Rhode Island Governors 1640 – Present

The towns of Newport and Portsmouth formed a joint government in 1640, with the chief officer having the title of Governor.

Governor of Newport and Portsmouth

Governor	Term
William Coddington, of Newport	March 1640 – May 1647

In 1643, Roger Williams obtained a patent (charter) from the English Parliament. The towns of Providence and Warwick elected a Chief Officer under the authority of this Parliamentary Patent of 1643.

Chief Officer under the Patent of 1643

Governor	Term
Roger Williams, of Providence	September 1644 – May 1647

In 1647, the towns of Newport, Portsmouth, Providence and Warwick formed a united colony under the Parliamentary Patent. From 1647 to 1663, the colony was governed by a President, with four Assistants.

Presidents under the Patent of 1643

President	Term
John Coggeshall, of Newport	May 1647 – May 1648
1Jeremy Clarke, of Newport	May 1648 – May 1649
John Smith, of Warwick	May 1649 – May, 1650
Nicholas Easton, of Newport	May 1650 – August 1651
2Samuel Gorton, of Warwick	October 1651 – May 1652
2John Smith, of Warwick	May 1652 – May 1653
2Gregory Dexter, of Providence	May 1653 – May 1654

³Governors of Newport and Portsmouth under the Coddington Commission

Governor	Term
William Coddington, of Newport	May 1651 – May 1653
John Sanford, of Portsmouth	May 1653 – May 1654

⁴In 1654, the union of the four towns was re-established.

Presidents under the Patent of 1643

President	Term
Nicholas Easton, of Newport	May 1654 – September 1654
Roger Williams, of Providence	September 1654 – May 1657
Benedict Arnold, of Newport	May 1657 – May 1660
William Brenton, of Newport	May 1660 – May 1662
Benedict Arnold, of Newport	May 1662 – November 1663

⁵The Royal Charter was granted by King Charles II on July 8, 1663

Governors under the Royal Charter of 1663

Governor	Term
6Benedict Arnold, of Newport	November 1663 – May 1666
William Brenton, of Newport	May 1666 – 1669
Benedict Arnold, of Newport	1669 – 1672
Nicholas Easton, of Newport	1672 – 1674
William Coddington, of Newport	1674 – 1676
Walter Clarke, of Newport	1676 – 1677
7Benedict Arnold, of Newport	1677 – 1678
8William Coddington, of Newport	1678 – 1678
9John Cranston, of Newport	1678 – 1680
Peleg Sanford, of Newport	1680 – 1683
10William Coddington, Jr., of Newport	1683 – 1685	Link to Portrait
Henry Bull, of Newport	1685 – 1686
Walter Clarke, of Newport	1686 - 1686

¹¹The Royal Charter was suspended from 1686 until 1689.

12Sir Edmund Andros, at Boston, Governor of New England

June 3, 1686 -- April 18, 1689

Governor	Term
13Vacant	May 1689 – February 1690
14Henry Bull, of Newport	February 1690 – May 1690
15John Easton, of Newport	May 1690 – May 1695
16Caleb Carr, of Newport	May 1695 – December 1695
Walter Clarke, of Newport	1696 – 1698
17Samuel Cranston, of Newport	1698 – 1727
Joseph Jencks, of Pawtucket	1727 – 1732
18William Wanton, of Newport	1732 – 1733
19John Wanton, of Newport	1734 – 1740
Richard Ward, of Newport	1740 - 1743	Link to Portrait
20William Greene, of Warwick	1743 - 1745	Link to Portrait
Gideon Wanton, of Newport	1745 –1746
William Greene, of Warwick	1746-1747	Link to Portrait
Gideon Wanton, of Newport	1747-1748
William Greene, of Warwick	1748-1755	Link to Portrait
Stephen Hopkins, of Providence	1755-1757	Link to Portrait
William Greene, of Warwick	1757-1758	Link to Portrait
Stephen Hopkins, of Providence	1758-1762	Link to Portrait
Samuel Ward, of Newport	1762-1763
Stephen Hopkins, of Providence	1763-1765	Link to Portrait
Samuel Ward, of Newport	1765-1767
Stephen Hopkins, Of Providence	1767-1768	Link to Portrait
Josias Lyndon, of Warren	1768-1769
Joseph Wanton, of Newport	1769-1775	Link to Portrait
Nicholas Cooke, of Newport	1775-1778	Link to Portrait
William Greene Jr., of Providence	1778-1786
John Collins, of Warwick	1786-1790
21Arthur Fenner, of Providence	1790-1805	Link to Portrait
Vacant	1806-1807
James Fenner , of Providence	1807-1811	Link to Portrait
William Jones, of Newport	1811-1817	Link to Portrait
22Nehmiah R. Knight, of Cranston	1817-1821	Link to Portrait
William C Gibbs, of Newport	1821-1824
James Fenner	1824-1831	Link to Portrait
23Lemuel H. Arnold of Kingston	1831-1833	Link to Portrait
John Brown Francis of Warwick	1833-1838	Link to Portrait
William Sprague of Cranston	1838-1839	Link to Portrait
Samuel Ward King of Johnston	1839-1843
24Thomas Wilson Dorr of Providence	1840-1840	Link to Portrait

