Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky | |
---|---|
since January 1, 2024 | |
Term length | 4 years Renewable once |
Formation | 1876 |
First holder | Winston Jones Davie |
Salary | $129,375 |
Website | https://www.kyagr.com/commissioner/ |
The Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture is an elected position in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Commissioner of Agriculture serves as head of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The commissioner manages agriculture markets, rural development, and the Kentucky Proud Program. The current commissioner of agriculture is Jonathan Shell (R). [1] [2] [3] [4]
In his message to the 1875-76 Kentucky General Assembly, Governor James B. McCreary called for the creation of a Bureau of Agriculture and Statistics in order to better organize Kentucky's agricultural capacity as well as provide general statistical information. [5] Subsequently, Representative George Washington Craddock of Franklin County filed a bill to establish the Bureau of Agriculture, Immigration, and Statistics. Following a number of amendments as well as discussions by a special committee, the bill was amended to create the Bureau of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Statistics which was to be led by a commissioner appointed by the governor for two-year terms with a set salary of $2,000. [6] [7] The bill received final passage, was signed into law, and took effect on March 20, 1876. [7]
Following the ratification of the 1891 Kentucky Constitution, the office of commissioner was made an elected constitutional office with a four year term. The following year, the bureau was renamed to the Bureau of Agriculture, Labor, and Statistics. In 1934, the bureau's name was changed again, this time to the Department of Agriculture, Labor, and Statistics. In 1962, the department was renamed for the final time to simply the Department of Agriculture. [8] The commissioner's title was also amended to reflect each name change as they occurred.
No. | Image | Name | Term of office | Party |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Winston Jones Davie | 1876–1879 | Democratic | |
2 | Charles W. Bowman | 1879–1884 | Democratic | |
3 | John F. Davis | 1884–1888 | Democratic | |
4 | Charles Y. Wilson | 1888–1892 | Democratic |
No. | Image | Name | Term of office | Party |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Nicholas McDowell | 1892–1896 | Democratic | |
6 | Lucas Moore | 1896–1900 | Republican | |
7 | Ion B. Nall | 1900–1904 | Democratic | |
8 | C. Hubert Vreeland | 1904–1908 | Democratic | |
9 | M. C. Rankin | 1908–1912 | Republican | |
10 | John W. Newman | 1912–1916 | Democratic | |
11 | Mat S. Cohen | 1916–1920 | Democratic | |
12 | William C. Hanna | 1920–1924 | Republican | |
13 | Clell Coleman | 1924–1928 | Democratic | |
14 | Newton Bright | 1928–1932 | Democratic | |
15 | Eugene Flowers | 1932–1936 | Democratic | |
16 | Garth Ferguson | 1936–1940 | Democratic | |
17 | William H. May | 1940–1944 | Democratic | |
18 | Elliott Robertson | 1944–1948 | Republican | |
19 | Harry F. Walters | 1948–1952 | Democratic | |
20 | Ben S. Adams | 1951–1956 | Democratic | |
21 | Ben J. Butler | 1956–1960 | Democratic | |
22 | ![]() | Emerson Beauchamp | 1960–1964 | Democratic |
No. | Image | Name | Term of office | Party |
---|---|---|---|---|
22 | ![]() | Emerson Beauchamp | 1960–1964 | Democratic |
23 | Wendell P. Butler | 1964–1968 | Democratic | |
24 | J. Robert Miller | 1968–1972 | Republican | |
25 | Wendell P. Butler | 1972–1976 | Democratic | |
26 | Thomas O. Harris | 1976–1980 | Democratic | |
27 | ![]() | Alben W. Barkley II | 1980–1984 | Democratic |
28 | David Boswell | 1984–1988 | Democratic | |
29 | Ward "Butch" Burnette | 1988–1991 | Democratic | |
30 | Charles L. Hamilton | 1991–1992 | Democratic | |
31 | Ed Logsdon | 1992–1996 | Democratic | |
32 | Billy Ray Smith | 1996–2004 | Democratic | |
33 | Richie Farmer | 2004–2012 | Republican | |
34 | ![]() | James Comer | 2012–2016 | Republican |
35 | ![]() | Ryan Quarles | 2016–2024 | Republican |
36 | Jonathan Shell | 2024–present | Republican |