List of governors of Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Governor of Nebraska |
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Seal of Nebraska
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Style | The Honorable |
Residence | Nebraska Governor's Mansion |
Term length | 4 years, not eligible for more than two consecutive terms |
Inaugural holder | David Butler |
Formation | Constitution of Nebraska |
Salary | $105,000 USD (2022) |
The governor of Nebraska is the head of government 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. The governor 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.
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. Dave Heineman holds the record as Nebraska's longest-serving Governor with 10 years.
The governor's term, along with all other elected statewide officers, begins on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday in the month of January after an election. 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, who is then followed by the chairs of various committees in the legislature.
Contents
Qualifications
Anyone who seeks to be elected Governor of Nebraska must meet the following qualifications:
- Be at least 30 years old,
- Be a resident of the state of Nebraska for at least five years, and
- Be a citizen of the United States
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.
No. | Governor (Birth–Death) |
Term in office | Notes | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (8)
Republican (2) |
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– | William Walker (1800–1874) |
July 23, 1853 – October 16, 1854 |
Not recognized by the federal government | |||||
1 | Francis Burt (1807–1854) |
October 16, 1854 – October 18, 1854 |
Died | |||||
– | Thomas B. Cuming (1827–1858) |
October 18, 1854 – February 23, 1855 |
Acting | |||||
2 | Mark W. Izard (1799–1866) |
February 23, 1855 – October 25, 1857 |
Resigned | |||||
– | Thomas B. Cuming (1827–1858) |
October 25, 1857 – January 12, 1858 |
Acting | |||||
3 | William A. Richardson (1811–1875) |
January 12, 1858 – December 5, 1858 |
Resigned | |||||
– | J. Sterling Morton (1832–1902) |
December 5, 1858 – May 2, 1859 |
Acting | |||||
4 | Samuel W. Black (1816–1862) |
May 2, 1859 – February 24, 1861 |
Resigned | |||||
– | J. Sterling Morton (1832–1902) |
February 24, 1861 – March 6, 1861 |
Acting | |||||
– | Algernon S. Paddock (1830–1897) |
March 6, 1861 – May 15, 1861 |
Acting | |||||
5 | Alvin Saunders (1817–1899) |
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.)
No. | Governor (Birth–Death) |
Term in office | Party | Election | Lieutenant Governor | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican (26)
Democratic (12) Fusion (Democratic/Populist) (2) |
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1 | David Butler (1829–1891) |
February 21, 1867 – June 2, 1871 |
Republican | 1866 | None | |||
1868 | ||||||||
1870 | ||||||||
– | William H. James (1831–1920) |
June 2, 1871 – January 13, 1873 |
Republican | Acting Governor as Secretary of State |
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2 | Robert Wilkinson Furnas (1824–1905) |
January 13, 1873 – January 11, 1875 |
Republican | 1872 | ||||
3 | Silas Garber (1833–1905) |
January 11, 1875 – January 9, 1879 |
Republican | 1874 | ||||
1876 | Othman A. Abbott | |||||||
4 | Albinus Nance (1848–1911) |
January 9, 1879 – January 4, 1883 |
Republican | 1878 | Edmund C. Carns | |||
1880 | ||||||||
5 | James W. Dawes (1844–1918) |
January 4, 1883 – January 6, 1887 |
Republican | 1882 | Alfred W. Agee Hibbard H. Shedd |
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1884 | ||||||||
6 | John Milton Thayer (1820–1906) |
January 6, 1887 – February 8, 1892 |
Republican | 1886 | Hibbard H. Shedd George D. Meiklejohn Thomas J. Majors |
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1888 | ||||||||
7 | James E. Boyd (1834–1906) |
February 8, 1892 – January 13, 1893 |
Democratic | 1890 | Thomas J. Majors | |||
8 | Lorenzo Crounse (1834–1909) |
January 13, 1893 – January 3, 1895 |
Republican | 1892 | Thomas J. Majors | |||
9 | Silas A. Holcomb (1858–1920) |
January 3, 1895 – January 5, 1899 (not candidate for election) |
Fusion | 1894 | Robert E. Moore James E. Harris |
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1896 | ||||||||
10 | William A. Poynter (1848–1909) |
January 5, 1899 – January 3, 1901 (lost election) |
Fusion | 1898 | Edward A. Gilbert | |||
11 | Charles H. Dietrich (1853–1924) |
January 3, 1901 – May 1, 1901 (resigned) |
Republican | 1900 | Ezra P. Savage | |||
12 | Ezra P. Savage (1842–1920) |
May 1, 1901 – January 8, 1903 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Calvin F. Steele (Acting) |
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13 | John H. Mickey (1845–1910) |
January 8, 1903 – January 3, 1907 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1902 | Edmund G. McGilton | |||
1904 | ||||||||
14 | George L. Sheldon (1870–1960) |
January 3, 1907 – January 7, 1909 (lost election) |
Republican | 1906 | Melville R. Hopewell | |||
15 | Ashton C. Shallenberger (1862–1938) |
January 7, 1909 – January 5, 1911 (lost renomination) |
Democratic | 1908 | Melville R. Hopewell | |||
16 | Chester H. Aldrich (1863–1924) |
January 5, 1911 – January 9, 1913 (lost election) |
Republican | 1910 | Melville R. Hopewell | |||
John H. Morehead (Acting) |
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17 | John H. Morehead (1861–1942) |
January 9, 1913 – January 4, 1917 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1912 | Samuel R. McKelvie | |||
1914 | James Pearson | |||||||
18 | Keith Neville (1884–1959) |
