This is a list of colonial governors of Virginia. Some of those who held the lead role as governor of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

never visited the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

and governed through deputies resident in the colony. Others, such as Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, held the lead role for many years but were in Virginia for only a short portion of that time and delegated to others most of the time. Probably for those reasons, in many historical documents and references, the deputies and lieutenant governors who had the primary responsibility in Virginia are also often titled simply "governor." Also, transportation from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

routinely took several months and occasionally, much longer. Thus, dates may appear to overlap.

Governor of Virginia (1585–1590)

The first English attempt to colonize Virginia was the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke. Unsuccessful settlements were established under two different governors, and the final fate of the colonists remains unknown. * Sir Walter Raleigh, governor of Virginia (1585–1590, absentee) ** Sir Ralph Lane, governor of Roanoke (Virginia) (1585–1586) ** John White, governor of Raleigh (Virginia) (1587–1590)

Virginia Company of London Governors (1607–1624)

From 1606 until 1624, Proprietary Governors oversaw the operation of the Virginia Colony. Most were styled "President of the Council", although some were styled "governor" by the proprietors. * President of the Council

Edward Maria Wingfield Edward Maria Wingfield, sometimes hyphenated as ''Edward-Maria Wingfield'' (1550 in Stonely Priory, near Kimbolton – 1631) was a soldier, Member of Parliament, (1593) and English colonist in America. He was the son of Thomas Maria Wingfield, ...

(1607) * President of the Council John Ratcliffe (1608) (real name "Capt. John Sicklemore"(?)) * Matthew Scrivener (1608) *President of the Council John Smith (1608–1609) *President of the Council

George Percy The Honourable George Percy (4 September 1580 – 1632) was an English explorer, author, and early Colonial Governor of Virginia. Early life George Percy was born in England, the youngest son of Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland and Lady ...

(1609–1610) *Governor

Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr ( ; 9 July 1577 – 7 June 1618), was an English merchant and politician, for whom the bay, the river, and, consequently, a Native American people and U.S. state, all later called "Delaware", were named. He wa ...

(1609–1618, sometimes absentee) **Deputy Governor Sir Thomas Gates (May–June 1610) **Deputy Governor

(March–May 1611) **Acting Governor

Sir Thomas Dale Sir Thomas Dale ( 1570 − 19 August 1619) was an English naval commander and deputy-governor of the Virginia Colony in 1611 and from 1614 to 1616. Governor Dale is best remembered for the energy and the extreme rigour of his administration in ...

(May–August 1611) **Acting Governor Sir Thomas Gates (1611–1613) **Acting Governor

(1613–1616) **Lieutenant Governor Sir George Yeardley (1616–1617) **Lieutenant Governor Sir Samuel Argall (1617–1619) *Governor Sir George Yeardley (1619–1621) *Governor

Sir Francis Wyatt Sir Francis Wyatt (1588–1644) was an English nobleman, knight, politician, and government official. He was the first English royal governor of Virginia. He sailed for America on 1 August 1621 on board the ''George''. He became governor shortl ...

(1621–1624)

Crown Governors (1624–1652)

After the Virginia Company of London lost its proprietary charter in 1624, the colony was taken over by the English Crown, and became a crown colony. Governors were appointed by the ruling monarch to oversee the interests of the Crown. During the interregnum period (1649–1660), when England came under commonwealth rule and the protectorate rule of Oliver and

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's deat ...

, those governments appointed Virginia's governors. William Berkeley, who was governor at the time of the execution of King Charles I, remained in office until the arrival of a Commonwealth fleet in 1651 led to his removal. Berkeley was returned to office by votes of the Virginia assembly and by appointment of the restored King Charles II in 1660. *Governor

(1624–1626) *Governor Sir George Yeardley (1626–1627) *Acting Governor

Francis West Francis West (28 October 1586 – February 1633/1634) was a Deputy Governor of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia. Early and family life Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire on 28 October 1586, West was one of four sons of Thomas West, 2nd Baron D ...

(1627–1629) *Governor Sir John Harvey (1628–1639) **Acting Governor

John Pott John Potts (or Pott) was a physician and Colonial Governor of Virginia at the Jamestown settlement in the Virginia Colony in the early 17th century. Biography John Potts is said to have taken his degree of M.A., at Oxford University in 1605. H ...

(1629–1630) **Acting Governor John West (1635–1636) **Acting Governor Col.

George Reade George Reade (1687 – 28 March 1756), of Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, was a British Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1722 to 1734. Reade was the fourth son of Sir Edward Re ...

(1638–1639) *Governor

(1639–1642) *Governor Sir William Berkeley (1642–1652) **Acting Governor Sir Richard Kemp (1644–1645)

Commonwealth and Protectorate Governors (1652–1660)

*Governor Richard Bennett (1652–1655) *Governor

Edward Digges Edward Digges (14 February 1620 – 15 March 1674/75) was an English barrister and colonist who served as List of colonial governors of Virginia, Colonial Governor of Virginia from March 1655 to December 1656. He was the son of the English polit ...

(1655–1656) *Governor Lt. Col. Samuel Mathews of Mathews County, Virginia (1656–1660, died in office)

Crown Governors (1660–1775)

*Governor Sir William Berkeley (1660–1677) **Lieutenant Governor

Francis Moryson Francis Moryson (bef. 1628–1680/81) was an English soldier who became a Virginia colonial official and agent. A Royalist in the English Civil War, he emigrated to the Virginia Colony, where he held several posts before returning to England a ...

