List of governors of South Dakota

The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current Governor is Republican Kristi Noem, serving since 2019. The Governor has the power to sign or veto laws, and to call the Legislative Assembly into emergency session. They have an ex officio South Dakota Governor's Residence. The governor may only serve two terms consecutively, and becomes eligible for reelection after four years out of office. South Dakota is a strongly Republican state; only six Governors have not been members of that party and the governorship has been held by Republicans since 1979, the longest Republican streak and the longest overall streak of one party control in the country.

Contents

Governors of Dakota Territory

Main article: List of governors of Dakota Territory

Governors of South Dakota

Political party

      Republican (27)       Populist (1)       Democratic (5)

#	Governor (birth and death)			Took office	Left office	Party	City elected from	Lieutenant Governor		Notes
1			Arthur C. Mellette (1842–1896)	March 22, 1889	January 3, 1893	Republican	Watertown		James H. Fletcher George H. Hoffman
2			Charles H. Sheldon (1840–1898)	January 3, 1893	January 1, 1897	Republican	Pierpont		Charles N. Herreid
3			Andrew E. Lee (1847–1934)	January 1, 1897	January 8, 1901	Populist	Vermillion		Daniel T. Hindman John T. Kean
4	75px		Charles N. Herreid (1857–1928)	January 8, 1901	January 3, 1905	Republican	Eureka		George W. Snow
5	75px		Samuel H. Elrod (1856–1935)	January 3, 1905	January 8, 1907	Republican	Clark		John E. McDougall
6			Coe I. Crawford (1858–1944)	January 8, 1907	January 5, 1909	Republican	Huron		Howard C. Shober
7	75px		Robert S. Vessey (1858–1929)	January 5, 1909	January 7, 1913	Republican	Wessington Springs		Howard C. Shober Frank M. Byrne
8	75px		Frank M. Byrne (1858–1927)	January 7, 1913	January 2, 1917	Republican	Faulkton		Edward Lincoln Abel Peter Norbeck
9			Peter Norbeck (1870–1936)	January 2, 1917	January 4, 1921	Republican	Redfield		William H. McMaster
10			William H. McMaster (1877–1968)	January 4, 1921	January 6, 1925	Republican	Yankton		Carl Gunderson
11	75px		Carl Gunderson (1864–1933)	January 6, 1925	January 4, 1927	Republican	Mitchell		Alva Clark Forney
12	75px		William J. Bulow (1869–1960)	January 4, 1927	January 6, 1931	Democratic	Beresford		Hyatt E. Covey (Republican) Clarence E. Coyne (Republican) John T. Grigsby (Democratic)
13	75px		Warren Green (1869–1945)	January 6, 1931	January 3, 1933	Republican	Hazel		Odell K. Whitney
14	75px		Tom Berry (1879–1951)	January 3, 1933	January 5, 1937	Democratic	Belvidere		Hans Ustrud Robert Peterson
15	75px		Leslie Jensen (1892–1964)	January 5, 1937	January 3, 1939	Republican	Hot Springs		Donald McMurchie
16	75px		Harlan J. Bushfield (1882–1948)	January 3, 1939	January 5, 1943	Republican	Miller		Donald McMurchie A. C. Miller
17	75px		Merrell Q. Sharpe (1888–1962)	January 5, 1943	January 7, 1947	Republican	Kennebec		A. C. Miller Sioux K. Grigsby
18			George T. Mickelson (1903–1965)	January 7, 1947	January 2, 1951	Republican	Selby		Sioux K. Grigsby Rex A. Terry
19	75px		Sigurd Anderson (1904–1990)	January 2, 1951	January 4, 1955	Republican	Webster		Rex A. Terry
20	75px		Joe Foss (1915–2003)	January 4, 1955	January 6, 1959	Republican	Sioux Falls		L. Roy Houck
21	75px		Ralph Herseth (1909–1969)	January 6, 1959	January 3, 1961	Democratic	Houghton		John F. Lindley
22	75px		Archie M. Gubbrud (1910–1987)	January 3, 1961	January 5, 1965	Republican	Alcester		Joseph H. Bottum Nils Boe
23	75px		Nils Boe (1913–1992)	January 5, 1965	January 7, 1969	Republican	Sioux Falls		Lem Overpeck
24	75px		Frank Farrar (1929–2021)	January 7, 1969	January 5, 1971	Republican	Britton		James Abdnor
25	75px		Dick Kneip (1933–1987)	January 5, 1971	July 24, 1978	Democratic	Salem		William Dougherty Harvey L. Wollman
26	75px		Harvey L. Wollman (b. 1935)	July 24, 1978	January 1, 1979	Democratic	Hitchcock		Vacant
27	75px		Bill Janklow (1939–2012)	January 1, 1979	January 6, 1987	Republican	Flandreau		Lowell C. Hansen II
28	75px		George S. Mickelson (1941–1993)	January 6, 1987	April 19, 1993	Republican	Brookings		Walter Dale Miller
29			Walter Dale Miller (1925–2015)	April 19, 1993	January 7, 1995	Republican	New Underwood		Steve T. Kirby
30	75px		Bill Janklow (1939–2012)	January 7, 1995	January 7, 2003	Republican	Brandon		Carole Hillard
31	75px		Mike Rounds (b. 1954)	January 7, 2003	January 8, 2011	Republican	Pierre		Dennis Daugaard
32	75px		Dennis Daugaard (b. 1953)	January 8, 2011	January 5, 2019	Republican	Garretson		Matt Michels
33			Kristi Noem (b. 1971)	January 5, 2019	Incumbent	Republican	Castlewood		Larry Rhoden

Succession

Main article: Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § South Dakota

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 South Dakota except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Governor	Gubernatorial term	U.S. Congress		Other offices held
		House	Senate
Coe I. Crawford	1907–1909		S
Peter Norbeck	1917–1921		S
William H. McMaster	1921–1925		S
William J. Bulow	1927–1931		S
Harlan J. Bushfield	1939–1943		S
Richard F. Kneip	1971–1978			United States Ambassador to Singapore*
Bill Janklow	1979–1987 1995–2003	H
Mike Rounds	2003–2011		S
Kristi Noem	2019–present	H

See also

• South Dakota
• Governor of South Dakota
• Timeline of South Dakota