Honestly, if you ask the average person to name the first Black governor in American history, they’ll probably guess it was someone from the Civil Rights era. Maybe the 70s? It feels like it should be a long list, right?
It isn't.
When you actually sit down and look at the list of black governors, the numbers are kind of shocking. In over 240 years of U.S. history, only a handful of Black men have ever held the top executive spot in a state. No Black woman has ever been elected governor. Not one.
The history here is messy. It’s not a straight line of progress. It’s more like a few bright flashes of light followed by decades of literal silence. We had Black governors during the Reconstruction era—the period right after the Civil War—and then we didn't have another one for over a century.
The Reconstruction Era: The First Names on the List
Let’s talk about Louisiana. In the 1870s, Louisiana was a wild place politically. This is where we find the very first names on any list of black governors.
First, there was Oscar Dunn. Most people forget him because he was "acting" governor. He was the Lieutenant Governor under Henry Clay Warmoth. When Warmoth got injured in a weird boating accident and had to leave the state for a bit in 1871, Dunn stepped in. He wasn't just a figurehead; he made appointments and issued pardons. But he died suddenly that same year.
Then came P.B.S. Pinchback.
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Pinchback is the one history books usually cite as the "first." He took over in December 1872 after Governor Warmoth was impeached. He only served for about 35 days. Think about that. Thirty-five days. But in that month, he signed ten legislative bills into law. He was a powerhouse. But once Reconstruction was effectively killed off by the late 1870s, the door slammed shut.
The 100-Year Gap
After Pinchback left office in 1873, there was nothing. For 117 years, not a single Black person served as a governor of a U.S. state.
Think about the world in 1873 versus 1990. We went from horse-and-buggy to the internet before another Black man sat in a Governor’s mansion. That wasn't an accident. Jim Crow laws, systemic disenfranchisement, and straight-up violence kept Black leaders out of statewide executive roles. It’s a huge, glaring hole in the American political timeline.
Modern Era: The Elected Few
It wasn't until 1990 that the "modern" list of black governors actually began. This is where the names become a bit more familiar, but the list stays remarkably short.
1. L. Douglas Wilder (Virginia, 1990–1994)
Wilder broke the streak. He was the first Black person ever elected to the office. Winning in Virginia—the former capital of the Confederacy—was a massive deal. He didn't run a "race-based" campaign; he focused on being a fiscal moderate. He basically proved that a Black candidate could win a statewide race in the South by appealing to a broad coalition.
2. Deval Patrick (Massachusetts, 2007–2015)
Patrick was the first to win two terms. He grew up in a housing project in Chicago and ended up at Harvard. His tenure in Massachusetts was huge for education reform and healthcare. He’s often compared to Barack Obama in terms of his speaking style and "hope-based" messaging.
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3. David Paterson (New York, 2008–2010)
Paterson’s story is a bit different. He didn't win an election for governor; he ascended from Lieutenant Governor after Eliot Spitzer resigned in a scandal. He was the first legally blind governor in U.S. history. He led New York through the absolute teeth of the 2008 Great Recession.
4. Wes Moore (Maryland, 2023–Present)
As of right now, Wes Moore is the only Black governor currently in office. He’s a combat veteran, a Rhodes Scholar, and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation. His "leave no one behind" mantra resonated in a big way in Maryland.
Why is the list so short?
You’ve gotta wonder why there are more Black billionaires or astronauts than there are people on the list of black governors.
Part of it is the nature of the office. Being a governor requires a statewide "at-large" vote. Unlike a Congressional district, which might be drawn to represent a specific community, a governor has to win over the entire state. In states with deep-seated racial polarization, that’s a mountain to climb.
There's also the "pipeline" issue. To be governor, people usually want to see you’ve been a Lieutenant Governor, an Attorney General, or a big-city Mayor first. For a long time, those roles were also out of reach.
The Missing Piece: Black Women
If the list of Black men is short, the list of Black women is non-existent. We’ve had high-profile runs—Stacey Abrams in Georgia is the most famous example—but the ceiling hasn't cracked yet. In 2022, we saw several Black women run for governor across the country, but none crossed the finish line.
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Experts like Dr. Pearl Dowe have noted that Black women often face a "double bind" of both racial and gender bias that makes these statewide executive roles particularly difficult to capture.
Summary of the Full List
To keep it simple, here is the chronological order of every Black person who has served as a U.S. Governor:
- Oscar Dunn (Louisiana, 1871) - Acting
- P.B.S. Pinchback (Louisiana, 1872–1873) - Acting
- L. Douglas Wilder (Virginia, 1990–1994) - Elected
- Deval Patrick (Massachusetts, 2007–2015) - Elected
- David Paterson (New York, 2008–2010) - Ascended
- Wes Moore (Maryland, 2023–Present) - Elected
Note: Some historians also point to Melvin H. Evans, who was the first elected Black governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1970, but since that’s a territory and not a state, he’s often left off the primary domestic list.
What’s Next?
The "next steps" aren't just about waiting for the next election cycle. If you're interested in how this list grows, keep an eye on Lieutenant Governor races. That is the primary "waiting room" for future governors. States like North Carolina and Pennsylvania have seen Black leaders in these roles recently, which usually signals a gubernatorial run is on the horizon.
Understanding this history isn't just about trivia. It’s about seeing where the gaps are in American representation and realizing that even in 2026, many "firsts" are still waiting to happen. To stay informed, monitor the National Governors Association or the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which track these leadership trends in real-time.