List of governors of Nebraska

The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential elections. He or she may be elected any number of times, but not more than twice in a row. The current officeholder is Pete Ricketts, a Republican, who was sworn in on January 8, 2015. The current Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska is Mike Foley, who also assumed office on January 8, 2015.

Governor of Nebraska
Seal of Nebraska
Incumbent Pete Ricketts since January 8, 2015
Style	The Honorable
Residence	Nebraska Governor's Mansion
Term length	4 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	David Butler
Formation	Constitution of Nebraska
Salary	$105,000 (2013)[1]

Governors of Nebraska must be at least 30 years old and have been citizens and residents of the state for five years before being elected. Before 1966, the governor was elected to a two-year term. In 1962, a constitutional amendment extended the gubernatorial term to four years, effective with the 1966 election. In 1966, another amendment imposed a term limit of two consecutive terms. The lieutenant governor is subject to the same limitations and runs on a combined ticket with the governor. Charles W. Bryan is the only Governor of Nebraska to serve non-consecutive terms.

If the governor becomes incapacitated or is out of the state, the lieutenant governor acts as governor; if there is a vacancy or permanent incapacitation, the lieutenant governor becomes governor and serves the balance of the term. However, if both offices become vacant, the next person in the line of succession is the Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature.

Territorial governors

See List of governors of Missouri for the period from 1805 to 1821. Between 1821 and 1854, the land was unorganized territory.

Before statehood, governors were appointed to a four-year term by the President of the United States.[upper-alpha 1]

Parties

  Democratic (8)   Republican (2)

#	Governor (Birth–Death)			Party	Took office	Left office	Notes
			William Walker (1800–1874)		July 23, 1853	October 16, 1854	Not recognized by the federal government
1			Francis Burt (1807–1854)	Democratic	October 16, 1854	October 18, 1854	Died
			Thomas B. Cuming (1827–1858)	Democratic	October 18, 1854	February 23, 1855	Acting
2			Mark W. Izard (1799–1866)	Democratic	February 23, 1855	October 25, 1857	Resigned
			Thomas B. Cuming (1827–1858)	Democratic	October 25, 1857	January 12, 1858	Acting
3			William A. Richardson (1811–1875)	Democratic	January 12, 1858	December 5, 1858	Resigned
			J. Sterling Morton (1832–1902)	Democratic	December 5, 1858	May 2, 1859	Acting
4			Samuel W. Black (1816–1862)	Democratic	May 2, 1859	February 24, 1861	Resigned
			J. Sterling Morton (1832–1902)	Democratic	February 24, 1861	March 6, 1861	Acting
			Algernon S. Paddock (1830–1897)	Republican	March 6, 1861	May 15, 1861	Acting
5			Alvin Saunders (1817–1899)	Republican	May 15, 1861	March 1, 1867

State governors

Popularly elected, beginning in 1866, to a two-year term. In 1962, the voters approved a constitutional amendment expanding terms beginning in 1966 to four years. In 1966, the voters limited the number of consecutive full terms that any one governor could serve to two (i.e. only one possible re-election while still in office after election to a full term.)[upper-alpha 2]

Parties

  Republican (26)   Democratic (12)   Fusion (Democratic/Populist) (2)

