List of Governors of Kansas

Governor of Kansas
State Seal
Standard of the Governor
Incumbent Jeff Colyer since January 31, 2018
Residence	Cedar Crest
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Charles L. Robinson
Formation	February 9, 1861
Salary	$99,636 (2013)[1]
Website	governor.kansas.gov

The Governor of Kansas is the head of the executive branch of Kansas's state government^[2] and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.^[3] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws,^[2] and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Kansas Legislature,^[4] to convene the legislature at any time,^[5] and to grant pardons.^[6]

The governor has a four-year term, commencing on the second Monday of January after election.^[7] The governor originally had a two-year term; this was changed to four years by a constitutional amendment in 1974. The lieutenant governor is elected at the same time as the governor.^[7] When the office of governor becomes vacant for any reason, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term.^[8]

Since becoming a state, Kansas has had 47 governors, including 34 Republicans, 11 Democrats, and 2 Populists. The state's longest-serving governors were Robert Docking, John W. Carlin, and Bill Graves, each of whom served 8 years and 4 days (Docking served four two-year terms; Carlin and Graves each served two four-year terms). The shortest-serving governor was John McCuish, who served only 11 days after the resignation of Fred Hall. The current governor is Republican Jeff Colyer, who took office on January 31, 2018, after the resignation of Sam Brownback, who was confirmed by the United States Senate to be the next U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

History

The office was created in 1861 when Kansas was officially admitted to the United States as the 34th state. Prior to statehood in 1861, the office was preceded by a Presidential appointed Governor of Kansas Territory with similar powers.

Despite being an executive branch official, the Governor also possesses legislative and judicial powers. The Governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the Kansas Legislature, submitting the budget, ensuring that state laws are enforced, and that the peace is preserved.

The 47th Governor of Kansas is Jeff Colyer. His term began on January 31, 2018. He succeeded Sam Brownback, who resigned upon the United States Senate vote confirming his as an Ambassador.

Gubernatorial term of office and lack of requirements for running

Flag of the Governor prior to 1961. It is unclear when the Governor's flag was first created

There is no lifetime limit on the number of times he or she may be elected, but a governor who has been elected to two consecutive terms must be out of office for at least one election cycle before being eligible once again for re-election. Elections occur at the same time as the Congressional midterm elections, and each term begins on the second Monday of January following the election. The lieutenant governor is subject to the same limitations and runs on a combined ticket with the governor.^[9] Furthermore, there is neither an age requirement nor a residency requirement to run for the office; as of 2017 three Kansan teenagers were doing so.^[10]

If the governor becomes incapacitated, the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor. However, if both offices become vacant, the line of succession is determined by the legislature. Under present law, the President of the Senate would be next in line to assume the governorship, followed by the Speaker of the House.

Governors

Territorial governors

• The area that became Kansas was part of Louisiana Territory, later renamed Missouri Territory, until 1821, and unorganized until it became its own territory on May 30, 1854; see List of Governors of Missouri for the period from 1805 to 1821.
• A small part of Kansas was once claimed as part of the Republic of Texas (see List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas, and before that, was part of Mexico (see Spanish governors of New Mexico).

Parties

  Democratic (5)   Independent (1)

#	Governor			Term in office	Appointed by
1			Andrew Horatio Reeder	July 7, 1854 – August 16, 1855	Franklin Pierce
2			Wilson Shannon	September 5, 1855 – August 18, 1856
3			John W. Geary	September 9, 1856 – March 20, 1857
4			Robert J. Walker	May 27, 1857 – December 15, 1857	James Buchanan
5			James W. Denver	December 1857 – November 1858
6			Samuel Medary	December 1858 – December 1860

Governors of the State of Kansas

The eastern bulk of Kansas Territory was admitted to the Union as Kansas on January 29, 1861; the remainder become unorganized territory which would shortly be assigned to Colorado Territory. The Kansas Constitution provided that a governor and lieutenant governor be elected every two years.^[11] An amendment in 1972 increased terms to four years,^[12], and provided that the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket. In the original constitution, should the office of governor be vacant, the powers would devolve upon the lieutenant governor, who nonetheless would remain in that office;^[13] an amendment in 1972 changed that so that, in such an event, the lieutenant governor becomes governor, and relies on the legislature to provide for succession after that.^[14]

Parties

  Democratic (11)   Populist (2)   Republican (34)

