Governor of New Hampshire

Governor of New Hampshire
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Kelly Boyer, 114th Public Affairs Detach · Public domain · source
Post	Governor of New Hampshire
Incumbent	Chris Sununu
Incumbentsince	January 5, 2017
Style	His Excellency
Residence	Bridges House
Seat	Concord, New Hampshire
Termlength	Two years, no term limits
Formation	January 5, 1784
Inaugural	John Sullivan

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Governor of New Hampshire

The Governor of New Hampshire is the chief executive of the State of New Hampshire, serving as head of the Executive Council's partner and interacting with the New Hampshire General Court, United States Congress, Presidential administrations, New England Governors meetings and regional bodies. The officeholder combines constitutional authorities derived from the state constitution with statutory duties defined by the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated and practices shaped by predecessors such as John Sullivan, Franklin Pierce, Martha Fuller Clark, and contemporary figures like Chris Sununu.

Role and powers

The governor exercises executive powers under the state constitution and statutory law, including appointment authority over agencies such as the New Hampshire Department of Safety, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and boards like the New Hampshire Board of Education. The office issues executive orders, interacts with the New Hampshire Supreme Court, directs responses to emergencies declared under statutes like the Emergency Management Act of 97? and coordinates with federal entities including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Department of Homeland Security, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Agriculture on state-federal initiatives. The governor possesses clemency powers including pardons and reprieves involving the New Hampshire State Prison for Men and New Hampshire State Prison for Women and veto authority over legislation passed by the New Hampshire House of Representatives, New Hampshire Senate, and actions reviewed by the Governor's Council.

Elections occur in odd-numbered years with candidates nominated via New Hampshire Republican State Committee or New Hampshire Democratic Party, and independent petitions often referencing the New Hampshire Secretary of State. The governor is elected to two-year terms without limits on re-election, a practice dating to the state constitution and contrasted with longer terms in states like Massachusetts and Vermont. Campaigns commonly involve debates at venues like Saint Anselm College, canvassing in towns such as Manchester, New Hampshire, Concord, New Hampshire, and Nashua, New Hampshire, and coordination with national groups like the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee. The officeholder must meet qualifications established by state law and take an inaugural oath administered in the New Hampshire State House.

Primary duties include executing laws enacted by the New Hampshire General Court, delivering an annual budget proposal to fiscal committees and coordinating with the New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services, and appointing judges to vacancies subject to confirmation by the Executive Council. The governor serves as commander-in-chief of state forces such as the New Hampshire Army National Guard when not federalized under the United States Department of Defense and directs disaster response alongside the New Hampshire Department of Safety and federal partners like the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The office promotes economic development with agencies like the New Hampshire Economic Development Authority and lobbies for projects involving the United States Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and regional compacts. Ceremonial duties include hosting dignitaries, awarding honors in coordination with institutions like Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire, and representing the state in the National Governors Association and Council of State Governments.

Succession is governed by the state constitution and statutes specifying that, in the governor's inability to serve, functions devolve to the President of the New Hampshire Senate and thereafter to the Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives until a new governor is elected or the incumbent resumes duties. Impeachment proceedings commence in the New Hampshire House of Representatives with trial by the New Hampshire Senate; removal requires conviction for misconduct comparable to processes seen in cases involving other executives at state and federal levels such as Andrew Johnson's impeachment precedent at the United States Senate or state impeachments like that of William Sulzer in New York.

The office traces origins to colonial governors of New Hampshire Colony and post-Revolutionary figures such as John Sullivan and early 19th-century presidents like Franklin Pierce, who later became President of the United States. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, governors navigated issues tied to industrialization in mill cities like Manchester, New Hampshire and Nashua, New Hampshire, Progressive Era reforms linked to leaders like Woodrow Wilson nationally, and mid-20th-century shifts associated with governors such as Wesley Powell and John Sununu. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw governors engage with national debates over health policy linked to Medicaid and Medicare, environmental regulation involving the Environmental Protection Agency, and regional planning with groups like the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.

Notable officeholders include John Sullivan for Revolutionary leadership, Franklin Pierce for later ascendancy to the Presidency of the United States, C. Everett Koop-era public health initiatives linked to national policy actors, John H. Sununu for interactions with the Reagan administration and his son Chris Sununu for contemporary governance and engagement with the National Governors Association. Other influential figures include Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, both later serving in the United States Senate, and Hugh Gallen for budgetary reforms. Administrations have shaped state policy in relation to federal programs overseen by agencies such as the United States Department of Education, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and collaborated with regional institutions including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Saint Anselm College.

Category:Government of New Hampshire