List of governors of Kansas

Flag of the Governor prior to 1961. It is unclear when the Governor's flag was first created

There is no lifetime limit on the number of times he or she may be elected, but a governor who has been elected to two consecutive terms must be out of office for at least one election cycle before being eligible once again for re-election. Elections occur at the same time as the Congressional midterm elections, and each term begins on the second Monday of January following the election. The lieutenant governor is subject to the same limitations and runs on a combined ticket with the governor.[9] From the establishment of the state in 1859 with the Wyandotte Constitution until 2018, there was neither an age requirement nor a residency requirement to run for the office; as of 2017 three Kansan teenagers were doing so.[10] In 2018, a law was passed establishing the age to run for Governor and Lieutenant Governor at 25, beginning with the 2022 election.[11]

If the governor becomes incapacitated, the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor. However, if both offices become vacant, the line of succession is determined by the legislature. Under present law, the President of the Senate would be next in line to assume the governorship, followed by the Speaker of the House.

Since 1962, the Governor of Kansas has resided in the governor's mansion, known as Cedar Crest. It was designed by the architect firm Wight and Wight. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

• The area that became Kansas was part of Louisiana Territory, later renamed Missouri Territory, until 1821, and unorganized until it became its own territory on May 30, 1854; see List of Governors of Missouri for the period from 1805 to 1821.
• A small part of Kansas was once claimed as part of the Republic of Texas (see List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas, and before that, was part of Mexico (see Spanish governors of New Mexico).

Governors of the Territory of Kansas

No.	Governor		Term in office	Appointed by
1		Andrew Horatio Reeder     July 12, 1807 – July 5, 1864    (aged 56)	July 7, 1854 – August 16, 1855	Franklin Pierce
2		Wilson Shannon     February 24, 1802 – August 30, 1877    (aged 75)	September 5, 1855 – August 18, 1856
3		John W. Geary     December 30, 1819 – February 8, 1873    (aged 53)	September 9, 1856 – March 20, 1857
4		Robert J. Walker     July 19, 1801 – November 11, 1869    (aged 68)	May 27, 1857 – December 15, 1857	James Buchanan
5		James W. Denver     October 23, 1817 – August 9, 1892    (aged 75)	December 1857 – November 1858
6		Samuel Medary     February 25, 1801 – November 7, 1864    (aged 63)	December 1858 – December 1860

The eastern bulk of Kansas Territory was admitted to the Union as Kansas on January 29, 1861; the remainder become unorganized territory which would shortly be assigned to Colorado Territory. The Kansas Constitution provided that a governor and lieutenant governor be elected every 2 years.[12] An amendment in 1972 increased terms to four years,[13] and provided that the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket. In the original constitution, should the office of governor be vacant, the powers would devolve upon the lieutenant governor, who nonetheless would remain in that office;[14] an amendment in 1972 changed that so that, in such an event, the lieutenant governor becomes governor, and relies on the legislature to provide for succession after that.[15]

