| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[e] |
|---|
| 1 |  | | Henry Hastings Sibley (1811–1891) [21][22][23] | May 24, 1858[24] – January 2, 1860 (did not run) | Democratic[25] | 1857 | | William Holcombe |
|---|
| 2 |  | | Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903) [2][3][26][4] | January 2, 1860[27] – July 10, 1863 (resigned)[f] | Republican[28] | 1859 | | Ignatius L. Donnelly |
|---|
| 1861 | Henry Adoniram Swift |
| 3 |  | Henry Adoniram Swift (1823–1869) [29][30][31] | July 10, 1863[32] – January 13, 1864 (did not run)[29] | Republican[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 4 |  | Stephen Miller (1816–1881) [34][35][36] | January 13, 1864[g] – January 8, 1866 (did not run)[34] | Republican[33] | 1863 | | Charles D. Sherwood |
|---|
| 5 |  | William Rainey Marshall (1825–1896) [38][39][40] | January 8, 1866[41] – January 7, 1870 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1865 | Thomas H. Armstrong |
|---|
| 1867 |
| 6 |  | Horace Austin (1831–1905) [42][43][44] | January 7, 1870[45] – January 9, 1874 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1869 | William H. Yale |
|---|
| 1871 |
| 7 |  | Cushman K. Davis (1838–1900) [46][47][48] | January 9, 1874[49] – January 7, 1876 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1873 | Alphonso Barto |
|---|
| 8 |  | John S. Pillsbury (1827–1901) [50][51][52] | January 7, 1876[53] – January 9, 1882 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1875 | James Wakefield |
|---|
| 1877 |
| 1879 | Charles A. Gilman |
| 9 |  | Lucius Frederick Hubbard (1836–1913) [54][55][56] | January 9, 1882[57] – January 5, 1887 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1881 |
|---|
| 1883 |
| 10 |  | Andrew Ryan McGill (1840–1905) [58][59][60] | January 5, 1887[61] – January 9, 1889 (lost nomination)[58] | Republican[33] | 1886 | Albert E. Rice |
|---|
| 11 |  | William Rush Merriam (1849–1931) [62][63][64] | January 9, 1889[65] – January 4, 1893 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1888 |
|---|
| 1890 | Gideon S. Ives |
| 12 |  | Knute Nelson (1843–1923) [66][67][68] | January 4, 1893[69] – January 31, 1895 (resigned)[h] | Republican[33] | 1892 | David Marston Clough |
|---|
| 1894 |
| 13 |  | David Marston Clough (1846–1924) [70][71][72] | January 31, 1895[73] – January 2, 1899 (did not run) | Republican[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1896 | | John L. Gibbs |
| 14 |  | | John Lind (1854–1930) [74][75][76] | January 2, 1899[77] – January 7, 1901 (lost election) | Democratic[i] | 1898 | Lyndon A. Smith[j] |
|---|
| 15 |  | | Samuel Rinnah Van Sant (1844–1936) [79][80][81] | January 7, 1901[82] – January 4, 1905 (did not run)[79] | Republican[33] | 1900 |
|---|
| 1902 | Ray W. Jones[j] |
| 16 |  | | John Albert Johnson (1861–1909) [83][84][85] | January 4, 1905[86] – September 21, 1909 (died in office) | Democratic[33] | 1904 |
|---|
| 1906 | Adolph Olson Eberhart[j] |
| 1908 |
| 17 |  | | Adolph Olson Eberhart (1870–1944) [87][88][89] | September 21, 1909[90] – January 6, 1915 (lost nomination)[k] | Republican[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1910 | | Samuel Y. Gordon |
| 1912 | Joseph A. A. Burnquist[j] |
| 18 |  | | Winfield Scott Hammond (1863–1915) [92][93][94] | January 6, 1915[95] – December 30, 1915 (died in office) | Democratic[33] | 1914 |
|---|
| 19 |  | | Joseph A. A. Burnquist (1879–1961) [96][97][98] | December 30, 1915[99] – January 5, 1921 (did not run) | Republican[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1916 | | Thomas Frankson |
| 1918 |
| 20 |  | J. A. O. Preus (1883–1961) [100][101][102] | January 5, 1921[103] – January 7, 1925 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1920 | Louis L. Collins |
|---|
| 1922 |
| 21 |  | Theodore Christianson (1883–1948) [104][105][106] | January 7, 1925[107] – January 7, 1931 (did not run) | Republican[33] | 1924 | William I. Nolan |
|---|
