Governor of Alabama (Office)

The governor of Alabama is the head of the state’s executive branch and is responsible for enforcing state law. The office was created by the Alabama Constitution of 1819, with William Wyatt Bibb as its first holder, and its present form includes a four-year term, the power to sign or veto bills, and appointment authority over many state boards and agencies.[1][2]

Qualifications and election

A candidate must be at least 30 years old, a registered Alabama voter and state resident for seven years and a U.S. citizen for ten years. The governor is elected by popular vote every four years in midterm years, alongside the lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer and agriculture commissioner.[1][2]

Term limits

Alabama’s first constitution set a two-year term. The Constitution of 1901 doubled it to four years but barred consecutive terms; Amendment 282, ratified in 1968, allowed two consecutive terms. A former governor who has been out of office for at least four years may run again.[1][2]

Powers and duties

The governor signs or vetoes bills, prepares and submits the annual state budget, may veto individual items in appropriations bills, can call special legislative sessions, serves as commander-in-chief of the state militia and may grant clemency in cases outside the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The legislature can override a veto by a majority vote in both houses, and the governor may also propose executive amendments to bills.[1][2] The governor appoints many officers, department heads and members of more than 450 boards and commissions, sometimes with Senate approval.[2]

Succession

The lieutenant governor, an office created in 1868, becomes acting governor if the governor is out of the state for more than 20 consecutive days and takes over if the office becomes vacant.[1][2]

History and notable governors

The Encyclopedia of Alabama lists 54 official governors plus five acting governors. George C. Wallace served the longest, 16 years over three terms between 1963 and 1987, and Lurleen Wallace, elected in 1966, was the first woman governor. Kay Ivey became the second woman governor in 2017 and won a full term in 2018, and Wikipedia identifies her as the 54th governor, in office since April 10, 2017.[1][2] Democrats held the office from the end of Reconstruction until Guy Hunt, elected in 1986, became the first Republican governor since Reconstruction.[1][2]

FAQs

Who was Alabama’s first governor? William Wyatt Bibb.

Can the governor serve more than two terms? Not consecutively; a former governor may run again after four years out of office.

Who becomes governor if the office is vacant? The lieutenant governor.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Office of the Governor
2. Wikipedia: Governor of Alabama

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue