Brewer assumed the governorship as part of the line of succession, as determined by the Arizona Constitution, when Governor Janet Napolitano resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

[4] Brewer and her older brother, Paul, lived in Hawthorne until she was ten years old, when the family moved to California, seeking "dry desert air and clean ocean breezes".

[7] She married John Leon Brewer in Nevada and worked briefly in Glendale, California, before moving to her husband's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, in 1970.

[8] Another son, Ronald Brewer, was declared not guilty by reason of insanity for the rape of a Phoenix woman in 1989; he was a psychiatric patient for many years in the Arizona State Hospital.

[2] As secretary of state, Jan Brewer instituted a vote-by-fax program for overseas military troops, which was later adopted by other municipalities, including San Francisco.

Brewer also helped to marshal changes brought about by Arizona Proposition 200, which required citizens in the state to show proof of citizenship before registering to vote or applying for public benefits.

Despite her earlier quarrels with the line of succession while serving in the State Senate, Brewer was sworn in as governor after Napolitano resigned from her position on January 21, 2009.

[18] Brewer rejected obstructionism as a political strategy and was willing to ignore the positions of the Republican Party's leadership if she felt it would be advantageous to implement a policy.

[19] In her inaugural address, Brewer promised to keep taxes low in Arizona, in an attempt to attract business from other states, including California.

[23] On June 3, 2010, Brewer met with President Barack Obama to discuss immigration along Mexico's border with Arizona, and how the federal government could work together with state officials to combat violence there.

Polling conducted after Brewer's signing of Arizona SB1070 had shown her as an early favorite in the general election, and she was sworn in for a full term on January 3, 2011, on the State Capitol grounds in Phoenix.

[32] Brewer is the author of Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border, published November 2011 by Broadside Books.

In 2011, Republicans wanted more favorable lines than those drawn by the commission, and Brewer sent a letter purporting to remove Colleen Mathis, the independent chair, from office.

[41] In February 2014, Brewer reiterated that she was considering running for re-election,[42] but on March 12, 2014, she announced that she would not attempt to seek another term in office, which would have required what The Arizona Republic called a "long-shot court challenge".

[43] On February 26, 2014, Brewer vetoed Arizona SB 1062 (a bill allowing business owners to refuse services to homosexuals) that was passed by the state legislature.

Opponents blamed her support for SB 1070, her veto of a religious rights bill, and her corporate tax cuts for dissuading businesses from investing in the state.

The governor also armed the ACA with a $25 million deal closing fund[48] to help attract employers and replaced incentive programs with performance based tax credits.

[50] This allows the implementation of Arizona State University's plans to establish post-secondary education and research facilities closely tied to the Mayo Hospital's mission.

Brewer convened a task force in 2012 to develop recommendations that would simplify the tax code, reduce taxpayer confusion and improve compliance and efficiency.

This was criticized as a means to attack ethnic studies in general, but the only race-based instruction challenged by the law was a program to support Mexican American students in the Tucson Unified School District.

[19] This brought her in conflict with the Republican leader of the Arizona Senate, Andy Biggs, who was opposed by an alliance of Brewer's supporters and members of the Democratic Party.

[63] Brewer and the plaintiffs reached an agreement that ends this litigation by reaffirming Arizona's commitment to a community-based behavioral health system of care.

[73] Brewer created a Human Trafficking Council to implement best practices, promote greater collaboration with law enforcement, state agencies and the community-at-large and raise public awareness about victims' services, restitution and prevention.

[74] Brewer established the Arizona SERVES Task Force to improve the working relationships between the state, non-profit organizations and community and faith-based entities.

While speaking on the subject of crime related to illegal immigration, she said that "law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded", a claim that has been disputed.

[94] Brewer also signed SB 1168, a measure that bans property owners from prohibiting the storage of firearms in locked vehicles parked on their lots.

[101] The NRRC prepared an Interim Report containing recommendations from five subcommittees (Clearinghouse, Engagement and Partnering, GIS, Mitigation and Conservation Banking and Planning).

Presented to Brewer and Sonora Governor Padres, both signed a Declaration of Cooperation between the two states to evaluate on an ongoing basis viable energy exchange opportunities.

[106] She also granted in-state student status for the purposes of tuition at any Arizona public university or community college to any person honorably discharged from the US Armed Forces.

Brewer signed a law repealing legislation put into place by former governor Janet Napolitano, which had granted domestic partners of state employees the ability to be considered as "dependents", similar to the way married spouses are handled.