List of Governors of Kentucky

The Governor of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of Kentucky's state government,^[1] and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.^[2] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws;^[3] the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Kentucky General Assembly;^[4] the power to convene the legislature;^[5] and the power to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.^[6] He or she is also empowered to reorganize the state government or reduce it in size. Historically, the office has been regarded as one of the most powerful executive positions in the United States.^[7]

Fifty-eight individuals have held the office of Governor. Prior to a 1992 amendment to the state's constitution, the Governor was prohibited from succeeding himself in office, though four men (Isaac Shelby, John L. Helm, James B. McCreary and Happy Chandler) served multiple non-consecutive terms. Paul E. Patton, the first Kentucky Governor eligible for a second consecutive term under the amendment, won his reelection bid in 1999. James Garrard succeeded himself in 1800, before the constitutional provision existed.

William Goebel, who was elected to the office in the disputed election of 1899, remains the only Governor of any U.S. state to die from assassination while in office.^[8] Martha Layne Collins, who held the office from 1983 to 1987, was the first woman to serve as governor and was only the third woman to serve as governor of any U.S. state who was not the wife or widow of a previous governor.^[7] The 62nd and current Kentucky Governor is Republican Matt Bevin, who took office on December 8, 2015.

Governors

Kentucky was initially Kentucky County in Virginia. It achieved statehood and was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792; see the list of governors of Virginia for the period before statehood. There have been 57 governors, serving 61 distinct terms.

An unelected group proclaimed Kentucky's secession from the Union on November 20, 1861, and it was annexed by the Confederate States of America on December 10, 1861. The Confederate government elected two governors (listed separately), but it never held much control over the state, and the main line of governors was preserved.

The original 1792 Kentucky Constitution had the governor chosen by an electoral college for a term of four years.^[9] The second constitution in 1799 changed this to a popular vote, and prevented governors from succeeding themselves within seven years of their terms.^[10] The third constitution in 1850 reduced the succession limitation to four years.^[11] A 1992 amendment to the constitution allowed governors to have a second term before being prevented from succeeding themselves for four years.^[12]

