| Governor of Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Honorable |
| Residence | Arkansas Governor's Mansion |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Inaugural holder | James Sevier Conway |
| Formation | 1836; Constitution of Arkansas |
| Succession | Every four years, unless re-elected. |
| Salary | $86,890 (2013) |
The Governor of Arkansas is the head of the executive branch of Arkansas's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Miller | March 3, 1819 – December 27, 1824 |
James Monroe | ||
| 2 | George Izard | March 4, 1825 – November 22, 1828 |
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| John Quincy Adams | |||||
| 3 | John Pope | March 9, 1829 – March 9, 1835 |
Andrew Jackson | ||
| 4 | William S. Fulton | March 9, 1835 – September 13, 1836 |
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| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Sevier Conway | September 13, 1836 – November 4, 1840 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1836 | Office did not exist | |||
| 2 | Archibald Yell | November 4, 1840 – April 29, 1844 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1840 | ||||
| — | Samuel Adams | April 29, 1844 – November 9, 1844 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| 3 | Thomas Stevenson Drew | November 5, 1844 – January 10, 1849 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1844 | ||||
| 1848 | ||||||||
| — | Richard C. Byrd | January 10, 1849 – April 19, 1849 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| 4 | John Selden Roane | April 19, 1849 – November 15, 1852 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1849 (special) | ||||
| 5 | Elias Nelson Conway | November 15, 1852 – November 15, 1860 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1852 | ||||
| 1856 | ||||||||
| 6 | Henry Massey Rector | November 16, 1860 – November 4, 1862 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1860 | ||||
| — | Thomas Fletcher | November 4, 1862 – November 15, 1862 (successor took office) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| 7 | Harris Flanagin | November 15, 1862 – May 26, 1865 (government-in-exile disbanded) |
Democratic | 1862 | ||||
| 8 | Isaac Murphy | April 18, 1864 – July 2, 1868 (not candidate for election) |
Unionist | 1864 | Calvin C. Bliss | |||
| 9 | Powell Clayton | July 2, 1868 – March 17, 1871 (resigned) |
Republican | 1868 | James M. Johnson (resigned March 14, 1871) | |||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| — | Ozra Amander Hadley | March 17, 1871 – January 6, 1873 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| 10 | Elisha Baxter | January 6, 1873 – November 12, 1874 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1872 | Volney V. Smith | |||
| 11 | Augustus Hill Garland | November 12, 1874 – January 11, 1877 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1874 | Office did not exist | |||
| 12 | William Read Miller | January 11, 1877 – January 13, 1881 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1876 | ||||
| 1878 | ||||||||
| 13 | Thomas James Churchill | January 13, 1881 – January 13, 1883 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1880 | ||||
| 14 | James Henderson Berry | January 13, 1883 – January 15, 1885 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1882 | ||||
| 15 | Simon Pollard Hughes Jr. | January 15, 1885 – January 17, 1889 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1884 | ||||
| 1886 | ||||||||
| 16 | James Philip Eagle | January 17, 1889 – January 14, 1893 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1888 | ||||
| 1890 | ||||||||
| 17 | William Meade Fishback | January 14, 1893 – January 18, 1895 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1892 | ||||
| 18 | James Paul Clarke | January 18, 1895 – January 18, 1897 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1894 | ||||
| 19 | Daniel Webster Jones | January 18, 1897 – January 18, 1901 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1896 | ||||
| 1898 | ||||||||
| 20 | Jeff Davis | January 18, 1901 – January 18, 1907 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1900 | ||||
| 1902 | ||||||||
| 1904 | ||||||||
| 21 | John Sebastian Little | January 18, 1907 – February 11, 1907 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1906 | ||||
| — | John Isaac Moore | February 11, 1907 – May 14, 1907 (legislature adjourned) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| — | Xenophon Overton Pindall | May 14, 1907 – January 11, 1909 (senate term expired) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| — | Jesse M. Martin | January 11, 1909 – January 14, 1909 (successor took office) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| 22 | George Washington Donaghey | January 14, 1909 – January 16, 1913 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1908 | ||||
| 1910 | ||||||||
| 23 | Joseph Taylor Robinson | January 16, 1913 – March 8, 1913 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1912 | ||||
| — | William Kavanaugh Oldham | March 8, 1913 – March 13, 1913 (new president of the senate elected) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| — | Junius Marion Futrell | March 13, 1913 – August 6, 1913 (successor took office) |
Democratic | President of the Senate acting as Governor | ||||
