| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[b] |
|---|
| 1 |  | | Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807–1895) [5][6][7] | December 20, 1849[8][c] – January 9, 1851 (resigned)[d] | Nonpartisan[e] | 1849 | | John McDougal |
|---|
| 2 |  | John McDougal (1818–1866) [10][11][12] | January 9, 1851[13] – January 8, 1852 (did not run) | Nonpartisan[f] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | | David C. Broderick[g] (acting) |
|---|
| 3 |  | | John Bigler (1805–1871) [14][15][16] | January 8, 1852[17] – January 9, 1856 (lost election) | Democratic[18] | 1851 | Samuel Purdy |
|---|
| 1853 |
| 4 |  | | J. Neely Johnson (1825–1872) [19][20][21] | January 9, 1856[22] – January 8, 1858 (did not run) | American[23] | 1855 | | Robert M. Anderson |
|---|
| 5 |  | | John B. Weller (1812–1875) [24][25][26] | January 8, 1858[27] – January 9, 1860 (did not run) | Democratic[23] | 1857 | | Joseph Walkup |
|---|
| 6 |  | | | Milton S. Latham (1827–1882) [28][29][30] | January 9, 1860[31] – January 14, 1860 (resigned)[h] | Lecompton Democratic[23] | 1859 | John G. Downey |
|---|
| 7 |  | John G. Downey (1827–1894) [32][33][34] | January 14, 1860[35] – January 10, 1862 (did not run) | Lecompton Democratic[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Isaac N. Quinn (acting) (term ended January 7, 1861) |
|---|
Pablo de la Guerra (acting) |
| 8 |  | | Leland Stanford (1824–1893) [37][38][39] | January 10, 1862[40] – December 10, 1863 (did not run)[i] | Republican[36] | 1861 | | John F. Chellis |
|---|
| 9 |  | | Frederick Low (1828–1894) [42][43][44] | December 10, 1863[45] – December 5, 1867 (did not run) | Union[36] | 1863[j] | | Tim N. Machin |
|---|
| 10 |  | | Henry Huntly Haight (1825–1878) [46][47][48] | December 5, 1867[49] – December 8, 1871 (lost election) | Democratic[36] | 1867 | | William Holden |
|---|
| 11 |  | | Newton Booth (1825–1892) [50][51][52] | December 8, 1871[53] – February 27, 1875 (resigned)[k] | Republican[36] | 1871 | | Romualdo Pacheco |
|---|
| 12 |  | Romualdo Pacheco (1831–1899) [54][55][56] | February 27, 1875[57] – December 9, 1875 (did not run) | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | | William Irwin[g] (acting) |
|---|
| 13 |  | | William Irwin (1827–1886) [58][59][60] | December 9, 1875[61] – January 8, 1880 (did not run) | Democratic[36] | 1875 | James A. Johnson |
|---|
| 14 |  | | George C. Perkins (1839–1923) [62][63][64] | January 8, 1880[65] – January 10, 1883 (did not run) | Republican[36] | 1879 | | John Mansfield |
|---|
| 15 |  | | George Stoneman (1822–1894) [66][67][68] | January 10, 1883[69] – January 8, 1887 (did not run)[70] | Democratic[36] | 1882 | | John Daggett |
|---|
| 16 |  | Washington Bartlett (1824–1887) [71][72][73] | January 8, 1887[74] – September 12, 1887 (died in office) | Democratic[36] | 1886 | | Robert Waterman[l] |
|---|
| 17 |  | | Robert Waterman (1826–1891) [75][76][77] | September 12, 1887[78] – January 8, 1891 (did not run) | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | | Stephen M. White[g] (acting) |
|---|
| 18 |  | Henry Markham (1840–1923) [79][80][81] | January 8, 1891[82] – January 11, 1895 (did not run) | Republican[36] | 1890 | | John B. Reddick |
|---|
| 19 |  | | James Budd (1851–1908) [83][84][85] | January 11, 1895[86] – January 4, 1899 (did not run)[83] | Democratic[36] | 1894 | Spencer G. Millard[l] (died October 24, 1895) |
|---|
| Vacant |
| William T. Jeter (appointed October 26, 1895) |
| 20 |  | | Henry T. Gage (1852–1924) [87][88][89] | January 4, 1899[90] – January 7, 1903 (lost nomination)[87] | Republican[36] | 1898 | | Jacob H. Neff |
|---|
| 21 |  | George Pardee (1857–1941) [91][92][93] | January 7, 1903[94] – January 9, 1907 (lost nomination)[91] | Republican[36] | 1902 | Alden Anderson |