#	Governor (Birth–Death)			Party	Took office	Left office	Lt. Governor	Notes
1			David Butler (1829–1891)	Republican	February 21, 1867	June 2, 1871	None	[2]
			William H. James (1831–1920)	Republican	June 2, 1871	January 13, 1873	None	Secretary of State[3]
2			Robert Wilkinson Furnas (1824–1905)	Republican	January 13, 1873	January 11, 1875	None
3			Silas Garber (1833–1905)	Republican	January 11, 1875	January 9, 1879	None Othman A. Abbott
4			Albinus Nance (1848–1911)	Republican	January 9, 1879	January 4, 1883	Edmund C. Carns
5			James W. Dawes (1844–1918)	Republican	January 4, 1883	January 6, 1887	Alfred W. Agee Hibbard H. Shedd
6			John Milton Thayer (1820–1906)	Republican	January 6, 1887	February 8, 1892	Hibbard H. Shedd George D. Meiklejohn Thomas J. Majors	[4]
7			James E. Boyd (1834–1906)	Democratic	February 8, 1892	January 13, 1893	Thomas J. Majors	[4]
8			Lorenzo Crounse (1834–1909)	Republican	January 13, 1893	January 3, 1895	Thomas J. Majors
9			Silas A. Holcomb (1858–1920)	Fusion (Democratic/Populist)	January 3, 1895	January 5, 1899	Robert E. Moore James E. Harris
10			William A. Poynter (1848–1909)	Fusion (Democratic/Populist)	January 5, 1899	January 3, 1901	Edward A. Gilbert
11			Charles H. Dietrich (1853–1924)	Republican	January 3, 1901	May 1, 1901	Ezra P. Savage	Resigned[5]
12			Ezra P. Savage (1842–1920)	Republican	May 1, 1901	January 8, 1903	None	Lieutenant Governor[6]
13			John H. Mickey (1845–1910)	Republican	January 8, 1903	January 3, 1907	Edmund G. McGilton
14			George L. Sheldon (1870–1960)	Republican	January 3, 1907	January 7, 1909	Melville R. Hopewell
15			Ashton C. Shallenberger (1862–1938)	Democratic	January 7, 1909	January 5, 1911	Melville R. Hopewell
16			Chester H. Aldrich (1863–1924)	Republican	January 5, 1911	January 9, 1913	Melville R. Hopewell
17			John H. Morehead (1861–1942)	Democratic	January 9, 1913	January 4, 1917	Samuel R. McKelvie (Republican) James Pearson (Democratic)
18			Keith Neville (1884–1959)	Democratic	January 4, 1917	January 9, 1919	Edgar Howard
19			Samuel R. McKelvie (1881–1956)	Republican	January 9, 1919	January 3, 1923	Pelham A. Barrows
20			Charles W. Bryan (1867–1945)	Democratic	January 3, 1923	January 8, 1925	Fred Gustus Johnson (Republican)
21			Adam McMullen (1872–1959)	Republican	January 8, 1925	January 3, 1929	George A. Williams
22			Arthur J. Weaver (1873–1945)	Republican	January 3, 1929	January 8, 1931	George A. Williams
23			Charles W. Bryan (1867–1945)	Democratic	January 8, 1931	January 3, 1935	Theodore Metcalfe (Republican) Walter H. Jurgensen (Democratic)
24			Robert Leroy Cochran (1886–1963)	Democratic	January 3, 1935	January 9, 1941	Walter H. Jurgensen (Democratic) Nate M. Parsons (Democratic) William E. Johnson (Republican)
25			Dwight Griswold (1893–1954)	Republican	January 9, 1941	January 9, 1947	William E. Johnson Roy W. Johnson
26			Val Peterson (1903–1983)	Republican	January 9, 1947	January 8, 1953	Robert B. Crosby Charles J. Warner
27			Robert B. Crosby (1911–2000)	Republican	January 8, 1953	January 6, 1955	Charles J. Warner
28			Victor E. Anderson (1902–1962)	Republican	January 6, 1955	January 8, 1959	Charles J. Warner Dwight W. Burney
29			Ralph G. Brooks (1898–1960)	Democratic	January 8, 1959	September 9, 1960	Dwight W. Burney	Died[7]
30			Dwight W. Burney (1892–1987)	Republican	September 9, 1960	January 5, 1961	Dwight W. Burney	Lieutenant Governor[6]
31			Frank B. Morrison (1905–2004)	Democratic	January 5, 1961	January 5, 1967	Dwight W. Burney (Republican) Philip C. Sorensen (Democratic)
32			Norbert Tiemann (1924–2012)	Republican	January 5, 1967	January 7, 1971	John E. Everroad
33			J. James Exon (1921–2005)	Democratic	January 7, 1971	January 4, 1979	Frank Marsh (Republican) Gerald T. Whelan (Democratic)
34			Charles Thone (1924–2018)	Republican	January 4, 1979	January 6, 1983	Roland A. Luedtke
35			J. Robert Kerrey (b. 1943)	Democratic	January 6, 1983	January 9, 1987	Donald F. McGinley
36			Kay A. Orr (b. 1939)	Republican	January 9, 1987	January 9, 1991	William E. Nichol	[8]
37			Ben Nelson (b. 1941)	Democratic	January 9, 1991	January 7, 1999	Maxine B. Moul Kim M. Robak
38			Mike Johanns (b. 1950)	Republican	January 7, 1999	January 20, 2005	David I. Maurstad Dave Heineman	Resigned[9]
39			Dave Heineman (b. 1948)	Republican	January 20, 2005	January 8, 2015	Rick Sheehy Lavon Heidemann John E. Nelson	Lieutenant Governor[10]
40			Pete Ricketts (b. 1964)	Republican	January 8, 2015	Incumbent[11]	Mike Foley

