Youngest governors elected since 1900
| # | Governor | Age at election | Elected | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James H. HigginsD | 30 | 1906 | Rhode Island |
| 2 | J. C. W. BeckhamD | 31 | 1900 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Harold StassenR | 31 | 1938 | Minnesota |
| 4 | Keith NevilleD | 32 | 1916 | Nebraska |
| 5 | Frank G. ClementD | 32 | 1952 | Tennessee |
| 6 | Bill ClintonD | 32 | 1978 | Arkansas |
| 7 | Evan BayhD | 32 | 1988 | Indiana |
| 8 | Dan MoodyD | 33 | 1926 | Texas |
| 9 | Philip La FolletteW | 33 | 1930 | Wisconsin |
| 10 | J. Howard EdmondsonD | 33 | 1958 | Oklahoma |
| 11 | Kit BondR | 33 | 1972 | Missouri |
| 12 | David Lyle BorenD | 33 | 1974 | Oklahoma |
| 13 | Matt BluntR | 33 | 2004 | Missouri |
| 14 | Hugh GreggR | 34 | 1952 | New Hampshire |
| 15 | William C. MarlandD | 34 | 1952 | West Virginia |
| 16 | Cecil H. UnderwoodR | 34 | 1956 | West Virginia |
| 17 | Joseph W. FolkD | 35 | 1904 | Missouri |
| 18 | Emmet D. BoyleD | 35 | 1914 | Nevada |
| 19 | John Gilbert WinantR | 35 | 1924 | New Hampshire |
| 20 | John B. SwainsonD | 35 | 1960 | Michigan |
| 21 | Kenneth CurtisD | 35 | 1966 | Maine |
| 22 | Terry BranstadR | 35 | 1982 | Iowa |
| 23 | George L. SheldonR | 36 | 1906 | Nebraska |
| 24 | Herbert S. HadleyR | 36 | 1908 | Missouri |
| 25 | Park TrammellD | 36 | 1912 | Florida |
How this ranking is measured
Governors ranked by their age on Election Day, among those elected since 1900, the era for which birth records are complete and reliable. (Many earlier governorships, some filled by the state legislature, carry missing or erroneous birth dates that would inject impossible “records,” so they are set aside.) By this measure James H. Higgins of Rhode Island, elected in 1906 at 30, leads, ahead of Harold Stassen, Bill Clinton, and Evan Bayh. The all-time record predates the window: Stevens T. Mason was elected Michigan’s first governor in 1835 at just 24.