
Thegovernor of Minnesota is thehead of government of theU.S. state ofMinnesota. Thegovernor is the head of theexecutive branch ofMinnesota's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.
There have been 41 governors of the state; one,Rudy Perpich, served non-consecutive terms.Minnesota Territory had three governors appointed by thepresident of the United States; the first,Alexander Ramsey, would later be state governor.
The current governor isTim Walz, a member of theDemocratic-Farmer-Labor Party, who took office on January 7, 2019.
Minnesota Territory was organized on March 3, 1849.[1]
| No. | Governor | Term in office[a] | Duration | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903) [2][3][4] | June 1, 1849[b] – April 1, 1853 (successor appointed) | 3 years, 305 days | Zachary Taylor | |
| 2 | Willis A. Gorman (1816–1876) [11][12] | April 1, 1853[c] – March 13, 1857 (successor appointed) | 3 years, 347 days | Franklin Pierce | |
| 3 | Samuel Medary (1801–1864) [15][16] | March 13, 1857[d] – May 24, 1858 (statehood) | 1 year, 73 days | James Buchanan | |
| -- | Charles L. Chase (1826–1895) (Acting) [19][20] | October 13, 1857[e] – May 24, 1858 (statehood) | 224 days | ||
Minnesota wasadmitted to the Union on May 11, 1858.[21]
TheMinnesota Constitution of 1858 created the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, elected separately to two-year terms; these were lengthened to four years starting in 1963. As of 1974, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the sameticket.[22]
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Duration | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[f] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Hastings Sibley (1811–1891) [23][24][25] | May 24, 1858[26] – January 2, 1860 (did not run) | 1 year, 224 days | Democratic[27] | 1857 | William Holcombe | |||
| 2 | Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903) [2][3][28][4] | January 2, 1860[29] – July 10, 1863 (resigned)[g] | 3 years, 190 days | Republican[30] | 1859 | Ignatius L. Donnelly | |||
| 1861 | Henry Adoniram Swift | ||||||||
| 3 | Henry Adoniram Swift (1823–1869) [31][32][33] | July 10, 1863[34] – January 13, 1864 (did not run)[31] | 188 days | Republican[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 4 | Stephen Miller (1816–1881) [36][37][38] | January 13, 1864[h] – January 8, 1866 (did not run)[36] | 1 year, 361 days | Republican[35] | 1863 | Charles D. Sherwood | |||
| 5 | William Rainey Marshall (1825–1896) [40][41][42] | January 8, 1866[43] – January 7, 1870 (did not run) | 4 years, 0 days | Republican[35] | 1865 | Thomas H. Armstrong | |||
| 1867 | |||||||||
| 6 | Horace Austin (1831–1905) [44][45][46] | January 7, 1870[47] – January 9, 1874 (did not run) | 4 years, 3 days | Republican[35] | 1869 | William H. Yale | |||
| 1871 | |||||||||
| 7 | Cushman K. Davis (1838–1900) [48][49][50] | January 9, 1874[51] – January 7, 1876 (did not run) | 1 year, 364 days | Republican[35] | 1873 | Alphonso Barto | |||
| 8 | John S. Pillsbury (1827–1901) [52][53][54] | January 7, 1876[55] – January 9, 1882 (did not run) | 6 years, 3 days | Republican[35] | 1875 | James Wakefield | |||
| 1877 | |||||||||
| 1879 | Charles A. Gilman | ||||||||
| 9 | Lucius Frederick Hubbard (1836–1913) [56][57][58] | January 9, 1882[59] – January 5, 1887 (did not run) | 4 years, 362 days | Republican[35] | 1881 | ||||
| 1883 | |||||||||
