List of governors of South Dakota

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The Governor of South Dakota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current Governor is Republican Kristi Noem, serving since 2019.

Governors of South Dakota

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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
[1]
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     Charles N. Herreid
(1857–1928)
January 8, 1901 January 3, 1905 Republican Eureka   George W. Snow
5     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     Robert S. Vessey
(1858–1929)
January 5, 1909 January 7, 1913 Republican Wessington Springs   Howard C. Shober
Frank M. Byrne
8     Frank M. Byrne
(1858–1927)
January 7, 1913 January 2, 1917 Republican Faulkton   Edward Lincoln Abel
Peter Norbeck
[2]
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     Carl Gunderson
(1864–1933)
January 6, 1925 January 4, 1927 Republican Mitchell   Alva Clark Forney
12     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     Warren Green
(1869–1945)
January 6, 1931 January 3, 1933 Republican Hazel   Odell K. Whitney
14     Tom Berry
(1879–1951)
January 3, 1933 January 5, 1937 Democratic Belvidere   Hans Ustrud
Robert Peterson
15     Leslie Jensen
(1892–1964)
January 5, 1937 January 3, 1939 Republican Hot Springs   Donald McMurchie
16     Harlan J. Bushfield
(1882–1948)
January 3, 1939 January 5, 1943 Republican Miller   Donald McMurchie
A. C. Miller
17     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     Sigurd Anderson
(1904–1990)
January 2, 1951 January 4, 1955 Republican Webster   Rex A. Terry
20     Joe Foss
(1915–2003)
January 4, 1955 January 6, 1959 Republican Sioux Falls   L. Roy Houck
21     Ralph Herseth
(1909–1969)
January 6, 1959 January 3, 1961 Democratic Houghton   John F. Lindley
22     Archie M. Gubbrud
(1910–1987)
January 3, 1961 January 5, 1965 Republican Alcester   Joseph H. Bottum
Nils Boe
23     Nils Boe
(1913–1992)
January 5, 1965 January 7, 1969 Republican Sioux Falls   Lem Overpeck
24     Frank Farrar
(1929-2021)
January 7, 1969 January 5, 1971 Republican Britton   James Abdnor
25     Dick Kneip
(1933–1987)
January 5, 1971 July 24, 1978 Democratic Salem   William Dougherty
Harvey L. Wollman
[3]
26     Harvey L. Wollman
(b. 1935)
July 24, 1978 January 1, 1979 Democratic Hitchcock Vacant
27     Bill Janklow
(1939–2012)
January 1, 1979 January 6, 1987 Republican Flandreau   Lowell C. Hansen II
28     George S. Mickelson
(1941–1993)
January 6, 1987 April 19, 1993 Republican Brookings   Walter Dale Miller [4]
29     Walter Dale Miller
(1925–2015)
April 19, 1993 January 7, 1995 Republican New Underwood   Steve T. Kirby
30     Bill Janklow
(1939–2012)
January 7, 1995 January 7, 2003 Republican Brandon   Carole Hillard
31     Mike Rounds
(b. 1954)
January 7, 2003 January 8, 2011 Republican Pierre   Dennis Daugaard
32     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

References

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  1. Mellette was the final governor of the Dakota Territory prior to his election as the first Governor of South Dakota.
  2. Won over James Wallace McCarter
  3. Kneip resigned to become Ambassador to Singapore on July 24, 1978; he was succeeded by Harvey L. Wollman.
  4. Mickelson was killed in a plane crash on April 19, 1993; he was succeeded by Walter Dale Miller.