The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy people have held the office since its inception in 1776. The governor serves a term of four year and chairs the collective body of the state's elected executive officials, the Council of State. The governor's powers and responsibilities are prescribed by the state constitution and by law. They serve as the North Carolina's chief executive and are tasked by the constitution with faithfully carrying out the laws of the state. They are ex officio commander in chief of the North Carolina National Guard and director of the state budget. The office has extensive powers of appointment of executive branch officials, some judges, and members of boards and commissions. Governors are also empowered to grant pardons and veto legislation. Historically, North Carolina has had a weak governor with limited authority. Unlike most of their contemporaries in the United States, the North Carolina governor lacks line-item veto power, while additional executive authority is vested in other elected officials on the Council of State. While the state has grown increasingly politically competitive since the mid-20th century, Republicans have had difficulty in winning gubernatorial elections in North Carolina, and the office has usually remained in Democratic hands. The current governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, took office on January 1, 2017. History of the office Colonial antecedent The office of governor is the oldest public office in the state of North Carolina. Historians trace its origins to the appointment of Ralph Lane as the governor of the Roanoke Colony in 1585. From 1622 to 1731 the Province of Carolina/Province of North Carolina had governors appointed by the colony's lords proprietors. From then until 1774 the governors were chosen by the British Crown. The governors during these times were politically weak executives and generally conformed to the wishes of their appointers. They were aided in the execution of their office by the Governor's Council, an advisory board of appointed officials that also collectively served as the upper house in the North Carolina General Assembly. After 1731, the councilors were chosen by the Privy Council and were responsible to the British King, further diluting the governor's authority. During the period of royal control after 1731, North Carolina's governors were issued sets of secret instructions from the Privy Council's Board of Trade. The directives were binding upon the governor and dealt