List of Governors of Iowa

Last updated April 18, 2019

The Governor of Iowa is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Iowa. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Iowa's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.

The Governor of Iowa is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Iowa. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The officeholder has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Iowa General Assembly, to convene the legislature, as well as to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment. The Governor of Iowa is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.

Head of government is a generic term used for either the highest or second highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, who often presides over a cabinet, a group of ministers or secretaries who lead executive departments. The term "head of government" is often differentiated from the term "head of state", as they may be separate positions, individuals, or roles depending on the country.

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

There have been 41 people who have served as governor since Iowa became a state, with two of those serving multiple distinct terms. The current governor, Kim Reynolds, is the first woman to hold the position. She replaced Terry Branstad, the longest-serving governor of any state in U.S. history. The shortest-serving Governor of Iowa was Robert D. Fulton, who served 16 days in 1969.

Kimberly Kay Reynolds is an American politician serving as the 43rd Governor of Iowa since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, she is the first female Governor of Iowa. Reynolds previously served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017. Before she was elected Lieutenant Governor, Reynolds served as Clarke County Treasurer for four terms and then served in the Iowa Senate from 2009 to 2011.

Terry Edward Branstad is an American politician, university administrator, and diplomat serving as the United States Ambassador to China since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Governor of Iowa. Branstad also previously served three terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979.

Robert David Fulton is an American politician who briefly served as the 37th Governor of Iowa during the first 16 days of 1969. He also served as the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa from 1965 to 1969. He is notable for being both Iowa's 37th Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

Governors of the Territory of Iowa

Iowa Territory was formed on July 4, 1838, from Wisconsin Territory. It had three Governors appointed by the President of the United States. The first Governor of Iowa did not arrive for six weeks after the territory had been created; in the interim, territorial secretary William B. Conway acted as Iowa Governor.^[1]

The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remainder of the territory would have no organized territorial government until the Minnesota Territory was organized on March 3, 1849.

Wisconsin Territory territory of the USA between 1836-1848

The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was initially chosen as the capital of the territory. In 1837, the territorial legislature met in Burlington, just north of the Skunk River on the Mississippi, which became part of the Iowa Territory in 1838. In that year, 1838, the territorial capital of Wisconsin was moved to Madison.

The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

Governors of the Territory of Iowa
No.		Term in office	Appointed by
1	Robert Lucas	August 15, 1838 – May 13, 1841^{[lower-alpha 1]}	Martin Van Buren
2	John Chambers	May 13, 1841^{[lower-alpha 1]} – November 18, 1845^{[lower-alpha 2]}	William Henry Harrison
3	James Clarke	November 18, 1845^{[lower-alpha 2]} – December 3, 1846^{[lower-alpha 3]}	James K. Polk

Governors of the State of Iowa

The southeast portion of Iowa Territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa on December 28, 1846; the remainder became unorganized territory.

The Admission to the Union Clause of the United States Constitution, often called the New States Clause, found at Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1, authorizes the Congress to admit new states into the United States beyond the thirteen already in existence at the time the Constitution went into effect.

In the United States, an unorganized territory is a region of land without a "normally" constituted system of government. This does not mean that the territory has no government at all or that it is unclaimed territory. In practice, such territories are always sparsely populated.

The first Constitution of Iowa, adopted in 1846, created the office of Governor of Iowa, to have a four-year term,^[4] with no specific start date for the term. The Iowa Constitution of 1857 reduced this term to two years,^[5] but an amendment in 1972 increased this back to four years.^[6] The Iowa Constitution of 1857 set the start of the term to the second Monday in the January following the election,^[7] which was changed to the day after that by a 1988 amendment.^[8]

The office of Lieutenant Governor of Iowa was created in the 1857 Iowa Constitution, elected for the same term as the Governor of Iowa.^[9] An amendment in 1988 specified that the Iowa Lieutenant Governor would be elected on the same ticket as the Iowa Governor.^[10] If the office becomes vacant, it devolves upon the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa for the remainder of the term or vacancy.^[11] Prior to 1857, if the office became vacant, the Secretary of State of Iowa would act as Governor of Iowa.^[12] There is no term limit on the number of terms an Iowa Governor may serve.

The Secretary of State of Iowa is the commissioner of elections of the U.S. state of Iowa. A constitutional officer, the officeholder is elected every four years. The Office of the Secretary of State is divided into four divisions: Elections and Voter Registration, Business Services, Administrative Services, and Communications and Publications.

A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for life". This is intended to protect a democracy from becoming a de facto dictatorship. Sometimes, there is an absolute or lifetime limit on the number of terms an officeholder may serve; sometimes, the restrictions are merely on the number of consecutive terms he or she may serve.