Governors of the State of Kansas

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 1]
1			Charles L. Robinson     July 21, 1818 – August 17, 1894    (aged 76)	February 9, 1861 – January 12, 1863 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1860		Joseph Pomeroy Root
2			Thomas Carney     August 20, 1824 – July 28, 1888    (aged 63)	January 12, 1863 – January 9, 1865 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1862		Thomas A. Osborn
3			Samuel J. Crawford     April 10, 1835 – October 21, 1913    (aged 78)	January 9, 1865 – November 4, 1868 (resigned)[lower-alpha 2]	Republican	1864		James McGrew
						1866		Nehemiah Green
4			Nehemiah Green     March 8, 1837 – January 12, 1890    (aged 52)	November 4, 1868 – January 11, 1869 (successor took office)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
5			James M. Harvey     September 21, 1833 – April 15, 1894    (aged 60)	January 11, 1869 – January 13, 1873 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1868		Charles Vernon Eskridge
						1870		Peter Percival Elder
6			Thomas A. Osborn     October 26, 1836 – February 4, 1898    (aged 61)	January 13, 1873 – January 8, 1877 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1872		Elias S. Stover
						1874		Melville J. Salter
7			George T. Anthony     June 9, 1824 – August 5, 1896    (aged 72)	January 8, 1877 – January 13, 1879 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1876
								Lyman U. Humphrey
8			John St. John     February 25, 1833 – August 31, 1916    (aged 72)	January 13, 1879 – January 8, 1883 (lost election)	Republican	1878
						1880		David Wesley Finney[lower-alpha 3]
9			George Washington Glick     July 4, 1827 – April 13, 1911    (aged 83)	January 8, 1883 – January 12, 1885 (lost election)	Democratic	1882
10			John Martin     March 10, 1839 – October 2, 1889    (aged 50)	January 12, 1885 – January 14, 1889 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1884		Alexander P. Riddle
						1886
11			Lyman U. Humphrey     July 25, 1844 – September 12, 1915    (aged 71)	January 14, 1889 – January 8, 1893 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1888		Andrew Jackson Felt
						1890
12			Lorenzo D. Lewelling     December 21, 1846 – September 3, 1900    (aged 53)	January 8, 1893 – January 14, 1895 (lost election)	Populist	1892		Percy Daniels
13			Edmund Needham Morrill     February 12, 1834 – March 14, 1909    (aged 75)	January 14, 1895 – January 11, 1897 (lost election)	Republican	1894		James Armstrong Troutman
14			John W. Leedy     March 8, 1849 – March 24, 1935    (aged 86)	January 11, 1897 – January 9, 1899 (lost election)	Populist	1896		Alexander Miller Harvey
15			William Eugene Stanley     December 28, 1844 – October 13, 1910    (aged 65)	January 9, 1899 – January 12, 1903 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1898		Harry E. Richter
						1900
16			Willis J. Bailey     October 12, 1854 – May 19, 1932    (aged 77)	January 12, 1903 – January 9, 1905 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1902		David John Hanna
17			Edward W. Hoch     March 17, 1849 – June 1, 1925    (aged 76)	January 9, 1905 – January 11, 1909 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1904
						1906		William James Fitzgerald
18			Walter R. Stubbs     November 7, 1858 – March 25, 1929    (aged 70)	January 11, 1909 – January 13, 1913 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1908
						1910		Richard Joseph Hopkins
19			George H. Hodges     February 6, 1866 – October 7, 1947    (aged 81)	January 13, 1913 – January 11, 1915 (lost election)	Democratic	1912		Sheffield Ingalls[lower-alpha 3]
20			Arthur Capper     July 14, 1865 – December 19, 1951    (aged 86)	January 11, 1915 – January 13, 1919 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1914		William Yoast Morgan
						1916
21			Henry Justin Allen     September 11, 1868 – January 17, 1950    (aged 81)	January 13, 1919 – January 8, 1923 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1918		Charles Solomon Huffman
						1920
22			Jonathan M. Davis     April 27, 1871 – June 27, 1943    (aged 72)	January 8, 1923 – January 12, 1925 (lost election)	Democratic	1922		Benjamin S. Paulen[lower-alpha 3]
23			Benjamin S. Paulen     July 14, 1869 – July 11, 1961    (aged 81)	January 12, 1925 – January 14, 1929 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1924		De Lanson Alson Newton Chase
						1926
