List of governors of Nebraska

The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential elections. He or she may be elected any number of times, but not more than twice in a row. The current officeholder is Pete Ricketts, a Republican, who was sworn in on January 8, 2015. The current Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska is Mike Foley, who also assumed office on January 8, 2015.

Governor of Nebraska
Seal of Nebraska
Incumbent
Pete Ricketts
since January 8, 2015
StyleThe Honorable
ResidenceNebraska Governor's Mansion
Term length4 years, renewable once
Inaugural holderDavid Butler
FormationConstitution of Nebraska
Salary$105,000 (2013)[1]

Governors of Nebraska must be at least 30 years old and have been citizens and residents of the state for five years before being elected. Before 1966, the governor was elected to a two-year term. In 1962, a constitutional amendment extended the gubernatorial term to four years, effective with the 1966 election. In 1966, another amendment imposed a term limit of two consecutive terms. The lieutenant governor is subject to the same limitations and runs on a combined ticket with the governor. Charles W. Bryan is the only Governor of Nebraska to serve non-consecutive terms.

If the governor becomes incapacitated or is out of the state, the lieutenant governor acts as governor; if there is a vacancy or permanent incapacitation, the lieutenant governor becomes governor and serves the balance of the term. However, if both offices become vacant, the next person in the line of succession is the Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature.

Territorial governors
See List of governors of Missouri for the period from 1805 to 1821. Between 1821 and 1854, the land was unorganized territory.

Before statehood, governors were appointed to a four-year term by the President of the United States.[upper-alpha 1]

Parties

  Democratic (8)   Republican (2)

#Governor
(Birth–Death)		PartyTook officeLeft officeNotes
  William Walker
(1800–1874)		 July 23, 1853 October 16, 1854 Not recognized by the federal government
1   Francis Burt
(1807–1854)		 Democratic October 16, 1854 October 18, 1854 Died
  Thomas B. Cuming
(1827–1858)		 Democratic October 18, 1854 February 23, 1855 Acting
2   Mark W. Izard
(1799–1866)		 Democratic February 23, 1855 October 25, 1857 Resigned
  Thomas B. Cuming
(1827–1858)		 Democratic October 25, 1857 January 12, 1858 Acting
3   William A. Richardson
(1811–1875)		 Democratic January 12, 1858 December 5, 1858 Resigned
  J. Sterling Morton
(1832–1902)		 Democratic December 5, 1858 May 2, 1859 Acting
4   Samuel W. Black
(1816–1862)		 Democratic May 2, 1859 February 24, 1861 Resigned
  J. Sterling Morton
(1832–1902)		 Democratic February 24, 1861 March 6, 1861 Acting
  Algernon S. Paddock
(1830–1897)		 Republican March 6, 1861 May 15, 1861 Acting
5   Alvin Saunders
(1817–1899)		 Republican May 15, 1861 March 1, 1867

State governors

Popularly elected, beginning in 1866, to a two-year term. In 1962, the voters approved a constitutional amendment expanding terms beginning in 1966 to four years. In 1966, the voters limited the number of consecutive full terms that any one governor could serve to two (i.e. only one possible re-election while still in office after election to a full term.)[upper-alpha 2]

Parties

  Republican (26)   Democratic (12)   Fusion (Democratic/Populist) (2)