Governors of the State of Iowa
No.^{[lower-alpha 4]}		Term in office	Party	Election	Lieutenant Governor ^{[lower-alpha 5]}^{[lower-alpha 6]}
1	Ansel Briggs	December 3, 1846^{[lower-alpha 3]} – December 4, 1850 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1846	Office did not exist
2	Stephen P. Hempstead	December 4, 1850 – December 9, 1854 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1850
3	James W. Grimes	December 9, 1854 – January 13, 1858 (not candidate for election)	Whig	1854 ^{[lower-alpha 7]}
4	Ralph P. Lowe	January 13, 1858 – January 11, 1860 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1857 ^{[lower-alpha 8]}		Oran Faville
5	Samuel J. Kirkwood	January 11, 1860 – January 14, 1864 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1859		Nicholas J. Rusch
5	Samuel J. Kirkwood		Republican	1861		John R. Needham
6	William M. Stone	January 14, 1864 – January 16, 1868 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1863		Enoch W. Eastman
6	William M. Stone		Republican	1865		Benjamin F. Gue
7	Samuel Merrill	January 16, 1868 – January 11, 1872 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1867		John Scott
				1869		Madison Miner Walden (resigned 1871)^{[lower-alpha 9]}
					Vacant
						Henry C. Bulis (appointed September 13, 1871)
8	Cyrus C. Carpenter	January 11, 1872 – January 13, 1876 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1871		Henry C. Bulis (appointed September 13, 1871)
8	Cyrus C. Carpenter		Republican	1873		Joseph Dysart
9	Samuel J. Kirkwood	January 13, 1876 – February 1, 1877 (resigned)^{[lower-alpha 10]}	Republican	1875		Joshua G. Newbold
10	Joshua G. Newbold	February 1, 1877 – January 17, 1878 (not candidate for election)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
11	John H. Gear	January 17, 1878 – January 12, 1882 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1877		Frank T. Campbell
11	John H. Gear		Republican	1879		Frank T. Campbell
12	Buren R. Sherman	January 12, 1882 – January 14, 1886 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1881		Orlando H. Manning
12	Buren R. Sherman		Republican	1883		Orlando H. Manning
13	William Larrabee	January 14, 1886 – February 27, 1890^{[lower-alpha 11]} (not candidate for election)	Republican	1885		John A. T. Hull
13	William Larrabee		Republican	1887		John A. T. Hull
14	Horace Boies	February 27, 1890^{[lower-alpha 11]} – January 11, 1894 (lost election)	Democratic	1889		Alfred N. Poyneer ^{[lower-alpha 12]}
14	Horace Boies		Democratic	1891		Samuel L. Bestow
15	Frank D. Jackson	January 11, 1894 – January 16, 1896 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1893		Warren S. Dungan
16	Francis M. Drake	January 16, 1896 – January 13, 1898 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1895		Matt Parrott
17	L. M. Shaw	January 13, 1898 – January 16, 1902 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1897		James C. Milliman
17	L. M. Shaw		Republican	1899		James C. Milliman
18	Albert B. Cummins	January 16, 1902 – November 24, 1908 (resigned)^{[lower-alpha 13]}	Republican	1901		John Herriott
				1903 ^{[lower-alpha 14]}		John Herriott
				1906		Warren Garst
19	Warren Garst	November 24, 1908 – January 14, 1909 (successor took office)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
20	Beryl F. Carroll	January 14, 1909 – January 16, 1913 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1908		George W. Clarke
20	Beryl F. Carroll		Republican	1910		George W. Clarke
21	George W. Clarke	January 16, 1913 – January 11, 1917 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1912		William L. Harding
21	George W. Clarke		Republican	1914		William L. Harding
22	William L. Harding	January 11, 1917 – January 13, 1921 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1916		Ernest Robert Moore
22	William L. Harding		Republican	1918		Ernest Robert Moore
23	Nathan E. Kendall	January 13, 1921 – January 15, 1925 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1920		John Hammill
23	Nathan E. Kendall		Republican	1922		John Hammill
24	John Hammill	January 15, 1925 – January 15, 1931 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1924		Clem F. Kimball (died September 10, 1928)
				1926		Clem F. Kimball (died September 10, 1928)
					Vacant
						Arch W. McFarlane (appointed November 15, 1928)
				1928
25	Dan W. Turner	January 15, 1931 – January 12, 1933 (lost election)	Republican	1930
26	Clyde L. Herring	January 12, 1933 – January 14, 1937 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1932		Nelson G. Kraschel
26	Clyde L. Herring		Democratic	1934		Nelson G. Kraschel
27	Nelson G. Kraschel	January 14, 1937 – January 12, 1939 (lost election)	Democratic	1936		John K. Valentine
28	George A. Wilson	January 12, 1939 – January 14, 1943 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1938		Bourke B. Hickenlooper
28	George A. Wilson		Republican	1940		Bourke B. Hickenlooper
29	Bourke B. Hickenlooper	January 14, 1943 – January 11, 1945 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1942		Robert D. Blue
30	Robert D. Blue	January 11, 1945 – January 13, 1949 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1944		Kenneth A. Evans
30	Robert D. Blue		Republican	1946
31	William S. Beardsley	January 13, 1949 – November 21, 1954 (died in office)	Republican	1948
				1950		William H. Nicholas
				1952		Leo Elthon
32	Leo Elthon	November 21, 1954 – January 13, 1955 (successor took office)	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
33	Leo Hoegh	January 13, 1955 – January 17, 1957 (lost election)	Republican	1954		Leo Elthon
34	Herschel C. Loveless	January 17, 1957 – January 12, 1961 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1956		William H. Nicholas ^{[lower-alpha 12]}
34	Herschel C. Loveless		Democratic	1958		Edward Joseph McManus
35	Norman A. Erbe	January 12, 1961 – January 17, 1963 (lost election)	Republican	1960		W. L. Mooty ^{[lower-alpha 15]}
36	Harold Hughes	January 17, 1963 – January 1, 1969 (resigned)^{[lower-alpha 16]}	Democratic	1962		W. L. Mooty ^{[lower-alpha 15]}
				1964		Robert D. Fulton
				1966		Robert D. Fulton
37	Robert D. Fulton	January 1, 1969 – January 16, 1969 (successor took office)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
38	Robert D. Ray	January 16, 1969 – January 14, 1983 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1968		Roger Jepsen
				1970		Roger Jepsen
				1972		Arthur Neu
				1974 ^{[lower-alpha 17]}		Arthur Neu
				1978		Terry Branstad
39	Terry Branstad	January 14, 1983 – January 15, 1999 (not candidate for election)	Republican	1982		Robert T. Anderson ^{[lower-alpha 15]}
				1986		Jo Ann Zimmerman ^{[lower-alpha 15]}
				1990		Joy Corning
				1994		Joy Corning
40	Tom Vilsack	January 15, 1999 – January 12, 2007 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	1998		Sally Pederson
40	Tom Vilsack		Democratic	2002		Sally Pederson
41	Chet Culver	January 12, 2007 – January 14, 2011 (lost election)	Democratic	2006		Patty Judge
42	Terry Branstad	January 14, 2011 – May 24, 2017 (resigned)^{[lower-alpha 18]}	Republican	2010		Kim Reynolds
42	Terry Branstad		Republican	2014		Kim Reynolds
43	Kim Reynolds	May 24, 2017 – present^{[lower-alpha 19]}	Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
				Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor		Adam Gregg (appointed May 25, 2017)^{[lower-alpha 20]}
				2018		Adam Gregg (appointed May 25, 2017)^{[lower-alpha 20]}

