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.
No.[a] | Governor | 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 | ||||
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) | |||
Vacant | ||||||||
22 | James Fisher Robinson | August 18, 1862 – September 1, 1863 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | Succeeded from President of the Senate | ||||
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 | |||
1868 (special) | ||||||||
26 | Preston Leslie | February 3, 1871 – August 31, 1875 (term limited) |
Democratic | Succeeded from President of the Senate | ||||
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 | 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) | ||||||||
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 | |||
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 | |||
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 | |||
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 | |||
1999 | ||||||||
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) | |||||||
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 |