#Governor
(Birth–Death)		PartyTook officeLeft officeLt. GovernorNotes
1   David Butler
(1829–1891)		 Republican February 21, 1867 June 2, 1871 None [2]
  William H. James
(1831–1920)		 Republican June 2, 1871 January 13, 1873 None Secretary of State[3]
2   Robert Wilkinson Furnas
(1824–1905)		 Republican January 13, 1873 January 11, 1875 None
3   Silas Garber
(1833–1905)		 Republican January 11, 1875 January 9, 1879 None
Othman A. Abbott
4   Albinus Nance
(1848–1911)		 Republican January 9, 1879 January 4, 1883 Edmund C. Carns
5   James W. Dawes
(1844–1918)		 Republican January 4, 1883 January 6, 1887 Alfred W. Agee
Hibbard H. Shedd
6   John Milton Thayer
(1820–1906)		 Republican January 6, 1887 February 8, 1892 Hibbard H. Shedd
George D. Meiklejohn
Thomas J. Majors		 [4]
7   James E. Boyd
(1834–1906)		 Democratic February 8, 1892 January 13, 1893 Thomas J. Majors [4]
8   Lorenzo Crounse
(1834–1909)		 Republican January 13, 1893 January 3, 1895 Thomas J. Majors
9   Silas A. Holcomb
(1858–1920)		 Fusion
(Democratic/Populist)		 January 3, 1895 January 5, 1899 Robert E. Moore
James E. Harris
10   William A. Poynter
(1848–1909)		 Fusion
(Democratic/Populist)		 January 5, 1899 January 3, 1901 Edward A. Gilbert
11   Charles H. Dietrich
(1853–1924)		 Republican January 3, 1901 May 1, 1901 Ezra P. Savage Resigned[5]
12   Ezra P. Savage
(1842–1920)		 Republican May 1, 1901 January 8, 1903 None Lieutenant Governor[6]
13   John H. Mickey
(1845–1910)		 Republican January 8, 1903 January 3, 1907 Edmund G. McGilton
14   George L. Sheldon
(1870–1960)		 Republican January 3, 1907 January 7, 1909 Melville R. Hopewell
15   Ashton C. Shallenberger
(1862–1938)		 Democratic January 7, 1909 January 5, 1911 Melville R. Hopewell
16   Chester H. Aldrich
(1863–1924)		 Republican January 5, 1911 January 9, 1913 Melville R. Hopewell
17   John H. Morehead
(1861–1942)		 Democratic January 9, 1913 January 4, 1917 Samuel R. McKelvie (Republican)
James Pearson (Democratic)
18   Keith Neville
(1884–1959)		 Democratic January 4, 1917 January 9, 1919 Edgar Howard
19   Samuel R. McKelvie
(1881–1956)		 Republican January 9, 1919 January 3, 1923 Pelham A. Barrows
20   Charles W. Bryan
(1867–1945)		 Democratic January 3, 1923 January 8, 1925 Fred Gustus Johnson (Republican)
21   Adam McMullen
(1872–1959)		 Republican January 8, 1925 January 3, 1929 George A. Williams
22   Arthur J. Weaver
(1873–1945)		 Republican January 3, 1929 January 8, 1931 George A. Williams
23   Charles W. Bryan
(1867–1945)		 Democratic January 8, 1931 January 3, 1935 Theodore Metcalfe (Republican)
Walter H. Jurgensen (Democratic)
24   Robert Leroy Cochran
(1886–1963)		 Democratic January 3, 1935 January 9, 1941 Walter H. Jurgensen (Democratic)
Nate M. Parsons (Democratic)
William E. Johnson (Republican)
25   Dwight Griswold
(1893–1954)		 Republican January 9, 1941 January 9, 1947 William E. Johnson
Roy W. Johnson
26   Val Peterson
(1903–1983)		 Republican January 9, 1947 January 8, 1953 Robert B. Crosby
Charles J. Warner
27   Robert B. Crosby
(1911–2000)		 Republican January 8, 1953 January 6, 1955 Charles J. Warner
28   Victor E. Anderson
(1902–1962)		 Republican January 6, 1955 January 8, 1959 Charles J. Warner
Dwight W. Burney
29   Ralph G. Brooks
(1898–1960)		 Democratic January 8, 1959 September 9, 1960 Dwight W. Burney Died[7]
30   Dwight W. Burney
(1892–1987)		 Republican September 9, 1960 January 5, 1961 Dwight W. Burney Lieutenant Governor[6]
31   Frank B. Morrison
(1905–2004)		 Democratic January 5, 1961 January 5, 1967 Dwight W. Burney (Republican)
Philip C. Sorensen (Democratic)
32   Norbert Tiemann
(1924–2012)		 Republican January 5, 1967 January 7, 1971 John E. Everroad
33   J. James Exon
(1921–2005)		 Democratic January 7, 1971 January 4, 1979 Frank Marsh (Republican)
Gerald T. Whelan (Democratic)
34   Charles Thone
(1924–2018)		 Republican January 4, 1979 January 6, 1983 Roland A. Luedtke
35   J. Robert Kerrey
(b. 1943)		 Democratic January 6, 1983 January 9, 1987 Donald F. McGinley
36   Kay A. Orr
(b. 1939)		 Republican January 9, 1987 January 9, 1991 William E. Nichol [8]
37   Ben Nelson
(b. 1941)		 Democratic January 9, 1991 January 7, 1999 Maxine B. Moul
Kim M. Robak
38   Mike Johanns
(b. 1950)		 Republican January 7, 1999 January 20, 2005 David I. Maurstad
Dave Heineman		 Resigned[9]
39   Dave Heineman
(b. 1948)		 Republican January 20, 2005 January 8, 2015 Rick Sheehy
Lavon Heidemann
John E. Nelson		 Lieutenant Governor[10]
40   Pete Ricketts
(b. 1964)		 Republican January 8, 2015 Incumbent[11] Mike Foley