#	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 1]
1			Charles L. Robinson	February 9, 1861 – January 12, 1863	Republican	1860		Joseph Pomeroy Root
2			Thomas Carney	January 12, 1863 – January 9, 1865	Republican	1862		Thomas A. Osborn
3			Samuel J. Crawford	January 9, 1865 – November 4, 1868	Republican	1864		James McGrew
						1866 [lower-alpha 2]		Nehemiah Green
4			Nehemiah Green	November 4, 1868 – January 11, 1869	Republican		Vacant
5			James M. Harvey	January 11, 1869 – January 13, 1873	Republican	1868		Charles Vernon Eskridge
						1870		Peter Percival Elder
6			Thomas A. Osborn	January 13, 1873 – January 8, 1877	Republican	1872		Elias S. Stover
						1874		Melville J. Salter
7			George T. Anthony	January 8, 1877 – January 13, 1879	Republican	1876
								Lyman U. Humphrey
8			John P. St. John	January 13, 1879 – January 8, 1883	Republican	1878
						1880		David Wesley Finney[lower-alpha 3]
9			George W. Glick	January 8, 1883 – January 12, 1885	Democratic	1882
10			John A. Martin	January 12, 1885 – January 14, 1889	Republican	1884		Alexander P. Riddle
						1886
11			Lyman U. Humphrey	January 14, 1889 – January 8, 1893	Republican	1888		Andrew Jackson Felt
						1890
12			Lorenzo D. Lewelling	January 8, 1893 – January 14, 1895	Populist	1892		Percy Daniels
13			Edmund N. Morrill	January 14, 1895 – January 11, 1897	Republican	1894		James Armstrong Troutman
14			John W. Leedy	January 11, 1897 – January 9, 1899	Populist	1896		Alexander Miller Harvey
15			William E. Stanley	January 9, 1899 – January 12, 1903	Republican	1898		Harry E. Richter
						1900
16			Willis J. Bailey	January 12, 1903 – January 9, 1905	Republican	1902		David John Hanna
17			Edward W. Hoch	January 9, 1905 – January 11, 1909	Republican	1904
						1906		William James Fitzgerald
18			Walter R. Stubbs	January 11, 1909 – January 13, 1913	Republican	1908
						1910		Richard Joseph Hopkins
19			George H. Hodges	January 13, 1913 – January 11, 1915	Democratic	1912		Sheffield Ingalls[lower-alpha 3]
20			Arthur Capper	January 11, 1915 – January 13, 1919	Republican	1914		William Yoast Morgan
						1916
21			Henry J. Allen	January 13, 1919 – January 8, 1923	Republican	1918		Charles Solomon Huffman
						1920
22			Jonathan M. Davis	January 8, 1923 – January 12, 1925	Democratic	1922		Ben S. Paulen[lower-alpha 3]
23			Ben S. Paulen	January 12, 1925 – January 14, 1929	Republican	1924		De Lanson Alson Newton Chase
						1926
24			Clyde M. Reed	January 14, 1929 – January 12, 1931	Republican	1928		Jacob W. Graybill[lower-alpha 3]
25			Harry H. Woodring	January 12, 1931 – January 9, 1933	Democratic	1930
26			Alfred M. Landon	January 9, 1933 – January 11, 1937	Republican	1932		Charles W. Thompson
						1934
27			Walter A. Huxman	January 11, 1937 – January 9, 1939	Democratic	1936		William M. Lindsay
28			Payne Ratner	January 9, 1939 – January 11, 1943	Republican	1938		Carl E. Friend
						1940
29			Andrew F. Schoeppel	January 11, 1943 – January 13, 1947	Republican	1942		Jess C. Denious
						1944
30			Frank Carlson	January 13, 1947 – November 28, 1950	Republican	1946		Frank L. Hagaman
						1948 [lower-alpha 4]
31			Frank L. Hagaman	November 28, 1950 – January 8, 1951	Republican		Vacant
32			Edward F. Arn	January 8, 1951 – January 10, 1955	Republican	1950		Fred Hall
						1952
33			Fred Hall	January 10, 1955 – January 3, 1957	Republican	1954 [lower-alpha 5]		John McCuish
34			John McCuish	January 3, 1957 – January 14, 1957	Republican		Vacant
35			George Docking	January 14, 1957 – January 9, 1961	Democratic	1956		Joseph W. Henkle Sr.
						1958
36			John Anderson Jr.	January 9, 1961 – January 11, 1965	Republican	1960		Harold H. Chase
						1962
37			William H. Avery	January 11, 1965 – January 9, 1967	Republican	1964		John Crutcher[lower-alpha 3]
38			Robert Docking	January 9, 1967 – January 13, 1975	Democratic	1966
						1968		James H. DeCoursey Jr.
						1970		Reynolds Shultz[lower-alpha 3]
						1972		Dave Owen[lower-alpha 3]
39			Robert F. Bennett	January 13, 1975 – January 8, 1979	Republican	1974		Shelby Smith
40			John W. Carlin	January 8, 1979 – January 12, 1987	Democratic	1978		Paul Dugan
						1982		Thomas Docking
41			Mike Hayden	January 12, 1987 – January 14, 1991	Republican	1986		Jack D. Walker
42			Joan Finney	January 14, 1991 – January 9, 1995	Democratic	1990		Jim Francisco
43			Bill Graves	January 9, 1995 – January 13, 2003	Republican	1994		Sheila Frahm (resigned June 11, 1996)
							Vacant
								Gary Sherrer (appointed July 18, 1996)
						1998
44			Kathleen Sebelius	January 13, 2003 – April 28, 2009	Democratic	2002		John E. Moore
						2006 [lower-alpha 6]		Mark Parkinson
45			Mark Parkinson	April 28, 2009 – January 10, 2011	Democratic		Vacant
								Troy Findley (appointed May 15, 2009)
46			Sam Brownback	January 10, 2011 – January 31, 2018	Republican	2010		Jeff Colyer
						2014 [lower-alpha 7]
47			Jeff Colyer	January 31, 2018 – present	Republican			Tracey Mann (appointed February 14, 2018)

Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Kansas except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Living former governors

As of January 2018, there are six living former governors, the oldest being John W. Carlin (served 1979–1987, born 1940). The most recent governor of Kansas to die was John Anderson Jr. (served 1961–1965, born 1917), on September 15, 2014.^[15]

See also

• List of people from Topeka, Kansas
• Lists of people from Kansas

Notes

References

General

Constitutions

Specific

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Governors of Kansas.

• Office of the Governor of Kansas website