBOUR, Governor..

December 26, 1811, to January 3, 1812 1812-1814

*Resigned to become Secretary of State under Madison. From 1776 to 1852 the governors were elected by the legislature, and were assisted in their executive duties by a council of State. On the resignation or death of a governor, the senior councillor acted as governor until the election of one by the legislature. Therefore, on the resignation of Monroe, George William Smith acted as governor, but when he was burned to death in the Richmond Theatre, he in turn was succeeded by Peyton Randolph, till the legislature elected James Barbour.

Never came to Virginia.

WILSON CARY NICHOLAS, Governor....

JAMES P. PRESTON, Governor..

THOMAS MANN RANDOLPH, Governor.

JAMES PLEASANTS, Jr., Governor.

JOHN TYLER, Governor..

WILLIAM B. GILES, Governor...

JOHN FLOYD, Governor..

LITTLETON WALLER TAZEWELL ‡Governor..

WYNDHAM ROBERTSON,‡ as Senior Member of Council, Acting Governor..

DAVID CAMPBELL, Governor.

THOMAS WALLER GILMER,** Governor.

1814-1816

1816-1819

1819-1822

.1822-1825

.1825-1827

.1827-1830

1830-1834

.1834-1836

April, 1836, to March, 1837

JOHN MERCER PATTON, as Senior member of the Council, Acting Gov

ernor.

.1837-1840 .1840-1841

...March, 1831, 1841 JOHN RUTHERFORD,** as Senior member of the Council, Acting Governor.. 1841-1842 JOHN M. GREGORY,* as Senior member of the Council, Acting Governor

**

JAMES MCDOWELL, Governor.

March, 1842, to January, 1843

January 1843-1846

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†Tazewell resigned, and Robertson acted as governor till the legislature met and elected David Campbell. **Governor Gilmer resigned on account of disagreement with the legislature. The legislature was unab!. for twenty-one months to elect a governor, so the senior councillors, Patton, Rutherford, and Gregory, were acting governors.

Proclamations by the Governor.

Fire Prevention Day.

Whereas, Virginia annually suffers heavy property losses and loss of life due to preventable fires; and

Whereas, It is not less than a public duty now in the hour of our national readjustment to conserve the material resources of the Commonwealth and to protect the lives of our citizens than during the war; now

Therefore, I, Westmoreland Davis, Governor of Virginia, do hereby designate Thursday, October 9, 1919, as Fire Prevention Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I urge all public officials, State and local, and all citizens of the State on this day to direct their united as well as their individual and personal attention to providing against destruction of life and property by fire.

To this end I request that there be a general State-wide clean-up of waste and rubbish in all public and private places that fire risks may be reduced and the public health promoted; that all heating apparatus, chimneys, electric wiring and ventilating systems be thoroughly inspected and placed in safe repair; that general educational exercises be held from time to time beginning on Fire Prevention Day in all the counties, cities and towns especially in the public schools, to impress upon the people the importance of this great work of conservation.

Given under my hand and under the Lesser Seal of the Commonwealth this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and nineteen, and in the one hundred and forty-fourth year of the Commonwealth.

By the Governor:
B. O. JAMES,

Secretary of the Commonwealth.

WESTMORELAND DAVIS,

Governor.

Jewish Relief Campaign.

Whereas, The Jewish people of Europe and Asia who fought with the allies for liberty and humanity have suffered a terrible persecution and now face death by starvation and untold privations; and

Whereas, These greviously wronged and oppressed people of necessity now must look to the United States for relief, and a committee of responsible persons has been organized in Virginia to assist in raising an equitable portion of the necessary funds;

now

Therefore, I, Westmoreland Davis, Governor of Virginia, do hereby designate October 14-24, 1919, as the official Jewish Relief Campaign dates in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I earnestly urge upon all citizens of the Commonwealth, irrespective of race or creed, to contribute as liberally as their respective means will permit to this most worthy and deserving cause.

Given under my hand, and under the Lesser Seal of the Commonwealth, at Richmond. this second day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and nineteen, and in the one hundred and forty-fourth year of the Commonwealth. WESTMORELAND DAVIS,

By the Governor:

Governor.

B. O. JAMES,

Secretary of the Commonwealth.

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