| 1926 |
| 1928 | Charles Edward Adams |
| 22 |  | | Floyd B. Olson (1891–1936) [108][109][110] | January 7, 1931[111] – August 22, 1936 (died in office) | Farmer-Labor[33] | 1930 | | Henry M. Arens |
|---|
| 1932 | Konrad K. Solberg |
| 1934 | Hjalmar Petersen |
| 23 |  | Hjalmar Petersen (1890–1968) [112][113][114] | August 22, 1936[115] – January 4, 1937 (did not run)[112] | Farmer-Labor[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 24 |  | Elmer Austin Benson (1895–1985) [116][117][118] | January 4, 1937[119] – January 3, 1939 (lost election) | Farmer-Labor[33] | 1936 | | Gottfrid Lindsten |
|---|
| 25 |  | | Harold Stassen (1907–2001) [120][121][122] | January 3, 1939[123] – April 27, 1943 (resigned)[l] | Republican[33] | 1938 | | C. Elmer Anderson |
|---|
| 1940 |
| 1942 | Edward John Thye |
| 26 |  | Edward John Thye (1896–1969) [124][125][126] | April 27, 1943[127] – January 8, 1947 (did not run)[m] | Republican[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1944 | | C. Elmer Anderson |
| 27 |  | Luther Youngdahl (1896–1978) [128][129][130] | January 8, 1947[131] – September 27, 1951 (resigned)[n] | Republican[33] | 1946 |
|---|
| 1948 |
| 1950 |
| 28 |  | C. Elmer Anderson (1912–1998) [132][133][134] | September 27, 1951[135] – January 5, 1955 (lost election) | Republican[33] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant |
|---|
| 1952 | | Ancher Nelsen |
| Donald O. Wright |
| 29 |  | | Orville Freeman (1918–2003) [136][137][138] | January 5, 1955[139] – January 4, 1961 (lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[33] | 1954 | | Karl Rolvaag[o] |
|---|
| 1956 |
| 1958 |
| 30 |  | | Elmer L. Andersen (1909–2004) [140][141][142] | January 4, 1961[143] – March 25, 1963 (lost election)[p] | Republican[33] | 1960 |
|---|
| 31 |  | | Karl Rolvaag (1913–1990) [144][145][146] | March 25, 1963[147] – January 2, 1967 (lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[33] | 1962 | Sandy Keith |
|---|
| 32 |  | | Harold LeVander (1910–1992) [148][149][150] | January 2, 1967[151] – January 4, 1971 (did not run)[148] | Republican[33] | 1966 | | James B. Goetz |
|---|
| 33 |  | | Wendell R. Anderson (1933–2016) [152][153][154] | January 4, 1971[155] – December 29, 1976 (resigned)[q] | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[33] | 1970 | | Rudy Perpich |
|---|
| 1974 |
| 34 |  | Rudy Perpich (1928–1995) [156][157][158] | December 29, 1976[159] – January 1, 1979 (lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[158] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Alec G. Olson |
|---|
| 35 |  | | Al Quie (1923–2023) [160][161] | January 1, 1979[162] – January 3, 1983 (did not run) | Independent- Republican[161] | 1978 | | Lou Wangberg |
|---|
| 36 |  | | Rudy Perpich (1928–1995) [156][157][158] | January 3, 1983[163] – January 7, 1991 (lost election) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[158] | 1982 | | Marlene Johnson |
|---|
| 1986 |
| 37 |  | | Arne Carlson (b. 1934) [164][165] | January 7, 1991[166] – January 4, 1999 (did not run) | Independent- Republican[165] | 1990 | | Joanell Dyrstad |
|---|
| 1994 | Joanne Benson |
| 38 |  | | Jesse Ventura (b. 1951) [167][168] | January 4, 1999[169] – January 6, 2003 (did not run) | Reform/ Independence[r] | 1998 | | Mae Schunk |
|---|
| 39 |  | | Tim Pawlenty (b. 1960) [171][172] | January 6, 2003[173] – January 3, 2011 (did not run) | Republican[172] | 2002 | | Carol Molnau |
|---|
| 2006 |
| 40 |  | | Mark Dayton (b. 1947) [174][175] | January 3, 2011[176] – January 7, 2019 (did not run) | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[175] | 2010 | | Yvonne Prettner Solon |
|---|
| 2014 | Tina Smith (resigned January 2, 2018) |
| Vacant |
| Michelle Fischbach[j] (took office May 25, 2018) |
| 41 |  | Tim Walz (b. 1964) [177] | January 7, 2019[178] – Incumbent[s] | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[177] | 2018 | | Peggy Flanagan |
|---|
| 2022 |