List of governors of New Mexico


The following is a list of the Governors of the state of New Mexico and New Mexico Territory.
Twenty-seven individuals have held the office of governor of New Mexico since the state's admission to the Union in 1912, two of whom—Edwin L. Mechem and Bruce King—served three non-consecutive terms. King holds the record as New Mexico's longest-serving governor, with 12 years of service. William C. McDonald, the first governor, took office on January 6, 1912. The current officeholder is Michelle Lujan Grisham, who took office on January 1, 2019, as the first elected female Democratic governor of the state. Governors are limited to two consecutive terms, but a former governor is eligible for re-election after an intervening governor's term expires.

Governors

Governors under U.S. military rule

In 1846 the U.S. Army under Stephen W. Kearny invaded and occupied New Mexico. Military governors at times were assisted by civilian governors.
Military governors were:
Civilian governors were:

Governors of the Territory of New Mexico

In 1850 New Mexico was organized as a Territory.

Governors of the State of New Mexico

Other high offices held

This is a table of the higher federal offices and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators represented New Mexico. * denotes offices that the governor resigned to take.
GovernorGubernatorial termHigher offices held
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo1919-1921U.S. Senator
John E. Miles1939-1943U.S. Representative
John J. Dempsey1943-1947U.S. Representative
Edwin L. Mechem1951-1955
1957-1959
1961-1962
U.S. Senator*
Bill Richardson2003-2011U.S. Representative, U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ambassador to the United Nations
Michelle Lujan Grisham2019-PresentU.S. Representative, Secretary of Health of New Mexico