List of governors of Kansas

Governor of Kansas
Standard of the governor
Incumbent
Laura Kelly
since January 14, 2019
Government of Kansas
ResidenceCedar Crest
Term lengthFour years, renewable once consecutively
Inaugural holderCharles L. Robinson
FormationFebruary 9, 1861
Salary$99,636 (2017)
Websitegovernor.kansas.gov

The governor of Kansas is the head of state of Kansas and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Kansas Legislature, to convene the legislature at any time, and to grant pardons.

Since becoming a state, Kansas has had 48 governors. The state's longest-serving governors were Robert Docking, John W. Carlin, and Bill Graves, each of whom served 8 years (Docking served four two-year terms; Carlin and Graves each served 2 4-year terms). The shortest-serving governor was John McCuish, who served only 11 days after the resignation of Fred Hall.

The current governor is Democrat Laura Kelly, who took office on January 14, 2019.

List of governors

Kansas Territory

Kansas Territory was organized on May 30, 1854, from land that had previously been part of Missouri Territory. Despite existing only for six years, it had six governors appointed by the president of the United States.

Governors of Kansas Territory
No. Governor Term in office Appointed by
1 Andrew Horatio Reeder
(1807–1864)
June 29, 1854

July 31, 1855
(removed)
Franklin Pierce
2 Wilson Shannon
(1802–1877)
August 10, 1855

August 18, 1856
(resigned)
Franklin Pierce
3 John W. Geary
(1819–1873)
July 31, 1856

March 4, 1857
(resigned)
Franklin Pierce
4 Robert J. Walker
(1801–1869)
March 30, 1857

December 17, 1857
(resigned)
James Buchanan
5 James W. Denver
(1817–1892)
February 24, 1858

November 8, 1858
(resigned)
James Buchanan
6 Samuel Medary
(1801–1864)
November 23, 1858

December 20, 1860
(resigned)
James Buchanan

State of Kansas

Flag of the governor prior to 1961. It is unclear when the governor's flag was first created

The eastern bulk of Kansas Territory was admitted to the Union as Kansas on January 29, 1861. The Kansas Constitution provided that a governor and lieutenant governor be elected every 2 years, for a term commencing on the second Monday in the January after the election. An amendment in 1972 increased terms to four years, with a limit that a governor could not serve more than two terms in a row, and provided that the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket. In the original constitution, should the office of governor be vacant, the powers would devolve upon the lieutenant governor, who nonetheless would remain in that office; the 1972 amendment changed it so that, in such an event, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.

Until 2018, there was no age or residency requirement to run for the office; in 2017, three teenagers were doing so. In 2018, a law was passed establishing the age to run for governor and lieutenant governor at 25.

Governors of the State of Kansas
No. Governor Term in office Party Election Lt. Governor
1   Charles L. Robinson
(1818–1894)
February 9, 1861

January 12, 1863
(lost nomination)
Republican 1859   Joseph Pomeroy Root
2 Thomas Carney
(1824–1888)
January 12, 1863

January 9, 1865
(lost nomination)
Republican 1862 Thomas A. Osborn
3 Samuel J. Crawford
(1835–1913)
January 9, 1865

November 4, 1868
(resigned)
Republican 1864 James McGrew
1866 Nehemiah Green
4 Nehemiah Green
(1837–1890)
November 4, 1868

January 11, 1869
(successor took office)
Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor
Vacant
5 James M. Harvey
(1833–1894)
January 11, 1869

January 13, 1873
(did not run)
Republican 1868 Charles Vernon Eskridge
1870 Peter Percival Elder
6 Thomas A. Osborn
(1836–1898)
January 13, 1873

January 8, 1877
(did not run)
Republican 1872 Elias S. Stover
1874 Melville J. Salter
7 George T. Anthony
(1824–1896)
January 8, 1877

January 13, 1879
(lost nomination)
Republican 1876
Lyman U. Humphrey
8 John St. John
(1833–1916)
January 13, 1879

January 8, 1883
(lost election)
Republican 1878
1880 David Wesley Finney
9 George Washington Glick
(1827–1911)
January 8, 1883

January 12, 1885
(lost election)
Democratic 1882
10 John Martin
(1839–1889)
January 12, 1885

January 14, 1889
(did not run)
Republican 1884 Alexander P. Riddle
1886
11 Lyman U. Humphrey
(1844–1915)
January 14, 1889

January 9, 1893
(did not run)
Republican 1888 Andrew Jackson Felt
1890
12 Lorenzo D. Lewelling
(1846–1900)
January 9, 1893

January 14, 1895
(lost election)
Populist 1892 Percy Daniels
13 Edmund Needham Morrill
(1834–1909)
January 14, 1895

January 11, 1897
(lost election)
Republican 1894 James Armstrong Troutman
14 John W. Leedy
(1849–1935)
January 11, 1897

January 9, 1899
(lost election)
Populist 1896 Alexander Miller Harvey
15 William Eugene Stanley
(1844–1910)
January 9, 1899

