List of governors of Kentucky

The Governor of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of Kentucky's state government. Here is the list of individuals who became Governor.

List of governors

Governors of the State of Kentucky
No.^[a]		Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor^[b]^[c]
1	Isaac Shelby	June 4, 1792 – June 7, 1796 (not candidate for election)	Democratic- Republican	1792	Office did not exist
2	James Garrard	June 7, 1796 – September 5, 1804 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1796	Office did not exist
2	James Garrard	June 7, 1796 – September 5, 1804 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1800		Alexander Scott Bullitt
3	Christopher Greenup	September 5, 1804 – September 1, 1808 (term limited)	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 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1808		Gabriel Slaughter
5	Isaac Shelby	August 24, 1812 – September 5, 1816 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1812		Richard Hickman
6	George Madison	September 5, 1816 – October 14, 1816 (died in office)	Democratic- Republican	1816		Gabriel Slaughter
7	Gabriel Slaughter	October 14, 1816 – August 29, 1820 (not candidate for election)	Democratic- Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
8	John Adair	August 29, 1820 – August 24, 1824 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1820		William T. Barry
9	Joseph Desha	August 24, 1824 – August 26, 1828 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1824		Robert B. McAfee
10	Thomas Metcalfe	August 26, 1828 – September 4, 1832 (term limited)	National Republican	1828		John Breathitt^[d]
11	John Breathitt	September 4, 1832 – February 21, 1834 (died in office)	Democratic	1832		James Turner Morehead^[e]
12	James Turner Morehead	February 21, 1834 – August 30, 1836 (not candidate for election)	National Republican^[f]	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
13	James Clark	August 30, 1836 – August 27, 1839 (died in office)	Whig	1836		Charles A. Wickliffe
14	Charles A. Wickliffe	August 27, 1839 – September 2, 1840 (not candidate for election)	Whig	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
15	Robert P. Letcher	September 2, 1840 – September 4, 1844 (term limited)	Whig	1840		Manlius Valerius Thomson
16	William Owsley	September 4, 1844 – September 6, 1848 (term limited)	Whig	1844		Archibald Dixon
17	John J. Crittenden	September 6, 1848 – July 31, 1850 (resigned)^[g]	Whig	1848^[h]		John L. Helm
18	John L. Helm	July 31, 1850 – September 2, 1851 (not candidate for election)	Whig	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
19	Lazarus W. Powell	September 2, 1851 – September 4, 1855 (term limited)	Democratic	1851		John Burton Thompson^[i]
20	Charles S. Morehead	September 4, 1855 – August 30, 1859 (term limited)	Know Nothing	1855		James Greene Hardy
21	Beriah Magoffin	August 30, 1859 – August 18, 1862 (resigned)^[j]	Democratic	1859		Linn Boyd (died December 17, 1859)
21	Beriah Magoffin	August 30, 1859 – August 18, 1862 (resigned)^[j]	Democratic	1859	Vacant
22	James Fisher Robinson	August 18, 1862 – September 1, 1863 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate	Vacant
23	Thomas E. Bramlette	September 1, 1863 – September 3, 1867 (term limited)	Democratic	1863		Richard Taylor Jacob
24	John L. Helm	September 3, 1867 – September 8, 1867 (died in office)	Democratic	1867		John W. Stevenson
25	John W. Stevenson	September 8, 1867 – February 3, 1871 (resigned)^[k]	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
25	John W. Stevenson	September 8, 1867 – February 3, 1871 (resigned)^[k]	Democratic	1868 (special)
26	Preston Leslie	February 3, 1871 – August 31, 1875 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate
26	Preston Leslie	February 3, 1871 – August 31, 1875 (term limited)	Democratic	1871		John G. Carlisle
27	James B. McCreary	August 31, 1875 – September 2, 1879 (term limited)	Democratic	1875		John C. Underwood
28	Luke P. Blackburn	September 2, 1879 – September 5, 1883 (term limited)	Democratic	1879		James E. Cantrill
29	J. Proctor Knott	September 5, 1883 – August 30, 1887 (term limited)	Democratic	1883		James R. Hindman
30	Simon Bolivar Buckner	August 30, 1887 – September 2, 1891 (term limited)	Democratic	1887		James William Bryan
31	John Y. Brown	September 2, 1891 – December 10, 1895 (term limited)	Democratic	1891		Mitchell Cary Alford
32	William O'Connell Bradley	December 10, 1895 – December 12, 1899 (term limited)	Republican	1895		William Jackson Worthington
33	William S. Taylor	December 12, 1899 – January 31, 1900 (removed from office)^[l]	Republican	1899		John Marshall
34	William Goebel	January 31, 1900 – February 3, 1900 (died in office)^[l]	Democratic	1899		J. C. W. Beckham
35	J. C. W. Beckham	February 3, 1900 – December 10, 1907 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor^[l]	Vacant
				1900 (special)	Vacant
				1903		William P. Thorne
36	Augustus E. Willson	December 10, 1907 – December 12, 1911 (term limited)	Republican	1907		William Hopkinson Cox
37	James B. McCreary	December 12, 1911 – December 7, 1915 (term limited)	Democratic	1911		Edward J. McDermott
38	Augustus Owsley Stanley	December 7, 1915 – May 19, 1919 (resigned)^[m]	Democratic	1915		James D. Black
39	James D. Black	May 19, 1919 – December 9, 1919 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
40	Edwin P. Morrow	December 9, 1919 – December 11, 1923 (term limited)	Republican	1919		S. Thruston Ballard
41	William J. Fields	December 11, 1923 – December 13, 1927 (term limited)	Democratic	1923		Henry Denhardt
42	Flem D. Sampson	December 13, 1927 – December 8, 1931 (term limited)	Republican	1927		James Breathitt Jr.^[d]
43	Ruby Laffoon	December 8, 1931 – December 10, 1935 (term limited)	Democratic	1931		Happy Chandler
44	Happy Chandler	December 10, 1935 – October 9, 1939 (resigned)^[n]	Democratic	1935		Keen Johnson
45	Keen Johnson	October 9, 1939 – December 7, 1943 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
45	Keen Johnson	October 9, 1939 – December 7, 1943 (term limited)	Democratic	1939		Rodes K. Myers
46	Simeon Willis	December 7, 1943 – December 9, 1947 (term limited)	Republican	1943		Kenneth H. Tuggle
47	Earle Clements	December 9, 1947 – November 27, 1950 (resigned)^[o]	Democratic	1947		Lawrence Wetherby
48	Lawrence Wetherby	November 27, 1950 – December 13, 1955 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
48	Lawrence Wetherby	November 27, 1950 – December 13, 1955 (term limited)	Democratic	1951		Emerson Beauchamp
49	Happy Chandler	December 13, 1955 – December 8, 1959 (term limited)	Democratic	1955		Harry Lee Waterfield
50	Bert Combs	December 8, 1959 – December 10, 1963 (term limited)	Democratic	1959		Wilson W. Wyatt
51	Ned Breathitt	December 10, 1963 – December 12, 1967 (term limited)	Democratic	1963		Harry Lee Waterfield
52	Louie Nunn	December 12, 1967 – December 7, 1971 (term limited)	Republican	1967		Wendell Ford^[d]
53	Wendell Ford	December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974 (resigned)^[p]	Democratic	1971		Julian Carroll
54	Julian Carroll	December 28, 1974 – December 11, 1979 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant
54	Julian Carroll	December 28, 1974 – December 11, 1979 (term limited)	Democratic	1975		Thelma Stovall
55	John Y. Brown Jr.	December 11, 1979 – December 13, 1983 (term limited)	Democratic	1979		Martha Layne Collins
56	Martha Layne Collins	December 13, 1983 – December 8, 1987 (term limited)	Democratic	1983		Steve Beshear
57	Wallace Wilkinson	December 8, 1987 – December 10, 1991 (term limited)	Democratic	1987		Brereton Jones
58	Brereton Jones	December 10, 1991 – December 12, 1995 (term limited)	Democratic	1991		Paul E. Patton
59	Paul E. Patton	December 12, 1995 – December 9, 2003 (term limited)	Democratic	1995		Steve Henry
59	Paul E. Patton	December 12, 1995 – December 9, 2003 (term limited)	Democratic	1999		Steve Henry
60	Ernie Fletcher	December 9, 2003 – December 11, 2007 (lost election)	Republican	2003		Steve Pence
61	Steve Beshear	December 11, 2007 – December 8, 2015 (term limited)	Democratic	2007		Daniel Mongiardo
				2011		Jerry Abramson (resigned November 13, 2014)
				2011		Crit Luallen
62	Matt Bevin	December 8, 2015 – December 10, 2019 (lost election)	Republican	2015		Jenean Hampton
63	Andy Beshear	December 10, 2019 – Incumbent^[q]	Democratic	2019		Jacqueline Coleman

