Governor of Indiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor of Indiana |
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| Government of Indiana | |
| Residence | Indiana Governor's Residence |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once in a 12-year period |
| Inaugural holder | Jonathan Jennings |
| Formation | November 7, 1816 |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of Indiana |
| Salary | $221,024 (2025) |
| Website | in.gov/gov |
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The governor of Indiana is like the chief leader of the U.S. state of Indiana. This person is chosen for a four-year term. Their main job is to manage many parts of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other important state officials. These officials run other parts of the state government. The governor works at the Indiana Statehouse and has official events at the Indiana Governor's Residence in Indianapolis. Indianapolis is the state capital.
The current governor is Mike Braun, who is a Republican. He became governor on January 13, 2025. He is the 52nd person to hold this important job.
The role of the governor has changed a lot over more than 200 years. It became much stronger after the mid-1900s. Before that, governors often struggled with the Indiana General Assembly (the state's lawmaking body) and the Indiana Supreme Court. They worked to make the governor's office an equal part of the state government. Even though the governor's powers grew in the 1970s, Indiana governors still have less power than governors in most other states.
What Does the Governor Do?
How Does the Governor Get Power?
The governor's powers come from Article V of the Constitution of Indiana. The constitution gives the governor some power to manage the state government. However, many state agencies are run by other officials who are elected by the people.
The governor works with the state legislature and the state supreme court. The legislature is called the Indiana General Assembly. It has two parts: the Indiana House of Representatives and the Indiana Senate. Together, they all help to run the state.
The governor can say "no" to (or veto) new legislation (laws) passed by the General Assembly. If a bill is vetoed, it goes back to the General Assembly. They can then vote on it again. In Indiana, the General Assembly can overrule a veto with a simple majority vote in both parts. This is different from many other states, which need a larger vote (like two-thirds) to overrule a veto.
One very important power the governor has is calling a special meeting of the Indiana General Assembly. The General Assembly can only meet for a certain number of days each year. This means they sometimes don't have enough time to pass all the laws they want. This gives the governor a lot of influence. Lawmakers might agree with the governor on some issues to get a special meeting.
The governor has other powers too. They can call out the state defense force (the Indiana Guard Reserve) or the Indiana National Guard. This happens during emergencies or disasters. The governor also makes sure all state laws are followed. The Indiana State Police helps with this. The governor can also pardon (forgive) or reduce the sentence of someone found guilty of a crime in Indiana. This is not allowed in cases of treason or if the person is being removed from office.
Besides the powers in the constitution, governors also have powers given by laws. Most of the governor's daily work comes from these laws. This means the General Assembly can give the governor more or less power. In the past, the General Assembly would sometimes change which agencies the governor controlled. This depended on which political party was in charge. Sometimes, the governor had no direct control over state agencies.
The governor also influences the state court system by choosing judges. When there are open spots on the Supreme Court, Tax Court, and circuit courts, a special group interviews candidates. They send a list of three names to the governor. The governor then picks one. Other judges are elected. But if a spot opens up, the governor can choose someone to fill it until the next election. This power helps the governor shape who serves in the state's courts.
The governor of Indiana earns about $134,051 each year (as of 2021). They also get an extra $6,000 for spending and other costs.
What Does it Take to Be Governor?
To become governor of Indiana, a person must be a U.S. citizen. They must have lived in Indiana for five years in a row before the election. The person must also be at least 30 years old when they start the job. The governor cannot hold any other state or federal job during their term. They must quit any other job before becoming governor. Before starting, the governor takes an oath of office. This is a promise to follow the laws of the United States and Indiana. The Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court usually gives this oath.
How Long Can a Governor Serve?
The governor serves for a four-year term. This term starts on the second Monday in January. The governor stays in office until the next governor takes their oath. A governor's term can end sooner if they quit, pass away, become unable to do the job, or are removed from office.
There is no limit to how many terms a governor can serve in total. However, a governor can only serve for a total of eight years within any 12-year period. This means they can serve two full terms in a row. To run for a third term, they would need to take a break for one election period.
Who Takes Over if the Governor Can't Serve?
If the governor becomes unable to do their job, the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana steps in as acting governor. They serve until the governor gets better. Only two governors have become unable to serve during their terms. If this happens, the governor's office tells the lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor then decides to become acting governor by telling the General Assembly in a letter. The governor can get their powers back by sending a letter to the General Assembly saying they are ready to work again.
