List of governors of Guam
| Governor of Guam | |
|---|---|
| I Maga'låhen Guåhan | |
| File:Governors Seal SILVER logo.png | |
| Style | I Maga'låhen Guåhan (formal) The Honorable (in international correspondence) |
| Residence | Government House (Agaña Heights) |
| Seat | Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor's Complex (Adelup) |
| Term length | Single 4 year term (2 term limits) |
| Constituting instrument | Organic Act of Guam |
| Inaugural holder | Carlos Camacho |
| Formation | January 4, 1971 |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Guam (Ray Tenorio) |
| Salary | $90,000 (2013)[1] |
| Website | Office of the Governor |
 |
|---|
The Governor of Guam is the chief executive of the Government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territory) addresses to the Guam Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that Guam's public laws are enforced. The position was created in 1968, through the passage of the Guam Elected Governors Act which took effect in 1970. Guam elected its first civilian governor in 1970 with the inauguration of former governor Carlos Camacho. The current governor is Eddie Baza Calvo, a Republican who was inaugurated on January 3, 2011, and was once again re-elected to a 2nd term in 2014.
Powers and Duties
The governor has a duty to enforce Guam's public laws, the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Guam Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to commute or grant pardons to criminal sentences, except in cases of treason and impeachment. The governor is given the power to control government budgeting and appoint many officials (including many judges). Unlike the other government departments that compose the executive branch of government, the governor is themselves head of the state executive Department. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy style of "I Maga'låhen Guåhan" while in office.
The Governor of Guam is required to give an annual State of the Island address in order to satisfy a constitutional stipulation that a governor must report annually (or in older constitutions described as being "from time to time") on the state or condition of the island. The governor may also perform ceremonial roles, such as greeting dignitaries, issuing symbolic proclamations or commencing the Liberation Day parade.
Seat and Residence
Sitting along Route 1, the governor's seat of power is located in Adelup in the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor's Complex, named after the island's 2nd and 4th governor, Ricardo Bordallo.
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The governor resides in his official residence at the Government House in Agaña Heights. The island's former Spanish and American military governors had resided in the Governor's Palace in the Plaza de España (Hagåtña) till its destruction in the shelling of Hagåtña during the reconquest of Guam in World War II.
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Election, Limits, and Qualifications
Election
According to the Elective Governor Acts of 1968, the Governor of Guam, together with the Lieutenant Governor, shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the people who are qualified to vote for the members of the Legislature of Guam. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be chosen jointly, by the casting by each voter of a single vote applicable to both offices. The first election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor was held on November 3, 1970, with the election of Governor Carlos Camacho and Lt. Governor Kurt Moylan. Beggining in 1974, Guam's governor and lieutenant governor are elected every four years in the general election. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall hold office for a term of four years and until their successors are elected and qualified.
Term Limits
The Governor of Guam is only limited two terms as prescribed in the Elective Governors Act:
- No person who has been elected Governor for two full successive terms shall again be eligible to hold that office until one full term has intervened.
- The term of the elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall commence on the first Monday of January following the date of election.
However, a former governor can be re-elected once again only after a full term has passed.
Qualifications
According to the Elective Governors Act:
"No person shall be eligible for election to the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor unless he is an eligible voter and has been for five consecutive years immediately preceding the election a citizen of the United States and a bona fide resident of Guam andill be, at the time of taking office, at least thirty years of age. The Governor shall maintain his official residence in Guam during his incumbency.[2]"
To be eligible, a candidate for Governor of Guam must:
- an eligible voter of Guam
- a United States citizen
- at least thirty years of age.
- has resided in Guam for five years, preceding the general election.
Spanish-American War era
During the Spanish colonial period, Guam was ruled from the Philippines as part of the Spanish East Indies by the Governor-General of the Philippines.
American capture of the territory (1898)
| Image | Name | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Henry Glass, Admiral | June 12, 1898 | June 22, 1898 |
 |
Francisco Martínez Portusach | June 22, 1898 | December 12, 1898 |
Political instability (1898–1899)
| Image | Name | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
José Sisto | December 12, 1898 | December 31, 1898 | overthrew Portusach |
|
Venancio Roberto | December 31, 1898 | January 2, 1899 | overthrew Sisto |
|
José Sisto | January 2, 1899 | February 1, 1899 | put back in power by US Navy |
