List of governors of Minnesota
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The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Minnesota's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.
There have been 41 governors of the state; one, Rudy Perpich, served non-consecutive terms. Minnesota Territory had three governors appointed by the president of the United States; the first, Alexander Ramsey, would later be state governor.
A total of five political parties have had governors as members. The Minnesota Democratic Party, the Republican Party of Minnesota, the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, and the Independence Party of Minnesota. There have been twenty-six Republicans, six DFLers, four Democrats, three Farmer-Laborites, and one Independence Party member. One Democrat, John Lind, was elected on a fusion ticket with the Populist Party.
The current governor is Tim Walz, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, who took office on January 7, 2019.
List of governors
Minnesota Territory
Minnesota Territory was organized on March 3, 1849. The secretary of the territory would act as governor in the governor's absence; notably, secretary Charles L. Chase acted as governor from October 13, 1857 until the elected state officials took office on May 24, 1858.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903) | June 1, 1849 – April 1, 1853 (1401 days; replaced) | Zachary Taylor | |
| 2 | Willis A. Gorman (1816–1876) | April 1, 1853 – March 13, 1857 (1443 days; replaced) | Franklin Pierce | |
| 3 | Samuel Medary (1801–1864) | March 13, 1857 – May 24, 1858 (438 days; statehood) | James Buchanan |
State of Minnesota
Minnesota was admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858.
The Minnesota Constitution of 1858 created the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, elected separately to two-year terms; these were lengthened to four years starting in 1963. As of 1974, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Hastings Sibley (1811–1891) | May 24, 1858 – January 2, 1860 (589 days; retired) | Democratic | 1857 | William Holcombe | |||
| 2 | Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903) | January 2, 1860 – July 10, 1863 (1286 days; resigned) | Republican | 1859 | Ignatius L. Donnelly (resigned March 3, 1863) | |||
| 1861 | ||||||||
| Henry Adoniram Swift | ||||||||
| 3 | Henry Adoniram Swift (1823–1869) | July 10, 1863 – January 13, 1864 (188 days; retired) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 4 | Stephen Miller (1816–1881) | January 13, 1864 – January 8, 1866 (727 days; retired) | Republican | 1863 | Charles D. Sherwood | |||
| 5 | William Rainey Marshall (1825–1896) | January 8, 1866 – January 7, 1870 (1461 days; retired) | Republican | 1865 | Thomas H. Armstrong | |||
| 1867 | ||||||||
| 6 | Horace Austin (1831–1905) | January 7, 1870 – January 9, 1874 (1464 days; lost nomination) | Republican | 1869 | William H. Yale | |||
| 1871 | ||||||||
| 7 | Cushman K. Davis (1838–1900) | January 9, 1874 – January 7, 1876 (729 days; retired) | Republican | 1873 | Alphonso Barto | |||
| 8 | John S. Pillsbury (1827–1901) | January 7, 1876 – January 9, 1882 (2195 days; retired) | Republican | 1875 | James Wakefield | |||
| 1877 | ||||||||
| 1879 | Charles A. Gilman | |||||||
| 9 | Lucius Frederick Hubbard (1836–1913) | January 9, 1882 – January 5, 1887 (1823 days; retired) | Republican | 1881 | ||||
| 1883 | ||||||||
| 10 | Andrew Ryan McGill (1840–1905) | January 5, 1887 – January 9, 1889 (736 days; lost nomination) | Republican | 1886 | Albert E. Rice | |||
| 11 | William Rush Merriam (1849–1931) | January 9, 1889 – January 4, 1893 (1457 days; retired) | Republican | 1888 | ||||
| 1890 | Gideon S. Ives | |||||||
| 12 | Knute Nelson (1843–1923) | January 4, 1893 – January 31, 1895 (758 days; resigned) | Republican | 1892 | David Marston Clough | |||
| 1894 | ||||||||
| 13 | David Marston Clough (1846–1924) | January 31, 1895 – January 2, 1899 (1433 days; retired) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1896 | John L. Gibbs | |||||||
| 14 | John Lind (1854–1930) | January 2, 1899 – January 7, 1901 (736 days; lost election) | Democratic | 1898 | Lyndon A. Smith | |||
| 15 | Samuel Rinnah Van Sant (1844–1936) | January 7, 1901 – January 4, 1905 (1459 days; retired) | Republican | 1900 | ||||
| 1902 | Ray W. Jones | |||||||
| 16 | John Albert Johnson (1861–1909) | January 4, 1905 – September 21, 1909 (1722 days; died in office) | Democratic | 1904 | ||||
| 1906 | Adolph Olson Eberhart | |||||||
| 1908 | ||||||||
| 17 | Adolph Olson Eberhart (1870–1944) | September 21, 1909 – January 6, 1915 (1934 days; lost nomination) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1910 | Samuel Y. Gordon | |||||||
| 1912 | Joseph A. A. Burnquist | |||||||
| 18 | Winfield Scott Hammond (1863–1915) | January 6, 1915 – December 30, 1915 (359 days; died in office) | Democratic | 1914 | ||||
