Rhode Island joined the Union on May 29, 1790. It was the last of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the United States Constitution, making it the 13th state to join the union.
Nicholas Cooke became the first governor of the state of Rhode Island on November 7, 1775.
Here is a chronological list of the governors of Rhode Island from first to last.
| Name | Time in Office | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Cooke | 1775 – 1778 | |
| William Greene | 1778 – 1786 | |
| John Collins | 1786 – 1790 | Democratic-Republican |
| Arthur Fenner | 1790 – 1805 | F-R |
| Isaac Wilbour | 1806 – 1807 | |
| William Jones | 1811 – 1817 | F-R |
| Nehemiah Rice Knight | 1817 – 1821 | F-R |
| Edward Cox | 1821 – 1821 | |
| William Channing Gibbs | 1821 – 1824 | |
| William Channing Gibbs | 1821 – 1824 | |
| Lemuel Hastings Arnold | 1831 – 1833 | |
| John Brown Francis | 1833 – 1838 | Democratic-Republican |
| William Sprague | 1838 – 1839 | Whig |
| Samuel King | 1839 – 1843 | Whig |
| James Fenner | 1843 – 1845, 1824 – 1831, 1807 – 1811 | F-R; Whig |
| Charles Jackson | 1845 – 1846 | Whig |
| Byron Diman | 1846 – 1847 | Whig |
| Elisha Harris | 1847 – 1849 | Whig |
| Henry Bowen Anthony | 1849 – 1851 | Whig |
| Phillip Allen | 1851 – 1853 | DFS |
| Francis M. Dimond | 1853 – 1854 | |
| William Warner Hoppin | 1854 – 1880 | AP |
| Elisha Dyer Sr. | 1857 – 1859 | Republican |
| Thomas Goodwin Turner | 1859 – 1860 | Republican |
| William Sprague | 1860 – 1863 | Republican |
| William Cole Cozzens | 1863 – 1863 | Democratic |
| James Youngs Smith | 1863 – 1866 | Republican |
| Ambrose Everett Burnside | 1866 – 1869 | Republican |
| Seth Padelford | 1869 – 1873 | Republican |
| Henry Howard | 1873 – 1875 | Republican |
| Henry Lippitt | 1875 – 1877 | Republican |
| Charles Collins Van Zandt | 1877 – 1880 | Republican |
| Alfred Henry Littlefield | 1880 – 1883 | Republican |
| Augustus Osborn Bourn | 1883 – 1885 | Republican |
| George Peabody Wetmore | 1885 – 1887 | Republican |
| Royal Chapin Taft | 1888 – 1889 | Republican |
| John William Davis | 1890 – 1891, 1887 – 1888 | Democratic |
| Herbert Warren Ladd | 1891 – 1892, 1889 – 1890 | Republican |
| Daniel Russell Brown | 1892 – 1895 | Republican |
| Charles Warren Lippitt | 1895 – 1897 | Republican |
| Elisha Dyer Jr. | 1897 – 1900 | Republican |
| William Gregory | 1900 – 1901 | Republican |
| Charles Dean Kimball | 1901 – 1903 | Republican |
| Lucius Fayette Clark Garvin | 1903 – 1905 | Democratic |
| George Herbert Utter | 1905 – 1907 | Republican |
| Henry Smith | 1905 – 1806 | |
| James Henry Higgins | 1907 – 1909 | Democratic |
| Robert Livingston Beeckman | 1915 – 1921 | Republican |
| Emery J. San Souci | 1921 – 1923 | Republican |
| William Smith Flynn | 1923 – 1925 | Democratic |
| Aram Pothier | 1925 – 1928, 1909 – 1915 | Republican |
| Norman Stanley Case | 1928 – 1933 | Republican |
| Theodore Francis Green | 1933 – 1937 | Democratic |
| Robert Emmet Quinn | 1937 – 1939 | Democratic |
| William Henry Vanderbilt | 1939 – 1941 | Republican |
| James Howard McGrath | 1941 – 1945 | Democratic |
| John Orlando Pastore | 1945 – 1950 | Democratic |
| John Sammon McKiernan | 1950 – 1951 | |
| Dennis Joseph Roberts | 1951 – 1959 | |
| Christopher Del Sesto | 1959 – 1961 | Republican |
| John A. Notte | 1961 – 1963 | Democratic |
| John Hubbard Chafee | 1963 – 1969 | Republican |
| Frank Licht | 1969 – 1973 | Democratic |
| Philip W. Noel | 1973 – 1977 | Democratic |
| J. Joseph Garrahy | 1977 – 1985 | Democratic |
| Edward D. DiPrete | 1985 – 1991 | Republican |
| Bruce G. Sundlun | 1991 – 1995 | Democratic |
| Lincoln Almond | 1995 – 2003 | Republican |
| Don Carcieri | 2003 – 2011 | Republican |
| Lincoln Chafee | 2011 – 2015 | Democratic |
| Gina Raimondo | 2015 – 2018, 2019 – 2021 | Democratic |
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