Notes

↑ The state labels Matt Bevin as the 62nd governor;^[1] based on this, subsequent terms of repeat governors are numbered.
↑ The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1799 constitution.^[2]
↑ Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Represented the Democratic Party.
↑ Represented the National Republican Party.
↑ The National Republican Party changed its name to the Whig Party in 1834.
↑ Crittenden resigned to be Attorney General of the United States.
↑ The 1850 Constitution shifted the election schedule forward, shortening this term by a year.
↑ Represented the Whig Party.
↑ Magoffin resigned due to his disagreement with the state legislature over neutrality in the American Civil War.
↑ Stevenson resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 Taylor won the 1899 election and was sworn into office. However, the legislature challenged the validity of his win, claiming ballot fraud. His challenger, Goebel, was shot on January 30, 1900, but was named governor by the legislature and sworn in the next day; he died three days later. Since Lieutenant Governor Marshall's win had also been invalidated, Beckham, having been named lieutenant governor, succeeded Goebel.
↑ Stanley resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ Chandler resigned so that his successor would appoint him to the United States Senate.
↑ Clements resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ Ford resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
↑ Beshear's first term expires on December 12, 2023.

References

↑ "Governor Matt Bevin". Governor of Kentucky. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
↑ 1799 Const. art. II, § 15

[2] The state labels Matt Bevin as the 62nd governor;^[1] based on this, subsequent terms of repeat governors are numbered.

[4] The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in the 1799 constitution.^[2]

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

[ltdem-6] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Represented the Democratic Party.

[7] Represented the National Republican Party.

[8] The National Republican Party changed its name to the Whig Party in 1834.

[9] Crittenden resigned to be Attorney General of the United States.

[10] The 1850 Constitution shifted the election schedule forward, shortening this term by a year.

[11] Represented the Whig Party.

[12] Magoffin resigned due to his disagreement with the state legislature over neutrality in the American Civil War.

[13] Stevenson resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[elect-1899-14] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 Taylor won the 1899 election and was sworn into office. However, the legislature challenged the validity of his win, claiming ballot fraud. His challenger, Goebel, was shot on January 30, 1900, but was named governor by the legislature and sworn in the next day; he died three days later. Since Lieutenant Governor Marshall's win had also been invalidated, Beckham, having been named lieutenant governor, succeeded Goebel.

[15] Stanley resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[16] Chandler resigned so that his successor would appoint him to the United States Senate.

[17] Clements resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[18] Ford resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.

[19] Beshear's first term expires on December 12, 2023.

[1] "Governor Matt Bevin". Governor of Kentucky. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.

[3] 1799 Const. art. II, § 15

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