| 19 | Joseph A. A. Burnquist (1879–1961) | December 30, 1915 – January 5, 1921 (1834 days; retired) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1916 | Thomas Frankson | |||||||
| 1918 | ||||||||
| 20 | J. A. O. Preus (1883–1961) | January 5, 1921 – January 7, 1925 (1464 days; retired) | Republican | 1920 | Louis L. Collins | |||
| 1922 | ||||||||
| 21 | Theodore Christianson (1883–1948) | January 7, 1925 – January 7, 1931 (2192 days; retired) | Republican | 1924 | William I. Nolan | |||
| 1926 | ||||||||
| 1928 | Charles Edward Adams | |||||||
| 22 | Floyd B. Olson (1891–1936) | January 7, 1931 – August 22, 1936 (2055 days; died in office) | Farmer-Labor | 1930 | Henry M. Arens | |||
| 1932 | Konrad K. Solberg | |||||||
| 1934 | Hjalmar Petersen | |||||||
| 23 | Hjalmar Petersen (1890–1968) | August 22, 1936 – January 4, 1937 (136 days; retired) | Farmer-Labor | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 24 | Elmer A. Benson (1895–1985) | January 4, 1937 – January 3, 1939 (731 days; lost election) | Farmer-Labor | 1936 | Gottfrid Lindsten | |||
| 25 | Harold Stassen (1907–2001) | January 3, 1939 – April 27, 1943 (1605 days; resigned) | Republican | 1938 | C. Elmer Anderson | |||
| 1940 | ||||||||
| 1942 | Edward John Thye | |||||||
| 26 | Edward J. Thye (1896–1969) | April 27, 1943 – January 8, 1947 (1323 days; retired) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1944 | C. Elmer Anderson | |||||||
| 27 | Luther Youngdahl (1896–1978) | January 8, 1947 – September 27, 1951 (1724 days; resigned) | Republican | 1946 | ||||
| 1948 | ||||||||
| 1950 | ||||||||
| 28 | C. Elmer Anderson (1912–1998) | September 27, 1951 – January 5, 1955 (1197 days; lost election) | Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1952 | Ancher Nelsen | |||||||
| Donald O. Wright | ||||||||
| 29 | Orville Freeman (1918–2003) | January 5, 1955 – January 4, 1961 (2192 days; lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | 1954 | Karl Rolvaag | |||
| 1956 | ||||||||
| 1958 | ||||||||
| 30 | Elmer L. Andersen (1909–2004) | January 4, 1961 – March 25, 1963 (811 days; lost election) | Republican | 1960 | ||||
| 31 | Karl Rolvaag (1913–1990) | March 25, 1963 – January 2, 1967 (1380 days; lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | 1962 | Sandy Keith | |||
| 32 | Harold LeVander (1910–1992) | January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971 (1464 days; retired) | Republican | 1966 | James B. Goetz | |||
| 33 | Wendell R. Anderson (1933–2016) | January 4, 1971 – December 29, 1976 (2187 days; resigned) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | 1970 | Rudy Perpich | |||
| 1974 | ||||||||
| 34 | Rudy Perpich (1928–1995) | December 29, 1976 – January 1, 1979 (734 days; lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Alec G. Olson | |||
| 35 | Al Quie (1923–2023) | January 1, 1979 – January 3, 1983 (1464 days; retired) | Independent- Republican | 1978 | Lou Wangberg | |||
| 36 | Rudy Perpich (1928–1995) | January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991 (2927 days; lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | 1982 | Marlene Johnson | |||
| 1986 | ||||||||
| 37 | Arne Carlson (b. 1934) | January 7, 1991 – January 4, 1999 (2920 days; retired) | Independent- Republican | 1990 | Joanell Dyrstad | |||
| 1994 | Joanne Benson | |||||||
| 38 | Jesse Ventura (b. 1951) | January 4, 1999 – January 6, 2003 (1464 days; retired) | Reform/ Independence | 1998 | Mae Schunk | |||
| 39 | Tim Pawlenty (b. 1960) | January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011 (2920 days; retired) | Republican | 2002 | Carol Molnau | |||
| 2006 | ||||||||
| 40 | Mark Dayton (b. 1947) | January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019 (2927 days; retired) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | 2010 | Yvonne Prettner Solon | |||
| 2014 | Tina Smith (resigned January 2, 2018) | |||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Michelle Fischbach (took office May 25, 2018) | ||||||||
| 41 | Tim Walz (b. 1964) | January 7, 2019 – Incumbent (in office 2825 days) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor | 2018 | Peggy Flanagan | |||
| 2022 |
See also
- List of Minnesota gubernatorial elections
- List of lieutenant governors of Minnesota
- First ladies of Minnesota
- List of Minnesota state legislatures
Notes
General
- . National Governors Association.
- . Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
- McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). . Westport, CT: Meckler. ISBN978-0-930466-11-4.
- Sobel, Robert (1978). . Meckler Books. ISBN9780930466008.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2003). . McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-1439-0.
- Dubin, Michael J. (2014). . McFarland. ISBN978-0-7864-5646-8.
- Kallenbach, Joseph Ernest (1977). . Oceana Publications. ISBN978-0-379-00665-0.
- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). . Meckler Books. ISBN978-0-930466-17-6.
- . www.ourcampaigns.com.
Specific