List of governors of Kentucky
(Redirected from List of Governors of Kentucky)
The Governor of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of Kentucky's state government. Here is the list of individuals who became Governor.
List of governors
No.[a] | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[b][c] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Isaac Shelby | June 4, 1792 – June 7, 1796 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic- Republican |
1792 | Office did not exist | |||
2 | James Garrard | June 7, 1796 – September 5, 1804 (term limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1796 | ||||
1800 | Alexander Scott Bullitt | |||||||
3 | Christopher Greenup | September 5, 1804 – September 1, 1808 (term limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1804 | John Caldwell (died November 19, 1804) | |||
Vacant | ||||||||
Thomas Posey (acting, elected Speaker in 1805) | ||||||||
4 | Charles Scott | September 1, 1808 – August 24, 1812 (term limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1808 | Gabriel Slaughter | |||
5 | Isaac Shelby | August 24, 1812 – September 5, 1816 (term limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1812 | Richard Hickman | |||
6 | George Madison | September 5, 1816 – October 14, 1816 (died in office) |
Democratic- Republican |
1816 | Gabriel Slaughter | |||
7 | Gabriel Slaughter | October 14, 1816 – August 29, 1820 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic- Republican |
Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
8 | John Adair | August 29, 1820 – August 24, 1824 (term limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1820 | William T. Barry | |||
9 | Joseph Desha | August 24, 1824 – August 26, 1828 (term limited) |
Democratic- Republican |
1824 | Robert B. McAfee | |||
10 | Thomas Metcalfe | August 26, 1828 – September 4, 1832 (term limited) |
National Republican |
1828 | John Breathitt[d] | |||
11 | John Breathitt | September 4, 1832 – February 21, 1834 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1832 | James Turner Morehead[e] | |||
12 | James Turner Morehead | February 21, 1834 – August 30, 1836 (not candidate for election) |
National Republican[f] |
Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
13 | James Clark | August 30, 1836 – August 27, 1839 (died in office) |
Whig | 1836 | Charles A. Wickliffe | |||
14 | Charles A. Wickliffe | August 27, 1839 – September 2, 1840 (not candidate for election) |
Whig | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
15 | Robert P. Letcher | September 2, 1840 – September 4, 1844 (term limited) |
Whig | 1840 | Manlius Valerius Thomson | |||
16 | William Owsley | September 4, 1844 – September 6, 1848 (term limited) |
Whig | 1844 | Archibald Dixon | |||
17 | John J. Crittenden | September 6, 1848 – July 31, 1850 (resigned)[g] |
Whig | 1848[h] | John L. Helm | |||
18 | John L. Helm | July 31, 1850 – September 2, 1851 (not candidate for election) |
Whig | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
19 | Lazarus W. Powell | September 2, 1851 – September 4, 1855 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1851 | John Burton Thompson[i] | |||
20 | Charles S. Morehead | September 4, 1855 – August 30, 1859 (term limited) |
Know Nothing | 1855 | James Greene Hardy | |||
21 | Beriah Magoffin | August 30, 1859 – August 18, 1862 (resigned)[j] |
Democratic | 1859 | Linn Boyd (died December 17, 1859) | |||
Vacant | ||||||||
22 | James Fisher Robinson | August 18, 1862 – September 1, 1863 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | Succeeded from President of the Senate | ||||
23 | Thomas E. Bramlette | September 1, 1863 – September 3, 1867 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1863 | Richard Taylor Jacob | |||
24 | John L. Helm | September 3, 1867 – September 8, 1867 (died in office) |
Democratic | 1867 | John W. Stevenson | |||
25 | John W. Stevenson | September 8, 1867 – February 3, 1871 (resigned)[k] |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
1868 (special) | ||||||||
26 | Preston Leslie | February 3, 1871 – August 31, 1875 (term limited) |
Democratic | Succeeded from President of the Senate | ||||
1871 | John G. Carlisle | |||||||
27 | James B. McCreary | August 31, 1875 – September 2, 1879 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1875 | John C. Underwood | |||
28 | Luke P. Blackburn | September 2, 1879 – September 5, 1883 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1879 | James E. Cantrill | |||
29 | J. Proctor Knott | September 5, 1883 – August 30, 1887 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1883 | James R. Hindman | |||
30 | Simon Bolivar Buckner | August 30, 1887 – September 2, 1891 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1887 | James William Bryan | |||
31 | John Y. Brown | September 2, 1891 – December 10, 1895 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1891 | Mitchell Cary Alford | |||
32 | William O'Connell Bradley | December 10, 1895 – December 12, 1899 (term limited) |
Republican | 1895 | William Jackson Worthington | |||
33 | William S. Taylor | December 12, 1899 – January 31, 1900 (removed from office)[l] |
Republican | 1899 | John Marshall | |||
34 | William Goebel | January 31, 1900 – February 3, 1900 (died in office)[l] |
Democratic | J. C. W. Beckham | ||||
35 | J. C. W. Beckham | February 3, 1900 – December 10, 1907 (term limited) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor[l] |
Vacant | |||
1900 (special) | ||||||||
1903 | William P. Thorne | |||||||
