Governor of Texas

The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces.

Established in the Constitution of Texas, the governor's responsibilities include ensuring the enforcement of state laws, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, overseeing state agencies, issuing executive orders, proposing and overseeing the state budget, and making key appointments to state offices. The governor also has the power to call special sessions of the legislature and, with the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, grant pardons.

Qualifications

Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of Texas sets three qualifications for candidates for governor of Texas:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Be at least 30 years old;
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding the election.

Oath of Office and Election

Governors of Texas are directly elected by registered voters in Texas and serve terms of four years, with no term limits. Before executing the powers of the office, a governor is required to recite the oath of office as found in Article XVI, Section 1 of the Constitution of Texas:

I, _______________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of governor of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Incoming Texas governors take office on the third Tuesday of January following an election.

Removal of a governor from office

The Texas governor can be impeached by the State House of Representatives for committing treason, bribery, or any other high crime or misdemeanor. Once the governor is impeached, the case is forwarded to the State Senate for trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to remove the governor from office. Unlike other states, Texas does not have a provision in the state constitution that allows voters to petition for a recall election to remove the governor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Historical development

The state's first constitution in 1845<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six (essentially a limit of no more than two consecutive terms).<ref>1845 Const. Art V sec 4</ref> The 1861 secessionist<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> constitution set the term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election.<ref>1861 Const. art V sec 12</ref> The 1866 constitution,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> adopted just after the American Civil War, increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable".<ref>1866 Const. art V sec 4</ref> The Reconstruction-era constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms,<ref>1869 Const. Art IV sec 4</ref> Texas remains one of 16 states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) <ref>Executive Branch Template:Webarchive retrieved 23-October-2008</ref> with no gubernatorial term limits. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years,<ref>TX Const. Art IV sec 4</ref> but a 1972 amendment increased it to four years again.<ref>Texas Politics - The Executive Branch Template:Webarchive. Texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.</ref>

The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November that does not coincide with the presidential elections. All gubernatorial elections have been a part of the midterm elections since the 1974 election, invalidating the latter. The governor is sworn in every four years along with the lieutenant governor.

Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th century ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office (Allan Shivers) or eight years total service (Bill Clements, in two non-consecutive four-year terms). Former governor Rick Perry, who served from 2000 to 2015, surpassed both these records, becoming the first Texas governor to serve three consecutive four-year terms. When Perry won the general election on November 2, 2010, he joined Shivers, Price Daniel, and John Connally as the only Texas governors elected to three terms (the terms served by governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were two-year terms). On November 8, 2022, current governor Greg Abbott was re-elected and became the fifth Texas governor to serve three terms following Shivers, Daniel, Connally and Perry. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.<ref>TX Const. art IV sec 16 graf d</ref> This rule was added only in a 1999<ref>The Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 16; https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.4.htm</ref> amendment, prior to which the lieutenant governor only acted as governor, except during the time of the 1861 constitution, which said that the lieutenant governor would be styled "Governor of the State of Texas" in case of vacancy.<ref>1861 Const art V sec 12</ref>

Executive powers

Texas utilizes a plural executive government where no single government official is solely responsible for the Executive Branch.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Texas governor has a very minimal control over the Legislative Budget Board. The Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House manages the state's budget.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Official residence and workplace

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Texas governors mansion.jpg

The Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas.

The official residence of the Texas governor is the Texas Governor's Mansion, in Austin. The mansion was built in 1854<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and has been the home of every governor since 1856.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is also one of the official workplaces for the governor.