Notes

1 2 Chambers was appointed on March 25 to the position of territorial governor, to take office when sworn in. He arrived in the state on May 12 and took office the next day. Lucas was out of the capital at the time and did not formally resign his commission until June 17, per a letter written to U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster.^[2]
1 2 Clark was appointed on November 18;^[3] it is unknown what specific date he assumed office.
1 2 Briggs was sworn into office 25 days before the state was formally admitted.^[14]
↑ There is no official numbering, and different governors have interpreted it differently, depending on if they give a new number when a governor has multiple distinct terms in office.^[13] This article includes numbering for every distinct term in office.
↑ The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1857 constitution.^[9]
↑ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
↑ The election schedule changed with this term, switching to odd-numbered years and shortening the term by nearly a year.
↑ First term under the 1857 constitution, which shortened terms to two years.
↑ No source appears to know which date Walden resigned, just that it was to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives for a term beginning March 4.
↑ Kirkwood resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
1 2 All sources state Boies was sworn in on February 27, 1890, with no explanation given for the delay; it appears from primary sources that the state legislature was deadlocked, performing over one hundred votes to name the speaker, and the certification of election results was delayed,^[15] with Larrabee remaining in office until his successor was certified.
1 2 Represented the Republican Party.
↑ Cummins resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ The election schedule changed with this term, switching to odd-numbered years and lengthening the term by nearly a year.
1 2 3 Represented the Democratic Party.
↑ Hughes resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ First term under a 1972 constitutional amendment which lengthened terms to four years.
↑ Branstad resigned to become United States Ambassador to China.
↑ Reynolds' first full term began January 18, 2019, and will expire January 10, 2023.
↑ Gregg was appointed acting lieutenant governor by Reynolds but, while he had the full powers and salary of the office, he was not in the line of succession; he later won election to the post in the 2018 election.

References

General

"Governors of Iowa". National Governors Association . Retrieved November 8, 2014.

Constitutions

"Constitution of the State of Iowa". Iowa General Assembly. 1857. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
"Amendments to the Constitution of Iowa". Iowa General Assembly. 1998. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
"Constitution of the State of Iowa". Iowa General Assembly. 1846. Retrieved November 8, 2014.