| 10 | Andrew Ryan McGill (1840–1905) [60][61][62] | January 5, 1887[63] – January 9, 1889 (lost nomination)[60] | 2 years, 5 days | Republican[35] | 1886 | Albert E. Rice | |||
| 11 | William Rush Merriam (1849–1931) [64][65][66] | January 9, 1889[67] – January 4, 1893 (did not run) | 3 years, 362 days | Republican[35] | 1888 | ||||
| 1890 | Gideon S. Ives | ||||||||
| 12 | Knute Nelson (1843–1923) [68][69][70] | January 4, 1893[71] – January 31, 1895 (resigned)[i] | 2 years, 28 days | Republican[35] | 1892 | David Marston Clough | |||
| 1894 | |||||||||
| 13 | David Marston Clough (1846–1924) [72][73][74] | January 31, 1895[75] – January 2, 1899 (did not run) | 3 years, 337 days | Republican[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1896 | John L. Gibbs | ||||||||
| 14 | John Lind (1854–1930) [76][77][78] | January 2, 1899[79] – January 7, 1901 (lost election) | 2 years, 6 days | Democratic[j] | 1898 | Lyndon A. Smith[k] | |||
| 15 | Samuel Rinnah Van Sant (1844–1936) [81][82][83] | January 7, 1901[84] – January 4, 1905 (did not run)[81] | 3 years, 364 days | Republican[35] | 1900 | ||||
| 1902 | Ray W. Jones[k] | ||||||||
| 16 | John Albert Johnson (1861–1909) [85][86][87] | January 4, 1905[88] – September 21, 1909 (died in office) | 4 years, 261 days | Democratic[35] | 1904 | ||||
| 1906 | Adolph Olson Eberhart[k] | ||||||||
| 1908 | |||||||||
| 17 | Adolph Olson Eberhart (1870–1944) [89][90][91] | September 21, 1909[92] – January 6, 1915 (lost nomination)[l] | 5 years, 108 days | Republican[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1910 | Samuel Y. Gordon | ||||||||
| 1912 | Joseph A. A. Burnquist[k] | ||||||||
| 18 | Winfield Scott Hammond (1863–1915) [94][95][96] | January 6, 1915[97] – December 30, 1915 (died in office) | 359 days | Democratic[35] | 1914 | ||||
| 19 | Joseph A. A. Burnquist (1879–1961) [98][99][100] | December 30, 1915[101] – January 5, 1921 (did not run) | 5 years, 7 days | Republican[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1916 | Thomas Frankson | ||||||||
| 1918 | |||||||||
| 20 | J. A. O. Preus (1883–1961) [102][103][104] | January 5, 1921[105] – January 7, 1925 (did not run) | 4 years, 3 days | Republican[35] | 1920 | Louis L. Collins | |||
| 1922 | |||||||||
| 21 | Theodore Christianson (1883–1948) [106][107][108] | January 7, 1925[109] – January 7, 1931 (did not run) | 6 years, 1 day | Republican[35] | 1924 | William I. Nolan | |||
| 1926 | |||||||||
| 1928 | Charles Edward Adams | ||||||||
| 22 | Floyd B. Olson (1891–1936) [110][111][112] | January 7, 1931[113] – August 22, 1936 (died in office) | 5 years, 229 days | Farmer-Labor[35] | 1930 | Henry M. Arens | |||
| 1932 | Konrad K. Solberg | ||||||||
| 1934 | Hjalmar Petersen | ||||||||
| 23 | Hjalmar Petersen (1890–1968) [114][115][116] | August 22, 1936[117] – January 4, 1937 (did not run) | 136 days | Farmer-Labor[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 24 | Elmer Austin Benson (1895–1985) [118][119][120] | January 4, 1937[121] – January 3, 1939 (lost election) | 2 years, 1 day | Farmer-Labor[35] | 1936 | Gottfrid Lindsten | |||
| 25 | Harold Stassen (1907–2001) [122][123][124] | January 3, 1939[125] – April 27, 1943 (resigned)[m] | 4 years, 144 days | Republican[35] | 1938 | C. Elmer Anderson | |||
| 1940 | |||||||||
| 1942 | Edward John Thye | ||||||||
