List of governors of Iowa
The governor of Iowa is the head of government of the U.S. state of Iowa. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The officeholder has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Iowa General Assembly, to convene the legislature, as well as to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment. The governor of Iowa is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the ability to sign executive orders, these have ranged from topics including the establishment of councils, committees and task forces, and appropriation reductions to prevent a state budget deficit.
There have been 41 individuals who held the position of Iowa governor, with two of those serving multiple distinct terms, Samuel J. Kirkwood and Terry Branstad. The current governor, Kim Reynolds, is the first woman to hold the position and was sworn in on May 24, 2017. The longest-serving is Terry Branstad, who served from 1983 to 1999 and then again from 2011 to 2017. He is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, surpassing the previous record of 21 years set by George Clinton of New York. The shortest-serving was Robert D. Fulton, who served 16 days.
01List of governors
Territory of Iowa
Iowa Territory was formed on July 4, 1838, from Wisconsin Territory. It had four governors appointed by the president of the United States, though the first resigned days after he was confirmed by the Senate and before ever reaching the territory.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Atkinson (1782-1842) |
June 13, 1838 , July 7, 1838 (25 days; resigned before taking office) |
Martin Van Buren | |
| 2 | Robert Lucas (1781-1853) |
July 7, 1838 , March 25, 1841 (993 days; replaced) |
Martin Van Buren | |
| 3 | John Chambers (1780-1852) |
March 25, 1841 , November 18, 1845 (1700 days; replaced) |
William Henry Harrison | |
| 4 | James Clarke (1812-1850) |
November 8, 1845 , December 3, 1846 (381 days; statehood) |
James K. Polk | |
State of Iowa
The southeast portion of Iowa Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa on December 28, 1846. The first Constitution of Iowa, adopted in 1846, created the office of governor with a four-year term, with no specific start date. The 1857 constitution reduced this term to two years, but an amendment in 1972 increased this back to four years. The 1857 constitution also set the start of the term to the second Monday in the January following the election, which was moved one day later by a 1988 amendment.
The office of lieutenant governor was created in the 1857 constitution, elected for the same term as the governor. An amendment in 1988 specified that the lieutenant governor would be elected on the same ticket as the governor. If the office becomes vacant, it devolves upon the lieutenant governor for the remainder of the term or vacancy. Prior to 1857, if the office became vacant, the Secretary of State of Iowa would act as governor. There is no term limit on the number of terms a governor may serve.
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ansel Briggs (1806-1881) |
December 3, 1846 , December 4, 1850 (1463 days; retired) |
Democratic | 1846 | Office did not exist | |||
| 2 | Stephen P. Hempstead (1812-1883) |
December 4, 1850 , December 9, 1854 (1467 days; retired) |
Democratic | 1850 | ||||
| 3 | James W. Grimes (1816-1872) |
December 9, 1854 , January 14, 1858 (1133 days; retired) |
Whig | 1854 | ||||
| 4 | Ralph P. Lowe (1805-1883) |
January 14, 1858 , January 11, 1860 (728 days; retired) |
Republican | 1857 | Oran Faville | |||
| 5 | Samuel J. Kirkwood (1813-1894) |
January 11, 1860 , January 14, 1864 (1465 days; retired) |
Republican | 1859 | Nicholas J. Rusch | |||
| 1861 | John R. Needham | |||||||
| 6 | William M. Stone (1827-1893) |
January 14, 1864 , January 16, 1868 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1863 | Enoch W. Eastman | |||
| 1865 | Benjamin F. Gue | |||||||
| 7 | Samuel Merrill (1822-1899) |
January 16, 1868 , January 11, 1872 (1457 days; retired) |
Republican | 1867 | John Scott | |||
| 1869 | Madison Miner Walden (resigned 1871) | |||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Henry C. Bulis (appointed September 13, 1871) | ||||||||
| 8 | Cyrus C. Carpenter (1829-1898) |
January 11, 1872 , January 13, 1876 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1871 | ||||
| 1873 | Joseph Dysart | |||||||
| 9 | Samuel J. Kirkwood (1813-1894) |
January 13, 1876 , February 1, 1877 (386 days; resigned) |
Republican | 1875 | Joshua G. Newbold | |||
| 10 | Joshua G. Newbold (1830-1903) |
February 1, 1877 , January 17, 1878 (351 days; retired) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | |||
| 11 | John H. Gear (1825-1900) |
January 17, 1878 , January 12, 1882 (1457 days; retired) |
Republican | 1877 | Frank T. Campbell | |||
| 1879 | ||||||||
| 12 | Buren R. Sherman (1836-1904) |
January 12, 1882 , January 14, 1886 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1881 | Orlando H. Manning | |||
| 1883 | ||||||||
| 13 | William Larrabee (1832-1912) |
January 14, 1886 , February 27, 1890 (1506 days; retired) |
Republican | 1885 | John A. T. Hull | |||
| 1887 | ||||||||
| 14 | Horace Boies (1827-1923) |
February 27, 1890 , January 11, 1894 (1415 days; lost election) |
Democratic | 1889 | Alfred N. Poyneer | |||