Specific

↑ Shambaugh, Benjamin F., ed. (1903). "The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of Iowa". The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of Iowa. 1. Iowa City, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa. p. 208.
↑ Executive Journal of Iowa 1838–1841, Governor Robert Lucas. State Historical Society of Iowa. 1906. pp. 277–279.
↑ Benjamin F. Gue (1903). Iowa biography. Century History Company. p. 52.
↑ 1846 Const. article V, § 2.
↑ IA Const. art. IV, § 2
↑ IA Const. amendment 32.
↑ IA Const. art. IV, § 15
↑ IA Const. amendment 42.
1 2 IA Const. art. IV, § 3.
↑ IA Const. amendment 41.
↑ IA Const. art. IV, § 17.
↑ 1846 Const. art V, § 18.
↑ "No 41st Governor for Iowa?". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
↑ Secretary Of State, Iowa (1951). Iowa Official Register – 1951–1952. p. 97.
↑ Journal of the House of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa. 1890. pp. 1–95. Retrieved September 6, 2017.

External links

Governor of Iowa

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[lucas-chambers-3] 1 2 Chambers was appointed on March 25 to the position of territorial governor, to take office when sworn in. He arrived in the state on May 12 and took office the next day. Lucas was out of the capital at the time and did not formally resign his commission until June 17, per a letter written to U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster.^[2]

[chambers-clarke-5] 1 2 Clark was appointed on November 18;^[3] it is unknown what specific date he assumed office.

[date-1846-6] 1 2 Briggs was sworn into office 25 days before the state was formally admitted.^[14]

[17] There is no official numbering, and different governors have interpreted it differently, depending on if they give a new number when a governor has multiple distinct terms in office.^[13] This article includes numbering for every distinct term in office.

[18] The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1857 constitution.^[9]

[19] Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.

[21] The election schedule changed with this term, switching to odd-numbered years and shortening the term by nearly a year.

[22] First term under the 1857 constitution, which shortened terms to two years.

[23] No source appears to know which date Walden resigned, just that it was to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives for a term beginning March 4.

[24] Kirkwood resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[boies-25] 1 2 All sources state Boies was sworn in on February 27, 1890, with no explanation given for the delay; it appears from primary sources that the state legislature was deadlocked, performing over one hundred votes to name the speaker, and the certification of election results was delayed,^[15] with Larrabee remaining in office until his successor was certified.

[lt-rep-27] 1 2 Represented the Republican Party.

[28] Cummins resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[29] The election schedule changed with this term, switching to odd-numbered years and lengthening the term by nearly a year.

[lt-dem-30] 1 2 3 Represented the Democratic Party.

[31] Hughes resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[32] First term under a 1972 constitutional amendment which lengthened terms to four years.

[33] Branstad resigned to become United States Ambassador to China.

[34] Reynolds' first full term began January 18, 2019, and will expire January 10, 2023.

[35] Gregg was appointed acting lieutenant governor by Reynolds but, while he had the full powers and salary of the office, he was not in the line of succession; he later won election to the post in the 2018 election.

[1] Shambaugh, Benjamin F., ed. (1903). "The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of Iowa". The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of Iowa. 1. Iowa City, Iowa: State Historical Society of Iowa. p. 208.

[2] Executive Journal of Iowa 1838–1841, Governor Robert Lucas. State Historical Society of Iowa. 1906. pp. 277–279.

[Gue1903-4] Benjamin F. Gue (1903). Iowa biography. Century History Company. p. 52.

[7] 1846 Const. article V, § 2.

[8] IA Const. art. IV, § 2

[9] IA Const. amendment 32.

[10] IA Const. art. IV, § 15

[11] IA Const. amendment 42.

[const-art4sec3-12] 1 2 IA Const. art. IV, § 3.

[13] IA Const. amendment 41.

[14] IA Const. art. IV, § 17.

[15] 1846 Const. art V, § 18.

[16] "No 41st Governor for Iowa?". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids). November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2014.

[20] Secretary Of State, Iowa (1951). Iowa Official Register – 1951–1952. p. 97.

[26] Journal of the House of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa. 1890. pp. 1–95. Retrieved September 6, 2017.

v t e Governors of Iowa
Territorial (1838–1846)	Conway (Acting) Lucas Chambers Clarke
State (since 1846)	Briggs Hempstead Grimes Lowe Kirkwood Stone Merrill Carpenter Kirkwood Newbold Gear Sherman Larrabee Boies Jackson Drake Shaw Cummins Garst Carroll Clarke Harding Kendall Hammill Turner Herring Kraschel Wilson Hickenlooper Blue Beardsley Elthon Hoegh Loveless Erbe Hughes Fulton Ray Branstad Vilsack Culver Branstad Reynolds
List of Governors of Iowa

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