January 12, 1903
(did not run)
Republican 1898 Harry E. Richter
1900
16 Willis J. Bailey
(1854–1932)
January 12, 1903

January 9, 1905
(lost nomination)
Republican 1902 David John Hanna
17 Edward W. Hoch
(1849–1925)
January 9, 1905

January 11, 1909
(did not run)
Republican 1904
1906 William James Fitzgerald
18 Walter R. Stubbs
(1858–1929)
January 11, 1909

January 13, 1913
(did not run)
Republican 1908
1910 Richard Joseph Hopkins
19 George H. Hodges
(1866–1947)
January 13, 1913

January 11, 1915
(lost election)
Democratic 1912 Sheffield Ingalls
20 Arthur Capper
(1865–1951)
January 11, 1915

January 13, 1919
(did not run)
Republican 1914 William Yoast Morgan
1916
21 Henry Justin Allen
(1868–1950)
January 13, 1919

January 8, 1923
(did not run)
Republican 1918 Charles Solomon Huffman
1920
22 Jonathan M. Davis
(1871–1943)
January 8, 1923

January 12, 1925
(lost election)
Democratic 1922 Benjamin S. Paulen
23 Benjamin S. Paulen
(1869–1961)
January 12, 1925

January 14, 1929
(did not run)
Republican 1924 De Lanson Alson Newton Chase
1926
24 Clyde M. Reed
(1871–1949)
January 14, 1929

January 12, 1931
(lost nomination)
Republican 1928 Jacob W. Graybill
25 Harry Hines Woodring
(1887–1967)
January 12, 1931

January 9, 1933
(lost election)
Democratic 1930
26 Alf Landon
(1887–1987)
January 9, 1933

January 11, 1937
(did not run)
Republican 1932 Charles W. Thompson
1934
27 Walter A. Huxman
(1887–1972)
January 11, 1937

January 9, 1939
(lost election)
Democratic 1936 William M. Lindsay
28 Payne Ratner
(1896–1974)
January 9, 1939

January 11, 1943
(did not run)
Republican 1938 Carl E. Friend
1940
29 Andrew Frank Schoeppel
(1894–1962)
January 11, 1943

January 13, 1947
(did not run)
Republican 1942 Jess C. Denious
1944
30 Frank Carlson
(1893–1987)
January 13, 1947

November 28, 1950
(resigned)
Republican 1946 Frank L. Hagaman
1948
31 Frank L. Hagaman
(1894–1966)
November 28, 1950

January 8, 1951
(successor took office)
Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor
Vacant
32 Edward F. Arn
(1906–1998)
January 8, 1951

January 10, 1955
(did not run)
Republican 1950 Fred Hall
1952
33 Fred Hall
(1916–1970)
January 10, 1955

January 3, 1957
(resigned)
Republican 1954 John McCuish
34 John McCuish
(1906–1962)
January 3, 1957

January 14, 1957
(successor took office)
Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor
Vacant
35 George Docking
(1904–1964)
January 14, 1957

January 9, 1961
(lost election)
Democratic 1956 Joseph W. Henkle Sr.
1958
36 John Anderson Jr.
(1917–2014)
January 9, 1961

January 11, 1965
(did not run)
Republican 1960 Harold H. Chase
1962
37 William H. Avery
(1911–2009)
January 11, 1965

January 9, 1967
(lost election)
Republican 1964 John Crutcher
38 Robert Docking
(1925–1983)
January 9, 1967

January 13, 1975
(term-limited)
Democratic 1966
1968 James H. DeCoursey Jr.
1970 Reynolds Shultz
1972 Dave Owen
39 Robert Frederick Bennett
(1927–2000)
January 13, 1975

January 8, 1979
(lost election)
Republican 1974 Shelby Smith
40 John W. Carlin
(b. 1940)
January 8, 1979

January 12, 1987
(term-limited)
Democratic 1978 Paul Dugan
1982 Thomas Docking
41 Mike Hayden
(b. 1944)
January 12, 1987

January 14, 1991
(lost election)
Republican 1986 Jack D. Walker
42 Joan Finney
(1925–2001)
January 14, 1991

January 9, 1995
(did not run)
Democratic 1990 Jim Francisco
43 Bill Graves
(b. 1953)
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
(b. 1948)
January 13, 2003

April 28, 2009
(resigned)
Democratic 2002 John E. Moore
2006 Mark Parkinson
45 Mark Parkinson
(b. 1957)
April 28, 2009

January 10, 2011
(did not run)
Democratic Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor
Vacant
Troy Findley
(appointed May 15, 2009)
46 Sam Brownback
(b. 1956)
January 10, 2011

January 31, 2018
(resigned)
Republican 2010 Jeff Colyer
2014
47 Jeff Colyer
(b. 1960)
January 31, 2018

January 14, 2019
(lost nomination)
Republican Succeeded from
lieutenant
governor
Vacant
Tracey Mann
(appointed February 14, 2018)
48 Laura Kelly
(b. 1950)
January 14, 2019

Incumbent
Democratic 2018 Lynn Rogers
(resigned January 2, 2021)
David Toland
(appointed January 2, 2021)
2022

See also


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