Sacramento, CA Past Governors of California Governor Young signing a bill, 1927 Inauguration of James Rolph, Governor of California, 1931 Governor Culbert L. Olson, circa 1939

Peter Burnett
1849–1851
John McDougal
1851–1852
John Bigler
1852–1856
J. Neely Johnson
1856–1858
John Weller
1858–1860
Milton Latham
1860–1860
John Downey
1860–1862
Leland Stanford
1862–1863
Frederick Low
1863–1867
Henry Haight
1867–1871
Newton Booth
1871–1875
Romualdo Pacheco
1875–1875
William Irwin
1875–1880
George Perkins
1880–1883
George Stoneman
1883–1887
Washington Bartlett
1887–1887
Robert Waterman
1887–1891
Henry Harrison Markham
1891–1895
James Budd
1895–1899
Henry Gage
1899–1903
George Pardee
1903–1907
James Gillett
1907–1911
Hiram Johnson
1911–1917
William Stephens
1917–1923
Friend Richardson
1923–1927
C.C. Young
1927–1931
James Rolph
1931–1934
Frank Merriam
1934–1939
Culbert Olson
1939–1943
Earl Warren
1943–1953
Goodwin Knight
1953–1959
Edmund G. "Pat" Brown
1959–1967
Ronald Reagan
1967–1975
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown
1975–1983
George Deukmejian
1983–1991
Pete Wilson
1991–1999
Gray Davis
1999–2003
Arnold Schwarzenegger
2003–2011
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown
2011–2019
Gavin Newsom
2019–Present

Gavin Newsom

2019–present

Significant Facts

Born: October 10, 1967 in San Francisco, California
Married: Jennifer Siebel on July 26, 2008, in Stevensville, Montana
Political Party: Democrat

Family

Father: William Alfred Newsom III
Mother: Tessa Thomas Menzies
Wife: Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Children: Montana Tessa Siebel Newsom, Hunter Siebel Newsom, Brooklynn Stacia Siebel Newsom, Dutch William Siebel Newsom

Personal Focal Points

Dyslexia
Early Childhood Education
Small business (He has started over a dozen)

Did You Know?

Gov. Newsom hosted a television show “The Gavin Newsom Show.”
During his tenure as Lieutenant Governor, Gavin Newsom co-authored a book, “Citizenville.”
Gov. Newsom was a star athlete in high school (baseball and basketball).

Biography

Gavin Christopher Newsom was born in San Francisco on October 10, 1967, to Tessa Thomas Menzies and William Alfred Newsom III. Newsom received a partial baseball scholarship from Santa Clara University, where he graduated in 1989 with a degree in political science.

After graduating from Santa Clara, Newsom worked briefly in sales and real estate before starting a retail wine shop in 1992 in San Francisco. The business eventually grew into the PlumpJack Group, which includes restaurants, luxury resorts and wineries throughout California.

Newsom got involved in politics in 1995 as a volunteer for Willie Brown’s campaign for mayor of San Francisco. Mayor Brown appointed Newsom first to a vacancy on the Parking and Traffic Commission and in 1997, to a vacant seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Newsom was subsequently elected and re-elected to the board before successfully running for mayor of San Francisco in 2003. In 2004, Newsom made national headlines when he challenged California’s ban on same-sex marriage by directing the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

While still mayor of San Francisco, Newsom was elected the 49th lieutenant governor of California in 2010, and re-elected in 2014. On November 6, 2018, Newsom was elected the 40th governor of California.

Speeches

Inaugural Address delivered on January 7, 2019
Inaugural Address delivered on January 6, 2023
State of the State Address delivered on February 12, 2019
State of the State Address delivered on February 19, 2020
State of the State Address delivered on March 9, 2021
State of the State Address delivered on March 8, 2022
State of the State Message delivered on March 22, 2023
State of the State Message delivered on June 25, 2024

Bibliography

Books and Articles

KQED audio interview: “Gavin Newsom on His Childhood, Personal Growth, and Teenage Wine Cellar”
Rolling Stone: “Gavin Newsom’s California Dream”
Encyclopedia of World Biography
Obituary for William Alfred Newsom III, father of Gavin Newsom

Websites

Office of the Governor

National Governors Association

Home | Contact Us | Legal Information | Accessibility | About Us