Governors under the Constitution of 1842

Governor	Political Affiliation	Term	Portrait
James Fenner	Law and Order	1843-1845
Charles Jackson	Liberation	1845-1846
Byron Diman	Law and Order	1846-1847	Link to Portrait
Elisha Harris	Whig	1847-1849
Henry B. Anthony	Whig	1849-1851
25Philip Allen	Democrat	1851-1853
Francis M. Dimond	Democrat	1853-1854	Link to Portrait
William W. Hoppin	Whig and Know-Nothing	1854-1857
Elisha Dyer	Republican	1857-1859	Link to Portrait
Thomas G. Turner	Republican	1859-1860	Link to Portrait
26William Sprague, 2nd	Democrat & Conservative	1860-1863	Link to Portrait
27William C. Cozzens	Democrat	1863-1863
James Y. Smith	Republican	1863-1866	Link to Portrait
Ambrose E. Burnside	Republican	1866-1869	Link to Portrait
Seth Padelford	Republican	1869-1873	Link to Portrait
Henry Howard	Republican	1873-1875	Link to Portrait
Henry Lippitt	Republican	1875-1877	Link to Portrait
Charles C. Van Zandt	Republican	1877-1880	Link to Portrait
Alfred H. Littlefield	Republican	1880-1883
Augustus O. Bourn	Republican	1883-1885	Link to Portrait
George P. Wetmore	Republican	1885-1887
28John W. Davis	Democrat	1887-1888
Royal C. Taft	Republican	1888-1889	Link to Portrait
29Herbert W. Ladd	Republican	1889-1890	Link to Portrait
28John W. Davis	Democrat	1890-1891
29Herbert W. Ladd	Republican	1891-1892	Link to Portrait
D. Russell Brown	Republican	1892-1895	Link to Portrait
Charles W. Lippitt	Republican	1895-1897	Link to Portrait
Elisha Dyer	Republican	1897-1900	Link to Portrait
30William Gregory	Republican	1900-1901	Link to Portrait
Charles D. Kimball	Republican	1901-1903	Link to Portrait
Lucius F. C. Garvin	Democrat	1903-1905	Link to Portrait
George H. Utter	Republican	1905-1907	Link to Portrait
James H. Higgins	Democrat	1907-1909	Link to Portrait
31Aram J. Pothier	Republican	1909-1915	Link to Portrait
R. Livingston Beeckman	Republican	1915-1921	Link to Portrait
Emery J. San Souci	Republican	1921-1923	Link to Portrait
William S. Flynn	Democrat	1923-1925
31Aram J. Pothier	Republican	1925-1928	Link to Portrait
Norman S. Case	Republican	1928-1933	Link to Portrait
Theodore Francis Green	Democrat	1933-1937
Robert E. Quinn	Democrat	1937-1939	Link to Portrait
William Henry Vanderbilt III	Republican	1939-1941
32J. Howard McGrath	Democrat	1941-1945
33John Orlando Pastore	Democrat	1945-1950	Link to Portrait
John S. McKiernan	Democrat	1950-1951	Link to Portrait
Dennis J. Roberts	Democrat	1951-1959	Link to Portrait
Christopher Del Sesto	Republican	1959-1961
John A. Notte, Jr	Democrat	1961-1963	Link to Portrait
John Hubbard Chafee	Republican	1963-1969	Link to Portrait
Frank Licht	Democrat	1969-1973
Philip W. Noel	Democrat	1973-1977	Link to Portrait
J. Joseph Garrahy	Democrat	1977-1985
Edward D. DiPrete	Republican	1985-1991	Link to Portrait
Bruce Sundlun	Democrat	1991-1995
34Lincoln C. Almond	Republican	1995-2003	Link to Portrait
Donald Carcieri	Republican	2003- present

