Governor of New Hampshire

The Governor of New Hampshire is the head of the executive branch of New Hampshire's state government.

For a list, see List of governors of New Hampshire.

Governor of New Hampshire
State seal
Incumbent
Chris Sununu
since January 5, 2017
Style
Status
  • Head of State
  • Head of Government
ResidenceBridges House
SeatConcord, New Hampshire
Term lengthTwo years, no term limit
Constituting instrumentNew Hampshire Constitution of 1776
PrecursorGovernor of New Hampshire (Great Britain)
Inaugural holderMeshech Weare
FormationJune 15, 1776 (1776-06-15)
Salary$113,834 (2013)[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

The governor is elected during 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 state's 82nd governor is Republican Chris Sununu, who has served since January 5, 2017.

In New Hampshire, the governor has no term limit of any kind. No governor has served more than three terms since the 18th century (when the term was for only one year) with the exception of John Lynch, who won an unprecedented fourth two-year term on November 2, 2010. John Taylor Gilman had been the last governor before Lynch to serve longer than six years, serving 14 one-year terms as governor between 1794 and 1816. Gilman is one of seven governors to serve non-consecutive terms, the others being John Langdon, John Sullivan, William Plumer, Benjamin Pierce, James A. Weston, and John Gilbert Winant.

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 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 National Guard while it is not in federal service.

To be qualified to be governor, one must be 30 years of age, a registered voter, and domiciled in New Hampshire for at least seven years.[3]

Title

Traditionally, the governors of the Province of New Hampshire had been titled as "President of New Hampshire", beginning with the appointment of the province's first president, John Cutt, in 1679. From 1786 to 1791, "President of the State of New Hampshire" was the official style of the position. The New Hampshire Constitution was amended in 1791 to replace "President" with "Governor".

References
  1. "State Constitution > Executive Power – Governor". State of New Hampshire. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  2. "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  3. "Qualifications for NH state offices". Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
Official
General information
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