Events from the year 1979 in the United States.

Incumbents

Federal government

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

Governors

• Governor of Alabama: George Wallace (Democratic) (until January 15), Fob James (Democratic) (starting January 15) • Governor of Alaska: Jay Hammond (Republican) • Governor of Arizona: Bruce Babbitt (Democratic) • Governor of Arkansas: • * until January 3: David Pryor (Democratic) • * January 3-January 9: Joe Purcell (Democratic) • * starting January 9: Bill Clinton (Democratic) • Governor of California: Jerry Brown (Democratic) • Governor of Colorado: Richard Lamm (Democratic) • Governor of Connecticut: Ella T. Grasso (Democratic) • Governor of Delaware: Pierre S. du Pont, IV (Republican) • Governor of Florida: Reubin Askew (Democratic) (until January 2), Bob Graham (Democratic) (starting January 2) • Governor of Georgia: George Busbee (Democratic) • Governor of Hawaii: George Ariyoshi (Democratic) • Governor of Idaho: John V. Evans (Democratic) • Governor of Illinois: James R. Thompson (Republican) • Governor of Indiana: Otis R. Bowen (Republican) • Governor of Iowa: Robert D. Ray (Republican) • Governor of Kansas: Robert F. Bennett (Republican) (until January 8), John W. Carlin (Democratic) (starting January 8) • Governor of Kentucky: Julian M. Carroll (Democratic) (until December 11), John Y. Brown Jr. (Democratic) (starting December 11) • Governor of Louisiana: Edwin W. Edwards (Democratic) • Governor of Maine: James B. Longley (Independent) (until January 3), Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) (starting January 3) • Governor of Maryland: Marvin Mandel (Democratic) (until January 17), Harry R. Hughes (Democratic) (starting January 17) • Governor of Massachusetts: Michael Dukakis (Democratic) (until January 4), Edward J. King (Democratic) (starting January 4) • Governor of Michigan: William Milliken (Republican) • Governor of Minnesota: Rudy Perpich (Democratic) (until January 4), Al Quie (Republican) (starting January 4) • Governor of Mississippi: Cliff Finch (Democratic) • Governor of Missouri: Joseph P. Teasdale (Democratic) • Governor of Montana: Thomas Lee Judge (Democratic) • Governor of Nebraska: J. James Exon (Democratic) (until January 4), Charles Thone (Republican) (starting January 4) • Governor of Nevada: Mike O'Callaghan (Democratic) (until January 1), Robert List (Republican) (starting January 1) • Governor of New Hampshire: Meldrim Thomson Jr. (Republican) (until January 4), Hugh J. Gallen (Democratic) (starting January 4) • Governor of New Jersey: Brendan Byrne (Democratic) • Governor of New Mexico: Jerry Apodaca (Democratic) (until January 1), Bruce King (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Governor of New York: Hugh Carey (Democratic) • Governor of North Carolina: Jim Hunt (Democratic) • Governor of North Dakota: Arthur A. Link (Democratic) • Governor of Ohio: Jim Rhodes (Republican) • Governor of Oklahoma: David L. Boren (Democratic) (until January 8), George Nigh (Democratic) (starting January 8) • Governor of Oregon: Robert W. Straub (Democratic) (until January 8), Victor G. Atiyeh (Republican) (starting January 8) • Governor of Pennsylvania: Milton Shapp (Democratic) (until January 16), Dick Thornburgh (Republican) (starting January 16) • Governor of Rhode Island: J. Joseph Garrahy (Democratic) • Governor of South Carolina: James B. Edwards (Republican) (until January 10), Richard Riley (Democratic) (starting January 10) • Governor of South Dakota: Harvey L. Wollman (Democratic) (until January 1), William J. Janklow (Republican) (starting January 1) • Governor of Tennessee: Ray Blanton (Democratic) (until January 17), Lamar Alexander (Republican) (starting January 17) • Governor of Texas: Dolph Briscoe (Democratic) (until January 16), Bill Clements (Republican) (starting January 16) • Governor of Utah: Scott M. Matheson (Democratic) • Governor of Vermont: Richard A. Snelling (Republican) • Governor of Virginia: John N. Dalton (Republican) • Governor of Washington: Dixy Lee Ray (Democratic) • Governor of West Virginia: Jay Rockefeller (Democratic) • Governor of Wisconsin: Martin J. Schreiber (Democratic) (until January 3), Lee S. Dreyfus (Republican) (starting January 3) • Governor of Wyoming: Edgar J. Herschler (Democratic)

