| Governor of Texas | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the governor | |
 Standard of the governor | |
.jpg) | |
| Style |
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| Type | |
| Residence | Texas Governor's Mansion |
| Seat | Austin, Texas |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Four years, no term limit |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Texas |
| Precursor | President of the Republic of Texas |
| Formation | December 29, 1845 (179 years ago) (1845-12-29) |
| First holder | James Pinckney Henderson (1846) |
| Succession | Line of succession |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Texas |
| Salary | $153,750 (2019)[1] |
| Website | gov |
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Constitution and law |
Judiciary 
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Thegovernor of Texas is thehead of state of theU.S. state ofTexas. Thegovernor is the head of theexecutive branch of thegovernment of Texas and is thecommander-in-chief of theTexas Military Forces.
Established in theConstitution of Texas, the governor's responsibilities include ensuring the enforcement ofstate laws, the power to either approve orveto bills passed by theTexas Legislature, overseeingstate agencies, issuingexecutive orders, proposing and overseeing thestate budget, and making key appointments to state offices. The governor also has the power to callspecial sessions of the legislature and, with the recommendation of theTexas Board of Pardons and Paroles, grantpardons.
Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of Texas sets three qualifications for candidates for governor of Texas:[2]
Governors of Texas are directly elected by registered voters in Texas and serve terms of four years, with no term limits. Before executing the powers of the office, a governor is required torecite the oath of office as found inArticle XVI, Section 1 of the Constitution of Texas:
I, _______________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of governor of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.[3]
Incoming Texas governors take office on the third Tuesday of January following an election.
The Texas governor can beimpeached by theState House of Representatives for committing treason, bribery, or any other high crime or misdemeanor. Once the governor is impeached, the case is forwarded to theState Senate for trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to remove the governor from office. Unlike other states, Texas does not have a provision in the state constitution that allows voters to petition for arecall election to remove the governor.[4]
The state's first constitution in 1845[5] established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six (essentially a limit of no more than twoconsecutive terms).[6] The 1861 secessionist[7] constitution set the term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election.[8] The 1866 constitution,[9] adopted just after theAmerican Civil War, increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable".[10] TheReconstruction-era constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms,[11] Texas remains one of 16 states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory ofPuerto Rico and theDistrict of Columbia)[12] with no gubernatorialterm limits. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years,[13] but a 1972 amendment increased it to four years again.[14]
The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November that does not coincide with thepresidential elections. All gubernatorial elections have been a part of themidterm elections since the1974 election, invalidating the latter. The governor is sworn in every four years along with thelieutenant governor.
Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th century ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office (Allan Shivers) or eight years total service (Bill Clements, in two non-consecutive four-year terms). Former governorRick Perry, who served from 2000 to 2015, surpassed both these records, becoming the first Texas governor to serve three consecutive four-year terms. When Perry won thegeneral election on November 2, 2010, he joined Shivers,Price Daniel, andJohn Connally as the only Texas governors elected to three terms (the terms served by governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were two-year terms). On November 8, 2022, current governorGreg Abbott was re-elected and became the fifth Texas governor to serve three terms following Shivers, Daniel, Connally and Perry. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.[15] This rule was added only in a 1999[16] amendment, prior to which the lieutenant governor only acted as governor, except during the time of the 1861 constitution, which said that the lieutenant governor would be styled "Governor of the State of Texas" in case of vacancy.[17]
Texas utilizes apluralexecutive government where no single government official is solely responsible for the Executive Branch.[18] The Texas governor has a very minimal control over the Legislative Budget Board. The Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House manages the state's budget.[19]
The official residence of the Texas governor is theTexas Governor's Mansion, inAustin. The mansion was built in 1854[20] and has been the home of every governor since 1856.[21] It is also one of the official workplaces for the governor.
The governor's primary official workplace is located within theTexas State Capitol in Austin.[22]
| Timeline of Texas governors |
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The gubernatorial line of succession is set by Article IV, Sections 3a and 16–18 of the Constitution of Texas[23] and Chapter 401.023 of Title 4 the Texas Gov't Code.[24]
| No. | Office | Current officeholder | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant Governor | Dan Patrick | Republican | |
| 2 | Presidentpro tempore of theSenate | Charles Perry | Republican | |
| 3 | Speaker of theHouse of Representatives | Dustin Burrows | Republican | |
| 4 | Attorney General | Ken Paxton | Republican | |
| Chief Justices of theTexas Courts of Appeals, in numerical order | ||||
| 5 | 1st Court of Appeals (Houston) | Terry Adams | Republican | |
| 6 | 2nd Court of Appeals (Fort Worth) | Bonnie Sudderth | Republican | |
| 7 | 3rd Court of Appeals (Austin) | Darlene Byrne | Democratic | |
| 8 | 4th Court of Appeals (San Antonio) | Rebeca Martinez | Democratic | |
| 9 | 5th Court of Appeals (Dallas) | Robert Burns III | Democratic | |
| 10 | 6th Court of Appeals (Texarkana) | Josh Morriss | Republican | |
| 11 | 7th Court of Appeals (Amarillo) | Brian Quinn | Republican | |
| 12 | 8th Court of Appeals (El Paso) | Maria Salas-Mendoza | Democratic | |
| 13 | 9th Court of Appeals (Beaumont) | Scott Golemon | Republican | |
| 14 | 10th Court of Appeals (Waco) | Tom Gray | Republican | |
| 15 | 11th Court of Appeals (Eastland) | John M. Bailey | Republican | |
| 16 | 12th Court of Appeals (Tyler) | Jim Worthen | Republican | |
| 17 | 13th Court of Appeals (Corpus Christi) | Dori Contreras | Democratic | |
| 18 | 14th Court of Appeals (Houston) | Tracy Christopher | Republican | |
Statewide political officials ofTexas | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| Senate |
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| House |
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| Supreme Court | ||
| Court of Criminal Appeals | ||
