Governor of Nevada

Governor of Nevada
Flag of the Governor
Incumbent Brian Sandoval since January 3, 2011
Style	The Honorable
Residence	Nevada Governor's Mansion
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	James W. Nye 1864
Formation	Constitution of Nevada
Salary	$149,573 (2013)

The Governor of Nevada is the chief magistrate of the U.S. state of Nevada, the head of the executive department of Nevada's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Nevada Legislature, to convene the legislature at any time, and, except in cases of treason or impeachment, to grant pardons and reprieves.

The governor has a four-year term. To be elected governor, a person must be at least 25 years old, and must have been a citizen of Nevada for at least two years, at the time of election. The lieutenant governor is not elected on the same ticket as the governor.

The first provisional governor of the proposed Territory of Nevada was Whig Isaac Roop, who was elected in September 1859 and took office on December 15 of that year in Genoa. When the territory was incorporated on March 2, 1861, Republican James W. Nye was appointed Territorial Governor by President Abraham Lincoln and served until statehood in 1864. Mark Twain's brother Orion Clemens served as Territorial Secretary to Nye. Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, and Nye remained acting governor until the first governor, Henry G. Blasdel, took office on December 5, 1864.

There have been 29 governors of Nevada, eight of whom were actually born within state boundaries. The longest-serving governor was Bob Miller, who served two and a half terms from 1989 to 1999. The shortest-serving governor was acting governor Frank Bell, who served the remaining four months of Charles C. Stevenson's term upon the governor's death. The current governor is Republican Brian Sandoval, who took office on January 3, 2011.