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[2] and is charged with enforcing state laws.[3] The officeholder has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Iowa General Assembly,[4] to convene the legislature,[5] as well as to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[6] The governor of Iowa is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.[7]

Governor of Iowa
State seal
Incumbent
Kim Reynolds
since May 24, 2017
Government of Iowa
StyleThe Honorable
ResidenceTerrace Hill
Term lengthFour years, no term limits
PrecursorGovernor of Iowa Territory
Inaugural holderAnsel Briggs
FormationDecember 3, 1846 (1846-12-03)
Salary$130,000 (2013)[1]
Websitegovernor.iowa.gov

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.

Governors of the 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.

Governors of Iowa Territory
No. Governor Term in office[lower-alpha 1] Appointed by
1 Henry Atkinson
(1782–1842)		 June 13, 1838
–
July 7, 1838
(resigned before taking office)[lower-alpha 2]		 Martin Van Buren
2 Robert Lucas[lower-alpha 3]
(1781–1853)
[10]		 July 7, 1838[lower-alpha 4]
–
June 17, 1841
(successor appointed)[lower-alpha 5]		 Martin Van Buren
3 John Chambers
(1780–1852)
[15]		 March 25, 1841[lower-alpha 6]
–
November 18, 1845
(successor appointed)		 John Tyler
4 James Clarke
(1812–1850)
[20]		 November 8, 1845[lower-alpha 7]
–
December 3, 1846
(statehood)		 James K. Polk

Governors of the 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,[24] with no specific start date. The 1857 constitution reduced this term to two years,[25] but an amendment in 1972 increased this back to four years.[26] The 1857 constitution also set the start of the term to the second Monday in the January following the election,[27] which was moved one day later by a 1988 amendment.[28]

The office of lieutenant governor was created in the 1857 constitution, elected for the same term as the governor.[29] An amendment in 1988 specified that the lieutenant governor would be elected on the same ticket as the governor.[30] If the office becomes vacant, it devolves upon the lieutenant governor for the remainder of the term or vacancy.[31] Prior to 1857, if the office became vacant, the Secretary of State of Iowa would act as governor.[32] There is no term limit on the number of terms a governor may serve.

