U.S. Governors Project - April 2024

Question

We are now down to just 59 U.S. Governors (out of 2,500+) who still need to be connected to the Big Tree. This is getting increasingly more difficult as many of these remaining governors are very young (born after 1950) and many still have living parents who are not easy to identify. Others come from immigrant parents or grandparents, often from countries where records are not easy to locate. This month's Connect-a-Thon would be a great time to help us get some of these historically-significant men and women connected. We welcome any help we can get. 

Click here for our complete list of Unconnected Governors.

Comments

There are currently 26 states that still have governors who need connecting. Twelve have just one governor left. Perhaps you could be the one who completes your state.

Arizona - 1

Connecticut - 1

Illinois - 1

Kansas - 1

Louisiana - 1

Maine - 1

Maryland - 1

North Carolina - 1

Ohio - 1

Virginia - 1

Washington - 1

Wisconsin -1  

Hawaii - 2

South Carolina - 2

Tennessee - 2

Massachusetts - 3

Mississippi - 3

Nevada - 3

New York - 3

Oregon - 3

Rhode Island - 3

Vermont - 3

New Mexico - 4

New Hampshire - 5

Pennsylvania - 5

New Jersey - 6

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Fourteen of our unconnected governors are currently in office. Perhaps your like to take a try at getting one of them connected: 

Katie Hobbs, Arizona

J.B. Pritzker, Illinois (connected)

Laura Kelly, Kansas (connected)

Maura Healey, Massachusetts

Tate Reeves, Mississippi (connected)

Joe Lombardo, Nevada

Chris Sununu, New Hampshire

Phil Murphy, New Jersey

Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico (connected)

Roy Cooper, North Carolina (connected)

Tina Kotek, Oregon

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania

Dan McKee, Rhode Island

Bill Lee, Tennessee (connected)

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You should have Eowyn add this to What's Happening in April?  I did not see it on the list.

Answer 1

Madeleine (May) Kunin has just been Connected. 77th Governor of Vermont through her husbands family

Answer 2

Michelle (Lujan) Lujan Grisham the current New Mexico Governor will shortly show as connected.

Comments

Nice work Darren. Great to have you onboard yet another project!

Answer 3

Former Maine governor Joe Brennan has died at age 89. He served as the 70th governor of Maine from 1979-1987. He was also a former commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission. His profile has been unlocked.

Answer 4

David:

The profile for Bill Lee and his father Wallace Lee are locked but there is an easy connection for them.  

The parents of Wallace Lee - [[Lee-26502 | Louis Leon Lee]] and [[Jackson - 30530 | Joyce Juanita Jackson]] - are already on WikiTree.

                                  Roger

Comments

Good find Roger. We do have to keep the profiles of living governors locked from public editing. Living family members have even stricter privacy rules and generally must be licked from public viewing.

I will get Governor Lee attached to his parents.

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Pure luck.

Answer 5

Got Roy A. Cooper, III connected through his paternal line.

Answer 6

Former Governor Bob Graham of Florida has died at the age of 87. His profile is now open for editing.

Answer 7

Former Arkansas Governor and U.S. Senator David Pryor has passed away at age 89.

Answer 8

Connected David Pryor through his mother.

Answer 9

Tates Reeves will be connected as soon as his PM adds his mother. Magee-3943

Answer 10

Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas has been connected to the Big Tree. Haven't been able to identify her own parents, but was able to trace her husband's ancestry back to William Janeway the well documented 17th century immigrant from London to Manhattan.