Executive Orders

The Delaware Public Archives is proud to present the complete collection of executive orders issued by Governors of Delaware. From the first executive order signed by Governor McMullen in 1939 to the most recent by Governor Carney, this collection is more than a repository of documents. Contained here are moments in Delaware history that reflect the priorities of the time. Be it Governor Terry’s closing state offices and public schools to honor Dr. Martin Luther King during the turbulent ’60s, Governor Tribbitt creating an energy commission and conservation strategies through the energy crisis of the ’70s, Governor Castle’s period of mourning for the loss of seven lives after the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in the late 1980s, or Governor Markell’s rebuilding Delaware’s economy throughout the national Great Recession of the late 2000s, this collection serves as a time capsule documenting the change, growth, and history of the state of Delaware.