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Governors of Tennessee
The governor's term in office is limited by the Tennessee state constitution. The first constitution, enacted in 1796, set a term of two years for the governor and provided that no person could serve as governor for more than six years in any eight-year period. The term of office was lengthened to four years, without the possibility of consecutive terms, by constitutional amendments adopted in 1953. Under the current provisions of the state constitution, as amended in 1978, the governor is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two terms consecutively.
For a period of nearly five decades in the 20th century, the Tennessee Democratic Party held the Tennessee governorship continuously. However, since 1967 no two successive governors have belonged to the same party.
- 1st John Sevier
- 2nd Archibald Roane
- (1st) John Sevier
- 3rd Willie Blount
- 4th Joseph McMinn
- 5th William Carroll
- 6th Sam Houston
- 7th William Hall
- (5th) William Carroll
- 8th Newton Cannon
- 9th James K. Polk
- 10th James C. Jones
- 11th Aaron V. Brown
- 12th Neill S. Brown
- 13th William Trousdale
- 14th William B. Campbell
- 15th Andrew Johnson
- 16th Isham G. Harris
- (15th) Andrew Johnson
- 17th Parson Brownlow
- 18th Dewitt Clinton Senter
- 19th John C. Brown
- 20th James D. Porter
- 21st Albert S. Marks
- 22nd Alvin Hawkins
- 23rd William B. Bate
- 24th Robert Love Taylor
- 25th John P. Buchanan
- 26th Peter Turney
- (24th) Robert Love Taylor
- 27th Benton McMillin
- 28th James B. Frazier
- 29th John I. Cox
- 30th Malcolm R. Patterson
- 31st Ben W. Hooper
- 32nd Thomas Clarke Rye
- 33rd Albert H. Roberts
- 34th Alfred A. Taylor
- 35th Austin Peay
- 36th Henry Hollis Horton
- 37th Hill McAlister
- 38th Gordon Browning
- 39th Prentice Cooper
- 40th Jim Nance McCord
- (38th) Gordon Browning
- 41st Frank G. Clement
- 42nd Buford Ellington
- (41st) Frank G. Clement
- (42nd) Buford Ellington
- 43rd Winfield Dunn
- 44th Ray Blanton
- 45th Lamar Alexander
- 46th Ned McWherter
- 47th Don Sundquist
- 48th Phil Bredesen
- 49th Bill Haslam
- 50th Bill Lee