Governor of New Hampshire

Governor of New Hampshire
Seal of the State of New Hampshire
Incumbent John Lynch since January 6, 2005
Style	His Excellency[1]
Residence	Bridges House
Term length	Two years, no term limit
Inaugural holder	Meshech Weare
Formation	1776 Constitution of New Hampshire
Succession	Every two years, unless reelected.

The Governor of the State of New Hampshire is the supreme executive magistrate of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.

The governor is elected at the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold gubernatorial elections every two years as opposed to every four. Currently, the governor is Democrat John Lynch from Hopkinton, who has served since 2005 and is the state's eightieth governor. In New Hampshire, the governor has no term limit of any kind, but no governor had served more than three terms since the 18th century (when the term was for only one year) until John Lynch won an unprecedented fourth two-year term on November 2, 2010. John Taylor Gilman was the last governor to serve longer than six years, serving 14 one-year terms as governor between 1794 and 1816.

Unlike in many other states in which Executive Councils are merely advisory, the Executive Council of New Hampshire has a strong check on the governor's power. The five-member Executive Council has a veto over many actions of the governor. Together, the Governor and Executive Council approve contracts with a value of $5,000 or more, approve pardons, and appoint the directors and commissioners, judges, the Attorney General and officers in the National Guard.

The governor has the sole power to veto bills and to command the state National Guard.

History

From 1786 to 1791, "President of the State of New Hampshire" was the official style of the position, until the New Hampshire Constitution was amended to replace "President" with "Governor".

Trivia

In the TV show The West Wing the character Josiah Bartlet was Governor of New Hampshire prior to becoming President of the United States.

See also

• List of Governors of New Hampshire

References

1. ^ "State Constitution > Executive Power – Governor". State of New Hampshire. http://www.nh.gov/constitution/governor.html. Retrieved January 3, 2011. 

External links

• New Hampshire Governor John Lynch
• New Hampshire State Constitution - EXECUTIVE POWER – GOVERNOR
• A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825