|---|
| 22 |  | James Gillett (1860–1937) [95][96][97] | January 9, 1907[98] – January 3, 1911 (did not run)[95] | Republican[36] | 1906 | Warren R. Porter |
|---|
| 23 |  | Hiram Johnson (1866–1945) [99][100][101] | January 3, 1911[102] – March 15, 1917 (resigned)[m] | Republican[36] | 1910 | Albert Joseph Wallace |
|---|
| Progressive[36] | 1914 | | John M. Eshleman (died February 28, 1916) |
| Vacant |
| William Stephens[l] (took office July 22, 1916) |
| 24 |  | | William Stephens (1859–1944) [103][104][105] | March 15, 1917[106] – January 9, 1923 (lost nomination)[103] | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1918 | | C. C. Young |
| 25 |  | Friend Richardson (1865–1943) [107][108][109] | January 9, 1923[110] – January 4, 1927 (lost nomination)[111] | Republican[36] | 1922 |
|---|
| 26 |  | C. C. Young (1869–1947) [112][113][114] | January 4, 1927[115] – January 6, 1931 (lost nomination)[116] | Republican[36] | 1926 | Buron Fitts (resigned November 30, 1928) |
|---|
| Vacant |
| Herschel L. Carnahan (appointed December 4, 1928) |
| 27 |  | James Rolph (1869–1934) [117][118][119] | January 6, 1931[120] – June 2, 1934 (died in office) | Republican[36] | 1930 | Frank Merriam |
|---|
| 28 |  | Frank Merriam (1865–1955) [121][122][123] | June 2, 1934[124] – January 2, 1939 (lost election) | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1934 | | George J. Hatfield |
| 29 |  | | Culbert Olson (1876–1962) [125][126][127] | January 2, 1939[128] – January 4, 1943 (lost election) | Democratic[36] | 1938 | | Ellis E. Patterson |
|---|
| 30 |  | | Earl Warren (1891–1974) [129][130][131] | January 4, 1943[132] – October 4, 1953 (resigned)[n] | Republican[o] | 1942 | | Frederick F. Houser |
|---|
| 1946 | Goodwin Knight |
| 1950 |
| 31 |  | Goodwin Knight (1896–1970) [135][136][137] | October 5, 1953[138] – January 5, 1959 (did not run)[p] | Republican[36] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Harold J. Powers |
|---|
| 1954 |
| 32 |  | | Pat Brown (1905–1996) [139][140][141] | January 5, 1959[142] – January 2, 1967 (lost election) | Democratic[36] | 1958 | | Glenn M. Anderson |
|---|
| 1962 |
| 33 |  | | Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) [143][144][145] | January 2, 1967[146] – January 6, 1975 (did not run)[143] | Republican[36] | 1966 | | Robert Finch (resigned January 8, 1969) |
|---|
Edwin Reinecke (resigned October 2, 1974) |
| 1970 |
| John L. Harmer |
| 34 |  | | Jerry Brown (b. 1938) [147][148][149] | January 6, 1975[150] – January 3, 1983 (did not run) | Democratic[36] | 1974 | | Mervyn M. Dymally |
|---|
| 1978 | | Michael Curb[l] |
| 35 |  | | George Deukmejian (1928–2018) [151][152] | January 3, 1983[153] – January 7, 1991 (did not run) | Republican[152] | 1982 | | Leo T. McCarthy[g] |
|---|
| 1986 |
| 36 |  | Pete Wilson (b. 1933) [154][155] | January 7, 1991[156] – January 4, 1999 (term-limited)[q] | Republican[155] | 1990 |
|---|
| 1994 | Gray Davis[g] |
| 37 |  | | Gray Davis (b. 1942) [158][159] | January 4, 1999[160] – November 17, 2003 (recalled)[r] | Democratic[159] | 1998 | Cruz Bustamante[g] |
|---|
| 2002 |
| 38 |  | | Arnold Schwarzenegger (b. 1947) [162][161] | November 17, 2003[163] – January 3, 2011 (term-limited)[q] | Republican[161] | 2003 (recall)[r] |
|---|
| 2006 | John Garamendi[g] (resigned November 3, 2009) |
Mona Pasquil[g] (acting) |
| Abel Maldonado[l][s] (appointed April 27, 2010) |
| 39 |  | | Jerry Brown (b. 1938) [148][164] | January 3, 2011[165] – January 7, 2019 (term-limited)[q] | Democratic[164] | 2010 |
|---|
| Gavin Newsom[s] (took office January 10, 2011) |
| 2014 |
| 40 |  | Gavin Newsom (b. 1967) [167][168] | January 7, 2019[169] – Incumbent[t] | Democratic[168] | 2018 | Eleni Kounalakis |
|---|
2021 (recall)[u] |
| 2022 |