List of governors of Minnesota

The following is a list of governors of the state of Minnesota and Minnesota Territory, United States. The officeholder, who serves as head of government of Minnesota, and is charged with ensuring the faithful execution of the state's laws,^[a] is empowered to name state commissioners and department heads and to approve or veto bills passed by the Minnesota Legislature.^[b] The Governor of Minnesota also serves as commander-in-chief of the Minnesota National Guard.

Henry H. Sibley was elected the first governor in a statewide election held on October 13, 1857, and took office following Minnesota's entry into the Union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858.^[c] At the time, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected on separate ballots to terms lasting two years. Prior to 1886, statewide elections were held on odd years. Because of this change (the result of an 1883 state constitutional amendment), Lucius F. Hubbard's second term as governor lasted three years. With the passage of a 1958 state constitutional amendment, the terms of governor and lieutenant governor increased to four-years in 1963.^[b] A 1972 state constitutional amendment provided for the joint election of the governor and lieutenant governor starting in 1974.

The numerals indicate the consecutive time in office served by a single person. For example, William R. Marshall served two consecutive terms and is counted as the fifth state governor (not the fifth and sixth). Henry A. Swift assumed the governorship after the resignation of Alexander Ramsey, serving out the remainder of what would have been Ramsey's second term. The fact that Swift was not voted into office does not affect the numbering, which makes him the 3rd governor. Rudy Perpich served two non-consecutive terms and is counted chronologically as both the 34th and the 36th governor. Because of this, the list below contains 40 governorships, but only 39 people.

Prior to its organization as a territory, portions of Minnesota were part of the Northwest Territory, Indiana Territory, Louisiana Territory (later renamed Missouri Territory), Illinois Territory, Michigan Territory, Wisconsin Territory, and Iowa Territory; see the lists of governors of Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa for this period.

Four governors were born outside the United States: Knute Nelson was born in Norway, John Lind and Adolph Olson Eberhart were both born in Sweden, and Hjalmar Petersen was born in Denmark. 16 of the 41 governors to date were actually born in Minnesota. Five governors have resigned from office, and three have died in office.

Territorial governors[]

Territorial governors of Minnesota

No.	Governor			Term of office	Party	Place of birth	Appointed by
1			Alexander Ramsey	June 1, 1849 – May 15, 1853	Whig	Pennsylvania	Zachary Taylor
2			Willis A. Gorman	May 15, 1853 – April 23, 1857	Democratic	Kentucky	Franklin Pierce
3			Samuel Medary	April 23, 1857 – May 24, 1858	Democratic	Pennsylvania	James Buchanan

State governors[]

