Governor of Pennsylvania

Governor of Pennsylvania
Post	Governor
Body	Pennsylvania
Insigniasize	110
Insigniacaption	Seal of the governor
Flagsize	110
Flagcaption	Flag of the governor
Incumbent	Josh Shapiro
Incumbentsince	January 17, 2023
Department	Executive branch of the Government of Pennsylvania
Style	The Honorable (formal), Governor (informal)
Residence	Pennsylvania Governor's Residence
Seat	Harrisburg
Termlength	Four years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Pennsylvania
Formation	December 21, 1790
First	Thomas Mifflin
Salary	$213,026 (2023)

Contents

History
Powers and duties
Election and succession
List of governors
Residences and offices
See also

Governor of Pennsylvania. The governor is the head of government for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The office, established by the state's 1790 constitution, is one of the oldest elected executive positions in the United States. The governor's powers and duties are derived from state law and include executing state laws, appointing officials, and preparing an annual budget for the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

History

The office traces its origins to the colonial proprietors and the presidents of Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council under the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. The first modern governor under the current constitutional framework was Thomas Mifflin, a former Continental Army officer and delegate to the Continental Congress. Historically, the governorship has been held by members of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and their predecessors like the Democratic-Republican Party. Notable governors include Gifford Pinchot, a pioneer of the conservation movement, and Milton Shapp, the first Jewish governor of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1968 modernized the office, allowing for two consecutive terms.

Powers and duties

The governor possesses strong executive authority, including the power to veto legislation passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, a power exercised frequently in budget negotiations. The governor appoints the heads of major state agencies, such as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania State Police, as well as judges to fill vacancies on courts like the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. As commander-in-chief, the governor can deploy the Pennsylvania National Guard, which saw action during events like the Johnstown Flood and the Gettysburg campaign. Other key duties include granting pardons and commutations, extraditing fugitives, and delivering an annual State of the State address to the state legislature.

Election and succession

Gubernatorial elections are held every four years, coinciding with midterm election years, on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Candidates are nominated through primary elections administered by the Pennsylvania Department of State. To be eligible, a candidate must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least seven years, and a resident of Pennsylvania for at least seven years. If the office becomes vacant, the lieutenant governor assumes the governorship, as occurred when Mark Schweiker succeeded Tom Ridge following his appointment to lead the federal Homeland Security office. Further succession falls to the President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate.

List of governors

Since Thomas Mifflin, Pennsylvania has had 48 individuals serve as governor. The longest-serving governor was George Howard Earle, who served from 1935 to 1939, though Tom Corbett was the first incumbent to lose a re-election bid in the modern two-term era. The current governor is Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who previously served as Attorney General and Montgomery County Commissioner. Other recent governors include Tom Wolf, Ed Rendell, and Dick Thornburgh. The state has had only two female governors, Michele Ridge never served, but Katherine Woodruff served briefly in an acting capacity.

Residences and offices

The official residence is the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence, located in Harrisburg's Uptown district. The primary working office is located in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building, a historic structure designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston. The governor also maintains a regional office in Philadelphia, often at the Pennsylvania State Office Building, and utilizes the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters during crises. The residence has hosted numerous dignitaries, including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.