| 1891 | Samuel L. Bestow | |||||||
| 15 | Frank D. Jackson (1854-1938) |
January 11, 1894 , January 16, 1896 (736 days; retired) |
Republican | 1893 | Warren S. Dungan | |||
| 16 | Francis M. Drake (1830-1903) |
January 16, 1896 , January 13, 1898 (729 days; retired) |
Republican | 1895 | Matt Parrott | |||
| 17 | L. M. Shaw (1848-1932) |
January 13, 1898 , January 16, 1902 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1897 | James C. Milliman | |||
| 1899 | ||||||||
| 18 | Albert B. Cummins (1850-1926) |
January 16, 1902 , November 24, 1908 (2505 days; resigned) |
Republican | 1901 | John Herriott | |||
| 1903 | ||||||||
| 1906 | Warren Garst | |||||||
| 19 | Warren Garst (1850-1924) |
November 24, 1908 , January 14, 1909 (52 days; retired) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | |||
| 20 | Beryl F. Carroll (1860-1939) |
January 14, 1909 , January 16, 1913 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1908 | George W. Clarke | |||
| 1910 | ||||||||
| 21 | George W. Clarke (1852-1936) |
January 16, 1913 , January 11, 1917 (1457 days; retired) |
Republican | 1912 | William L. Harding | |||
| 1914 | ||||||||
| 22 | William L. Harding (1877-1934) |
January 11, 1917 , January 13, 1921 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1916 | Ernest Robert Moore | |||
| 1918 | ||||||||
| 23 | Nathan E. Kendall (1868-1936) |
January 13, 1921 , January 15, 1925 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1920 | John Hammill | |||
| 1922 | ||||||||
| 24 | John Hammill (1875-1936) |
January 15, 1925 , January 15, 1931 (2192 days; retired) |
Republican | 1924 | Clem F. Kimball (died September 10, 1928) | |||
| 1926 | ||||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Arch W. McFarlane (appointed November 15, 1928) | ||||||||
| 1928 | ||||||||
| 25 | Dan W. Turner (1877-1969) |
January 15, 1931 , January 12, 1933 (729 days; lost election) |
Republican | 1930 | ||||
| 26 | Clyde L. Herring (1879-1945) |
January 12, 1933 , January 14, 1937 (1464 days; retired) |
Democratic | 1932 | Nelson G. Kraschel | |||
| 1934 | ||||||||
| 27 | Nelson G. Kraschel (1889-1957) |
January 14, 1937 , January 12, 1939 (729 days; lost election) |
Democratic | 1936 | John K. Valentine | |||
| 28 | George A. Wilson (1884-1953) |
January 12, 1939 , January 14, 1943 (1464 days; retired) |
Republican | 1938 | Bourke B. Hickenlooper | |||
| 1940 | ||||||||
| 29 | Bourke B. Hickenlooper (1896-1971) |
January 14, 1943 , January 11, 1945 (729 days; retired) |
Republican | 1942 | Robert D. Blue | |||
| 30 | Robert D. Blue (1898-1989) |
January 11, 1945 , January 13, 1949 (1464 days; lost nomination) |
Republican | 1944 | Kenneth A. Evans | |||
| 1946 | ||||||||
| 31 | William S. Beardsley (1901-1954) |
January 13, 1949 , November 21, 1954 (2139 days; died in office) |
Republican | 1948 | ||||
| 1950 | William H. Nicholas | |||||||
| 1952 | Leo Elthon | |||||||
| 32 | Leo Elthon (1898-1967) |
November 21, 1954 , January 13, 1955 (54 days; retired) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | |||
| 33 | Leo Hoegh (1908-2000) |
January 13, 1955 , January 17, 1957 (736 days; lost election) |
Republican | 1954 | Leo Elthon | |||
| 34 | Herschel C. Loveless (1911-1989) |
January 17, 1957 , January 12, 1961 (1457 days; retired) |
Democratic | 1956 | William H. Nicholas | |||
| 1958 | Edward Joseph McManus | |||||||
| 35 | Norman A. Erbe (1919-2000) |
January 12, 1961 , January 17, 1963 (736 days; lost election) |
Republican | 1960 | W. L. Mooty | |||
| 36 | Harold Hughes (1922-1996) |
January 17, 1963 , January 1, 1969 (2177 days; resigned) |
Democratic | 1962 | ||||
| 1964 | Robert D. Fulton | |||||||
| 1966 | ||||||||
| 37 | Robert D. Fulton (1929-2024) |
January 1, 1969 , January 16, 1969 (16 days; retired) |
Democratic | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | |||
| 38 | Robert D. Ray (1928-2018) |
January 16, 1969 , January 14, 1983 (5112 days; retired) |
Republican | 1968 | Roger Jepsen | |||
| 1970 | ||||||||
| 1972 | Arthur Neu | |||||||
| 1974 | ||||||||
| 1978 | Terry Branstad | |||||||
| 39 | Terry Branstad (b. 1946) |
January 14, 1983 , January 15, 1999 (5846 days; retired) |
Republican | 1982 | Robert T. Anderson | |||
| 1986 | Jo Ann Zimmerman | |||||||
| 1990 | Joy Corning | |||||||
| 1994 | ||||||||
| 40 | Tom Vilsack (b. 1950) |
January 15, 1999 , January 12, 2007 (2920 days; retired) |
Democratic | 1998 | Sally Pederson | |||
| 2002 | ||||||||
| 41 | Chet Culver (b. 1966) |
January 12, 2007 , January 14, 2011 (1464 days; lost election) |
Democratic | 2006 | Patty Judge | |||
| 42 | Terry Branstad (b. 1946) |
January 14, 2011 , May 24, 2017 (2323 days; resigned) |
Republican | 2010 | Kim Reynolds | |||
| 2014 | ||||||||
| 43 | Kim Reynolds (b. 1959) |
May 24, 2017 , Incumbent (in office 3405 days) |
Republican | Succeeded from lieutenant governor |
Vacant | |||
| Adam Gregg (appointed May 25, 2017) (resigned September 3, 2024) | ||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||
| Vacant | ||||||||
| Chris Cournoyer (appointed December 16, 2024) | ||||||||
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “List of governors of Iowa”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Kim Reynolds by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0
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