Governors of the State of Iowa
No.[lower-alpha 8] Governor Term in office Party Election Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 9][lower-alpha 10]
1   Ansel Briggs
(1806–1881)
[34][35]		 December 3, 1846
–
December 4, 1850
(did not run)		 Democratic 1846 Office did not exist
2 Stephen P. Hempstead
(1812–1883)
[36][37]		 December 4, 1850
–
December 9, 1854
(did not run)		 Democratic 1850
3 James W. Grimes
(1816–1872)
[38][39]		 December 9, 1854
–
January 13, 1858
(did not run)		 Whig 1854[lower-alpha 11]
4 Ralph P. Lowe
(1805–1883)
[40][41]		 January 13, 1858
–
January 11, 1860
(did not run)		 Republican 1857[lower-alpha 12]   Oran Faville
5 Samuel J. Kirkwood
(1813–1894)
[42][43]		 January 11, 1860
–
January 14, 1864
(did not run)		 Republican 1859 Nicholas J. Rusch
1861 John R. Needham
6 William M. Stone
(1827–1893)
[44][45]		 January 14, 1864
–
January 16, 1868
(did not run)		 Republican 1863 Enoch W. Eastman
1865 Benjamin F. Gue
7 Samuel Merrill
(1822–1899)
[46][47]		 January 16, 1868
–
January 11, 1872
(did not run)		 Republican 1867 John Scott
1869 Madison Miner Walden
(resigned 1871)[lower-alpha 13]
Vacant
Henry C. Bulis
(appointed September 13, 1871)
8 Cyrus C. Carpenter
(1829–1898)
[49][50]		 January 11, 1872
–
January 13, 1876
(did not run)		 Republican 1871
1873 Joseph Dysart
9 Samuel J. Kirkwood
(1813–1894)
[42][43]		 January 13, 1876
–
February 1, 1877
(resigned)[lower-alpha 14]		 Republican 1875 Joshua G. Newbold
10 Joshua G. Newbold
(1830–1903)
[51][52]		 February 1, 1877
–
January 17, 1878
(did not run)		 Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor		 Vacant
11 John H. Gear
(1825–1900)
[53][54]		 January 17, 1878
–
January 12, 1882
(did not run)		 Republican 1877 Frank T. Campbell
1879
12 Buren R. Sherman
(1836–1904)
[55][56]		 January 12, 1882
–
January 14, 1886
(did not run)		 Republican 1881 Orlando H. Manning
1883
13 William Larrabee
(1832–1912)
[57][58]		 January 14, 1886
–
February 27, 1890[lower-alpha 15]
(did not run)		 Republican 1885 John A. T. Hull
1887
14 Horace Boies
(1827–1923)
[59][60]		 February 27, 1890[lower-alpha 15]
–
January 11, 1894
(lost election)		 Democratic 1889 Alfred N. Poyneer[lower-alpha 16]
1891 Samuel L. Bestow
15 Frank D. Jackson
(1854–1938)
[63][64]		 January 11, 1894
–
January 16, 1896
(did not run)		 Republican 1893 Warren S. Dungan
16 Francis M. Drake
(1830–1903)
[65][66]		 January 16, 1896
–
January 13, 1898
(did not run)		 Republican 1895 Matt Parrott
17 L. M. Shaw
(1848–1932)
[67][68]		 January 13, 1898
–
January 16, 1902
(did not run)		 Republican 1897 James C. Milliman
1899
18 Albert B. Cummins
(1850–1926)
[69][70]		 January 16, 1902
–
November 24, 1908
(resigned)[lower-alpha 17]		 Republican 1901 John Herriott
1903[lower-alpha 18]
1906 Warren Garst
19 Warren Garst
(1850–1924)
[71]		 November 24, 1908
–
January 14, 1909
(successor took office)		 Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor		 Vacant
20 Beryl F. Carroll
(1860–1939)
[72][73]		 January 14, 1909
–
January 16, 1913
(did not run)		 Republican 1908 George W. Clarke
1910
21 George W. Clarke
(1852–1936)
[74][75]		 January 16, 1913
–
January 11, 1917
(did not run)		 Republican 1912 William L. Harding
1914
22 William L. Harding
(1877–1934)
[76][77]		 January 11, 1917
–
January 13, 1921
(did not run)		 Republican 1916 Ernest Robert Moore
1918
23 Nathan E. Kendall
(1868–1936)
[78][79]		 January 13, 1921
–
January 15, 1925
(did not run)		 Republican 1920 John Hammill
1922
24 John Hammill
(1875–1936)
[80][81]		 January 15, 1925
–
January 15, 1931
(did not run)[lower-alpha 19]		 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)
[82][83]		 January 15, 1931
–
January 12, 1933
(lost election)		 Republican 1930
26 Clyde L. Herring
(1879–1945)
[84][85]		 January 12, 1933
–
January 14, 1937
(did not run)[lower-alpha 20]		 Democratic 1932 Nelson G. Kraschel
1934
27 Nelson G. Kraschel
(1889–1957)
[86][87]		 January 14, 1937
–
January 12, 1939
(lost election)		 Democratic 1936 John K. Valentine
28 George A. Wilson
(1884–1953)
[88][89]		 January 12, 1939
–
January 14, 1943
(did not run)[lower-alpha 21]		 Republican 1938 Bourke B. Hickenlooper
1940
29 Bourke B. Hickenlooper
(1896–1971)
[90][91]		 January 14, 1943
–
January 11, 1945
(did not run)[lower-alpha 22]		 Republican 1942 Robert D. Blue
30 Robert D. Blue
(1898–1989)
[92][93]		 January 11, 1945
–
January 13, 1949
(did not run)		 Republican 1944 Kenneth A. Evans
1946
31 William S. Beardsley
(1901–1954)
[94][95]		 January 13, 1949
–
November 21, 1954
(died in office)		 Republican 1948
1950 William H. Nicholas
1952 Leo Elthon
32 Leo Elthon
(1898–1967)
[96][97]		 November 21, 1954
–
January 13, 1955
(successor took office)		 Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor		 Vacant
33 Leo Hoegh
(1908–2000)
[98][99]		 January 13, 1955
–
January 17, 1957
(lost election)		 Republican 1954 Leo Elthon
34 Herschel C. Loveless
(1911–1989)
[100][101]		 January 17, 1957
–
January 12, 1961
(did not run)		 Democratic 1956 William H. Nicholas[lower-alpha 16]
1958 Edward Joseph McManus
35 Norman A. Erbe
(1919–2000)
[102][103]		 January 12, 1961
–
January 17, 1963
(lost election)		 Republican 1960 W. L. Mooty[lower-alpha 23]
36 Harold Hughes
(1922–1996)
[104][105]		 January 17, 1963
–
January 1, 1969
(resigned)[lower-alpha 24]		 Democratic 1962
1964 Robert D. Fulton
1966
37 Robert D. Fulton
(b. 1929)
[106][107]		 January 1, 1969
–
January 16, 1969
(successor took office)		 Democratic Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor		 Vacant
38 Robert D. Ray
(1928–2018)
[108][109]		 January 16, 1969
–
January 14, 1983
(did not run)		 Republican 1968 Roger Jepsen
1970
1972 Arthur Neu
1974[lower-alpha 25]
1978 Terry Branstad
39 Terry Branstad
(b. 1946)
[110]		 January 14, 1983
–
January 15, 1999
(did not run)		 Republican 1982 Robert T. Anderson[lower-alpha 23]
1986 Jo Ann Zimmerman[lower-alpha 23]
1990 Joy Corning
1994
40 Tom Vilsack
(b. 1950)
[111]		 January 15, 1999
–
January 12, 2007
(did not run)		 Democratic 1998 Sally Pederson
2002
41 Chet Culver
(b. 1966)
[112]		 January 12, 2007
–
January 14, 2011
(lost election)		 Democratic 2006 Patty Judge
42 Terry Branstad
(b. 1946)
[110]		 January 14, 2011
–
May 24, 2017
(resigned)[lower-alpha 26]		 Republican 2010 Kim Reynolds
2014
43 Kim Reynolds
(b. 1959)
[114]		 May 24, 2017
–
Incumbent[lower-alpha 27]		 Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor		 Vacant
Adam Gregg
(appointed May 25, 2017)[lower-alpha 28]
2018
2022

