The governor of Wisconsin is the
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
and the
commander-in-chief of the state's
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and
air forces
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...
. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
bills passed by the
Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republica ...
, to convene the legislature, and to grant
pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment. The position was first filled by
Nelson Dewey
Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the first Governor of Wisconsin.
Early life
Dewey was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on December 19, 1813, to Ebenezer and Lucy (né ...
on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state. Prior to statehood, there were four
governors of Wisconsin Territory
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
.
The 46th, and current governor is
Tony Evers
Anthony Steven Evers (born November 5, 1951) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2009 ...
, a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
who took office on January 7, 2019.
Powers
The governor of Wisconsin has both inherent powers granted by the U.S. Constitution and administrative powers granted by laws passed by the Wisconsin State Legislature.
Constitutional powers
The constitutional powers of the governor of Wisconsin are outlined in the
Wisconsin Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...
at Article V, Section 4. In general, the governor ensures that the laws of Wisconsin are carried out.
Veto power
The governor of Wisconsin has the strongest
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
power of nearly any American governor. Any
bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
passed by the
Wisconsin State Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...
must be presented to the governor, who either signs it into
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
, or vetoes it. In the event of a veto, the bill is returned to the legislature, who may then vote to override the veto. In 1930, the Wisconsin Constitution was amended to give the governor
line-item veto
The line-item veto, also called the partial veto, is a special form of veto power that authorizes a chief executive to reject particular provisions of a bill enacted by a legislature without vetoing the entire bill. Many countries have different ...
power, which allows portions of
appropriations bills to be struck out without rejecting the entire bill. Governors have the power to strike out words, numbers, and even entire sentences from bills. The partial veto may still be overridden by the legislature.
In 1990 a further amendment specified that the line-item veto does not give the governor power to veto individual letters of appropriations bills, thereby forming new words.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 10] Despite this 1990 law, the strength of the governor's veto power gave rise to the term "
Frankenstein veto A Frankenstein veto occurs when an American state Governor selectively deletes words from a bill, stitching together the remainder (''à la'' Victor Frankenstein) to form a new bill different from that passed by the legislature.
In 2008, the state ...
" to describe the governor's ability to form a new bill that subverts the intent of the legislature. The
Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.
Location
The Wi ...
will determine if the veto power should be further limited in 2019.
Other constitutional powers
The governor is the
commander-in-chief of the state's
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
. If it is deemed necessary, the governor may also convene extraordinary sessions of the state legislature; and may convene them anywhere in the state, if
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
, the
state capital
Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities.
National capitals
*List of national capitals
* List of national capitals by latitude
*List of national capitals by population
* List of national capitals by area
* List of capital c ...
, is deemed unfit for the purpose due to invasion or
contagious disease
A contagious disease is an infectious disease that is readily spread (that is, communicated) by transmission of a pathogen through contact (direct or indirect) with an infected person.
A disease is often known to be contagious before medical ...
.
The governor may
pardon,
commute
Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to:
* Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work
Mathematics
* Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation whose result is insensitive to th ...
, or grant reprieve of sentences, except in cases of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
or
impeachment. The governor must notify the
Wisconsin State Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...
of these each year, along with the reasons for them. In cases of treason, the governor may suspend the carrying out of the sentence until the next session of the legislature, who then vote to grant a pardon, commutation or reprieve, or to carry out the sentence.
The governor must also "communicate to the legislature, at every session, the condition of the state, and recommend such matters to them for their consideration as he may deem expedient"
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 4] (these annual communications are referred to as the "
state of the state").
Administrative and budgetary powers
The governor of Wisconsin, as head of the executive branch, also has
administrative
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...
powers (the power to administer agencies created by the Wisconsin legislature). Since 1965, there has been an increase in executive orders to "establish standards and provide uniformity to executive agency operations and programs."
However, since 2011, the Wisconsin Legislature has attempted to limit the authority of administrative agencies.
The governor also appoints heads of agencies created by the legislature. This appointment power is not explicitly granted by the Wisconsin Constitution, as it is in the
appointments clause
The Appointments Clause of Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, of the United States Constitution empowers the President of the United States to nominate and, with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the United States Senate, appoint public offi ...
of the federal constitution, with the exception of appointing judicial vacancies.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article VII, Section 9] Instead, the governor appoints heads of agencies by statute. The governor of Wisconsin had 307 executive appointments between 2017 and 2018.
State law requires the governor to prepare an executive budget bill. This helps the governor "to pursue a legislative agenda".
Elections and term of office
The governor of Wisconsin is
directly elected
Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are cho ...
—the candidate with the most votes becomes governor. If two candidates receive an equal number of votes, which is higher than that received by any other candidate, the members of the state legislature vote between the two at their next session.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 3]
Under the original
Wisconsin Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...
