Events from the year 1971 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

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

Governors

• Governor of Alabama: Albert Brewer (Democratic) (until January 18), George Wallace (Democratic) (starting January 18) • Governor of Alaska: William A. Egan (Democratic) • Governor of Arizona: Jack Richard Williams (Republican) • Governor of Arkansas: Winthrop Rockefeller (Republican) (until January 12), Dale Bumpers (Democratic) (starting January 12) • Governor of California: Ronald Reagan (Republican) • Governor of Colorado: John Arthur Love (Republican) • Governor of Connecticut: John N. Dempsey (Democratic) (until January 6), Thomas J. Meskill (Republican) (starting January 6) • Governor of Delaware: Russell W. Peterson (Republican) • Governor of Florida: Claude R. Kirk Jr. (Republican) (until January 5), Reubin Askew (Democratic) (starting January 5) • Governor of Georgia: Lester Maddox (Democratic) (until January 12), Jimmy Carter (Democratic) (starting January 12) • Governor of Hawaii: John A. Burns (Democratic) • Governor of Idaho: Don Samuelson (Republican) (until January 4), Cecil D. Andrus (Democratic) (starting January 4) • Governor of Illinois: Richard B. Ogilvie (Republican) • Governor of Indiana: Edgar Whitcomb (Republican) • Governor of Iowa: Robert D. Ray (Republican) • Governor of Kansas: Robert Docking (Democratic) • Governor of Kentucky: Louie B. Nunn (Republican) (until December 7), Wendell H. Ford (Democratic) (starting December 7) • Governor of Louisiana: John J. McKeithen (Democratic) • Governor of Maine: Kenneth M. Curtis (Democratic) • Governor of Maryland: Marvin Mandel (Democratic) • Governor of Massachusetts: Francis W. Sargent (Republican) • Governor of Michigan: William Milliken (Republican) • Governor of Minnesota: Harold LeVander (Republican) (until January 4), Wendell R. Anderson (Democratic) (starting January 4) • Governor of Mississippi: John Bell Williams (Democratic) • Governor of Missouri: Warren E. Hearnes (Democratic) • Governor of Montana: Forrest H. Anderson (Democratic) • Governor of Nebraska: Norbert T. Tiemann (Republican) (until January 7), J. James Exon (Democratic) (starting January 7) • Governor of Nevada: Paul Laxalt (Republican) (until January 4), Mike O'Callaghan (Democratic) (starting January 4) • Governor of New Hampshire: Walter R. Peterson Jr. (Republican) • Governor of New Jersey: William T. Cahill (Republican) • Governor of New Mexico: David F. Cargo (Republican) (until January 1), Bruce King (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Governor of New York: Nelson Rockefeller (Republican) • Governor of North Carolina: Robert W. Scott (Democratic) • Governor of North Dakota: William L. Guy (Democratic) • Governor of Ohio: Jim Rhodes (Republican) (until January 11), John J. Gilligan (Democratic) (starting January 11) • Governor of Oklahoma: Dewey F. Bartlett (Republican) (until January 11), David Hall (Democratic) (starting January 11) • Governor of Oregon: Tom McCall (Republican) • Governor of Pennsylvania: Raymond P. Shafer (Republican) (until January 19), Milton Shapp (Democratic) (starting January 19) • Governor of Rhode Island: Frank Licht (Democratic) • Governor of South Carolina: Robert Evander McNair (Democratic) (until January 19), John C. West (Democratic) (starting January 19) • Governor of South Dakota: Frank Farrar (Republican) (until January 5), Richard F. Kneip (Democratic) (starting January 5) • Governor of Tennessee: Buford Ellington (Democratic) (until January 16), Winfield Dunn (Republican) (starting January 16) • Governor of Texas: Preston Smith (Democratic) • Governor of Utah: Cal Rampton (Democratic) • Governor of Vermont: Deane C. Davis (Republican) • Governor of Virginia: A. Linwood Holton Jr. (Republican) • Governor of Washington: Daniel J. Evans (Republican) • Governor of West Virginia: Arch A. Moore Jr. (Republican) • Governor of Wisconsin: Warren P. Knowles (Republican) (until January 4), Patrick J. Lucey (Democratic) (starting January 4) • Governor of Wyoming: Stanley K. Hathaway (Republican)

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: vacant (until January 18), Jere Beasley (Democratic) (starting January 18) • Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: H. A. Boucher (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Maurice Britt (Republican) (until January 12), Bob C. Riley (Democratic) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of California: Edwin Reinecke (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: Mark Anthony Hogan (Democratic) (until January 12), John David Vanderhoof (Republican) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Attilio R. Frassinelli (Democratic) (until January 6), T. Clark Hull (Republican) (starting January 6) • Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: Eugene Bookhammer (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Florida: Ray C. Osborne (Republican) (until January 5), Thomas Burton Adams Jr. (Democratic) (starting January 5) • Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: George T. Smith (Democratic) (until January 12), Lester Maddox (Democratic) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: George Ariyoshi (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: Jack M. Murphy (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Paul Simon (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Richard E. Folz (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Roger Jepsen (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: James H. DeCoursey Jr. (Democratic) (until January 11), Reynolds Shultz (Republican) (starting January 11) • Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Wendell H. Ford (Democratic) (until December 28), Julian Carroll (Democratic) (starting December 28) • Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: C. C. Aycock (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: vacant (until January 20), Blair Lee III (political party unknown) (starting January 20) • Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Francis W. Sargent (Republican) (until month and day unknown), Donald R. Dwight (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: vacant (until month and day unknown), James H. Brickley (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: James B. Goetz (Republican) (until month and day unknown), Rudy Perpich (Democratic) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Charles L. Sullivan (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: William S. Morris (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Thomas Lee Judge (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: John E. Everroad (Republican) (until month and day unknown), Frank Marsh (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Edward Fike (political party unknown) (until January), Harry Reid (Democratic) (starting January) • Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Elias Lee Francis II (Republican) (until January 1), Roberto Mondragón (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of New York: Malcolm Wilson (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr. (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Richard F. Larsen (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: John William Brown (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: George Nigh (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Raymond J. Broderick (Republican) (until January 19), Ernest P. Kline (Democratic) (starting January 19) • Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: J. Joseph Garrahy (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: John C. West (Democratic) (until January 19), Earle Morris Jr. (Democratic) (starting January 19) • Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: James Abdnor (Republican) (until January 5), William Dougherty (Democratic) (starting January 5) • Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: Frank Gorrell (Democratic) (until January 7), John S. Wilder (Democratic) (starting January 7) • Lieutenant Governor of Texas: Ben Barnes (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: Thomas L. Hayes (Republican) (until month and day unknown), John S. Burgess (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: • * until June 13: J. Sargeant Reynolds (Democratic) • * June 13-December 4: vacant • * starting December 4: Henry Howell (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Washington: John Cherberg (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Jack B. Olson (Republican) (until January 4), Martin J. Schreiber (Democratic) (starting January 4)

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Undated

Ongoing

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Full date unknown

Deaths