(1661–1662) *Governor Col. Herbert Jeffreys (1677–1678) *Governor

Thomas Culpeper, 2nd Baron Culpeper of Thoresway Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, (21 March 1635 – 27 January 1689) was an English peer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1677 to 1683. Biography Born in 1635, Colepeper (often referred to by the alt ...

(1677–1683) **Lieutenant Governor Sir Henry Chicheley (1678–1680) *Acting Governor Col.

Nicholas Spencer Colonel Nicholas Spencer, Jr. (1633–1689) was a merchant, planter and politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Cople, Bedfordshire, Spencer migrated to the Westmoreland County, Virginia, where he became a planter and which he represente ...

(September 1683–April 1684) *Governor

Francis Howard, 5th Baron Howard of Effingham Francis Howard, 5th Baron Howard of Effingham (c. 1643 – 30 March 1694 O.S./95 N.S.)Birth year is estimated from baptism record. For death year, Bolton, p. 152 gives 1695 (New Style) while Tyler, p. 54 gives 1694 (Old Style). Both are corrobora ...

(1684–1692, absentee from 1688) ** Gen. Joseph Bridger (1684) **President of the Council Nathaniel Bacon (1688–1690) **Lieutenant Governor

Francis Nicholson Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army general and colonial official who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, the ...

(1690–1692) *Governor

Sir Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...

(1692–1698) *Governor

George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney Field Marshal George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, KT (9 February 1666 – 29 January 1737), styled Lord George Hamilton from 1666 to 1696, was a British soldier and Scottish nobleman and the first British Army officer to be promoted to the ra ...

(1698–1737, absentee) **Lieutenant Governor

(1698–1705) **Lieutenant Governor Col. Edward Nott (1705–1706) **Acting Governor Edmund Jenings (1706–1710) **Lieutenant Governor

General Robert Hunter Robert Hunter (1666–1734) was a British military officer, colonial governor of New York and New Jersey from 1710 to 1720, and governor of Jamaica from 1727 to 1734. Biography Hunter was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1666, grandson of the tw ...

(1707, captured at sea and never served) **Lieutenant Governor Lt. Col.

Alexander Spotswood Alexander Spotswood (12 December 1676 – 7 June 1740) was a British Army officer, explorer and lieutenant governor of Colonial Virginia; he is regarded as one of the most significant historical figures in British North American colonial h ...

(1710–1722) **Lieutenant Governor Col.

Hugh Drysdale Colonel Hugh Drysdale (died 22 July 1726) was an American governor of colonial Virginia. He was educated at Kilkenny College and Trinity College Dublin. More officially, his title was ''Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of the Colony and ...

(1722–1726) **President of the Council

Robert "King" Carter Robert "King" Carter (4 August 1663 – 4 August 1732) was a merchant, planter and powerful politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Lancaster County, Carter eventually became one of the richest men in the Thirteen Colonies. As President of t ...

(1726–September 1727) **Lieutenant Governor

Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet (21 October 1681 – 17 December 1751) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1727 to 1749. Technically, Gooch only held the title of Royal Lieutenant Gove ...

(1727–1740) *Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle (1737–1754, absentee) **Acting Governor

James Blair James Blair may refer to: *James Blair (Australian judge) (1870–1944), Australian judge, lawyer, and politician *James Blair (cricketer) (1900–1961), Australian-born New Zealand cricketer * James Blair (farmer) (1825–1901), Scottish-born farm ...

(1740–1741) (acting for Lt. Gov. Gooch while latter out-of-country) **Lieutenant Governor

(1741–1749) **Acting Governor John Robinson Sr. died months after being sworn in as President August 1749; father of Speaker of the VA House of Burgess John Robinson (Virginia politician) Jr (1705–1766) and Colonel

Beverley Robinson Beverley Robinson (11 January 1721 – 9 April 1792), was a Virginia-born soldier who became a wealthy colonist of the Province of New York and is best known as a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Robinson married Susanna Philips ...

(1721–1792) **Acting Governor Thomas Lee (1749–1750) **Acting Governor Lewis Burwell I/II (1750–1751) **Lieutenant Governor

Robert Dinwiddie Robert Dinwiddie (1692 – 27 July 1770) was a British colonial administrator who served as lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia from 1751 to 1758, first under Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, and then, from July 1756 ...

(1751–1756) *Governor

John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun General John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun (5 May 1705 – 27 April 1782) was a Scottish nobleman and British army officer. Early career Born in Scotland two years before the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain, in which his father Hug ...

(1756–1759) **Lieutenant Governor

(1756–January 1758) **Lieutenant Governor

Francis Fauquier Francis Fauquier (1703 – 3 March 1768) was a lieutenant governor of Virginia Colony (in what is today the United States), and served as acting governor from 1758 until his death in 1768. He was a noted teacher and close friend of Thomas Jeffers ...

(1758–1768) *Governor

Jeffery Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaign ...

(1759–1768, absentee) **Acting Governor

John Blair, Sr. John Blair (c. 1687 – November 5, 1771) was a merchant and politician of the colony of Virginia. He served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly. As a member of the House of Burgesses, he initially represented Jamestown then Willi ...

(1768) *Governor Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt (1768–1770) *Acting Governor William Nelson (1770–1771) *Governor John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1771–June 1775)

References