List of governors of Kansas

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The Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government. The Governor is the Commander-in-Chief of the Kansas National Guard when not called into Federal use.

Governor of Kansas
Standard of the Governor
Incumbent
Laura Kelly

since January 14, 2019
ResidenceCedar Crest
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Inaugural holderCharles L. Robinson
FormationFebruary 9, 1861
Salary$99,636 (2017)[1]
Websitegovernor.kansas.gov

Kansas has had 47 governors since becoming a state.

The current governor is Laura Kelly. She started on January 14, 2019.

Since 1962, the governor lives in the governor's mansion.

List of Governors

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Governors of Kansas Territory

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Governors of the Territory of Kansas
No. 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 Kansas

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Governors of the State of Kansas
No. Governor Term in office Party Election Lt. Governor[a]
1     Charles L. Robinson February 9, 1861

January 12, 1863
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1860   Joseph Pomeroy Root
2   Thomas Carney January 12, 1863

January 9, 1865
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1862 Thomas A. Osborn
3   Samuel J. Crawford January 9, 1865

November 4, 1868
(resigned)[b]
Republican 1864 James McGrew
1866 Nehemiah Green
4   Nehemiah Green November 4, 1868

January 11, 1869
(successor took office)
Republican Succeeded from
Lieutenant
Governor
Vacant
5   James M. Harvey January 11, 1869

January 13, 1873
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1868 Charles Vernon Eskridge
1870 Peter Percival Elder
6   Thomas A. Osborn January 13, 1873

January 8, 1877
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1872 Elias S. Stover
1874 Melville J. Salter
7   George T. Anthony January 8, 1877

January 13, 1879
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1876
Lyman U. Humphrey
8   John St. John January 13, 1879

January 8, 1883
(lost election)
Republican 1878
1880 David Wesley Finney[c]
9   George Washington Glick January 8, 1883

January 12, 1885
(lost election)
Democratic 1882
10   John Martin January 12, 1885

January 14, 1889
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1884 Alexander P. Riddle
1886
11   Lyman U. Humphrey January 14, 1889

January 8, 1893
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1888 Andrew Jackson Felt
1890
12   Lorenzo D. Lewelling January 8, 1893

January 14, 1895
(lost election)
Populist 1892 Percy Daniels
13   Edmund Needham Morrill January 14, 1895

January 11, 1897
(lost election)
Republican 1894 James Armstrong Troutman
14   John W. Leedy January 11, 1897

January 9, 1899
(lost election)
Populist 1896 Alexander Miller Harvey
15   William Eugene Stanley January 9, 1899

January 12, 1903
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1898 Harry E. Richter
1900
16   Willis J. Bailey January 12, 1903

January 9, 1905
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1902 David John Hanna
17   Edward W. Hoch January 9, 1905

January 11, 1909
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1904
1906 William James Fitzgerald
18   Walter R. Stubbs January 11, 1909

January 13, 1913
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1908
1910 Richard Joseph Hopkins
19   George H. Hodges January 13, 1913

January 11, 1915
(lost election)
Democratic 1912 Sheffield Ingalls[c]
20   Arthur Capper January 11, 1915

January 13, 1919
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1914 William Yoast Morgan
1916
21   Henry Justin Allen January 13, 1919

January 8, 1923
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1918 Charles Solomon Huffman
1920
22   Jonathan M. Davis January 8, 1923

January 12, 1925
(lost election)
Democratic 1922 Benjamin S. Paulen[c]
23   Benjamin S. Paulen January 12, 1925

January 14, 1929
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1924 De Lanson Alson Newton Chase
1926
24   Clyde M. Reed January 14, 1929

January 12, 1931
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1928 Jacob W. Graybill[c]
25   Harry Hines Woodring January 12, 1931

January 9, 1933
(lost election)
Democratic 1930
26   Alf Landon January 9, 1933

January 11, 1937
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1932 Charles W. Thompson
1934
27   Walter A. Huxman January 11, 1937

January 9, 1939
(lost election)
Democratic 1936 William M. Lindsay
28   Payne Ratner January 9, 1939

January 11, 1943
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1938 Carl E. Friend
1940
29   Andrew Frank Schoeppel January 11, 1943

January 13, 1947
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1942 Jess C. Denious
1944
30   Frank Carlson January 13, 1947

November 28, 1950
(resigned)[d]
Republican 1946 Frank L. Hagaman
1948
31 Frank L. Hagaman November 28, 1950

January 8, 1951
(successor took office)
Republican Succeeded from
Lieutenant
Governor
Vacant
32 Edward F. Arn January 8, 1951

January 10, 1955
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1950 Fred Hall
1952
33 Fred Hall January 10, 1955

January 3, 1957
(resigned)[e]
Republican 1954 John McCuish
34 John McCuish January 3, 1957

January 14, 1957
(successor took office)
Republican Succeeded from
Lieutenant
Governor
Vacant
35   George Docking January 14, 1957

January 9, 1961
(lost election)
Democratic 1956 Joseph W. Henkle Sr.
1958
36 John Anderson Jr. January 9, 1961

January 11, 1965
(not candidate for election)
Republican 1960 Harold H. Chase
1962
37   William H. Avery January 11, 1965

January 9, 1967
(lost election)
Republican 1964 John Crutcher[c]
38 Robert Docking January 9, 1967

January 13, 1975
(term limited)
Democratic 1966
1968 James H. DeCoursey Jr.
1970 Reynolds Shultz[c]
1972 Dave Owen[c]
39 Robert Frederick Bennett January 13, 1975

January 8, 1979
(lost election)
Republican 1974[f] Shelby Smith
40   John W. Carlin January 8, 1979

January 12, 1987
(term limited)
Democratic 1978 Paul Dugan
1982 Thomas Docking
41   Mike Hayden January 12, 1987

January 14, 1991
(lost election)
Republican 1986 Jack D. Walker
42 Joan Finney January 14, 1991

January 9, 1995
(not candidate for election)
Democratic 1990 Jim Francisco
43   Bill Graves January 9, 1995

January 13, 2003
(term limited)
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
(resigned)[g]
Democratic 2002 John E. Moore
2006 Mark Parkinson
45   Mark Parkinson April 28, 2009

January 10, 2011
(not candidate for election)
Democratic Succeeded from
Lieutenant
Governor
Vacant
Troy Findley
(appointed May 15, 2009)
46   Sam Brownback January 10, 2011

January 31, 2018
(resigned)[h]
Republican 2010 Jeff Colyer
2014
47   Jeff Colyer January 31, 2018

January 14, 2019
(not candidate for election)
Republican Succeeded from
Lieutenant
Governor
Tracey Mann
(appointed February 14, 2018)
48   Laura Kelly January 14, 2019

present[i]
Democratic 2018 Lynn Rogers

References

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  1. "Kansas Government Employee Payroll List". Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  1. Lieutenant governors represented the same party as their governor unless noted.
  2. Crawford resigned to take command of the 19th Kansas Infantry.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Represented the Republican Party
  4. Carlson resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
  5. Hall resigned so that his successor would appoint him to the Kansas Supreme Court.
  6. First term under a 1972 constitutional amendment which lengthened terms to four years.
  7. Sebelius resigned to become United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  8. Brownback resigned on January 31, 2018, to become United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
  9. Kelly's first term expires on January 9, 2023.