List of governors of South Dakota

The Governor of South Dakota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current Governor is Republican Kristi Noem, serving since 2019. The Governor has the power to sign or veto laws, and to call the Legislative Assembly into emergency session. They have an ex officio South Dakota Governor's Residence. The governor may only serve two terms consecutively, and becomes eligible for reelection after four years out of office.[1] South Dakota is a strongly Republican state; only six Governors have not been members of that party and the governorship has been held by Republicans since 1979, the longest Republican streak and the longest overall streak of one party control in the country.

Governors of Dakota Territory

Governors of South Dakota

Political party

  Republican (27)   Populist (1)   Democratic (5)

#Governor
(birth and death)
Took officeLeft officePartyCity elected fromLieutenant GovernorNotes
1   Arthur C. Mellette
(1842–1896)
March 22, 1889 January 3, 1893 Republican Watertown   James H. Fletcher
George H. Hoffman
[2]
2   Charles H. Sheldon
(1840–1898)
January 3, 1893 January 1, 1897 Republican Pierpont   Charles N. Herreid
3   Andrew E. Lee
(1847–1934)
January 1, 1897 January 8, 1901 Populist Vermillion   Daniel T. Hindman
John T. Kean
4   Charles N. Herreid
(1857–1928)
January 8, 1901 January 3, 1905 Republican Eureka   George W. Snow
5   Samuel H. Elrod
(1856–1935)
January 3, 1905 January 8, 1907 Republican Clark   John E. McDougall
6   Coe I. Crawford
(1858–1944)
January 8, 1907 January 5, 1909 Republican Huron   Howard C. Shober
7   Robert S. Vessey
(1858–1929)
January 5, 1909 January 7, 1913 Republican Wessington Springs   Howard C. Shober
Frank M. Byrne
8   Frank M. Byrne
(1858–1927)
January 7, 1913 January 2, 1917 Republican Faulkton   Edward Lincoln Abel
Peter Norbeck
[3]
9   Peter Norbeck
(1870–1936)
January 2, 1917 January 4, 1921 Republican Redfield   William H. McMaster
10   William H. McMaster
(1877–1968)
January 4, 1921 January 6, 1925 Republican Yankton   Carl Gunderson
11   Carl Gunderson
(1864–1933)
January 6, 1925 January 4, 1927 Republican Mitchell   Alva Clark Forney
12   William J. Bulow
(1869–1960)
January 4, 1927 January 6, 1931 Democratic Beresford   Hyatt E. Covey (Republican)
Clarence E. Coyne (Republican)
John T. Grigsby (Democratic)
13   Warren Green
(1869–1945)
January 6, 1931 January 3, 1933 Republican Hazel   Odell K. Whitney
14   Tom Berry
(1879–1951)
January 3, 1933 January 5, 1937 Democratic Belvidere   Hans Ustrud
Robert Peterson
15   Leslie Jensen
(1892–1964)
January 5, 1937 January 3, 1939 Republican Hot Springs   Donald McMurchie
16   Harlan J. Bushfield
(1882–1948)
January 3, 1939 January 5, 1943 Republican Miller   Donald McMurchie
A. C. Miller
17   Merrell Q. Sharpe
(1888–1962)
January 5, 1943 January 7, 1947 Republican Kennebec   A. C. Miller
Sioux K. Grigsby
18   George T. Mickelson
(1903–1965)
January 7, 1947 January 2, 1951 Republican Selby   Sioux K. Grigsby
Rex A. Terry
19   Sigurd Anderson
(1904–1990)
January 2, 1951 January 4, 1955 Republican Webster   Rex A. Terry
20   Joe Foss
(1915–2003)
January 4, 1955 January 6, 1959 Republican Sioux Falls   L. Roy Houck
21   Ralph Herseth
(1909–1969)
January 6, 1959 January 3, 1961 Democratic Houghton   John F. Lindley
22   Archie M. Gubbrud
(1910–1987)
January 3, 1961 January 5, 1965 Republican Alcester   Joseph H. Bottum
Nils Boe
23   Nils Boe
(1913–1992)
January 5, 1965 January 7, 1969 Republican Sioux Falls   Lem Overpeck
24   Frank Farrar
(b. 1929)
January 7, 1969 January 5, 1971 Republican Britton   James Abdnor
25   Dick Kneip
(1933–1987)
January 5, 1971 July 24, 1978 Democratic Salem   William Dougherty
Harvey L. Wollman
[4]
26   Harvey L. Wollman
(b. 1935)
July 24, 1978 January 1, 1979 Democratic Hitchcock Vacant
27   Bill Janklow
(1939–2012)
January 1, 1979 January 6, 1987 Republican Flandreau   Lowell C. Hansen II
28   George S. Mickelson
(1941–1993)
January 6, 1987 April 19, 1993 Republican Brookings   Walter Dale Miller [5]
29   Walter Dale Miller
(1925–2015)
April 19, 1993 January 7, 1995 Republican New Underwood   Steve T. Kirby
30   Bill Janklow
(1939–2012)
January 7, 1995 January 7, 2003 Republican Brandon   Carole Hillard
31   Mike Rounds
(b. 1954)
January 7, 2003 January 8, 2011 Republican Pierre   Dennis Daugaard
32   Dennis Daugaard
(b. 1953)
January 8, 2011 January 5, 2019 Republican Garretson   Matt Michels
33   Kristi Noem
(b. 1971)
January 5, 2019 Incumbent Republican Castlewood   Larry Rhoden

Succession

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented South Dakota except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Governor Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
Coe I. Crawford 1907–1909 S
Peter Norbeck 1917–1921 S
William H. McMaster 1921–1925 S
William J. Bulow 1927–1931 S
Harlan J. Bushfield 1939–1943 S
Richard F. Kneip 1971–1978 United States Ambassador to Singapore*
Bill Janklow 1979–1987
1995–2003
H
Mike Rounds 2003–2011 S
Kristi Noem 2019–present H

Notes

  1. "§ 2". South Dakota Constitution. pp. Article IV, § 2. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  2. Mellette was the final governor of the Dakota Territory prior to his election as the first Governor of South Dakota.
  3. Won over James Wallace McCarter
  4. Kneip resigned to become Ambassador to Singapore on July 24, 1978; he was succeeded by Harvey L. Wollman.
  5. Mickelson was killed in a plane crash on April 19, 1993; he was succeeded by Walter Dale Miller.

See also

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