Thread by @kegill

A woman has not led the state of NY as Governor.

Until now.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul is the state’s governor-in-waiting until 24 August 2021, per @nytimes

Currently, eight women are serving as US governors: AL,IA, KS, MI, NM, OR, SD

1/? 🧵of women Governors (1st of three)

Women governors with more than a few days as acting governor (1909 and 1924), including NY Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul

1920s, two
1960s, one
1970s, two (1st elected on merit)
1980s, four
1990s, seven
2000s, 14
2010s, eight
2020s, one (soon)

Total 42 (44 with acting)

In the 1920s, two women were elected governor after their husbands had served (IOW, this nepotism is not new):

Nellie Tayloe Ross, WY
D, 1923-1924
Gov William B. Ross died

Miriam A. Ferguson, TX D, 1925-1927 and 1933-1935
Gov James Edward Ferguson was impeached in 1917

2/? 🧵

Skip to 1960s (one token)
Lurleen Burns Wallace, AL (D, 1967-1968, she died in office)

Gov George Wallace’s 1st wife, she was elected because he couldn’t run for consecutive term.

George Wallace would serve THREE more terms after changing term limit.

4/? 🧵

1970s (two)
Ella T. Grasso, CT (D, 1975-1980)

The first woman to be elected governor of any state without being the spouse or widow of a past governor.

She resigned due to ovarian cancer.

5/? 🧵

1970s
Dixy Lee Ray, WA (D, 1977-1981)
Former chair of US Atomic Energy Commission and @UW professor.

The first woman to be elected governor of any state and serve full term.

6/? 🧵

1980s (four)
Martha Layne Collins, KY (D, 1983-1987)
Served as acting governor for more than 500 days of her four-year term as Lt Gov.

7/? 🧵

1980s
Madeleine May Kunin, VT (D, 1985-1991)
Only woman and first Jewish Governor of VT
She was born in Zürich, Switzerland, and emigrated as a child (her family had escaped Hitler)

8/? 🧵

1980s
Kay Avonne Orr, NE (R, 1987-1991)
Hers was the first U.S. gubernatorial election in which both major party candidates were women.

First Republican woman to be elected a governor.

9/? 🧵

1980s
Rose Perica Mofford, AZ (D, 1988-1991)
She had been AZ Secretary of State and became acting Governor when Governor Raúl Castro resigned to become an ambassador.

10/? 🧵

1990s (seven)
Joan Marie Finney (D, 1991-1995)
She had been Kansas State Treasurer for four terms.

11/? 🧵

1990s
Barbara Roberts, OR (D, 1991-1995)
She had been the first woman elected as Oregon state House Majority Leader.

12/? 🧵

1990s
Dorothy Ann Richards, TX (❤️)(D, 1991-1995)
She gave a nominating speech for Walter Mondale at the 1984 Democratic National Convention and the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. GW Bush defeated her in 1994.

13/? 🧵

1990s
Christine Todd Whitman, NJ (R, 1994-2001)
She was EPA chief under GW Bush. Second Republican woman to be elected as a governor. (Those southern Ds would be Rs today.)

14/? 🧵

1990s
Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen, NH (D, 1994-2001)
She was the first woman who has been elected governor and elected as a U.S. senator.

15/? 🧵

1990s
Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen, AZ (R, 1997-2003)
She had been Secretary of State and was the the state’s 2nd female governor.

16/? 🧵

1990s
Nancy Putnam Hollister, OH (R, 1998-1999)
When Governor George Voinovich was elected to the US Senate, she was elevated from Lt Gov to Governor for 11 days.

17/? 🧵

Second thread:

Third thread - current women governors

Third thread- current governors

Women governors with more than a few days as acting governor (1909 and 1924), including NY Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul / corrected

1920s, two
1960s, one
1970s, two (1st elected on merit)
1980s, four
1990s, seven
2000s, 14
2010s, 13
2020s, one (soon)

Sigh. Math is wrong. See