Office of the Governor of MissouriGovernment

The Office of the Governor of Missouri is the head of the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Missouri. The governor serves as the state's chief executive officer and commander-in-chief of the Missouri National Guard, mandated to enforce state laws, approve or veto legislation, and oversee executive departments. Established in 1820 under Missouri's first constitution ahead of its admission to the Union in 1821, Alexander McNair took office as the state's inaugural governor. During the American Civil War, the office was contested between an elected pro-Confederate government-in-exile and a Unionist provisional government installed in Jefferson City.