Democratic (4)       Farmer-Labor (3)       Republican (26)       Democratic-Farmer-Labor (7)       Reform/Independence (1) [1]
Governor				Served	Party	Elected	Birthplace	Lieutenant Governor
1			Henry H. Sibley February 20, 1811 – February 18, 1891 (aged 74)	May 24, 1858 – January 2, 1860	Democratic	1857	Michigan Territory		William Holcombe
2			Alexander Ramsey September 8, 1815 – April 22, 1903 (aged 87)	January 2, 1860 – July 10, 1863[2]	Republican	1859	Pennsylvania		Ignatius L. Donnelly
						1861			Henry A. Swift[3]
3			Henry A. Swift March 23, 1823 – February 25, 1869 (aged 45)	July 10, 1863[3] – January 11, 1864	Republican		Ohio	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor
4			Stephen Miller January 7, 1816 – August 18, 1881 (aged 65)	January 11, 1864 – January 8, 1866	Republican	1863	Pennsylvania		Charles D. Sherwood
5			William R. Marshall October 17, 1825 – January 8, 1896 (aged 70)	January 8, 1866 – January 9, 1870	Republican	1865	Missouri		Thomas H. Armstrong
						1867
6			Horace Austin October 13, 1831 – November 2, 1905 (aged 74)	January 9, 1870 – January 7, 1874	Republican	1869	Connecticut		William H. Yale
						1871
7			Cushman K. Davis June 16, 1838 – November 27, 1900 (aged 62)	January 7, 1874 – January 7, 1876	Republican	1873	New York		Alphonso Barto
8			John S. Pillsbury July 29, 1827 – October 18, 1901 (aged 74)	January 7, 1876 – January 10, 1882	Republican	1875	New Hampshire		James Wakefield
						1877
						1879			Charles A. Gilman
9			Lucius F. Hubbard January 26, 1836 – February 5, 1913 (aged 74)	January 10, 1882 – January 5, 1887[4]	Republican	1881	New York
						1883
10			Andrew R. McGill February 19, 1840 – October 31, 1905 (aged 65)	January 5, 1887 – January 9, 1889	Republican	1886	Pennsylvania		Albert E. Rice
11			William R. Merriam July 26, 1849 – February 18, 1931 (aged 81)	January 9, 1889 – January 4, 1893	Republican	1888	New York
						1890			Gideon S. Ives
12			Knute Nelson February 2, 1843 – April 28, 1923 (aged 80)	January 9, 1893 – January 31, 1895[2]	Republican	1892	Norway		David M. Clough
						1894
13			David M. Clough December 27, 1846 – August 28, 1924 (aged 77)	January 31, 1895[3] – January 2, 1899	Republican	1896	New Hampshire		Frank A. Day
						1898			John L. Gibbs
14			John Lind March 25, 1854 – September 18, 1930 (aged 77)	January 2, 1899 – January 7, 1901	Democratic[5]	1898	Sweden		Lyndon A. Smith
15			Samuel R. Van Sant May 11, 1844 – October 3, 1936 (aged 92)	January 7, 1901 – January 4, 1905	Republican	1900	Illinois
						1902			Ray W. Jones
16			John A. Johnson July 28, 1861 – September 21, 1909 (aged 48)	January 4, 1905 – September 21, 1909[6]	Democratic	1904	Minnesota
						1906			Adolph O. Eberhart
17			Adolph O. Eberhart June 23, 1870 – September 21, 1909 (aged 74)	September 21, 1909[3] – January 5, 1915	Republican	1908	Sweden		Edward E. Smith[3]
						1910			Samuel Y. Gordon
						1912			J. A. A. Burnquist
18			Winfield S. Hammond November 17, 1863 – December 30, 1915 (aged 52)	January 5, 1915 – December 30, 1915[6]	Democratic	1914	Massachusetts
19			J. A. A. Burnquist July 21, 1879 – January 12, 1961 (aged 81)	December 30, 1915[3] – January 5, 1921	Republican	1916	Iowa		George H. Sullivan[3]
						1918			Thomas Frankson
20			J. A. O. Preus August 28, 1883 – May 24, 1961 (aged 77)	January 5, 1921 – January 6, 1925	Republican	1920	Wisconsin		Louis L. Collins
						1922
21			Theodore Christianson September 12, 1883 – December 9, 1948 (aged 77)	January 6, 1925 – January 6, 1931	Republican	1924	Minnesota		William I. Nolan
						1926
						1928			Charles Edward Adams[3]
22			Floyd B. Olson November 13, 1891 – August 22, 1936 (aged 44)	January 6, 1931 – August 22, 1936[6]	Farmer-Labor	1930	Minnesota		Henry M. Arens
						1932			Konrad K. Solberg
						1934			Hjalmar Petersen
23			Hjalmar Petersen January 2, 1890 – March 29, 1968 (aged 78)	August 22, 1936[3] – January 4, 1937	Farmer-Labor		Denmark		William B. Richardson (acting)[7]
24			Elmer A. Benson September 22, 1895 – March 13, 1985 (aged 89)	January 4, 1937 – January 2, 1939	Farmer-Labor	1936	Minnesota		Gottfrid T. Lindsten
25			Harold E. Stassen April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001 (aged 93)	January 2, 1939 – April 27, 1943[2]	Republican	1938	Minnesota		C. Elmer Anderson
						1940
						1942			Edward J. Thye
26			Edward J. Thye April 26, 1896 – August 28, 1969 (aged 73)	April 27, 1943 – January 8, 1947	Republican		South Dakota		Archie H. Miller
						1944
						1946			C. Elmer Anderson
27			Luther W. Youngdahl April 26, 1896 – August 28, 1969 (aged 93)	January 8, 1947 – September 27, 1951[2]	Republican	1948	Minnesota
						1950
28			C. Elmer Anderson March 16, 1912 – January 22, 1998 (aged 85)	September 27, 1951[3] – January 5, 1955	Republican		Minnesota	Vacant
						1952			Ancher Nelsen
									Donald O. Wright
29			Orville L. Freeman May 9, 1918 – February 20, 2003 (aged 84)	January 5, 1955 – January 2, 1961	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	1954	Minnesota		Karl F. Rolvaag
						1956
						1958
30			Elmer L. Andersen June 17, 1909 – November 15, 2004 (aged 95)	January 2, 1961 – March 25, 1963[8]	Republican	1960	Illinois
31			Karl Rolvaag July 18, 1913 – December 20, 1990 (aged 77)	March 25, 1963[8] – January 2, 1967	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	1962	Minnesota		Sandy Keith
32			Harold LeVander October 10, 1910 – March 30, 1992 (aged 81)	January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971	Republican	1966	Nebraska		James B. Goetz
33			Wendell R. Anderson February 1, 1933 – July 17, 2016 (aged 83)	January 4, 1971 – December 29, 1976[2]	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	1970	Minnesota		Rudy Perpich
						1974
34			Rudy Perpich June 27, 1928 – September 21, 1995 (aged 67)	December 29, 1976[3] – January 4, 1979	Democratic-Farmer-Labor		Minnesota		Alec G. Olson[3]
35			Al Quie (1923-09-18) September 18, 1923 (age 98)	January 4, 1979 – January 3, 1983	Independent-Republican	1978	Minnesota		Lou Wangberg
36			Rudy Perpich June 27, 1928 – September 21, 1995 (aged 67)	January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	1982	Minnesota		Marlene Johnson
						1986
37			Arne H. Carlson (1934-09-24) September 24, 1934 (age 87)	January 7, 1991 – January 4, 1999	Independent-Republican/ Republican	1990	New York		Joanell M. Dyrstad
						1994			Joanne Benson
38			Jesse Ventura[9] (1951-07-15) July 15, 1951 (age 70)	January 4, 1999 – January 6, 2003	Reform/Independence	1998	Minnesota		Mae A. Schunk
39			Tim Pawlenty (1960-11-27) November 27, 1960 (age 61)	January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011	Republican	2002	Minnesota		Carol Molnau
						2006
40			Mark Dayton (1947-01-26) January 26, 1947 (age 75)	January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2019	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	2010	Minnesota		Yvonne Prettner Solon
						2014			Tina Smith
									Michelle Fischbach
41			Tim Walz (1964-04-06) April 6, 1964 (age 57)	January 7, 2019 – Incumbent[10]	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	2018	Nebraska		Peggy Flanagan

