List of first gentlemen in the United States
In the United States, the title of First Gentleman may be accorded to a man who is married to the head of state or a state government, analogously to the unofficial use of for the wife or hostess of a head of state, including the wife of the President of the United States.
The first man formally to serve as first gentleman was James E. Ferguson in 1925, a former governor of Texas who was forced from office due to corruption charges, and whose wife Miriam A. Ferguson later won the office. The first man to serve as first gentleman without having previously served as governor was Thomas Grasso, husband of Connecticut governor Ella T. Grasso. In 2019, Colorado governor Jared Polis' domestic partner, Marlon Reis, became the first same-sex partner to receive the title of First Gentleman (in addition to being the first same-sex partner of a sitting governor).
Even though Arizona has had the most female governors of any U.S. state with four female governors, only two of these governors were married to a first gentleman while in office. Six states have had more than one first gentleman: New Hampshire and Kansas, with three, and Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, and Oregon, all numbering two.
By state
* Currently serving
Other territories
Territory | First Gentleman | Started role | Governor/Mayor |
---|---|---|---|
Guam | Jeffrey Cook | 2019 | Lou Leon Guerrero |
Puerto Rico | Adolfo Krans Ramón Cantero Frau | 2001 2003 | Sila María Calderón |
Jorge Díaz Reverón | 2019 | Wanda Vázquez Garced | |
District of Columbia | James R. Kelly | 1991 | Sharon Pratt Kelly |
See also
- List of current United States first spouses
- List of female governors in the United States
- "Oh, Jeez", the seventh episode in the twentieth season of South Park, previously called "The Very First Gentleman".
References
- How should we refer to Governor-elect Jared Polis’ longtime partner? The Denver Post. 8 November 2018. "Polis and Reis aren’t legally married... The Polis campaign has clarified that Reis will take the title 'first gentleman'".