The governor's primary official workplace is located within the Texas State Capitol in Austin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Timeline of governors of Texas

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The following timeline depicts the progression of the governors of Texas and their political affiliation at the time of assuming office. <timeline>ImageSize=width:1000 height:auto barincrement:14 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:130 left:10 AlignBars = late DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:09/02/1846 till:01/01/2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:4 start:09/02/1846 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1850 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:09/02/1846

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 bar:Henderson
 bar:Wood
 bar:Bell
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 bar:Throckmorton
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 bar:Colquitt
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 bar:Hobby
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 bar:Sterling
 bar:Miriam_Ferguson2
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bar:Henderson
 from: 19/02/1846 till: 21/12/1847 color:democratic       text:"J. Pinckney Henderson"
bar:Wood
 from: 21/12/1847 till: 21/12/1849 color:democratic       text:"George Tyler Wood"
bar:Bell
 from: 21/12/1849 till: 23/11/1853 color:democratic       text:"Peter Hansborough Bell"
bar:James_Henderson
 from: 23/11/1853 till: 21/12/1853 color:democratic       text:"James W. Henderson"
bar:Pease
 from: 21/12/1853 till: 21/12/1857 color:democratic       text:"Elisha M. Pease"
bar:Runnels
 from: 21/12/1857 till: 21/12/1859 color:democratic       text:"Hardin Richard Runnels"
bar:Houston
 from: 21/12/1859 till: 16/03/1861 color:none       text:"Sam Houston"
bar:Clark
 from: 16/03/1861 till: 07/11/1861 color:democratic       text:"Edward Clark"
bar:Lubbock
 from: 07/11/1861 till: 05/11/1863 color:democratic       text:"Francis Lubbock"
bar:Murrah
 from: 05/11/1863 till: 17/06/1865 color:democratic       text:"Pendleton Murrah"
bar:Hamilton
 from: 17/06/1865 till: 09/08/1866 color:none       text:"Andrew Jackson Hamilton"
bar:Throckmorton
 from: 09/08/1866 till: 30/07/1867 color:democratic       text:"James W. Throckmorton"
bar:Pease2
 from: 30/07/1867 till: 30/09/1869 color:none       text:"Elisha M. Pease"
bar:Davis
 from: 08/01/1870 till: 15/01/1874 color:republican       text:"Edmund J. Davis"
bar:Coke
 from: 15/01/1874 till: 01/12/1876 color:democratic       text:"Richard Coke"
bar:Hubbard
 from: 01/12/1876 till: 21/01/1879 color:democratic       text:"Richard B. Hubbard"
bar:Roberts
 from: 21/01/1879 till: 16/01/1883 color:democratic       text:"Oran Milo Roberts"
bar:Ireland
 from: 16/01/1883 till: 18/01/1887 color:democratic       text:"John Ireland"
bar:Ross
 from: 18/01/1887 till: 20/01/1891 color:democratic       text:"Lawrence Sullivan Ross"
bar:Hogg
 from: 20/01/1891 till: 15/01/1895 color:democratic       text:"Jim Hogg"
bar:Culberson
 from: 15/01/1895 till: 17/01/1899 color:democratic       text:"Charles A. Culberson"
bar:Sayers
 from: 17/01/1899 till: 20/01/1903 color:democratic       text:"Joseph D. Sayers"
bar:Lanham
 from: 20/01/1903 till: 15/01/1907 color:democratic       text:"S. W. T. Lanham"
bar:Campbell
 from: 15/01/1907 till: 17/01/1911 color:democratic       text:"Thomas Mitchell Campbell"
bar:Colquitt
 from: 17/01/1911 till: 19/01/1915 color:democratic       text:"Oscar Branch Colquitt"
bar:Ferguson
 from: 19/01/1915 till: 22/09/1917 color:democratic       text:"James E. Ferguson"
bar:Hobby
 from: 22/09/1917 till: 18/01/1921 color:democratic       text:"William P. Hobby"
bar:Neff
 from: 18/01/1921 till: 20/01/1925 color:democratic       text:"Pat Morris Neff"
bar:Miriam_Ferguson
 from: 20/01/1925 till: 18/01/1927 color:democratic       text:"Miriam A. Ferguson"
bar:Moody
 from: 18/01/1927 till: 20/01/1931 color:democratic       text:"Dan Moody"
bar:Sterling
 from: 20/01/1931 till: 17/01/1933 color:democratic       text:"Ross S. Sterling"
bar:Miriam_Ferguson2
 from: 17/01/1933 till: 15/01/1935 color:democratic       text:"Miriam A. Ferguson"
bar:Allred
 from: 15/01/1935 till: 17/01/1939 color:democratic       text:"James V. Allred"
bar:O'Daniel
 from: 17/01/1939 till: 04/08/1941 color:democratic       text:"W. Lee O'Daniel"
bar:Stevenson
 from: 04/08/1941 till: 21/01/1947 color:democratic       text:"Coke R. Stevenson"
bar:Jester
 from: 21/01/1947 till: 11/07/1949 color:democratic       text:"Beauford H. Jester"
bar:Shivers
 from: 11/07/1949 till: 15/01/1957 color:democratic       text:"Allan Shivers"
bar:Daniel
 from: 15/01/1957 till: 15/01/1963 color:democratic       text:"Price Daniel"
bar:Connally
 from: 15/01/1963 till: 21/01/1969 color:democratic       text:"John Connally"
bar:Smith
 from: 21/01/1969 till: 16/01/1973 color:democratic       text:"Preston Smith"
bar:Briscoe
 from: 16/01/1973 till: 16/01/1979 color:democratic       text:"Dolph Briscoe"
bar:Clements
 from: 16/01/1979 till: 18/01/1983 color:republican       text:"Bill Clements"
bar:White
 from: 18/01/1983 till: 20/01/1987 color:democratic       text:"Mark White"
bar:Clements2
 from: 20/01/1987 till: 15/01/1991 color:republican       text:"Bill Clements"
bar:Richards
 from: 15/01/1991 till: 17/01/1995 color:democratic       text:"Ann Richards"
bar:Bush
 from: 17/01/1995 till: 21/12/2000 color:republican       text:"George W. Bush"
bar:Perry
 from: 21/12/2000 till: 20/01/2015 color:republican       text:"Rick Perry"
bar:Abbott
 from: 20/01/2015 till: $now color:republican       text:"Greg Abbott"</timeline>

