Governor of Alta California

This is a list of the Governors of early California, 1769–1850, before its admission as the 31st U.S. state. Founded by Gaspar de Portolá at San Diego and Monterey, the vast country was a sparsely-settled Spanish province for 53 years, until the Mexican War of Independence ended in 1821.

A year after Mexico's independence from Spain, Alta California became a federal territory of Mexico. As time went on, Alta Californians began to resent Mexico's neglect and incompetent, non-local governors. Beginning with the Tennessean-led revolt of 1824, California resisted Mexican rule, culminating in the revolution of 1836. Two years later, California was admitted as a state by the general government in faraway Mexico City.

The revolution in November 1836 found success when the Diputación (territorial legislature) of California declared independence. California-born Juan Alvarado was elected governor, who then gathered support for independence from the whole country, from Sonoma to Los Angeles. Mexico retaliated by propping up Carlos Carillo as puppet-governor in Los Angeles and inciting a brief and bloodless civil war. That conflict ended in 1838, when the general government of Mexico accepted California as a sovereign state and recognized Alvarado as the real governor. The territorial Diputación became the new state's Asambléa (Assembly).

In 1846, the "Bear Flag Revolt" in Sonoma declared California an independent republic—the "Bear Flag Republic". The government was separated permanently from Mexico. Less than a month later, the independent republic came under American protection (at the outset of the Mexican-American War). Like Texas, the Republic of California never was demoted to a U.S. territory but was admitted directly as the 31st U.S. state on September 9, 1850. Peter Burnett, the last governor of the republic, became its first governor after admission.

For governors of the state after admission in September 1850, see List of Governors of California.

Gaspar de Portolá founded the first Spanish settlements in Alta California at San Diego (July 16, 1769), and at Monterey, the first capital (June 3, 1770).

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