The Governor of North Carolina is the head of the executive branch of North Carolina's state government and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.
The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to approve or veto bills passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and to convene the legislature. The governor may grant pardons except in cases of impeachment.
There have been three presidents and 71 governors of North Carolina, with four governors serving non-consecutive terms, totaling 78 terms in both offices. The current governor is Roy Cooper, whose term began on January 1, 2017.
Governors
NC Executive Mansion | Collecting Carolina | NC Weekend | UNC-TV - Built with materials from all across our state, the historic North Carolina Executive Mansion has served not only as a home for the governor, but also an impressive collection of North Carolina...
North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies, and was admitted as a state on November 21, 1789 . Prior to declaring its independence, North Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain; see the list of colonial governors for the pre-statehood period.
Presidents of the Provincial Council
The 13-member Provincial Council, renamed the Council of Safety in April 1776, was essentially the executive authority during the second 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.
- Presidents of the Council:
- Cornelius Harnett (18 October 1775 â€" 5 March 1776; 5 June 1776 â€" 21 August 1776)
- Samuel Ashe (21 August 1776 â€" 27 September 1776)
- Willie Jones (27 September 1776 â€" 25 October 1776; some sources indicate that Jones was president through November 12, when the Fifth Provincial Congress convened.)
Governors of the State of North Carolina
After the current state constitution was ratified in 1971, governors are limited to two consecutive terms in office; they had previously been limited to one term.
- Parties
  Democratic   Federalist   Democratic-Republican   Anti-Federalist   No party   Whig/National Republican   Republican/National Union
Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented North Carolina except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
Living former U.S. governors of North Carolina
As of January 2018, there are five former U.S. governors of North Carolina who are currently living at this time, the oldest U.S. governor of North Carolina being James G. Martin (served 1985â€"1993, born 1935). The most recent U.S. governor of North Carolina to die, and the most recently serving U.S. governor of North Carolina to die, was James Holshouser (served 1973â€"1977, born 1934), on June 17, 2013.
References
External links
- Governors of North Carolina (Official state site)
- History of NC Gubernatorial Races at OurCampaigns.com