#	Governor			Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]
1			Isaac Shelby	June 4, 1792 – June 7, 1796	Democratic-Republican	1792	Office did not exist
2			James Garrard	June 7, 1796 – September 5, 1804	Democratic-Republican	1796
						1800		Alexander Scott Bullitt
3			Christopher Greenup	September 5, 1804 – September 1, 1808	Democratic-Republican	1804		John Caldwell (died November 19, 1804)
							Vacant
								Thomas Posey (acting, elected Speaker in 1805)
4			Charles Scott	September 1, 1808 – August 24, 1812	Democratic-Republican	1808		Gabriel Slaughter
5			Isaac Shelby	August 24, 1812 – September 5, 1816	Democratic-Republican	1812		Richard Hickman
6			George Madison	September 5, 1816 – October 14, 1816	Democratic-Republican	1816 [lower-alpha 3]		Gabriel Slaughter
7			Gabriel Slaughter	October 14, 1816 – August 29, 1820	Democratic-Republican		Vacant
8			John Adair	August 29, 1820 – August 24, 1824	Democratic-Republican	1820		William T. Barry
9			Joseph Desha	August 24, 1824 – August 26, 1828	Democratic-Republican	1824		Robert B. McAfee
10			Thomas Metcalfe	August 26, 1828 – September 4, 1832	National Republican	1828		John Breathitt[lower-alpha 4]
11			John Breathitt	September 4, 1832 – February 21, 1834	Democratic	1832 [lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6]		James T. Morehead[lower-alpha 7]
12			James T. Morehead	February 21, 1834 – August 30, 1836	National Republican		Vacant
					Whig
13			James Clark	August 30, 1836 – August 27, 1839	Whig	1836 [lower-alpha 8]		Charles A. Wickliffe
14			Charles A. Wickliffe	August 27, 1839 – September 2, 1840	Whig		Vacant
15			Robert P. Letcher	September 2, 1840 – September 4, 1844	Whig	1840		Manlius V. Thomson
16			William Owsley	September 4, 1844 – September 6, 1848	Whig	1844		Archibald Dixon
17			John J. Crittenden	September 6, 1848 – July 31, 1850	Whig	1848 [lower-alpha 9][lower-alpha 10]		John L. Helm
18			John L. Helm	July 31, 1850 – September 2, 1851	Whig		Vacant
19			Lazarus W. Powell	September 2, 1851 – September 4, 1855	Democratic	1851		John B. Thompson[lower-alpha 11]
20			Charles S. Morehead	September 4, 1855 – August 30, 1859	Know Nothing	1855		James G. Hardy
21			Beriah Magoffin	August 30, 1859 – August 18, 1862	Democratic	1859 [lower-alpha 12]		Linn Boyd (died December 17, 1859)
							Vacant
22			James F. Robinson	August 18, 1862 – September 1, 1863	Democratic
23			Thomas E. Bramlette	September 1, 1863 – September 3, 1867	Democratic	1863		Richard T. Jacob
24			John L. Helm	September 3, 1867 – September 8, 1867	Democratic	1867 [lower-alpha 13]		John W. Stevenson
25			John W. Stevenson	September 8, 1867 – February 3, 1871	Democratic		Vacant
						1868 [lower-alpha 14][lower-alpha 15]
26			Preston H. Leslie	February 3, 1871 – August 31, 1875	Democratic
						1871		John G. Carlisle
27			James B. McCreary	August 31, 1875 – September 2, 1879	Democratic	1875		John C. Underwood
28			Luke P. Blackburn	September 2, 1879 – September 5, 1883	Democratic	1879		James E. Cantrill
29			J. Proctor Knott	September 5, 1883 – August 30, 1887	Democratic	1883		James R. Hindman
30			Simon Bolivar Buckner	August 30, 1887 – September 2, 1891	Democratic	1887		James W. Bryan
31			John Young Brown	September 2, 1891 – December 10, 1895	Democratic	1891		Mitchell C. Alford
32			William O. Bradley	December 10, 1895 – December 12, 1899	Republican	1895		William J. Worthington
33			William S. Taylor	December 12, 1899 – January 31, 1900	Republican	1899 [lower-alpha 16]		John Marshall
34			William Goebel	January 31, 1900 – February 3, 1900	Democratic			J. C. W. Beckham
35			J. C. W. Beckham	February 3, 1900 – December 10, 1907	Democratic		Vacant
						1900 [lower-alpha 17]
						1903		William P. Thorne
36			Augustus E. Willson	December 10, 1907 – December 12, 1911	Republican	1907		William Hopkinson Cox
37			James B. McCreary	December 12, 1911 – December 7, 1915	Democratic	1911		Edward J. McDermott
38			Augustus O. Stanley	December 7, 1915 – May 19, 1919	Democratic	1915 [lower-alpha 18]		James D. Black
39			James D. Black	May 19, 1919 – December 9, 1919	Democratic		Vacant
40			Edwin P. Morrow	December 9, 1919 – December 11, 1923	Republican	1919		S. Thruston Ballard
41			William J. Fields	December 11, 1923 – December 13, 1927	Democratic	1923		Henry Denhardt
42			Flem D. Sampson	December 13, 1927 – December 8, 1931	Republican	1927		James Breathitt, Jr.[lower-alpha 4]
43			Ruby Laffoon	December 8, 1931 – December 10, 1935	Democratic	1931		Happy Chandler
44			Happy Chandler	December 10, 1935 – October 9, 1939	Democratic	1935 [lower-alpha 19]		Keen Johnson
45			Keen Johnson	October 9, 1939 – December 7, 1943	Democratic		Vacant
						1939		Rodes K. Myers
46			Simeon Willis	December 7, 1943 – December 9, 1947	Republican	1943		Kenneth H. Tuggle
47			Earle Clements	December 9, 1947 – November 27, 1950	Democratic	1947 [lower-alpha 20]		Lawrence W. Wetherby
48			Lawrence W. Wetherby	November 27, 1950 – December 13, 1955	Democratic		Vacant
						1951		Emerson Beauchamp
49			Happy Chandler	December 13, 1955 – December 8, 1959	Democratic	1955		Harry Lee Waterfield
50			Bert Combs	December 8, 1959 – December 10, 1963	Democratic	1959		Wilson Wyatt
51			Ned Breathitt	December 10, 1963 – December 12, 1967	Democratic	1963		Harry Lee Waterfield
52			Louie Nunn	December 12, 1967 – December 7, 1971	Republican	1967		Wendell Ford[lower-alpha 4]
53			Wendell Ford	December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974	Democratic	1971 [lower-alpha 21]		Julian Carroll
54			Julian Carroll	December 28, 1974 – December 11, 1979	Democratic		Vacant
						1975		Thelma Stovall
55			John Y. Brown Jr.	December 11, 1979 – December 13, 1983	Democratic	1979		Martha Layne Collins
56			Martha Layne Collins	December 13, 1983 – December 8, 1987	Democratic	1983		Steve Beshear
57			Wallace Wilkinson	December 8, 1987 – December 10, 1991	Democratic	1987		Brereton Jones
58			Brereton Jones	December 10, 1991 – December 12, 1995	Democratic	1991		Paul E. Patton
59			Paul E. Patton	December 12, 1995 – December 9, 2003	Democratic	1995		Steve Henry
						1999
60			Ernie Fletcher	December 9, 2003 – December 11, 2007	Republican	2003		Steve Pence
61			Steve Beshear	December 11, 2007 – December 8, 2015	Democratic	2007		Daniel Mongiardo
						2011		Jerry Abramson (resigned November 13, 2014)
								Crit Luallen (appointed November 13, 2014)
62			Matt Bevin	December 8, 2015 – Incumbent	Republican	2015 [lower-alpha 22]		Jenean Hampton

Confederate governors

George W. Johnson, 1st Confederate Governor of Kentucky

Richard Hawes, 2nd Confederate Governor of Kentucky

During the Civil War, a group of secessionists met at the Russellville to form a Confederate government for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. While this government never successfully displaced the government in Frankfort, two men were elected governor of the Confederate government: George W. Johnson, who served from November 20, 1861 to his death on April 8, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh, and, on Johnson's death, Richard Hawes, who served until the Confederate surrender on April 9, 1865. The Confederate government disbanded shortly after the end of the war in 1865.^[14]

Living former governors

There are seven living former governors of Kentucky, the oldest being Julian M. Carroll (served 1974–1979, born 1931). The most recent governor to die was Wendell H. Ford (served 1971–1974, born 1924), on January 22, 2015. The most recently serving governor to die was Wallace G. Wilkinson (served 1987–1991, born 1941), who died on July 5, 2002.

See also

• Timeline of Kentucky history

Notes

References

General

Constitution

Specific

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Governors of Kentucky.

• Office of the Governor of Kentucky