Notes

1. "CSG Releases 2013 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
2. Elected, but not inaugurated, before Nebraska's statehood. Impeached and removed from office for misappropriation of state funds; the impeachment was expunged six years later.
3. As state secretary of state, acted as governor for unexpired term.
4. James Boyd won the 1890 election, and was sworn in on January 8, 1891. However, due to a question of his U.S. citizenship and eligibility for the office, he did not take office until February 8, 1892.
5. Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
6. As lieutenant governor, became governor for unexpired term.
7. Died in office.
8. First and (as of June 2016) only female governor of Nebraska
9. Resigned to become United States Secretary of Agriculture.
10. As lieutenant governor, succeeded to the office of governor for Johann's unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
11. Ricketts's second term began on January 10, 2019 and will expire on January 12, 2023; he will be term-limited.

Succession

Other high offices held

This is a table of other governorships, congressional seats and other national public offices held by governors of Nebraska. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Nebraska except where noted.

* denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

p. = Political Party; D = Democrat; R = Republican;

the footnotes ^{[P 1]}, etc., indicate the presidential administration(s) under which an unelected Federal office was held (see Appointing presidents below the table).

Name	p.	Service as Governor	U.S. Congress		Other offices held (beyond Nebraska)
			House	Senate
William A. Richardson	D	1858 (territorial)			U.S. Representative & Senator from Illinois (D, 1847–1856; 1861-1865)
J. Sterling Morton	D	1858–1859 1861 (territorial)			U.S. Secretary of Agriculture[P 1]
Algernon Paddock	R	1861 (territorial)		S
Alvin Saunders	R	1861–1867 (territorial)		S
John Milton Thayer	R	1887–1892		S	Governor of Wyoming Territory (1875-1878) [P 2]
Lorenzo Crounse	R	1893–1895	H
Charles Henry Dietrich	R	1901		S *
Ashton C. Shallenberger	D	1909–1911	H
John H. Morehead	D	1913–1917	H
Charles W. Bryan	D	1923–1925 1931–1935			1924 Democratic nominee for Vice President (lost)
Robert Leroy Cochran	D	1935–1941			Ambassador (UNRRA; Am. Mission for Aid to Greece)[P 3][upper-alpha 3]
Dwight Griswold	R	1941–1947		S
Val Peterson	R	1947–1953			Ambassador to Denmark;[P 4] Ambassador to Finland[P 5]
J. James Exon	D	1971–1979		S
Charles Thone	R	1979–1983	H
Bob Kerrey	D	1983–1987		S
Ben Nelson	D	1991–1999		S
Mike Johanns	R	1999–2005		S	U.S. Secretary of Agriculture * [P 6]

Appointing presidents

1. Grover Cleveland (D, 1893-1897)
2. Ulysses Grant (R, 1869-1877) and Rutherford B. Hayes (R, 1877-1881)
3. Franklin Roosevelt (D, 1933-45) and Harry Truman (D, 1945-53)
4. Dwight Eisenhower (R, 1953-1961)
5. Richard Nixon (R, 1969-1974)
6. George W. Bush (R, 2001-2009)

Living former governors of Nebraska

As of January 2019, 5 former U.S. governors of Nebraska are still living. The oldest of these is Kay A. Orr (born 1939; served 1987–1991). The most recent Governor to die was Charles Thone (born 1924; served 1979–1983), on March 7, 2018.

Name	Gubernatorial term	Date of birth (and age)
Bob Kerrey	1983–1987	August 27, 1943
Kay A. Orr	1987–1991	January 2, 1939
Ben Nelson	1991–1999	May 17, 1941
Mike Johanns	1999–2005	June 18, 1950
Dave Heineman	2005–2015	May 12, 1948

See also

• List of Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska
• United States congressional delegations from Nebraska
• Political party strength in Nebraska

References

1. 2012-13 Nebraska Blue Book (Nebraska State Government) Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, page 418
2. 2012-13 Nebraska Blue Book Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, pages 418–419
3. Nebraska Governor Robert Leroy (Roy) Cochran at the National Governors Association web site, retrieved May 27, 2013.

External links

• Semi-Centennial History of Nebraska (1904)
• Nebraska Blue Book
  • specifically (in the 2012-13 Blue Book), State Executive Branch (PDF), page 421, "Nebraska Governors, 1854–2013"