Notes
  1. "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  2. Elected, but not inaugurated, before Nebraska's statehood. Impeached and removed from office for misappropriation of state funds; the impeachment was expunged six years later.
  3. As state secretary of state, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  4. James Boyd won the 1890 election, and was sworn in on January 8, 1891. However, due to a question of his U.S. citizenship and eligibility for the office, he did not take office until February 8, 1892.
  5. Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
  6. As lieutenant governor, became governor for unexpired term.
  7. Died in office.
  8. First and (as of June 2016) only female governor of Nebraska
  9. Resigned to become United States Secretary of Agriculture.
  10. As lieutenant governor, succeeded to the office of governor for Johann's unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
  11. Ricketts's second term began on January 10, 2019 and will expire on January 12, 2023; he will be term-limited.

Succession
Main article: Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § Nebraska

Other high offices held

This is a table of other governorships, congressional seats and other national public offices held by governors of Nebraska. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Nebraska except where noted.

* denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
p. = Political Party; D = Democrat; R = Republican;
the footnotes [P 1], etc., indicate the presidential administration(s) under which an unelected Federal office was held (see Appointing presidents below the table).
Name p. Service as
Governor		 U.S. Congress Other offices held
(beyond Nebraska)
House Senate
William A. Richardson D 1858 (territorial) U.S. Representative & Senator from Illinois (D, 1847–1856; 1861-1865)
J. Sterling Morton D 1858–1859
1861 (territorial)		 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture[P 1]
Algernon Paddock R 1861 (territorial) S
Alvin Saunders R 1861–1867 (territorial) S
John Milton Thayer R 1887–1892 S Governor of Wyoming Territory (1875-1878) [P 2]
Lorenzo Crounse R 1893–1895 H
Charles Henry Dietrich R 1901 S *
Ashton C. Shallenberger D 1909–1911 H
John H. Morehead D 1913–1917 H
Charles W. Bryan D 1923–1925
1931–1935		 1924 Democratic nominee for Vice President (lost)
Robert Leroy Cochran D 1935–1941 Ambassador (UNRRA; Am. Mission for Aid to Greece)[P 3][upper-alpha 3]
Dwight Griswold R 1941–1947 S
Val Peterson R 1947–1953 Ambassador to Denmark;[P 4] Ambassador to Finland[P 5]
J. James Exon D 1971–1979 S
Charles Thone R 1979–1983 H
Bob Kerrey D 1983–1987 S
Ben Nelson D 1991–1999 S
Mike Johanns R 1999–2005 S U.S. Secretary of Agriculture * [P 6]

Appointing presidents
  1. Grover Cleveland (D, 1893-1897)
  2. Ulysses Grant (R, 1869-1877) and Rutherford B. Hayes (R, 1877-1881)
  3. Franklin Roosevelt (D, 1933-45) and Harry Truman (D, 1945-53)
  4. Dwight Eisenhower (R, 1953-1961)
  5. Richard Nixon (R, 1969-1974)
  6. George W. Bush (R, 2001-2009)

Living former governors of Nebraska

As of January 2019, 5 former U.S. governors of Nebraska are still living. The oldest of these is Kay A. Orr (born 1939; served 1987–1991). The most recent Governor to die was Charles Thone (born 1924; served 1979–1983), on March 7, 2018.

NameGubernatorial termDate of birth (and age)
Bob Kerrey 1983–1987 (1943-08-27) August 27, 1943
Kay A. Orr 1987–1991 (1939-01-02) January 2, 1939
Ben Nelson 1991–1999 (1941-05-17) May 17, 1941
Mike Johanns 1999–2005 (1950-06-18) June 18, 1950
Dave Heineman 2005–2015 (1948-05-12) May 12, 1948

See also

References
  1. 2012-13 Nebraska Blue Book (Nebraska State Government) Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, page 418
  2. 2012-13 Nebraska Blue Book Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, pages 418–419
  3. Nebraska Governor Robert Leroy (Roy) Cochran at the National Governors Association web site, retrieved May 27, 2013.
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