List of governors of Minnesota

The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Minnesota'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 the president of the United States; the first, Alexander Ramsey, would later be state governor.

The current governor is Tim Walz, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, who took office on January 7, 2019.

List of governors

Minnesota Territory

Minnesota Territory was organized on March 3, 1849.^[1]

Governors of Minnesota Territory

No.	Governor		Term in office[a]	Appointed by
1		Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903) [2][3][4]	June 1, 1849[b] – April 1, 1853 (successor appointed)	Zachary Taylor
2		Willis A. Gorman (1816–1876) [11][12]	April 1, 1853[c] – March 13, 1857 (successor appointed)	Franklin Pierce
3		Samuel Medary (1801–1864) [15][16]	March 13, 1857[d] – May 24, 1858 (statehood)	James Buchanan

State of Minnesota

Minnesota was admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858.^[19]

The Minnesota 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 same ticket.^[20]

Governors of the State of Minnesota

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 Kellogg 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

See also

• List of Minnesota gubernatorial elections
• List of lieutenant governors of Minnesota
• First ladies of Minnesota
• List of Minnesota state legislatures

Notes

1. The range given is from the date the governor was confirmed by the Senate, or appointed by the President during a Senate recess, to the date the governor left office.
2. Edward W. McGaughey was nominated on March 15, 1849,^[5] but was rejected by the Senate on March 19.^[6] William Pennington was then nominated on March 21,^[7] and confirmed by the Senate on March 22,^[8] but declined the post.^[2] Ramsey was appointed on April 2,^[2] during a Senate recess; nominated on December 21,^[9] and confirmed by the Senate on January 9, 1850.^[10] He arrived in the territory on May 27, 1849.^[2]
3. Gorman was nominated on March 31, 1853,^[13] confirmed by the Senate on April 1,^[14] and arrived in the territory on May 13.^[11]
4. Medary was nominated March 12, 1857,^[17] confirmed by the Senate on March 13,^[18] and arrived in the territory on April 22.^[15]
5. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
6. Ramsey resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[3]
7. Nearly every source says Miller took office on January 11, but the journal of the House of Representatives says it was January 13.^[37]
8. Nelson resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate.^[66]
9. Lind was also endorsed by the Populist Party.^[78]
10. Represented the Republican Party.
11. Eberhart lost the Republican nomination to William E. Lee.^[91]
12. Stassen resigned to serve in the United States Naval Reserve.^[120]
13. Thye was instead elected to the United States Senate.^[124]
14. Youngdahl resigned, having been confirmed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.^[128]
15. Represented the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
16. Andersen was initially declared the winner of the very close 1962 election, but after a recount, it was decided on March 15, 1963, that he had lost by 91 votes, and he left office on March 25.^[140]
17. Anderson resigned so that his successor would appoint him to the United States Senate.^[152]
18. Ventura was elected as representing the Reform Party of Minnesota.^[168] The party disaffiliated from its national party and resumed using its previous name, the Independence Party of Minnesota, on March 4, 2000. Ventura had himself disaffiliated from the national party on February 11.^[170]
19. Walz's second term began on January 2, 2023,^[179] and will expire on January 4, 2027.