Events from the year 1953 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" ! Governors and lieutenant governors

Governors

• Governor of Alabama: Gordon Persons (Democratic) • Governor of Arizona: John Howard Pyle (Republican) • Governor of Arkansas: Sid McMath (Democratic) (until January 13), Francis Cherry (Democratic) (starting January 13) • Governor of California: Earl Warren (Republican) (until October 5), Goodwin Jess Knight (Republican) (starting October 5) • Governor of Colorado: Daniel I. J. Thornton (Republican) • Governor of Connecticut: John Davis Lodge (Republican) • Governor of Delaware: Elbert N. Carvel (Democratic) (until January 20), J. Caleb Boggs (Republican) (starting January 20) • Governor of Florida: • * until January 6: Fuller Warren (Democratic) • * January 6-September 28: Daniel T. McCarty (Democratic) • * starting September 28: Charley Eugene Johns (Democratic) • Governor of Georgia: Herman Talmadge (Democratic) • Governor of Idaho: Leonard B. Jordan (Republican) • Governor of Illinois: Adlai E. Stevenson II (Democratic) (until January 12), William G. Stratton (Republican) (starting January 12) • Governor of Indiana: Henry F. Schricker (Democratic) (until January 12), George N. Craig (Republican) (starting January 12) • Governor of Iowa: William S. Beardsley (Republican) • Governor of Kansas: Edward F. Arn (Republican) • Governor of Kentucky: Lawrence W. Wetherby (Democratic) • Governor of Louisiana: Robert F. Kennon (Democratic) • Governor of Maine: • * until January 6: Burton M. Cross (Republican) • * January 6-January 7: Nathaniel M. Haskell (Republican) • * starting January 7: Burton M. Cross (Republican) • Governor of Maryland: Theodore R. McKeldin (Republican) • Governor of Massachusetts: Paul A. Dever (Democratic) (until January 8), Christian A. Herter (Republican) (starting January 8) • Governor of Michigan: G. Mennen Williams (Democratic) • Governor of Minnesota: C. Elmer Anderson (Republican) • Governor of Mississippi: Hugh L. White (Democratic) • Governor of Missouri: Forrest Smith (Democratic) (until January 12), Phil M. Donnelly (Democratic) (starting January 12) • Governor of Montana: John W. Bonner (Democratic) (until January 5), J. Hugo Aronson (Republican) (starting January 5) • Governor of Nebraska: Val Peterson (Republican) (until January 8), Robert B. Crosby (Republican) (starting January 8) • Governor of Nevada: Charles H. Russell (Republican) • Governor of New Hampshire: Sherman Adams (Republican) (until January 1), Hugh Gregg (Republican) (starting January 1) • Governor of New Jersey: Alfred E. Driscoll (Republican) • Governor of New Mexico: Edwin L. Mechem (Republican) • Governor of New York: Thomas Dewey (Republican) • Governor of North Carolina: W. Kerr Scott (Democratic) (until January 8), William B. Umstead (Democratic) (starting January 8) • Governor of North Dakota: Clarence Norman Brunsdale (Republican) • Governor of Ohio: Frank J. Lausche (Democratic) • Governor of Oklahoma: Johnston Murray (Democratic) • Governor of Oregon: Paul L. Patterson (Republican) • Governor of Pennsylvania: John S. Fine (Republican) • Governor of Rhode Island: Dennis J. Roberts (Democratic) • Governor of South Carolina: James Francis Byrnes (Democratic) • Governor of South Dakota: Sigurd Anderson (Republican) • Governor of Tennessee: Gordon Browning (Democratic) (until January 15), Frank G. Clement (Democratic) (starting January 15) • Governor of Texas: Allan Shivers (Democratic) • Governor of Utah: J. Bracken Lee (Republican) • Governor of Vermont: Lee E. Emerson (Republican) • Governor of Virginia: John S. Battle (Democratic) • Governor of Washington: Arthur B. Langlie (Republican) • Governor of West Virginia: Okey L. Patteson (Democratic) (until January 19), William C. Marland (Democratic) (starting January 19) • Governor of Wisconsin: Walter J. Kohler Jr. (Republican) • Governor of Wyoming: Frank A. Barrett (Republican) (until January 3), Clifford Joy Rogers (Republican) (starting January 3)

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: James B. Allen (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Nathan Green Gordon (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of California: Goodwin Knight (Republican) (until October 5), Harold J. Powers (Republican) (starting October 5) • Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Gordon L. Allott (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Edward N. Allen (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Alexis I. du Pont Bayard (Democratic) (until January 20), John W. Rollins (Democratic) (starting January 20) • Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Marvin Griffin (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Edson H. Deal (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Sherwood Dixon (Democratic) (until January 12), John William Chapman (Republican) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: John A. Watkins (Democratic) (until January 12), Harold W. Handley (Republican) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: William H. Nicholas (Republican) (until month and day unknown), Leo Elthon (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Fred Hall (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Emerson Beauchamp (political party unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: C. E. "Cap" Barham (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Charles F. Sullivan (Democratic) (until January 8), Sumner G. Whittier (Republican) (starting January 8) • Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: William C. Vandenberg (Republican) (until January 1), Clarence A. Reid (Republican) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: • * until month and day unknown: vacant • * month and day unknown: Ancher Nelsen (Republican) • * starting month and day unknown: vacant • Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Carroll Gartin (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: James T. Blair Jr. (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Paul Cannon (Democratic) (until month and day unknown), George M. Gosman (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Charles J. Warner (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Clifford A. Jones (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Tibo J. Chavez (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of New York: • * until September 30: Frank C. Moore (Republican) • * September 30-October 1: vacant • * October 1-December 31: Arthur H. Wicks (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Hoyt Patrick Taylor (Democratic) (until January 8), Luther H. Hodges (Democratic) (starting January 8) • Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Ray Schnell (Republican) (until month and day unknown), Clarence P. Dahl (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: George D. Nye (Democratic) (until January 12), John William Brown (Republican) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: James E. Berry (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Lloyd H. Wood (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: John S. McKiernan (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: George Bell Timmerman Jr. (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: Rex A. Terry (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: Walter M. Haynes (Democratic) (until January 15), Jared Maddux (Democratic) (starting January 15) • Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Ben Ramsey (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Joseph B. Johnson (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Allie Edward Stokes Stephens (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Washington: Victor A. Meyers (Democratic) (until January 12), Emmett T. Anderson (Republican) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: George M. Smith (Republican)

Events

January–March

April–June

July–September

October–December

Date unknown

Ongoing

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths