List of Governors of California by time in office

3,927 days
Earl Warren from 1943 to 1953

5 days
Milton Latham in 1860

This is a list of California Governors by time in office. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by number of calendar days all the figures would be one greater. (Note that the shortest-reigning and longest-reigning pope lists use numbers of calendar days.)

Earl Warren was the only Governor of California ever to win more than two terms. Milton Latham ran for Governor for the sole purpose of having himself appointed to the United States Senate, which he had the California State Legislature do within five days of his taking office as Governor.

# in office	Governor	Days	Rank
30	Earl Warren	3,927	1
33	Ronald Reagan	2,926	2
35	George Deukmejian	2,926	2
26	C. C. Young	2,924	4
32	Pat Brown	2,919	5
34	Jerry Brown	2,919	5
36	Pete Wilson	2,919	5
23	Hiram Johnson	2,263	8
24	William Stephens	2,126	9
31	Goodwin Knight	1,918	10
37	Gray Davis	1,778	11
28	Frank Merriam	1,675	12
38	Arnold Schwarzenegger	}}	13
13	William Irwin	1,491	14
10	Henry Huntly Haight	1,464	15
18	Henry Markham	1,464	15
21	George Pardee	1,464	15
29	Culbert Olson	1,463	18
3	John Bigler	1,462	19
20	Henry Gage	1,462	19
15	George Stoneman	1,459	21
9	Frederick Low	1,456	22
25	Friend Richardson	1,456	22
22	James Gillett	1,455	24
19	James Budd	1,454	25
27	James Rolph	1,243	26
17	Robert Waterman	1,213	27
11	Newton Booth	1,177	28
14	George Clement Perkins	1,098	29
5	John B. Weller	731	30
4	J. Neely Johnson	730	31
7	John G. Downey	727	32
8	Leland Stanford	699	33
1	Peter Burnett	385	34
2	John McDougall	364	35
12	Romualdo Pacheco	285	36
16	Washington Bartlett	248	37
6	Milton Latham	5	38