Notes:

1.	William Coddington was elected, but the General Court would not engage him, for failure to clear himself of certain accusations. (BACK)
2.	President for Providence and Warwick only. (BACK)
3.	In 1651, a separation occurred between the towns of Providence and Warwick on the one side, which continued the government under the Parliamentary Patent of 1643, and Newport and Portsmouth on the other, which formed a new government under the authority of a commission that had been granted to William Coddington, appointing him proprietary Governor-for-life of the islands of Rhode Island (Aquidneck) and Conanicut (Jamestown). This commission was granted on April 3, 1651 by the Council of State of the Commonwealth of England. (BACK)
4.	Late in 1651, Roger Williams and John Clarke sailed to England. Williams was seeking the re-affirmation of the 1643 Patent, and Clarke had been asked by residents of Newport and Portsmouth to obtain an annulment of William Coddington’s commission. On October 2, 1652, the Council of State granted their requests. (BACK)
5.	Under the Royal Charter, the government consisted of a Governor, a Deputy Governor, and ten Assistants. (BACK)
6.	First Governor elected under the Royal Charter, November 25, 1663. (BACK)
7.	Died in office, June 20, 1678. (BACK)
8.	Died in office, November 1, 1678. (BACK)
9.	Died in office, March 12, 1680. (BACK)
10.	Elected Governor in May of 1685, but refused to be engaged. Henry Bull elected in his place. (BACK)
11.	On June 3, 1686, King James II appointed Sir Edmund Andros to be Governor of New England, and on September 13, 1686, instructed him to demand the surrender of Rhode Island’s Royal Charter. The government of Rhode Island swore allegiance to Sir Edmund Andros, but managed to avoid the surrender of the Royal Charter. (BACK)
12.	King James II was deposed on Dec. 10, 1688. King William III and his wife, Queen Mary, were crowned as joint sovereigns of England on April 11, 1689. The governorship of Sir Edmund Andros was overthrown on April 18, 1689. On May 1, 1689, the Rhode Island Assembly met in Newport and ordered that the persons elected in May of 1686 should resume their offices. (BACK)
13.	John Coggeshall resumed the office of Deputy Governor, but Walter Clarke did not resume the office of Governor that he had been elected to in 1686. (BACK)
14.	Elected by the General Assembly on Feb. 26, 1690. Walter Clarke, followed by Christopher Almy, were elected in succession, and both men refused to serve. (BACK)
15.	On May 7, 1690, Henry Bull refused re-election. John Easton was elected to replace him. (BACK)
16.	Died in office, December 17, 1695. (BACK)
17.	Longest term of office - Samuel Cranston of Newport - 29 years. Died in office, April 26, 1727. (BACK)
18.	Died in office, December 7, 1733. (BACK)
19.	Died in office, July 5, 1740. (BACK)
20.	Died in office February 22, 1758. (BACK)
21.	Died in office October 15, 1805. (BACK)
22.	Elected U.S. Senator, January 9, 1821. (BACK)
23.	In 1832 there was no election for governor, lieutenant governor, or senators. Elections were successively ordered for May 16, July 18, August 28, and November 21, 1832, resulting without choice. At the January session, 1883, the officers who had not been re-elected in 1832 were continued in office, until the next session. (BACK)
24.	Elected by a convention of “The People” in 1842. He was convicted of treason after having led an unsuccessful rebellion in June of 1842. His legal rights were restored in 1854. (BACK)
25.	Resigned July 20, 1853, having been elected United States Senator on May 4, 1853. (BACK)
26.	Resigned March 3, 1863 to become United States Senator. (BACK)
27.	William Cozzens was President of the Senate. He became Governor upon the resignation of William Sprague, 2nd. The Lieutenant Governor, Samuel Arnold, having been elected United States Senator upon the resignation of Senator James Simmons. (BACK)
28.	Served two non-consecutive terms. (BACK)
29.	Served two non-consecutive terms. (BACK)
30.	Died in office, December 16, 1901. (BACK)
31.	Served two Non-consecutive terms. Died in office, February 3, 1928. (BACK)
32.	Resigned to become United States Senator. (BACK)
33.	Resigned to become United States Senator. (BACK)
34.	The Rhode Island Constitution was changed in 1992 to limit Rhode Island Governors to two consecutive four-year terms. (BACK)

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.