See also

Notes
  1. The range given is from the date the governor was confirmed by the Senate, or appointed by the President during a Senate recess, to the date the governor left office.
  2. Atkinson was nominated on June 12, 1838,[8] and confirmed by the Senate on June 13.[9] However, he declined the post;[10] no source gives a date for when this happened, so his term is marked as having ended when his successor was confirmed.
  3. Lucas did not arrive for six weeks after the territory had been created; in the interim, territorial secretary William B. Conway acted as governor.[11]
  4. Lucas was nominated,[12] and confirmed by the Senate,[13] on July 7, 1838. He took office on August 15.[10]
  5. Lucas was out of the capital when Chambers arrived, and did not formally resign his commission until June 17, per a letter written to U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster.[14]
  6. Chambers was appointed on March 25, 1841,[15] during a Senate recess; nominated on June 17;[16] and confirmed by the Senate on July 15.[17] He took office on May 13.[15] He was reappointed on July 2, 1844, during a Senate recess,[18] and reconfirmed by the Senate on December 23.[19]
  7. Clarke was appointed during a Senate recess; McMullin says it was on November 8, 1845,[20] but some sources say November 18.[21] He was formally nominated on December 23, 1845,[22] and confirmed by the Senate on February 3, 1846.[23]
  8. There is no official numbering, and different governors have interpreted it differently, depending on if they give a new number when a governor has multiple distinct terms in office.[33] This article includes numbering for every distinct term in office.
  9. The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1857 constitution.[29]
  10. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
  11. The election schedule changed with this term, switching to odd-numbered years and shortening the term by nearly a year.
  12. First term under the 1857 constitution, which shortened terms to two years.[25]
  13. No source appears to know which date Walden resigned, just that it was to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives for a term beginning March 4.[48]
  14. Kirkwood resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.[43]
  15. Boies was inaugurated on February 27, 1890.[61] No sources give an explanation for the delay; it appears from primary sources that the state legislature was deadlocked, performing over one hundred votes to name the speaker, and the certification of election results was delayed,[62] with Larrabee remaining in office until his successor was certified.
  16. Represented the Republican Party
  17. Cummins resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.[70]
  18. The election schedule changed with this term, switching to odd-numbered years and lengthening the term by nearly a year.
  19. Hammill instead ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for United States Senate.[80]
  20. Herring instead ran successfully for United States Senate.[84]
  21. Wilson instead ran successfully for United States Senate.[88]
  22. Hickenlooper instead ran successfully for United States Senate.[90]
  23. Represented the Democratic Party
  24. Hughes resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.[105]
  25. First term under a 1972 constitutional amendment which lengthened terms to four years.[26]
  26. Branstad resigned to become United States Ambassador to China.[113]
  27. Reynold's second full term began on January 13, 2023, and will expire January 15, 2027.
  28. Gregg was appointed acting lieutenant governor by Reynolds but, while he had the full powers and salary of the office, he was not in the line of succession until after he won the 2018 election.