Striking Governors

Template:See also The governor of Texas line of succession is set by Article IV, Sections 3a and 16–18 of the Constitution of Texas<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Chapter 401.023 of Title 4 the Texas Gov't Code.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

No.	Office	Current officeholder	Party
1	Lieutenant Governor	Dan Patrick	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
2	President pro tempore of the Senate	Brandon Creighton	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
3	Speaker of the House of Representatives	Dustin Burrows	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
4	Attorney General	Ken Paxton	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
Chief Justices of the Texas Courts of Appeals, in numerical order
5	1st Court of Appeals (Houston)	Terry Adams	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
6	2nd Court of Appeals (Fort Worth)	Bonnie Sudderth	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
7	3rd Court of Appeals (Austin)	Darlene Byrne	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Democratic
8	4th Court of Appeals (San Antonio)	Rebeca Martinez	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Democratic
9	5th Court of Appeals (Dallas)	Robert Burns III	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Democratic
10	6th Court of Appeals (Texarkana)	Josh Morriss	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
11	7th Court of Appeals (Amarillo)	Brian Quinn	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
12	8th Court of Appeals (El Paso)	Jeff Alley	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
13	9th Court of Appeals (Beaumont)	Scott Golemon	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
14	10th Court of Appeals (Waco)	Tom Gray	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
15	11th Court of Appeals (Eastland)	John M. Bailey	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
16	12th Court of Appeals (Tyler)	Jim Worthen	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican
17	13th Court of Appeals (Corpus Christi)	Dori Contreras	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Democratic
18	14th Court of Appeals (Houston)	Tracy Christopher	style="background: Template:Party color" |	Republican

See also

• List of Texas governors and presidents
• List of presidents of the Republic of Texas
• Lieutenant Governor of Texas
• List of Texas state agencies