, governors were elected for a term of two years; in 1967, the constitution was amended to increase the term of office to four years, beginning with the governor elected in the
1970 election.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 1] There is no limit to the number of terms a governor may hold. The longest-serving governor was
Tommy Thompson
Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served a ...
, from January 5, 1987, until February 1, 2001, a total of 14 years and 28 days; the shortest-serving was
Arthur MacArthur, Sr., from March 21, 1856, until March 25 of the same year; a total of 5 days.
Candidates for the office must be
citizens of the United States and qualified voters in the state of Wisconsin.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 2]
Removal
The governor usually leaves office because their term ends and they have not been re-elected. But the governor may also leave office through other means. For example, the governor may resign from office. Four governors have resigned:
William Barstow due to fraud allegations,
Robert La Follette, Sr.
Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his l ...
to take his seat in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
,
Patrick Joseph Lucey to become
Ambassador to Mexico, and
Tommy Thompson
Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served a ...
to become
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
. Additionally two governors—
Louis Harvey and
Walter Samuel Goodland
Walter Samuel Goodland (December 22, 1862March 12, 1947) was an American lawyer and politician and the 31st Governor of Wisconsin. He was a member of the Republican Party and attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Biography
Goodla ...
—died while in office, and
Orland Loomis, who was elected governor, died before taking office.
The governor can also be removed through an
impeachment trial
An impeachment trial is a trial that functions as a component of an impeachment. Several governments utilize impeachment trials as a part of their processes for impeachment, but differ as to when in the impeachment process trials take place and how ...
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article VII, Section 1] or through a
recall election
A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of of ...
.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article XIII, Section 12] An impeachment trial is carried out by the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
, if a majority of its members agree to the impeachment. No governors have been removed from office through impeachment in the history of Wisconsin. However,
Arthur MacArthur, Sr., who, as lieutenant governor, became acting governor upon the resignation of
William Barstow in 1856, was removed after the
Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.
Location
The Wi ...
ruled that Barstow's opponent in the previous election,
Coles Bashford
Coles Bashford (January 24, 1816April 25, 1878) was an American lawyer and politician who became the fifth governor of Wisconsin, and one of the founders of the U.S. Republican Party. His one term as governor ended in a bribery scandal that end ...
, was the election's legitimate winner.
In 2012,
Scott Walker became the only governor in Wisconsin history to face a
recall election
A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of of ...
and was the only governor in American history to survive a recall election until
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...
also survived in the
2021 California gubernatorial recall election
The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special recall election that began in August 2021 and concluded on September 14, 2021, when California voters chose not to recall incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, elected for ...
. He retained his seat, defeating
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
mayor
Tom Barrett by seven percentage points, a margin one point greater than that of the 2010 election, becoming the first governor in American history to survive a recall attempt.
Election history
In the
most recent gubernatorial election in Wisconsin, over 1.3 million voters cast ballots for governor. This was the highest turnout in Wisconsin voting history, with the exception of the
2012 recall election. There have been 44
governors of Wisconsin and 45 individual governorships. 1 governor,
Philip La Follette
Philip Fox La Follette (May 8, 1897August 18, 1965) was an American politician. He was the 27th and 29th Governor of Wisconsin, as well as one of the founders of the Wisconsin Progressive Party.
Early life and family
La Follette was born in Mad ...
, served non-consecutive terms. Four parties have had their candidates elected governor: the
Democratic, the
Whig, the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and the
Progressive.
Relationship with the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin
Originally, the state constitution specified that the governor and
lieutenant governor of Wisconsin
The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, or incapacity due to ...
were voted upon separately, but in 1967, the constitution was amended to state that they were elected together.
Prior to this amendment, there were nine incidents in which the elected governor and lieutenant governor were not of the same
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
.
Originally, the state constitution only said that in the event of the impeachment, removal from office, death, resignation or absence of the governor, or in the event of the governor being unfit to serve due to illness, "the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon the lieutenant governor" for the remainder of the term or until the governor is able to return to office.
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 7] In 1979, the constitution was amended to specify that in the event of the governor's death, resignation or removal from office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term, but in the event of impeachment, incapacitation or absence, the lieutenant governor merely becomes "acting governor" until the governor can return to his duties.
The original constitution also specified that in any of the aforementioned events the
secretary of state would become governor if the lieutenant governorship was vacant, but after 1979 this provision, too, was amended to distinguish between "governor" and "acting governor."
[Wisconsin Constitution, Article V, Section 8]
Succession
References
;General
*
;Specific
External links
Office of the Governor
{{Wisconsin constitutional officers
*
1848 establishments in Wisconsin