List of governors of South Dakota

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[change | change source]

Political party

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

#		Took office	Left office	Party	City elected from		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[change | change source]

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

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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.

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