If the governor quits, passes away, or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor. If the lieutenant governor's office is also empty, then the president pro tempore of the Senate becomes governor. If that office is also empty, the Senate must choose someone to be governor.
Where Does the Governor Live and Work?
The governor has an office on the first floor of the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. From there, they manage the state agencies under their control. The Indiana General Assembly and the Indiana Supreme Court also share this building. Other elected officials, like the attorney general and the lieutenant governor, are also in the statehouse. Most state offices are in a separate state office building.
Traditionally, the governor lives in the Indiana Governor's Residence in Indianapolis. However, former governor Mitchell Daniels' family lived in their own home. They used the Governor's Residence only for official events.
History of Indiana's Governors
First Governors
The first governor of Indiana was Jonathan Jennings. He was elected in August 1816 and started his job in December of that year. The first state capital was in Corydon. The first three governors lived and worked there. The capital moved to Indianapolis in December 1824.
Governors first served three-year terms. This changed when a new constitution was made in 1851. The 1851 constitution made terms four years long. It also said governors could not serve terms right after each other. The constitution was changed again in 1972. This allowed governors to serve terms in a row, but only two consecutive terms at a time.
Indiana has had 51 governors. Many have been Republicans (23) and Democrats (21). Four governors have passed away while in office. Seven have quit their jobs. Ten lieutenant governors have become governor. James B. Ray is the only Senate president pro tempore to become governor.
Jonathan Jennings was the first governor to face an attempt to remove him from office. This was because of his actions during a treaty negotiation in 1819. The evidence against him was destroyed, and the process was stopped. Another attempt to remove a governor was against James B. Ray in 1826, but it also failed.
Three governors later became Vice President of the United States. Two of them were still governors when they were chosen for Vice President.
How the Governor's Power Changed
For a long time, Indiana's governor had less power than other parts of the state government. They also had less power than governors in other U.S. states. When Indiana was a territory, people didn't like how much power the territorial governors had. So, when Indiana became a state, they created a governor's job with less power. The governor didn't have full control over the state's military. Their term was only three years, and the General Assembly could easily overrule their actions.
The state legislature slowly made the governor's job even weaker. The 1851 constitution limited the governor's power even more. The governor could no longer choose judges for state courts. They also couldn't choose their own cabinet (a group of advisors). The cabinet members were elected by the people, making them independent. The governor also lost the power to suggest state budgets. And they were not allowed to serve terms right after each other. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court became very independent, and the General Assembly gained many powers that were taken from the governor.
Governors started to gain more power during the American Civil War. The General Assembly tried to take control of the military from the governor. In response, the governor basically stopped the General Assembly from meeting. During this time, the governor took on many powers. He could choose public officials, hire and fire state workers, and manage state money. When the General Assembly met again, many members supported the governor. They let him keep many of his new powers. In 1889, the General Assembly tried to get back control over hiring state workers. The Supreme Court agreed with the legislature, giving them the final say again. By 1895, laws were passed that took away the last of the governor's power to choose people for executive jobs.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, governors started to gain power again. A law called the Executive Reorganization Act was passed. This gave the governor a lot of power to choose people for jobs. New state welfare and other agencies were put directly under the governor's control. This greatly increased the governor's role in running the state. It also created many jobs the governor could give out. The legislature tried to create a system where people were hired based on skill, not connections. But they couldn't really enforce it because the government had grown so much.
The struggle between the governor and the legislature continued until 1941. The legislature canceled the Executive Reorganization Act. They replaced it with the State Administration Act. This act put most of the government under the control of elected officials. It reduced the governor's power to mainly leading the military and carrying out laws. This issue went to the Indiana Supreme Court in a case called Tucker v. State. For the first time, the court ruled that the governor was indeed the chief executive of the state. They said the legislature could not pass laws that took away this right. This decision was a big change. It gave governors a legal reason to fight against future attempts to limit their powers.
In the 1970s, several changes were made to the constitution. These changes were passed under popular governors and gave them more power. State judges were again chosen by appointment. However, a court-controlled group chose the candidates. But the governor was given more control over this process than before. Another change removed the ban on serving terms right after each other. This allowed Indiana to have governors serve consecutive terms for the first time in over 100 years. A third change gave the power to prepare the state budget to a special agency. This agency was run by officials chosen by the governor. This power over the budget was the "greatest transfer of power" to the governor yet, according to historian Linda Gugin.
