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Home > State Library > History of Rhode Island > Rhode Island Lt. Governors

Rhode Island Lt. Governors 1640 - Present

1 William Brenton, of Newport Mar., 1640 - May, 1647

From 1647 to 1663, the Colony was governed by a president, with four assistants. Royal Charter granted on July 8, 1663.

William Brenton, of Newport Nov., 1663 - May, 1666
Nicholas Easton, of Newport May, 1666 - May, 1669
John Clarke, of Newport May, 1669 - May, 1670
Nicholas Easton, of Newport May, 1670 - May, 1671
John Clarke, of Newport May, 1671 - May, 1672
John Cranston, of Newport May, 1672 - May, 1673
William Coddington, of Newport May, 1673 - May, 1674
John Easton, of Newport May, 1674 - April, 1676
2 John Cranston, of Newport May, 1676 - Nov., 1678
James Barker, of Newport Nov., 1678 - May, 1679
Walter Clarke, of Newport May, 1679 - May 1686
John Coggeshall, of Newport May, 1686 - June, 1686

The Royal Charter was suspended from 1686 until 1689.

John Coggeshall, of Newport May, 1689 - May, 1690
John Greene, of Warwick May, 1690 - May, 1700
3 Walter Clarke, of Newport May, 1700 - May, 1714
Henry Tew, of Newport June, 1714 - May, 1715
Joseph Jencks, of Providence May, 1715 - May, 1721
John Wanton, of Newport May, 1721 - May, 1722
Joseph Jencks, of Providence May, 1722 - May, 1727
Jonathan Nichols, of Newport May, 1727 - Aug., 1727
Thomas Frye, of East Greenwich Aug., 1727 - May, 1729
John Wanton, of Newport May, 1729 - May, 1734
4 George Hassard, of S. Kingstown May, 1734 - June, 1738
Daniel Abbott, of Providence July, 1738 - May, 1740
5 Richard Ward, of Newport May, 1740 - July, 1740
William Greene, of Newport July, 1740 - May, 1743
Joseph Whipple, of Newport May, 1743 - May, 1745
William Robinson, of S. Kingstown May, 1745 - May, 1746
Joseph Whipple, of Newport May, 1746 - May, 1747
William Robinson, of S. Kingstown May, 1747 - May, 1748
William Ellery, of Newport May, 1748 - May, 1750
Robert Hassard, of S. Kingstown May, 1750 - May, 1751
6 Joseph Whipple, of Newport May, 1751 - Nov., 1753
Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport Nov., 1753 - May, 1754
John Gardner, of Newport May, 1754 - May, 1755
7 Jonathan Nichols, Jr., of Newport May, 1755 - Sept., 1756
8 John Gardner, of Newport Sept., 1756 - Jan., 1764
Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport Feb., 1764 - May, 1765
Elisha Brown, of N. Providence May, 1765 - May, 1767
Joseph Wanton, Jr., of Newport May, 1767 - May, 1768
Nicholas Cooke, of Providence May, 1768 - May, 1769
Darius Sessions, of Providence May, 1769 - May, 1775
9 Nicholas Cooke, of Providence May, 1775 - Nov., 1775
William Bradford, of Bristol Nov., 1775 - May, 1778
Jabez Bowen, of Providence May, 1778 - May, 1780
William West, of Scituate May, 1780 - May, 1781
Jabez Bowen, of Providence May, 1781 - May, 1786
Daniel Owen, of Glocester May, 1786 - May, 1790
Samuel J. Potter, of S. Kingstown May, 1790 - Feb., 1799

The title was now changed to "Lieutenant Governor".

Samuel J. Potter, of S. Kingstown 1799 - 1799
George Brown, of S. Kingstown 1799 - 1800
Samuel J. Potter, of S. Kingstown 1800 - 1803
10 Paul Mumford, of Newport 1803 - 1805
Isaac Wilbour, of Little Compton 1806 - 1807
Constant Taber, of Newport 1807 - 1808
Simeon Martin, of Newport 1808 - 1810
Isaac Wilbour, of Little Compton 1810 - 1811
Simeon Martin, of Newport 1811 - 1816
Jeremiah Thurston, of Hopkinton 1816 - 1817
Edward Wilcox, of Charlestown 1817 - 1821
Caleb Earle, of Providence 1821 - 1824
11 Charles Collins, of Newport 1824 - 1833
Jeffrey Hazard, of Exeter 1833 - 1835
George Engs, of Newport 1835 - 1836
Jeffrey Hazard, of Exeter 1836 - 1837
Benjamin B. Thurston, of Hopkinton 1837 - 1838
12 Joseph Childs, of Portsmouth 1838 - 1839
Byron Diman, of Bristol 1840 - 1842
Nathanael Bullock, of Bristol 1842 - 1843