Lieutenant governors

• Lieutenant Governor of Alabama: Jere Beasley (Democratic) (until January 15), George McMillan (Democratic) (starting January 15) • Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: Terry Miller (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas: Joe Purcell (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of California: Mervyn M. Dymally (Democratic) (until January 8), Mike Curb (Republican) (starting January 8) • Lieutenant Governor of Colorado: George L. Brown (Democratic) (until January 10), Nancy E. Dick (Democratic) (starting January 10) • Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut: Robert K. Killian (Democratic) (until January 3), William A. O'Neill (Democratic) (starting January 3) • Lieutenant Governor of Delaware: James D. McGinnis (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Florida: J.H. Williams (Democratic) (until January 2), Wayne Mixson (Democratic) (starting January 2) • Lieutenant Governor of Georgia: Zell Miller (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii: Jean King (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Idaho: William J. Murphy (Democratic) (until January 1), Phil Batt (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of Illinois: Dave O'Neal (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Indiana: Robert D. Orr (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Iowa: Arthur A. Neu (Republican) (until January 12), Terry E. Branstad (Republican) (starting January 12) • Lieutenant Governor of Kansas: Shelby Smith (Republican) (until January 8), Paul V. Dugan (Democratic) (starting January 8) • Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky: Thelma Stovall (Democratic) (until December 11), Martha Layne Collins (Democratic) (starting December 11) • Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana: Jimmy Fitzmorris (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Blair Lee III (political party unknown) (until January 17), Samuel Bogley (Democratic) (starting January 17) • Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: Thomas P. O'Neill III (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Michigan: James Damman (Republican) (until month and day unknown), James H. Brickley (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota: Alec G. Olson (Democratic) (until January 3), Lou Wangberg (Republican) (starting January 3) • Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi: Evelyn Gandy (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: William C. Phelps (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Montana: Ted Schwinden (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska: Gerald T. Whelan (Democratic) (until month and day unknown), Roland A. Luedtke (Republican) (starting month and day unknown) • Lieutenant Governor of Nevada: Robert E. Rose (Democratic) (until January 1), Myron E. Leavitt (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico: Robert E. Ferguson (Democratic) (until January 1), Roberto Mondragón (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of New York: Mario Cuomo (Democratic) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina: James C. Green (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota: Wayne G. Sanstead (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Ohio: • * until January 8: Dick Celeste (Democratic) • * January 8-November: George Voinovich (Republican) • * starting November: vacant • Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma: George Nigh (Democratic) (until January 3), Spencer Bernard (Democratic) (starting January 3) • Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania: Ernest P. Kline (Democratic) (until January 16), William Scranton, III (Republican) (starting January 16) • Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island: Thomas R. DiLuglio (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina: W. Brantley Harvey Jr. (Democratic) (until January 10), Nancy Stevenson (Democratic) (starting January 10) • Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota: vacant (until January 1), Lowell C. Hansen II (Republican) (starting January 1) • Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee: John S. Wilder (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Texas: William P. Hobby Jr. (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Utah: David Smith Monson (Republican) • Lieutenant Governor of Vermont: T. Garry Buckley (Republican) (until January 10), Madeleine M. Kunin (Democratic) (starting January 10) • Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Chuck Robb (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Washington: John Cherberg (Democratic) • Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin: Martin J. Schreiber (Democratic) (until January 3), Russell A. Olson (Republican) (starting January 3)

Events

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December

December 1, 1978 to February 28, 1979

Ongoing

Births

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September

October

November

December

Full date unknown

Deaths

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