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List of female state governors in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Twenty-nine women have been or are currently serving as the governor of an American state, including two in an acting capacity. The first female governor was Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming who was elected on November 4, 1924 and sworn in on January 5, 1925. She was preceded in office by her late husband William Ross. Also elected on November 4 was Miriam A. Ferguson of Texas, but she was not sworn in until January 21, 1925.
Connecticut and Arizona are the only two states to have elected female governors from both major parties. New Hampshire has also had female governors from two parties, but Republican Vesta M. Roy served only in the acting capacity for a short time. Arizona was the first state where a female followed another female as governor (they were from different parties). Arizona also has had the most female governors with a total of three.
As of December 6, 2006, when Sarah Palin was inaugurated as the first female governor of Alaska, a record nine women are serving as the chief executive of their states.
The District of Columbia and the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, though not states, have also had female chief executives in the past.
| Name | Title | From | To | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Pratt Kelly | Mayor of Washington, DC | 1991 | 1995 | Democratic |
| Sila M. Calderón | Governor of Puerto Rico | 2001 | 2005 | Popular Democratic |
