| Governor of Michigan | |
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 Seal of the governor | |
 Standard of the governor | |
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| Government of Michigan | |
| Style | Her ExcellencyThe Honorable[1] |
| Status | |
| Residence | Michigan Governor's Mansion |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Precursor | Governor ofMichigan Territory |
| Inaugural holder | Stevens T. Mason |
| Formation | November 3, 1835 |
| Succession | Line of succession |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Michigan |
| Salary | $159,300 per year[2] |
| Website | Official website |
Thegovernor of Michigan is thehead of government of theU.S. state ofMichigan. The currentgovernor isGretchen Whitmer, a member of theDemocratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-elected to serve a second term in 2022.[3] The governor is elected to a four-year term and islimited to two terms.
Governors of Michigan, as well as theirlieutenant governors, must beUnited States citizens who have been qualified electors in Michigan for the four years preceding election and must be at least 30 years of age.[4] A constitutional amendment adopted at the 2010 general election provides that a person is ineligible for any elected office, including governor and lieutenant governor, if convicted of a felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust, and if the conviction were related to the person's official capacity while holding any elective office or position of employment in local, state, or federal government.[5]
From statehood until the election of 1966, governors were elected to two-year terms. Elections are held in November, and the governor assumes office the following January, except in the case of death or resignation. From statehood until 1851, elections were held in odd-numbered years. A new state constitution was drafted in 1850 and took effect in 1851. As part of the process bringing the constitution into effect, there was a single one-year term of governor in 1851. Thereafter elections were held in even years.
Theconstitution adopted in 1963 changed the governor's term to four years, starting in 1967. Since then, gubernatorial elections have been offset by two years between theU.S. presidential elections (e.g., presidential elections were in2008 and2012, while gubernatorial elections in that time period were in2010 and2014). Gubernatorial elections are held concurrently withstate Senate elections. The winner of the gubernatorial election takes office at noon on January 1 of the year following the election.
Before 1992, governors could serve an unlimited number of terms. In 1992, an amendment to the Michigan constitution imposed a limit of two four-year terms for the office of governor, whether successive or separated. However, only those terms served after the amendment took effect counted toward the two-term limit. Thus,John Engler, the governor at the time, served three terms as his first term occurred before the restriction. Engler was reelected in 1994 and 1998, but was required to leave office for good in 2002.
The governor has responsibilities to:
The governor appoints the members of the governing boards of 10 of the state's 13 public universities[a] and department commissions.
Forty-seven people have been governor of the state over forty-nine distinct periods, with two,John S. Barry andFrank Fitzgerald, serving non-consecutive terms. Before statehood, there were five governors of theMichigan Territory.Stevens T. Mason, Michigan's first governor, also served as a territorial governor. He was elected governor at age 23 as a member of theDemocratic Party in 1835 and served until 1840. Mason was the youngest state governor in United States history.
Jennifer Granholm became the firstfemale governor of Michigan on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Engler; she served for 8 years, until January 1, 2011.
| Timeline of Michigan governors |
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The Michigan governor's salary is currently $159,300 per year, a figure set by the State Officers Compensation Commission.
 Michigan statewide elected officials | |
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