The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the U.S. state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee.

Governors

Rhode Island was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and was admitted as a state on May 29, 1790. Before it declared its independence, Rhode Island was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain. The state initially continued operating under the provisions of its 1663 charter, which simply said that the governor and deputy-governor would be elected from time to time. The 1842 constitution formalized the terms for governor and lieutenant governor to be one year, beginning on the first Tuesday of May after the election. Amendment XVI, taking effect in 1911, changed the term to be two years beginning from the first Tuesday in the January after the election. Terms were lengthened to four years in 1992, but governors were now limited to succeeding themselves only once. A former governor can run again after a four year break. Should the office of governor be vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. The governor and the lieutenant governor are not officially elected on the same ticket.