36 | Augustus E. Willson | December 10, 1907 – December 12, 1911 (term limited) |
Republican | 1907 | William Hopkinson Cox | |||
37 | James B. McCreary | December 12, 1911 – December 7, 1915 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1911 | Edward J. McDermott | |||
38 | Augustus Owsley Stanley | December 7, 1915 – May 19, 1919 (resigned)[m] |
Democratic | 1915 | James D. Black | |||
39 | James D. Black | May 19, 1919 – December 9, 1919 (lost election) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
40 | Edwin P. Morrow | December 9, 1919 – December 11, 1923 (term limited) |
Republican | 1919 | S. Thruston Ballard | |||
41 | William J. Fields | December 11, 1923 – December 13, 1927 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1923 | Henry Denhardt | |||
42 | Flem D. Sampson | December 13, 1927 – December 8, 1931 (term limited) |
Republican | 1927 | James Breathitt Jr.[d] | |||
43 | Ruby Laffoon | December 8, 1931 – December 10, 1935 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1931 | Happy Chandler | |||
44 | Happy Chandler | December 10, 1935 – October 9, 1939 (resigned)[n] |
Democratic | 1935 | Keen Johnson | |||
45 | Keen Johnson | October 9, 1939 – December 7, 1943 (term limited) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
1939 | Rodes K. Myers | |||||||
46 | Simeon Willis | December 7, 1943 – December 9, 1947 (term limited) |
Republican | 1943 | Kenneth H. Tuggle | |||
47 | Earle Clements | December 9, 1947 – November 27, 1950 (resigned)[o] |
Democratic | 1947 | Lawrence Wetherby | |||
48 | Lawrence Wetherby | November 27, 1950 – December 13, 1955 (term limited) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
1951 | Emerson Beauchamp | |||||||
49 | Happy Chandler | December 13, 1955 – December 8, 1959 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1955 | Harry Lee Waterfield | |||
50 | Bert Combs | December 8, 1959 – December 10, 1963 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1959 | Wilson W. Wyatt | |||
51 | Ned Breathitt | December 10, 1963 – December 12, 1967 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1963 | Harry Lee Waterfield | |||
52 | Louie Nunn | December 12, 1967 – December 7, 1971 (term limited) |
Republican | 1967 | Wendell Ford[d] | |||
53 | Wendell Ford | December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974 (resigned)[p] |
Democratic | 1971 | Julian Carroll | |||
54 | Julian Carroll | December 28, 1974 – December 11, 1979 (term limited) |
Democratic | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Vacant | |||
1975 | Thelma Stovall | |||||||
55 | John Y. Brown Jr. | December 11, 1979 – December 13, 1983 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1979 | Martha Layne Collins | |||
56 | Martha Layne Collins | December 13, 1983 – December 8, 1987 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1983 | Steve Beshear | |||
57 | Wallace Wilkinson | December 8, 1987 – December 10, 1991 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1987 | Brereton Jones | |||
58 | Brereton Jones | December 10, 1991 – December 12, 1995 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1991 | Paul E. Patton | |||
59 | Paul E. Patton | December 12, 1995 – December 9, 2003 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1995 | Steve Henry | |||
1999 | ||||||||
60 | Ernie Fletcher | December 9, 2003 – December 11, 2007 (lost election) |
Republican | 2003 | Steve Pence | |||
61 | Steve Beshear | December 11, 2007 – December 8, 2015 (term limited) |
Democratic | 2007 | Daniel Mongiardo | |||
2011 | Jerry Abramson (resigned November 13, 2014) | |||||||
Crit Luallen | ||||||||
62 | Matt Bevin | December 8, 2015 – December 10, 2019 (lost election) |
Republican | 2015 | Jenean Hampton | |||
63 | Andy Beshear | December 10, 2019 – Incumbent[q] |
Democratic | 2019 | Jacqueline Coleman |
Notes
- ↑ The state labels Matt Bevin as the 62nd governor;[1] based on this, subsequent terms of repeat governors are numbered.
- ↑ The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1799 constitution.[2]
- ↑ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Represented the Democratic Party.
- ↑ Represented the National Republican Party.
- ↑ The National Republican Party changed its name to the Whig Party in 1834.
- ↑ Crittenden resigned to be Attorney General of the United States.
- ↑ The 1850 Constitution shifted the election schedule forward, shortening this term by a year.
- ↑ Represented the Whig Party.
- ↑ Magoffin resigned due to his disagreement with the state legislature over neutrality in the American Civil War.
- ↑ Stevenson resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Taylor won the 1899 election and was sworn into office. However, the legislature challenged the validity of his win, claiming ballot fraud. His challenger, Goebel, was shot on January 30, 1900, but was named governor by the legislature and sworn in the next day; he died three days later. Since Lieutenant Governor Marshall's win had also been invalidated, Beckham, having been named lieutenant governor, succeeded Goebel.
- ↑ Stanley resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ↑ Chandler resigned so that his successor would appoint him to the United States Senate.
- ↑ Clements resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ↑ Ford resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ↑ Beshear's first term expires on December 12, 2023.
References
- ↑ "Governor Matt Bevin". Governor of Kentucky. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ↑ 1799 Const. art. II, § 15