List of governors of Pennsylvania
This is a list of Governors of Pennsylvania. The office of Pennsylvania governor was created by the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1790. Before 1790, those who are listed below had held the office called president of the state Supreme Executive Council.
Presidents of the Supreme Executive Council to 1790
| Governor | Term | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Wharton, Jr. | 1777– 1778 |
None | ||
| George Bryan | 1778 | None | ||
| Joseph Reed | 1778– 1781 |
None | ||
| William Moore | 1781– 1782 |
None | ||
| John Dickinson | 1782– 1785 |
None | Previously President of Delaware | |
| Benjamin Franklin | 1785– 1788 |
None | ||
| Thomas Mifflin | 1788– 1790 |
None |
Governors since 1790
* Following Governor Shunk's resignation due to illness, an interregnum of 17 days occurred before Governor Johnston was sworn in, during which time the office was vacant. Under the state's constitution of the time, the Speaker of the Senate should have become Governor upon Shunk's resignation. Johnston however was not officially notified until six days after Shunk's death (17 days following his resignation).
* Governor Martin resigned to take a seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ At 5 a.m. on June 14, 1993, Governor Casey transferred executive authority to Lieutenant Governor Mark Singel, and later that day underwent a heart-liver transplant operation. Singel acted as Governor until Casey resumed the powers and duties of the office on the evening December 13, 1993. Because Casey never officially resigned, however, Single was only an "acting governor."
* On September 13, 2001, Governor Ridge was enlisted to aid in national homeland security efforts following the September 11th terrorist attacks, temporarily transferring his powers to Schweiker. He later resigned to accept the position of Director of Homeland Security (now Secretary of Homeland Security).
A number of surnames of governors are used as names of east-west streets in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, the state's largest city. Names used in this manner, from north to south and from earliest to latest service as governor, include Wharton, Reed, Dickinson, Mifflin, McKean, Snyder, Wolf, Ritner, Porter, Shunk, Johnston, Bigler, Pollock, Packer, Curtin, Geary, Hartranft, and Pattison. There is also a street named Moore in South Philadelphia, but not in the appropriate place in the series, and a street named Franklin running north-south. A similar series of streets named for List of counties in Pennsylvania exists in North Philadelphia. In addition, many of these surnames are used for residence halls at The Pennsylvania State University, particularly in East Halls (see: [1]).