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.

Governors of South Dakota

Political party

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

Governors of the State of South Dakota

No.	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[a]
1			Arthur C. Mellette (1842–1896) [1][2]	November 2, 1889[b] – January 3, 1893 (did not run)[1]	Republican[5]	1889		James H. Fletcher
						1890		George H. Hoffman
2			Charles H. Sheldon (1840–1898) [6][7]	January 3, 1893[8] – January 5, 1897 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1892		Charles N. Herreid
						1894
3			Andrew E. Lee (1847–1934) [9][10]	January 5, 1897[11] – January 8, 1901 (did not run)	Populist	1896		Daniel T. Hindman[c]
						1898		John T. Kean[c]
4			Charles N. Herreid (1857–1928) [12][13]	January 8, 1901[14] – January 3, 1905 (did not run)[12]	Republican[5]	1900		George W. Snow
						1902
5			Samuel H. Elrod (1856–1935) [15][16]	January 3, 1905[17] – January 8, 1907 (did not run)[15]	Republican[5]	1904		John E. McDougall
6			Coe I. Crawford (1858–1944) [18][19]	January 8, 1907[20] – January 5, 1909 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1906		Howard C. Shober
7			Robert S. Vessey (1858–1929) [21][22]	January 5, 1909[23] – January 7, 1913 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1908
						1910		Frank M. Byrne
8			Frank M. Byrne (1858–1927) [24][25]	January 7, 1913[26] – January 2, 1917 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1912		Edward Lincoln Abel
						1914		Peter Norbeck
9			Peter Norbeck (1870–1936) [27][28]	January 2, 1917[29] – January 4, 1921 (did not run)[27]	Republican[5]	1916		William H. McMaster
						1918
10			William H. McMaster (1877–1968) [30][31]	January 4, 1921[32] – January 6, 1925 (did not run)[30]	Republican[5]	1920		Carl Gunderson
						1922
11			Carl Gunderson (1864–1933) [33][34]	January 6, 1925[35] – January 3, 1927 (lost election)	Republican[5]	1924		Alva Clark Forney
12			William J. Bulow (1869–1960) [36][37]	January 3, 1927[38] – January 6, 1931 (did not run)	Democratic[5]	1926		Hyatt E. Covey[c]
						1928		Clarence E. Coyne[c] (died May 27, 1929)
								John T. Grigsby
13			Warren Green (1869–1945) [39][40]	January 6, 1931[41] – January 3, 1933 (lost election)	Republican[5]	1930		Odell K. Whitney
14			Tom Berry (1879–1951) [42][43]	January 3, 1933[44] – January 5, 1937 (lost election)	Democratic[5]	1932		Hans Ustrud
						1934		Robert Peterson
15			Leslie Jensen (1892–1964) [45][46]	January 5, 1937[47] – January 3, 1939 (did not run)[d]	Republican[5]	1936		Donald McMurchie
16			Harlan J. Bushfield (1882–1948) [48][49]	January 3, 1939[50] – January 5, 1943 (did not run)[e]	Republican[5]	1938
						1940		A. C. Miller
17			Merrell Q. Sharpe (1888–1962) [51][52]	January 5, 1943[53] – January 7, 1947 (lost nomination)[51]	Republican[5]	1942
						1944		Sioux K. Grigsby
18			George T. Mickelson (1903–1965) [54][55]	January 7, 1947[56] – January 2, 1951 (did not run)[54]	Republican[5]	1946
						1948		Rex Terry
19			Sigurd Anderson (1904–1990) [57][58]	January 2, 1951[59] – January 4, 1955 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1950
						1952
20			Joe Foss (1915–2003) [60][61]	January 4, 1955[62] – January 6, 1959 (did not run)[f]	Republican[5]	1954		L. Roy Houck
						1956
21			Ralph Herseth (1909–1969) [63][64]	January 6, 1959[65] – January 3, 1961 (lost election)	Democratic[5]	1958		John F. Lindley[c]
22			Archie M. Gubbrud (1910–1987) [66][67]	January 3, 1961[68] – January 5, 1965 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1960		Joseph H. Bottum
						1962		Nils Boe
23			Nils Boe (1913–1992) [69][70]	January 5, 1965[71] – January 7, 1969 (did not run)	Republican[5]	1964		Lem Overpeck
						1966
24			Frank Farrar (1929–2021) [72][73]	January 7, 1969[74] – January 5, 1971 (lost election)	Republican[5]	1968		James Abdnor
25			Richard F. Kneip (1933–1987) [75][76]	January 5, 1971[77] – July 24, 1978 (resigned)[g]	Democratic[5]	1970		William Dougherty
						1972
						1974		Harvey Wollman
26			Harvey Wollman (1935–2022) [78]	July 24, 1978[79] – January 1, 1979 (lost nomination)[h]	Democratic[78]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant
27			Bill Janklow (1939–2012) [80]	January 1, 1979[81] – January 10, 1987 (term-limited)[i]	Republican[80]	1978		Lowell C. Hansen II
						1982
28			George S. Mickelson (1941–1993) [83]	January 10, 1987[84] – April 19, 1993 (died in office)	Republican[83]	1986		Walter Dale Miller
						1990
29			Walter Dale Miller (1925–2015) [85]	April 19, 1993[86] – January 7, 1995 (lost nomination)	Republican[85]	Succeeded from lieutenant governor		Steve T. Kirby
30			Bill Janklow (1939–2012) [80]	January 7, 1995[87] – January 7, 2003 (term-limited)[i]	Republican[80]	1994		Carole Hillard
						1998
31			Mike Rounds (b. 1954) [88]	January 7, 2003[89] – January 8, 2011 (term-limited)[i]	Republican[88]	2002		Dennis Daugaard
						2006
32			Dennis Daugaard (b. 1953) [90]	January 8, 2011[91] – January 5, 2019 (term-limited)[i]	Republican[90]	2010		Matt Michels
						2014
33			Kristi Noem (b. 1971) [92]	January 5, 2019[93] – January 25, 2025 (resigned)[j]	Republican[92]	2018		Larry Rhoden
						2022
34			Larry Rhoden (b. 1959)	January 25, 2025[94] – Incumbent[k]	Republican	Succeeded from lieutenant governor	Vacant

Notes

1. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
2. Mellette was territorial governor when South Dakota became a state, and was elected as its first governor.^[1][3] He was sworn in on October 15, 1889.^[4]
3. Represented the Republican Party
4. Jensen instead ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to the United States Senate.^[45]
5. Bushfield was instead elected to the United States Senate.^[48]
6. Foss instead ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives.^[60]
7. Kneip resigned, having been confirmed as United States Ambassador to Singapore.^[76]
8. Wollman lost the Democratic nomination to Roger D. McKellips.
9. Under a 1972 amendment to the constitution, governors are ineligible to be elected to more than two consecutive terms.^[82]
10. Noem resigned, having been confirmed as United States Secretary of Homeland Security.
11. Rhoden's term will expire on January 9, 2027.