The governor of Nevada 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, a ...
of the
U.S. state of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
.
[NV Const. art. V, § 1.] The governor is the head of the
executive branch of the
Nevada state government. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's
military forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinc ...
. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the
Nevada Legislature
The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house, the Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house, the Senate, with 21. With a total of 63 seats, the Legislature is the third-smallest bicameral state legislatur ...
, to convene the legislature at any time, as well as, except in cases of treason or impeachment, to grant
pardons and
reprieves.
The governor serves a four-year term. They are limited to two terms, even if they are non-consecutive. If a person ascends to the governorship and serves more than two years of a previous governor's term, they are only eligible to run for one full term. Candidates for governor must be at least 25 years old, and must have been citizens of Nevada for at least two years, at the time of election. The
lieutenant governor of Nevada is not elected on the same ticket as the governor.
The current governor is
Democrat Steve Sisolak, who took office on January 7, 2019.
Qualifications
Anyone who seeks to be elected Governor of Nevada must meet the following qualifications:
*Be at least 25 years old
*Be a registered elector
*Be a resident of Nevada for at least two years
History
The first provisional governor of the proposed
Territory of Nevada was Whig
Isaac Roop, who was elected in September 1859 and took office on December 15 of that year in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
.
When the territory was incorporated on March 2, 1861, Republican
James W. Nye
James Warren Nye (June 10, 1815 – December 25, 1876) was an American attorney and politician. He was most notable for his service as Governor of Nevada Territory and a United States senator from Nevada.
Biography
He was born in DeRuyter ...
was appointed Territorial Governor by President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
and served until statehood in 1864.
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...
's brother
Orion Clemens served as Territorial Secretary to Nye. Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, and Nye remained acting governor until the first governor,
Henry G. Blasdel, took office on December 5, 1864.
There have been 30 Governors of Nevada, eight of whom were actually born within state boundaries. The longest-serving Nevada Governor was
Bob Miller, who served two and a half terms from 1989 to 1999. The shortest-serving Nevada Governor was Acting Governor
Frank Bell, who served the remaining four months of
Charles C. Stevenson's term upon the governor's death. The current governor is
Steve Sisolak, who took office on January 7, 2019.
List of governors
''Prior to becoming a territory, parts of Nevada were part of
Utah Territory and
New Mexico Territory; see
List of governors of Utah and
List of governors of New Mexico.''
Succession
Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional and other offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Nevada.
* denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
Electoral history
See also
*
*
References
;General
* "
rchive.org/web/20090906035749/https://web.archive.org/web/20090906035749/http://gov.state.nv.us/ Governor Jim Gibbons" State of Nevada. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
* "
rchive.org/web/20090912133456/https://web.archive.org/web/20090912133456/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.8fd3d12ab65b304f8a278110501010a0?submit=Submit&State=NV Governors of Nevada"
National Governors Association. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
*
Nevada Governors' Biographical Information" Nevada State Library and Archives. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
*
Territorial Officers" Nevada State Library and Archives. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
* "
rchive.org/web/20100608191224/https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092333/http://www.leg.state.nv.us/lcb/research/selectedofficersnvlegislature.pdf Selected Officers of the Nevada Legislature"
Nevada Legislature
The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house, the Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house, the Senate, with 21. With a total of 63 seats, the Legislature is the third-smallest bicameral state legislatur ...
. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
;Constitutions
*
The Constitution of the State of Nevada (1864). Nevada Legislature. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevada, List of Governors of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
*
Governors