24			Clyde M. Reed     October 19, 1871 – November 8, 1949    (aged 81)	January 14, 1929 – January 12, 1931 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1928		Jacob W. Graybill[lower-alpha 3]
25			Harry Hines Woodring     May 31, 1887 – September 9, 1967    (aged 80)	January 12, 1931 – January 9, 1933 (lost election)	Democratic	1930
26			Alf Landon     September 9, 1887 – October 12, 1987    (aged 100)	January 9, 1933 – January 11, 1937 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1932		Charles W. Thompson
						1934
27			Walter A. Huxman     February 16, 1887 – June 25, 1972    (aged 85)	January 11, 1937 – January 9, 1939 (lost election)	Democratic	1936		William M. Lindsay
28			Payne Ratner     October 3, 1896 – December 27, 1974    (aged 78)	January 9, 1939 – January 11, 1943 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1938		Carl E. Friend
						1940
29			Andrew Frank Schoeppel     November 23, 1894 – January 21, 1962    (aged 67)	January 11, 1943 – January 13, 1947 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1942		Jess C. Denious
						1944
30			Frank Carlson     January 23, 1893 – May 30, 1987    (aged 94)	January 13, 1947 – November 28, 1950 (resigned)[lower-alpha 4]	Republican	1946		Frank L. Hagaman
						1948
31			Frank L. Hagaman     June 1, 1894 – June 23, 1966    (aged 72)	November 28, 1950 – January 8, 1951 (successor took office)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
32			Edward F. Arn     May 19, 1906 – January 22, 1998    (aged 91)	January 8, 1951 – January 10, 1955 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1950		Fred Hall
						1952
33			Fred Hall     July 24, 1916 – March 18, 1970    (aged 53)	January 10, 1955 – January 3, 1957 (resigned)[lower-alpha 5]	Republican	1954		John McCuish
34			John McCuish     June 22, 1906 – March 12, 1962    (aged 55)	January 3, 1957 – January 14, 1957 (successor took office)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
35			George Docking     February 23, 1904 – January 20, 1964    (aged 59)	January 14, 1957 – January 9, 1961 (lost election)	Democratic	1956		Joseph W. Henkle Sr.
						1958
36			John Anderson Jr.     May 8, 1917 – September 15, 2014    (aged 97)	January 9, 1961 – January 11, 1965 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1960		Harold H. Chase
						1962
37			William H. Avery     August 11, 1911 – November 4, 2009    (aged 98)	January 11, 1965 – January 9, 1967 (lost election)	Republican	1964		John Crutcher[lower-alpha 3]
38			Robert Docking     October 9, 1925 – October 8, 1983    (aged 57)	January 9, 1967 – January 13, 1975 (term limited)	Democratic	1966
						1968		James H. DeCoursey Jr.
						1970		Reynolds Shultz[lower-alpha 3]
						1972		Dave Owen[lower-alpha 3]
39			Robert Frederick Bennett     May 23, 1927 – October 9, 2000    (aged 73)	January 13, 1975 – January 8, 1979 (lost election)	Republican	1974[lower-alpha 6]		Shelby Smith
40			John W. Carlin     (1940-08-05) August 5, 1940	January 8, 1979 – January 12, 1987 (term limited)	Democratic	1978		Paul Dugan
						1982		Thomas Docking
41			Mike Hayden     (1944-03-16) March 16, 1944	January 12, 1987 – January 14, 1991 (lost election)	Republican	1986		Jack D. Walker
42			Joan Finney     February 12, 1925 – July 28, 2001    (aged 76)	January 14, 1991 – January 9, 1995 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1990		Jim Francisco
43			Bill Graves     (1953-01-09) January 9, 1953	January 9, 1995 – January 13, 2003 (term limited)	Republican	1994		Sheila Frahm (resigned June 11, 1996)
							Vacant
								Gary Sherrer (appointed July 18, 1996)
						1998
44			Kathleen Sebelius     (1948-05-15) May 15, 1948	January 13, 2003 – April 28, 2009 (resigned)[lower-alpha 7]	Democratic	2002		John E. Moore
						2006		Mark Parkinson
45			Mark Parkinson     (1957-06-24) June 24, 1957	April 28, 2009 – January 10, 2011 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
								Troy Findley (appointed May 15, 2009)
46			Sam Brownback     (1956-09-15) September 15, 1956	January 10, 2011 – January 31, 2018 (resigned)[lower-alpha 8]	Republican	2010		Jeff Colyer
						2014
47			Jeff Colyer     (1960-06-03) June 3, 1960	January 31, 2018 – January 14, 2019 (lost primary)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Tracey Mann (appointed February 14, 2018)
48			Laura Kelly     (1950-01-24) January 24, 1950	January 14, 2019 – present[lower-alpha 9]	Democratic	2018		Lynn Rogers (resigned January 2, 2021)
							David Toland (appointed January 2, 2021)