See also[]

• List of Minnesota gubernatorial elections
• List of Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota
• Minnesota Governor's Residence
• First Ladies and Gentlemen of Minnesota
• U.S. Congressional Delegations from Minnesota

Notes[]

Notes on Minnesota political party names[]

• Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party: On April 15, 1944, the state Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.
• Republican Party of Minnesota: From November 15, 1975, to September 23, 1995, the name of the state Republican party was the Independent-Republican party (I-R). The party has always been affiliated with the national Republican Party.
• Independence Party of Minnesota: The party was founded under this name in 1992. In 1995 the IPM affiliated with the national Reform Party and renamed itself the Reform Party of Minnesota. In 2000 the Reform Party of Minnesota disaffiliated with the national Reform Party and returned to the name Independence Party.

Other high offices held[]

This is a table of congressional and other federal offices held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Minnesota except where noted. * denotes offices that the governor resigned to take.

Living former governors of Minnesota[]

Five former governors of Minnesota were living in 2019. The oldest was Al Quie (served 1979–1983, born 1923). The most recent U.S. governor of Minnesota to die was Wendell Anderson (served 1971–1976, born 1933), on July 17, 2016. The most recently serving governor of Minnesota to die was Rudy Perpich (served 1976–1979 and 1983–1991, born 1928), on September 21, 1995.

References[]

General

• "Governors of Minnesota". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved May 17, 2007.
• "Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 4, 2007. Retrieved May 17, 2007.
• "Minnesota Governors, 1849 – present". Office of the Governor, State of Minnesota. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved May 17, 2007.

Specific

• ^ "Constitution of the State of Minnesota". Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
• ^{1 2} "Amendments to the Minnesota Constitution Proposed to the Voters since 1858" (PDF). Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
• ^ "2007–2008 MN Legislative Manual" (PDF). Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2007.