List of first women governors and chief ministers

This is a list of reportedly first women who have been elected or appointed governor and/or chief minister of their respective states, provinces or dependent territories. It may or may not be accurate, given that in some countries the first woman governor may not be in reliable sources, specially ancient times' female governors.

List

Italics denotes acting governors and/or chief ministers that are either de facto (with limited to no international recognition) or defunct. NameImageCountryContinentOfficeMandate startMandate endTerm lengthArtemisia II of CariaAsiaGovernor of Caria 2 yearsMargaret of AustriaEuropeGovernor of the Habsburg Netherlands Beatriz de la Cueva(First female governor of North America and all the Americas)North AmericaGovernor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala Sigrid StureEuropeGovernor of Stranda Hundred 36 yearsAna Francisca de Borja y Doria (First female governor in South America)South AmericaGovernor of Viceroyalty of Peru Nellie Tayloe Ross(First female American governor)North AmericaGovernor ofMiriam A. Wallace FergusonNorth AmericaGovernor ofOlga BoettcherSouth AmericaGovernor of La Unión Sarojini NaiduAsiaGovernor of United Provinces Josefina Valencia MuñozSouth AmericaGovernor of Valle del Cauca Vijaya Lakshmi PanditAsia Governor of Maharashtra 28 November 196218 October 19641 year, 324 daysLurleen WallaceNorth AmericaGovernor ofElizabeth Marcos-KeonAsiaGovernor ofIlocos NorteRa'ana Liaquat Ali KhanAsiaGovernor of Sindh Ebba LoddenEuropeGovernor of Aust-Agder 9 yearsElla T. Grasso (First female governor in the US who was elected on her own right)North AmericaGovernor ofImelda MarcosAsiaGovernor ofMetro ManilaDixy Lee RayNorth AmericaGovernor ofGriselda ÁlvarezNorth AmericaGovernor of Colima 6 yearsVesta M. RoyNorth AmericaActing Governor ofGu XiulianAsiaGovernor of Jiangsu1983 1989 6 yearsMartha Layne CollinsNorth AmericaGovernor ofMadeleine KuninNorth AmericaGovernor ofIolanda FlemingSouth AmericaGovernor ofKay A. OrrNorth AmericaGovernor ofRose MoffordNorth AmericaGovernor ofRosemary FollettOceaniaChief Minister of theCarmen LawrenceOceaniaPremier ofJoan KirnerOceaniaPremier ofSharon PrattNorth AmericaMayor of theJoan FinneyNorth AmericaGovernor ofBarbara RobertsNorth AmericaGovernor ofRita JohnstonNorth America Premier ofNellie CournoyeaNorth AmericaPremier ofCatherine CallbeckNorth AmericaPremier ofMaría Antonia MartínezEuropePresident of theLaurette OnkelinxEuropeMinister-President of theHeide SimonisEuropeMinister-President ofAgnes LukudiAfricaGovernor of Bahr-al-Jabal1994 1998 4 yearsHannele PokkaEuropeGovernor of Lapland 14 yearsChristine Todd WhitmanNorth AmericaGovernor ofRoseana SarneySouth AmericaGovernor ofWaltraud KlasnicEuropeGovernor ofValentina BronevichEurasiaGovernor of Ivy Matsepe-CasaburriAfricaPremier ofFree StateJeanne ShaheenNorth AmericaGovernor ofDipuo PetersAfricaPremier of theNorthern CapeNancy Hollister North AmericaGovernor ofFusae OhtaAsiaGovernor ofYoshiko ShiotaniAsiaGovernor ofPat DuncanNorth AmericaPremier ofAkiko DōmotoAsiaGovernor ofJudy MartzNorth AmericaGovernor ofSila María CalderónNorth AmericaGovernor ofRuth Ann MinnerNorth AmericaGovernor ofTeresita S. LazaroAsiaGovernor of LagunaJane SwiftNorth AmericaGovernor ofClare MartinOceaniaChief Minister ofAlicia LemmeSouth AmericaGovernor of San Luis Dalva FigueiredoSouth AmericaGovernor ofBenedita da SilvaSouth AmericaGovernor ofLinda LingleOceaniaGovernor ofMirta Ramona MendozaSouth AmericaGovernor of Concepción 5 yearsWilma de FariaSouth AmericaGovernor ofJennifer GranholmNorth AmericaGovernor ofHarumi TakahashiAsiaGovernor ofValentina MatviyenkoEurasiaGovernor of Olene WalkerNorth AmericaGovernor ofEsperanza AguirreEuropePresident of theKathleen BlancoNorth AmericaGovernor ofCatherine MabuzaAfricaActing Premier ofLimpopo Nosimo Balindlela AfricaPremier ofEastern CapeGabi BurgstallerEuropeGovernor of Edna Molewa AfricaPremier ofNorth WestGwendolyn