| 26 | Edward John Thye (1896–1969) [126][127][128] | April 27, 1943[129] – January 8, 1947 (did not run)[n] | 3 years, 227 days | Republican[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1944 | C. Elmer Anderson | ||||||||
| 27 | Luther Youngdahl (1896–1978) [130][131][132] | January 8, 1947[133] – September 27, 1951 (resigned)[o] | 4 years, 263 days | Republican[35] | 1946 | ||||
| 1948 | |||||||||
| 1950 | |||||||||
| 28 | C. Elmer Anderson (1912–1998) [134][135][136] | September 27, 1951[137] – January 5, 1955 (lost election) | 3 years, 101 days | Republican[35] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||
| 1952 | Ancher Nelsen | ||||||||
| Donald O. Wright | |||||||||
| 29 | Orville Freeman (1918–2003) [138][139][140] | January 5, 1955[141] – January 4, 1961 (lost election) | 6 years, 0 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[35] | 1954 | Karl Rolvaag[p] | |||
| 1956 | |||||||||
| 1958 | |||||||||
| 30 | Elmer L. Andersen (1909–2004) [142][143][144] | January 4, 1961[145] – March 25, 1963 (lost election)[q] | 2 years, 81 days | Republican[35] | 1960 | ||||
| 31 | Karl Rolvaag (1913–1990) [146][147][148] | March 25, 1963[149] – January 2, 1967 (lost election) | 3 years, 284 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[35] | 1962 | Sandy Keith | |||
| 32 | Harold LeVander (1910–1992) [150][151][152] | January 2, 1967[153] – January 4, 1971 (did not run)[150] | 4 years, 3 days | Republican[35] | 1966 | James B. Goetz | |||
| 33 | Wendell R. Anderson (1933–2016) [154][155][156] | January 4, 1971[157] – December 29, 1976 (resigned)[r] | 5 years, 361 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[35] | 1970 | Rudy Perpich | |||
| 1974 | |||||||||
| 34 | Rudy Perpich (1928–1995) [158][159][160] | December 29, 1976[161] – January 1, 1979 (lost election) | 2 years, 4 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[160] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Alec G. Olson | |||
| 35 | Al Quie (1923–2023) [162][163] | January 1, 1979[164] – January 3, 1983 (did not run) | 4 years, 3 days | Independent- Republican[163] | 1978 | Lou Wangberg | |||
| 36 | Rudy Perpich (1928–1995) [158][159][160] | January 3, 1983[165] – January 7, 1991 (lost election) | 8 years, 5 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[160] | 1982 | Marlene Johnson | |||
| 1986 | |||||||||
| 37 | Arne Carlson (b. 1934) [166][167] | January 7, 1991[168] – January 4, 1999 (did not run) | 7 years, 363 days | Independent- Republican[167] | 1990 | Joanell Dyrstad | |||
| 1994 | Joanne Benson | ||||||||
| 38 | Jesse Ventura (b. 1951) [169][170] | January 4, 1999[171] – January 6, 2003 (did not run) | 4 years, 3 days | Reform/ Independence[s] | 1998 | Mae Schunk | |||
| 39 | Tim Pawlenty (b. 1960) [173][174] | January 6, 2003[175] – January 3, 2011 (did not run) | 7 years, 363 days | Republican[174] | 2002 | Carol Molnau | |||
| 2006 | |||||||||
| 40 | Mark Dayton (b. 1947) [176][177] | January 3, 2011[178] – January 7, 2019 (did not run) | 8 years, 5 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[177] | 2010 | Yvonne Prettner Solon | |||
| 2014 | Tina Smith (resigned January 2, 2018) | ||||||||
| Vacant | |||||||||
| Michelle Fischbach[k] (took office May 25, 2018) | |||||||||
| 41 | Tim Walz (b. 1964) [179] | January 7, 2019[180] – Incumbent[t] | 7 years, 46 days | Democratic- Farmer-Labor[179] | 2018 | Peggy Flanagan | |||
| 2022 | |||||||||
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