| 24 | George Washington Hays | August 6, 1913 – January 10, 1917 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1913 (special) | ||||
| 1914 | ||||||||
| 25 | Charles Hillman Brough | January 10, 1917 – January 11, 1921 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1916 | ||||
| 1918 | ||||||||
| 26 | Thomas Chipman McRae | January 11, 1921 – January 13, 1925 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1920 | ||||
| 1922 | ||||||||
| 27 | Tom Terral | January 13, 1925 – January 11, 1927 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1924 | ||||
| 28 | John Ellis Martineau | January 11, 1927 – March 14, 1928 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1926 | Harvey Parnell | |||
| 29 | Harvey Parnell | March 14, 1928 – January 10, 1933 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
| 1928 | Lee Cazort | |||||||
| 1930 | Lawrence Elery Wilson | |||||||
| 30 | Junius Marion Futrell | January 10, 1933 – January 12, 1937 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1932 | Lee Cazort | |||
| 1934 | ||||||||
| 31 | Carl Edward Bailey | January 12, 1937 – January 14, 1941 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1936 | Robert L. Bailey | |||
| 1938 | ||||||||
| 32 | Homer Martin Adkins | January 14, 1941 – January 9, 1945 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1940 | ||||
| 1942 | James L. Shaver | |||||||
| 33 | Benjamin Travis Laney | January 9, 1945 – January 11, 1949 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1944 | ||||
| 1946 | Nathan Green Gordon | |||||||
| 34 | Sid McMath | January 11, 1949 – January 13, 1953 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1948 | ||||
| 1950 | ||||||||
| 35 | Francis Cherry | January 13, 1953 – January 11, 1955 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1952 | ||||
| 36 | Orval Faubus | January 11, 1955 – January 10, 1967 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1954 | ||||
| 1956 | ||||||||
| 1958 | ||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||
| 1964 | ||||||||
| 37 | Winthrop Rockefeller | January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 (lost election) |
Republican | 1966 | Maurice Britt | |||
| 1968 | ||||||||
| 38 | Dale Bumpers | January 12, 1971 – January 3, 1975 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1970 | Bob C. Riley | |||
| 1972 | ||||||||
| — | Bob C. Riley | January 3, 1975 – January 14, 1975 (successor took office) |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Acting as Governor | |||
| 39 | David Pryor | January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1974 | Joe Purcell | |||
| 1976 | ||||||||
| — | Joe Purcell | January 3, 1979 – January 9, 1979 (successor took office) |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Acting as Governor | |||
| 40 | Bill Clinton | January 9, 1979 – January 19, 1981 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1978 | Joe Purcell | |||
| 41 | Frank D. White | January 19, 1981 – January 11, 1983 (lost election) |
Republican | 1980 | Winston Bryant | |||
| 42 | Bill Clinton | January 11, 1983 – December 12, 1992 (resigned) |
Democratic | 1982 | ||||
| 1984 | ||||||||
| 1986 | ||||||||
| 1990 | Jim Guy Tucker | |||||||
| 43 | Jim Guy Tucker | December 12, 1992 – July 15, 1996 (resigned) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
| Mike Huckabee (elected November 20, 1993) | ||||||||
| 1994 | ||||||||
| 44 | Mike Huckabee | July 15, 1996 – January 9, 2007 (term limited) |
Republican | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
| Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (elected November 19, 1996) (died July 16, 2006) | ||||||||
| 1998 | ||||||||
| 2002 | ||||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 45 | Mike Beebe | January 9, 2007 – January 13, 2015 (term limited) |
Democratic | 2006 | Bill Halter | |||
| 2010 | Mark Darr (resigned February 1, 2014) | |||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| 46 | Asa Hutchinson | January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023 |
Republican | 2014 | Tim Griffin | |||
| 2018 | ||||||||
| 47 | Sarah Huckabee Sanders | January 10, 2023 – Present |
Republican | 2022 | Leslie Rutledge | |||
As of February 2026, there are five living former Governors of Alaska, the oldest being Bill Clinton, who served as the 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas (served 1979-1981, 1983-1992), at 79. The most recent death of a former governor was that of Jim Guy Tucker, who served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas (served 1992-1996) on February 13, 2025.
Thomas S. Drew, our Governor elect, was installed into office, on last Saturday..."; "Saturday, Nov. 9: This day being set part for the inauguration of the Governor, nothing was done.
Judge Henry M. Rector, Governor elect was inaugurated on Thursday the 15th inst., ...
Hon. James P. Clarke, who subscribed to the oath of office as Governor of Arkansas on Friday morning...
Jan. 18—Governor Jefferson Davis was inaugurated today...
March 8: Gov. Joe T. Robinson today ... signed his own commission as United States Senator and completed the day's activity by sending his resignation as Governor...
Memphis, Tenn., March 15: ... Attending the conference were: Judge Martineau, who until yesterday was governor of Arkansas...
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