Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture

Last updated
Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky
Incumbent
Jonathan Shell
since January 1, 2024
Term length 4 years
Renewable once
Formation1876
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]

Contents

History

Creation

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]

Name changes

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.

List of commissioners

Commissioner of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Statistics (1876–1892)
No.ImageNameTerm of officeParty
1 Winston Jones Davie 1876–1879Democratic
2Charles W. Bowman1879–1884Democratic
3John F. Davis1884–1888Democratic
4Charles Y. Wilson1888–1892Democratic
Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor, and Statistics (1892–1962)
No.ImageNameTerm of officeParty
5Nicholas McDowell1892–1896Democratic
6Lucas Moore1896–1900Republican
7Ion B. Nall1900–1904Democratic
8C. Hubert Vreeland1904–1908Democratic
9M. C. Rankin1908–1912Republican
10John W. Newman1912–1916Democratic
11Mat S. Cohen1916–1920Democratic
12William C. Hanna1920–1924Republican
13Clell Coleman1924–1928Democratic
14Newton Bright1928–1932Democratic
15Eugene Flowers1932–1936Democratic
16Garth Ferguson1936–1940Democratic
17William H. May1940–1944Democratic
18Elliott Robertson1944–1948Republican
19Harry F. Walters1948–1952Democratic
20Ben S. Adams1951–1956Democratic
21Ben J. Butler1956–1960Democratic
22
Emerson Beauchamp, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, State Treasurer, and Commissioner of Agriculture.png
Emerson Beauchamp 1960–1964Democratic
Commissioner of Agriculture (1962–present)
No.ImageNameTerm of officeParty
22
Emerson Beauchamp, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, State Treasurer, and Commissioner of Agriculture.png
Emerson Beauchamp 1960–1964Democratic
23Wendell P. Butler1964–1968Democratic
24J. Robert Miller1968–1972Republican
25Wendell P. Butler1972–1976Democratic
26Thomas O. Harris1976–1980Democratic
27
Alben W. Barkley II.jpg
Alben W. Barkley II 1980–1984Democratic
28 David Boswell 1984–1988Democratic
29Ward "Butch" Burnette1988–1991Democratic
30Charles L. Hamilton1991–1992Democratic
31Ed Logsdon1992–1996Democratic
32 Billy Ray Smith 1996–2004Democratic
33 Richie Farmer 2004–2012Republican
34
James Comer by Gage Skidmore.jpg
James Comer 2012–2016Republican
35
Ryan-Quarles (cropped).jpg
Ryan Quarles 2016–2024Republican
36 Jonathan Shell 2024–presentRepublican

References

  1. "Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  2. "Commissioners of Agriculture". www.kyagr.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  3. "Kentucky state government salary". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  4. "Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Biography". www.kyagr.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  5. "Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky - 1876". University of Kentucky Library - UKnowledge. 1876. p. 56. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  6. "From Frankfort - March 18". The Hartford Herald. March 22, 1876. p. 2.
  7. 1 2 "Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky - 1876". HathiTrust. 1876. p. 126-29. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  8. "Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Department of Agriculture - Commonwealth of Kentucky" (PDF). Kentucky Genealogical Society. 1977. Retrieved July 14, 2025.