Lieutenant Governors Under The Constitution, 1843 -

Byron Diman, of Bristol 1843 - 1846
Elisha Harris, of Coventry 1846 - 1847
Edward W. Lawton, of Newport 1847 - 1849
Thomas Whipple, of Coventry 1849 - 1851
William B. Lawrence, of Newport 1851 - 1852
Samuel G. Arnold, of Providence 1852 - 1853
Francis M. Dimond, of Bristol 1853 - 1854
John J. Reynolds, of N. Kingstown 1854 - 1855
Anderson C. Rose, of New Shoreham 1855 - 1856
Nicholas Brown, of Warwick 1856 - 1857
Thomas G. Turner, of Warren 1857 - 1859
Isaac Saunders, of Scituate 1859 - 1860
J. Russell Bullock, of Bristol 1860 - 1861
13 Samuel G. Arnold, of Middletown 1861 - 1862
Seth Padelford, of Providence 1863 - 1865
Duncan C. Pell, of Newport 1865 - 1866
William Greene, of Warwick 1866 - 1868
Pardon W. Stevens, of Newport 1868 - 1872
Charles R. Cutler, of Warren 1872 - 1873
Charles C. Van Zandt, of Newport 1873 - 1875
Henry T. Sisson, of Little Compton 1875 - 1877
Albert C. Howard, of E. Providence 1877 - 1880
Henry H. Fay, of Newport 1880 - 1883
Oscar J. Rathbun, of Woonsocket 1883 - 1885
Lucius B. Darling, of Pawtucket 1885 - 1887
Samuel R. Honey, of Newport 1887 - 1888
Enos Lapham, of Warwick 1888 - 1889
Daniel G. Littlefield, of Lincoln 1889 - 1890
William T. C. Wardwell, of Bristol 1890 - 1891
Henry A. Stearns, of Lincoln 1891 - 1892
Melville Bull, of Middletown 1892 - 1894
Edwin R. Allen, of Hopkinton 1894 - 1897
Aram J. Pothier, of Woonsocket 1897 - 1898
William Gregory, of N. Kingstown 1898 - 1900 [R]
Charles D. Kimball, of Providence 1900 - 1901 [R]
14 George L. Shepley, of Providence 1902 - 1903 [R]
Adelard Archambault, of Woonsocket 1903 - 1904 [D]
George H. Utter, of Westerly 1904 - 1905 [R]
Frederick H. Jackson, of Providence 1905 - 1908 [R]
Ralph C. Watrous, of Warwick 1908 - 1909 [R]
Arthur W. Dennis, of Providence 1909 - 1910 [R]
Zenas W. Bliss, of Cranston 1910 - 1913 [R]
Rosewell B. Burchard, of L. Compton 1913 - 1915 [R]
Emery J. San Souci, of Providence 1915 - 1921 [R]
Harold J. Gross, of Providence 1921 - 1923 [R]
Felix A. Toupin, of Lincoln 1923 - 1925 [D]
Nathaniel W. Smith, of S. Kingstown 1925 - 1927 [R]
15 Norman S. Case, of Providence 1927 - 1928 [R]
James G. Connelly, of Pawtucket 1929 - 1933 [R]
Robert E. Quinn, of W. Warwick 1933 - 1937 [D]
Raymond E. Jordan, of Pawtucket 1937 - 1939 [D]
James O. McManus, of W. Warwick 1939 - 1941 [R]
16 Louis W. Cappelli, of Providence 1941 - 1944 [D]
17 John O. Pastore, of Providence 1945 - 1945 [D]
18 John S. McKiernan, of Providence 1947 - 1950 [D]
19 John S. McKiernan, of Providence 1951 - 1956 [D]
Armand H. Cote, of Pawtucket 1957 - 1959 [D]
John A. Notte, Jr., of Providence 1959 - 1961 [D]
Edward P. Gallogly, of Providence 1961 - 1965 [D]
Giovanni Folcarelli, of Scituate 1965 - 1967 [D]
Joseph O'Donnell, Jr., of N. Smithfield 1967 - 1969 [R]
J. Joseph Garrahy, of Providence 1969 - 1977 [D]
Thomas R. DiLuglio, of Johnston 1977 - 1985 [D]
Richard A. Licht, of Providence 1985 - 1989 [D]
Roger N. Begin, of Woonsocket 1989 - 1993 [D]
20 Robert A. Weygand, of E. Providence 1993 - 1997 [D]
21 Bernard A. Jackvony, of E. Greenwich 1997 - 1999 [R]
Charles J. Fogarty, of Glocester 1999 - 2006 [D]
Elizabeth H. Roberts of Cranston 2007 - Present [D]

Notes:

1. For Newport and Portsmouth. A government for the entire Colony was not created until 1647.top
2. Elected Governor on Nov. 8, 1678 in place of William Coddington (deceased).top
3. Died in office.top
4. Died in office.top
5. Elected Governor on July 15, 1740 in place of John Wanton (deceased).top
6. Resigned.top
7. Died in office.top
8. Died in office.top
9. On May 3, 1775, the General Assembly passed an act prohibiting Deputy Governor Nicholas Cooke from administering the oath of office to Governor-elect Joseph Wanton. Nicholas Cooke was elected Governor in November of 1775.top
10. Died in office.top
11. Elections ordered for May 16, July 18, Aug. 28, and Nov. 21, 1832 failed to elect candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, and state senators. The incumbents continued in office until the 1833 election.top
12. In the election of 1839, no candidate was chosen. The incumbent remained in office until the 1840 election.top
13. Elected United States Senator on Sept. 5, 1862, to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of James F. Simmons. top
14. Elected by the General Assembly.top
15. Became Governor upon the death of Governor Aram J. Pothier, Feb. 4, 1928.top
16. Appointed Associate Justice of the Superior Court on April 12, 1944.top
17. Became Governor upon the resignation of Governor J. Howard McGrath.top
18. Became Governor upon the resignation of Governor John O. Pastore.top
19. Appointed Associate Justice of the Superior Court on April 27, 1956.top
20. Sworn in as United States Representative, District 2, on Jan. 7, 1997.top
21. Appointed Lieutenant Governor on Jan. 29, 1997.top

Sources: Rhode Island Colonial Records, 1636 - 1792 Rhode Island Acts & Resolves Rhode Island Manuals, 1867 - 2004 All published by the Office of the Secretary of State of Rhode Island.