Even with these gains, Indiana's governor is still not as powerful as governors in most other states. The governor cannot reject specific parts of a bill (a line-item veto). Also, if a governor doesn't sign or reject a bill, it automatically becomes law. This led to a fight once when a governor was locked out of the House chambers to stop him from returning a bill on time. The legislature can overrule a veto with a simple majority. This is different from the U.S. federal government and most other states, which need a larger vote. The legislature still has final control over hiring state employees. But because the government is so big and legislative meetings are short, they can't make a huge impact. The governor's cabinet is still mostly independent. The governor only controls about half of the government's agencies, like the Indiana State Police. Other big agencies are controlled by the cabinet.
How Governors Use Vetoes
In Indiana's early history, governors rarely used their veto power. This was because the General Assembly could easily overrule them with a simple majority vote. Governor James Whitcomb was the first to use this power a lot. He vetoed 15 bills in one meeting. Roger Branigin vetoed the most bills of any governor, sending back 100 bills. He worked with a legislature that didn't agree with him.
Even though vetoes are easy to overrule, only about 10% of vetoed bills are actually overruled. For example, in the 1970s, 117 bills were vetoed, but only 11 were overruled. Experts think this is because legislative meetings are short. There often isn't enough time for many bills to pass through both parts of the legislature twice. Also, lawmakers from the same party as the governor usually don't overrule his veto, even if they supported the bill at first.
Working with the General Assembly
How well the governor gets along with the General Assembly often decides how much they can get done. Most of Indiana's history, the governor's political party also controlled the assembly. Since political parties became important in 1831, there have been 33 times when different parties controlled the House and Senate. Only five times has the opposition party controlled the entire legislature. In 98 times, the governor's party controlled the whole assembly.
Governors who were lawmakers before becoming governor usually had more success. Three speakers of the House have become governor. Governor Joseph A. Wright had the worst relationship with the assembly. He gave speeches accusing them of taking bribes. The legislature then overrode all his vetoes against banks. His own party disliked him so much that they removed him after his term.
Who Becomes Governor?
Almost all of Indiana's governors were married when they were elected. James Whitcomb was the only exception, but he got married while in office. About half of the governors have been married more than once, usually because their first wives passed away. Three governors' wives passed away while their husbands were in office. All governors except Jonathan Jennings, Thomas R. Marshall, and Eric Holcomb have had children. After leaving office, Marshall adopted a young boy. Only 20 of Indiana's governors were born in the state. Many came from Pennsylvania (7), Ohio (4), and Kentucky (4). Others came from Michigan, Virginia, New York, and Vermont.
Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison was appointed at age 27, making him the youngest leader. James B. Ray was the youngest elected governor, at age 31. Evan Bayh, at age 34, is the only other governor under 40 to be elected. James D. Williams, at age 69, was the oldest governor elected. He passed away in office at age 72. The average age of governors when they are elected is 50.
Thirty-two of Indiana's governors have served in the military. Being a veteran has been a path to becoming governor. Ira J. Chase led a group called the Grand Army of the Republic. Paul V. McNutt, Ralph F. Gates, and George N. Craig were leaders of the American Legion. Its main office is in Indianapolis. Thirty governors have been lawyers, and three have been farmers. Thirty governors went to college, and 11 of them went to Indiana University. Several governors have gone on to hold higher offices. Nine have served in the United States Senate, and three have served as Vice President of the United States.
How Governors Are Elected
Under Indiana's first constitution (from 1816), elections for governor were held every three years. The first election happened in August 1816, before Indiana officially became a state. Until a new constitution was made in 1851, elections were in October, and winners started their jobs in December.
In 1851, Indiana got its second and current constitution. This new constitution said governors could not serve terms right after each other. It also made terms four years long. Since then, elections have been held on Election Day in November. These elections happen in years that can be divided by four, at the same time as presidential elections.
In 1972, the constitution was changed again. This allowed governors to serve terms right after each other. But, as mentioned before, it limited a governor to a total of eight years in office within a 12-year period. This means they can serve two terms in a row.