References
General
  • "Former Iowa Governors". National Governors Association. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  • Sobel, Robert (1978). Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. II. Meckler Books. ISBN 9780930466008. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  • McMullin, Thomas A. (1984). Biographical directory of American territorial governors. Westport, CT : Meckler. ISBN 978-0-930466-11-4. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
Constitutions
Specific
  1. "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. IA Const. art. IV, § 1.
  3. IA Const. art. IV, § 9.
  4. IA Const. art III, § 16
  5. IA Const. art. IV, § 11.
  6. IA Const., art. IV, § 16.
  7. IA Const. art. IV, § 7.
  8. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 25th Cong., 2nd sess., 12 June 1838, 131. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  9. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 25th Cong., 2nd sess., 13 June 1838, 133. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  10. McMullin pp. 155–157
  11. Shambaugh, Benjamin F., ed. (1903). The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of Iowa. Vol. 1. Iowa City, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa. p. 208.
  12. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 25th Cong., 2nd sess., 7 July 1838, 145. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  13. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 25th Cong., 2nd sess., 7 July 1838, 153. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  14. Executive Journal of Iowa 1838–1841, Governor Robert Lucas. State Historical Society of Iowa. 1906. pp. 277–279.
  15. McMullin pp. 157–158
  16. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 27th Cong., 1st sess., 17 June 1841, 386. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  17. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 27th Cong., 1st sess., 15 July 1841, 406. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  18. The Territorial Papers of the United States: Volume I: General. United States Government Publishing Office. 1934. p. 13.
  19. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 28th Cong., 2nd sess., 23 December 1844, 364. Accessed February 28, 2023.
  20. McMullin pp. 158–160
  21. Benjamin F. Gue (1903). Iowa biography. Century History Company. p. 52.
  22. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 29th Cong., 1st sess., 23 December 1845, 10. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  23. U.S. Senate Exec. Journal. 29th Cong., 1st sess., 3 February 1846, 41. Accessed February 26, 2023.
  24. 1846 Const. article V, § 2
  25. IA Const. art. IV, § 2
  26. IA Const. amendment 32
  27. IA Const. art. IV, § 15
  28. IA Const. amendment 42
  29. IA Const. art. IV, § 3
  30. IA Const. amendment 41
  31. IA Const. art. IV, § 17
  32. 1846 Const. art V, § 18
  33. "No 41st Governor for Iowa?". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  34. Sobel p. 429
  35. "Ansel Briggs". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  36. Sobel pp. 429–430
  37. "Stephen Hempstead". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  38. Sobel pp. 430–431
  39. "James Wilson Grimes". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  40. Sobel p. 431
  41. "Ralph Phillips Lowe". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  42. Sobel pp. 432–433
  43. "Samuel Jordan Kirkwood". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  44. Sobel p. 433
  45. "William Milo Stone". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  46. Sobel p. 434
  47. "Samuel Merrill". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  48. United States Congress. "Walden, Madison Miner (id: W000034)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  49. Sobel pp. 434–435
  50. "Cyrus Clay Carpenter". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  51. Sobel pp. 435–436
  52. "Joshua G. Newbold". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  53. Sobel pp. 436–437
  54. "John Henry Gear". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  55. Sobel pp. 437–438
  56. "Buren Robinson Sherman". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  57. Sobel pp. 438–439
  58. "William Larrabee". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  59. Sobel pp. 439–440
  60. "Horace Boies". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  61. "A Democratic Ruler". Sioux City Journal. 1890-02-28. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  62. Journal of the House of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa. 1890. pp. 1–95. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  63. Sobel p. 440
  64. "Frank Darr Jackson". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  65. Sobel pp. 440–441
  66. "Francis Marion Drake". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  67. Sobel pp. 441–442
  68. "Leslie Mortier Shaw". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  69. Sobel pp. 442–443
  70. "Albert Baird Cummins". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  71. "Warren Garst". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  72. Sobel p. 443
  73. "Beryl Franklin Carroll". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  74. Sobel pp. 443–444
  75. "George Washington Clarke". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  76. Sobel p. 444
  77. "William Lloyd Harding". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  78. Sobel p. 445
  79. "Nathan Edward Kendall". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  80. Sobel pp. 445–446
  81. "John Hammill". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  82. Sobel p. 446
  83. "Daniel Webster Turner". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  84. Sobel pp. 446–447
  85. "Clyde Laverne Herring". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  86. Sobel pp. 447–448
  87. "Nelson George Kraschel". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  88. Sobel p. 448
  89. "George Allison Wilson". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  90. Sobel pp. 448–449
  91. "Bourke Blakemore Hickenlooper". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  92. Sobel pp. 449–450
  93. "Robert Donald Blue". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  94. Sobel p. 450
  95. "William S. Beardsley". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  96. Sobel pp. 450–451
  97. "Leo Elthon". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  98. Sobel p. 451
  99. "Leo ARthur Hoegh". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  100. Sobel p. 452
  101. "Herschel C. Loveless". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  102. Sobel pp. 452–453
  103. "Norman Arthur Erbe". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  104. Sobel p. 453
  105. "Harold Everett Hughes". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  106. Sobel p. 454
  107. "Robert David Fulton". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  108. Sobel pp. 454–455
  109. "Robert D. Ray". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  110. "Terry E. Branstad". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  111. "Thomas J. Vilsack". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  112. "Chet Culver". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  113. Pfannenstiel, Brianne (May 24, 2017). "Branstad resigns governorship, takes office as U.S. Ambassador to China". Des Moines Register. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  114. "Kim Reynolds". National Governors Association. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
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