January 4, 1917 – January 9, 1919 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1916 | Edgar Howard | |||
19 | Samuel R. McKelvie (1881–1956) |
January 9, 1919 – January 3, 1923 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1918 | Pelham A. Barrows | |||
1920 | ||||||||
20 | Charles W. Bryan (1867–1945) |
January 3, 1923 – January 8, 1925 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1922 | Fred Gustus Johnson | |||
21 | Adam McMullen (1872–1959) |
January 8, 1925 – January 3, 1929 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1924 | George A. Williams | |||
1926 | ||||||||
22 | Arthur J. Weaver (1873–1945) |
January 3, 1929 – January 8, 1931 (lost election) |
Republican | 1928 | George A. Williams | |||
23 | Charles W. Bryan (1867–1945) |
January 8, 1931 – January 3, 1935 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1930 | Theodore Metcalfe | |||
1932 | Walter H. Jurgensen | |||||||
24 | Robert Leroy Cochran (1886–1963) |
January 3, 1935 – January 9, 1941 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1934 | Walter H. Jurgensen Nate M. Parsons |
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1936 | ||||||||
1938 | William E. Johnson | |||||||
25 | Dwight Griswold (1893–1954) |
January 9, 1941 – January 9, 1947 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1940 | William E. Johnson Roy W. Johnson |
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1942 | ||||||||
1944 | ||||||||
26 | Val Peterson (1903–1983) |
January 9, 1947 – January 8, 1953 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1946 | Robert B. Crosby Charles J. Warner |
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1948 | ||||||||
1950 | ||||||||
27 | Robert B. Crosby (1911–2000) |
January 8, 1953 – January 6, 1955 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1952 | Charles J. Warner | |||
28 | Victor E. Anderson (1902–1962) |
January 6, 1955 – January 8, 1959 (lost election) |
Republican | 1954 | Charles J. Warner Dwight W. Burney |
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1956 | ||||||||
29 | Ralph G. Brooks (1898–1960) |
January 8, 1959 – September 9, 1960 (died) |
Democratic | 1958 | Dwight W. Burney | |||
30 | Dwight W. Burney (1892–1987) |
September 9, 1960 – January 5, 1961 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Dwight W. Burney | |||
31 | Frank B. Morrison (1905–2004) |
January 5, 1961 – January 5, 1967 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1960 | Dwight W. Burney | |||
1962 | ||||||||
1964 | Philip C. Sorensen | |||||||
32 | Norbert Tiemann (1924–2012) |
January 5, 1967 – January 7, 1971 (lost election) |
Republican | 1966 | John E. Everroad | |||
33 | J. James Exon (1921–2005) |
January 7, 1971 – January 4, 1979 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1970 | Frank Marsh | |||
1974 | Gerald T. Whelan | |||||||
34 | Charles Thone (1924–2018) |
January 4, 1979 – January 6, 1983 (lost election) |
Republican | 1978 | Roland A. Luedtke | |||
35 | J. Robert Kerrey (b. 1943) |
January 6, 1983 – January 9, 1987 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1982 | Donald F. McGinley | |||
36 | Kay A. Orr (b. 1939) |
January 9, 1987 – January 9, 1991 (lost election) |
Republican | 1986 | William E. Nichol | |||
37 | Ben Nelson (b. 1941) |
January 9, 1991 – January 7, 1999 (term limited) |
Democratic | 1990 | Maxine B. Moul Kim M. Robak |
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1994 | ||||||||
38 | Mike Johanns (b. 1950) |
January 7, 1999 – January 20, 2005 (resigned) |
Republican | 1998 | David I. Maurstad Dave Heineman |
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2002 | ||||||||
39 | Dave Heineman (b. 1948) |
January 20, 2005 – January 8, 2015 (term limited) |
Republican | Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor |
Rick Sheehy Lavon Heidemann John E. Nelson |
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2006 | ||||||||
2010 | ||||||||
40 | Pete Ricketts (b. 1964) |
January 8, 2015 – Incumbent |
Republican | 2014 | Mike Foley | |||
2018 | ||||||||
41 | Jim Pillen (elect) (b. 1955) |
Taking office January 5, 2023 |
Republican | 2022 | Joe Kelly (elect) |
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.
Parties
Republican (26) Democratic (12)
Name | Service as Governor |
U.S. Congress | Other offices held (beyond Nebraska) |
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---|---|---|---|---|---|
House | Senate | ||||
William A. Richardson | 1858 (territorial) | U.S. Representative & Senator from Illinois (D, 1847–1856; 1861-1865) | |||
J. Sterling Morton | 1858–1859 1861 (territorial) |
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture | |||
Algernon Paddock | 1861 (territorial) | S | |||
Alvin Saunders | 1861–1867 (territorial) | S | |||
John Milton Thayer | 1887–1892 | S | Governor of Wyoming Territory (1875-1878) | ||
Lorenzo Crounse | 1893–1895 | H | |||
Charles Henry Dietrich | 1901 | S * | |||
Ashton C. Shallenberger | 1909–1911 | H | |||
John H. Morehead | 1913–1917 | H | |||
Charles W. Bryan | 1923–1925 1931–1935 |
1924 Democratic nominee for Vice President (lost) | |||
Robert Leroy Cochran | 1935–1941 | Ambassador (UNRRA; Am. Mission for Aid to Greece) | |||
Dwight Griswold | 1941–1947 | S | |||
Val Peterson | 1947–1953 | Ambassador to Denmark; Ambassador to Finland | |||
J. James Exon | 1971–1979 | S | |||
Charles Thone | 1979–1983 | H | |||
Bob Kerrey | 1983–1987 | S | |||
Ben Nelson | 1991–1999 | S | |||
Mike Johanns | 1999–2005 | S | U.S. Secretary of Agriculture * |
=See also
- List of Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska
- United States congressional delegations from Nebraska
- Political party strength in Nebraska