 |
Edward D. Taussig | February 1, 1899 | February 13, 1899 | re-asserted USN authority, put a local council in place |
|
Don Joaquin Perez y Cruz | February 13, 1899 | April 20, 1899 | local council |
|
William Coe | April 20, 1899 | May 9, 1899 | local council |
|
Louis A. Kaiser | May 9, 1899 | August 7, 1899 | local council |
| # | Image | Name | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Richard Phillips Leary | August 7, 1899 | July 12, 1900 |
| – | |
William Edwin Safford Acting |
June 12, 1900 | July 19, 1900 |
| 2 |  |
Seaton Schroeder | July 12, 1900 | January 25, 1903 |
| – | |
William Swift Acting |
January 25, 1903 | February 6, 1903 |
| 3 | |
William Elbridge Sewell | February 6, 1903 | May 16, 1904 |
| – |  |
Frank Herman Schofield Acting |
January 11, 1904 | January 28, 1904 |
| 3 | |
Raymond Stone Acting |
January 28, 1904 | May 16, 1904 |
| 4 | |
George Leland Dyer | May 16, 1904 | November 2, 1905 |
| 5 |  |
Luke McNamee | November 2, 1905 | December 3, 1906 |
| 6 |  |
Templin Morris Potts | December 3, 1906 | October 3, 1907 |
| – | |
Luke McNamee Acting |
October 3, 1907 | December 28, 1907 |
| 7 | |
Edward John Dorn | December 28, 1907 | November 5, 1910 |
| 8 | |
Frank Freyer | November 5, 1910 | January 21, 1911 |
| 9 | |
George Salisbury | January 21, 1911 | January 30, 1912 |
| 10 |  |
Robert Edward Coontz | January 30, 1912 | September 23, 1913 |
| 11 | |
Alfred Walton Hinds | September 23, 1913 | March 28, 1914 |
| 12 |  |
William John Maxwell | March 28, 1914 | April 29, 1916 |
| – |  |
William P. Cronan Acting |
April 29, 1916 | May 18, 1916 |
| – | |
Edward E. Simpson Acting |
May 18, 1916 | May 30, 1916 |
| 13 |  |
Roy Campbell Smith | May 30, 1916 | November 18, 1918 |
| 14 |  |
William Gilmer | November 18, 1918 | November 22, 1919 |
| – | |
William A. Hodgman | November 22, 1919 | December 21, 1919 |
| 15 | |
William Gilmer | December 21, 1919 | July 7, 1920 |
| 16 | |
Ivan Wettengel | July 7, 1920 | February 27, 1921 |
| 17 |  |
James Sutherland Spore | February 27, 1921 | February 7, 1922 |
| – |  |
Adelbert Althouse Acting |
February 7, 1922 | December 8, 1922 |
| – | |
John P. Miller Acting |
December 8, 1922 | December 14, 1922 |
| 18 | |
Adelbert Althouse | December 14, 1922 | August 4, 1923 |
| 19 | |
Henry Bertram Price | August 4, 1923 | August 26, 1924 |
| 20 | |
Alfred Winsor Brown | August 26, 1924 | August 7, 1926 |
| 23 | |
Lloyd Stowell Shapley | August 7, 1926 | June 11, 1929 |
| 24 |  |
Willis W. Bradley | June 11, 1929 | March 15, 1931 |
| 25 | |
Edmund Root | March 15, 1931 | June 21, 1933 |
| 26 |  |
George A. Alexander | June 21, 1933 | March 27, 1936 |
| 27 | |
Benjamin McCandlish | March 27, 1936 | February 8, 1938 |
| 28 | |
James Thomas Alexander | February 8, 1938 | April 20, 1940 |
| 29 |  |
George McMillin | April 20, 1940 | December 10, 1941 |
World War II era
Japanese military governors (1941–1944)
| Name (Birth–Death) |
Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tomitarō Horii (1890–1942) |
December 10, 1941 | January 1942 |
| Hayashi Hiromu | January 1942 | June 1942 | |
| Homura Teiichi | June 1942 | March 1944 | |
|
Takeshi Takashina (1891–1944) |
March 1944 | July 28, 1944 |
|
Hideyoshi Obata (1890–1944) |
July 28, 1944 | August 11, 1944 |
American military governors (1944–1949)
| Name (Birth–Death) |
Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Roy Stanley Geiger (1885–1947) |
July 21, 1944 | August 10, 1944 |
|
Henry Louis Larsen (1890–1962) |
August 10, 1944 | May 30, 1946 |
|
Charles Alan Pownall (1887–1975) |
May 30, 1946 | September 27, 1949 |
Appointed civilian governors (1949–1971)
| # | Governor (Birth–Death) |
Took office | Left office | Appointed by | Acting Governor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Carlton Skinner (1913–2004) |
September 17, 1949 | April 22, 1953 | Harry S. Truman | Randall Herman (February 20, 1953 – April 22, 1953) |
| 2 |
|
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Ford Quint Elvidge (1892–1980) |
April 23, 1953 | October 2, 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | William T. Corbett (May 19, 1956 – October 2, 1956) |
| 3 | 
|
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Richard Barrett Lowe (1902–1972) |
October 2, 1956 | July 9, 1960 | Marcellus Boss (November 14, 1959 – August 22, 1960) | |
| 4 |
|
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Joseph Flores (1900–1981) |
July 9, 1960 | May 20, 1961 | ||
| 5 |
|
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | William Partlow Daniel (1915–2006) |
May 20, 1961 | March 9, 1963 | John F. Kennedy | Manuel Flores Leon Guerrero (January 20, 1963 – March 9, 1963) |
| 6 | 
|
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Manuel F. Leon Guerrero (1914–1985) |
March 9, 1963 | July 20, 1969 | ||
| Lyndon B. Johnson | |||||||
| 7 | 
|
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | Carlos Camacho (1924–1979) |
July 20, 1969 | January 4, 1971 | Richard Nixon | |
Elected governors (1971–present)
Living former governors
As of January 2017[update], four former governors were alive, the oldest being Paul McDonald Calvo (1979–1983, born 1934). The most recent governor to die was Ricardo Bordallo (1975–1979, 1983–1987), on January 31, 1990.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Paul McDonald Calvo | July 25, 1934 | |
| Joseph Franklin Ada | December 3, 1943 | |
| Carl Gutierrez | October 15, 1941 | |
| Felix Perez Camacho | October 30, 1957 |
References
- ^ "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/48/1422
External links
| Commissioner (1898–1899) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Naval (1899–1941) | ||
| Military (1944–1949) | ||
| Civilian (1949–1969) | ||
| Elected (since 1969) | ||