GarciaAsiaGovernor of CebuGrace PadacaAsiaGovernor of IsabelaIryna SyniavskaEuropeGovernor ofRatu Atut ChosiyahAsiaGovernor ofNadiia DieievaEuropeGovernor ofMaria de Lourdes AbadiaSouth AmericaGovernor of theVira UlianchenkoEuropeGovernor ofYukiko KadaAsiaGovernor ofSarah PalinNorth AmericaGovernor ofAna Júlia CarepaSouth AmericaGovernor ofYeda CrusiusSouth AmericaGovernor ofJum Jainudin AkbarAsiaGovernor of BasilanVilma SantosAsiaGovernor of BatangasLouise Lake-TackNorth AmericaGovernor of Antigua and Barbuda Anna BlighOceaniaPremier of Lynne Brown AfricaPremier ofWestern CapeEva AariakNorth AmericaPremier ofBev PerdueNorth AmericaGovernor ofMieko YoshimuraAsiaGovernor ofIncumbentNomvula MokonyaneAfricaPremier ofGautengMargaret AlvaAsiaGovernor of UttarakhandChristine LieberknechtEuropeMinister-President ofKristina KeneallyOceaniaPremier ofNatalya KomarovaEurasiaGovernor of Lilia PinedaAsiaGovernor of PampangaCarmencita ReyesAsiaGovernor of Marinduque Sharee Ann Tan Asia Governor of Samar Incumbent Total time in office 10 years, daysHannelore KraftEuropeMinister-President ofKathy DunderdaleNorth AmericaPremier ofSusana MartinezNorth AmericaGovernor ofMary FallinNorth AmericaGovernor ofNikki HaleyNorth AmericaGovernor ofLara GiddingsOceaniaPremier ofMaría Dolores de CospedalEuropePresident of the Government ofYolanda BarcinaEuropePresident of the Government of Luisa Fernanda RudiEuropePresident of the Government ofAnnegret Kramp-KarrenbauerEuropeMinister-President ofAlison RedfordNorth AmericaPremier ofMarina KovtunEurasiaGovernor of Pauline MaroisNorth AmericaPremier ofChristina ScottNorth AmericaGovernor of Anguilla201320174 yearsMalu DreyerEuropeMinister-President ofKathleen WynneNorth AmericaPremier ofAngelica AmanteAsiaGovernor ofAgusan del NorteDaisy A. FuentesAsiaGovernor of South CotabatoEmmylou Taliño-MendozaAsiaGovernor of CotabatoRebecca YnaresAsiaGovernor of RizalSusana DíazEuropePresident of the Government ofSvetlana OrlovaEurasiaGovernor of Iryna SekhEuropeGovernor ofNicola SturgeonEuropeFirst Minister ofSuely CamposSouth AmericaGovernor ofGina RaimondoNorth AmericaGovernor ofRhodora CadiaoAsiaGovernor of Antique Total time in office 10 years, 54 daysFrancina ArmengolEuropePresident of the Government of theIncumbentArlene FosterEuropeFirst Minister of Natalia ZhdanovaEurasiaGovernor of Nang Khin Htwe MyintAsiaChief Minister ofLae Lae MawAsiaChief Minister ofBedjoria Soraya AdiongAsiaGovernor of Lanao del SurMaria Jocelyn BernosAsiaGovernor of AbraMarilou CaycoAsiaGovernor of BatanesImelda DimaporoAsiaGovernor of Lanao del NorteMaria Luisa RomualdoAsiaGovernor of CamiguinCzarina UmaliAsiaGovernor of Nueva EcijaSusan YapAsiaGovernor of TarlacYuriko KoikeAsiaGovernor ofIncumbentYuliya SvitlychnaEuropeGovernor ofJohanna Mikl-LeitnerEuropeGovernor of IncumbentKim ReynoldsNorth AmericaGovernor ofIncumbentManuela SchwesigEuropeMinister-President ofIncumbentRefilwe Mtsweni-TsipaneAfricaPremier ofCida BorghettiSouth AmericaGovernor ofJanet MillsNorth AmericaGovernor ofIncumbentKristi NoemNorth AmericaGovernor ofLou Leon Guerrero OceaniaGovernor ofIncumbentKhofifah Indar ParawansaAsiaGovernor ofBai Mariam MangudadatuAsiaGovernor of MaguindanaoLiesbeth HomansEuropeMinister-President ofConcha AndreuEuropePresident ofAnna KovalenkoEuropeGovernor ofMariya ChornaEuropeGovernor ofSvitlana OnyshchukEuropeGovernor ofIncumbentKathy HochulNorth AmericaGovernor of IncumbentJulie Thomas AfricaChief MinisterHeather StefansonNorth AmericaPremier ofKristina MooreEuropeChief MinisterMaryam Nawaz AsiaChief Minister ofIncumbentEluned MorganEuropeFirst Minister ofIncumbentSusan HoltNorth AmericaPremier ofIncumbentLindsay de SausmarezEuropeChief Minister ofIncumbentAbigail SpanbergerNorth AmericaGovernor ofIncumbent

Notes

See also

List of the first women holders of political offices Council of Women World Leaders List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office List of female constituent and dependent territory leaders

References