Number of Governors of Kentucky by party affiliation
| Party |
Governors |
| Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
34 |
| Democratic-Republican |
9 |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
8 |
WhigThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party...
|
6 |
| National Republican The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. The party, and its precursor factions of Adams supporters and Anti-Jacksonian politicians, existed from approximately 1825–1833....
|
2 |
Know NothingThe Know Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to U.S. values and controlled by the Pope in Rome...
|
1 |
The following is a list of GovernorsThe Governor of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of the U.S. state of Kentucky, and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's army, navy, and militia forces...
of the CommonwealthFour of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia...
of KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is a Southern state situated in the Upland South, although the state is infrequently placed, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a...
. As head of the executive branch of the state's government, the governor is given broad appointment power, and names many state commissioners and department heads without the need for legislative approval. The governor is also empowered to reorganize the state government or reduce it in size. He or she serves as commander-in-chiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the...
of the state's armyAn army An army An army (from Latin armata "armed (things)" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based Military of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, navyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, and militiaThe term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
forces. Historically, the office has been regarded as one of the most powerful executive positions in the United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The original 1792
Kentucky ConstitutionThe Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the United States Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more...
had the governor chosen by an
electoral collegeAn electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
for a term of four years. The second constitution in 1799 changed this to a popular vote, and prevented governors from succeeding themselves within seven years of their terms. The third constitution in 1850 reduced the succession limitation to four years. A 1992 amendment to the constitution allowed governors to have a second term before being prevented from succeeding themselves for four years.
Fifty-six individuals have held the office of governor of Kentucky. Prior to a 1992 amendment to the
state's constitutionThe Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the United States Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more...
, the governor of Kentucky was prohibited from succeeding himself in office, though four men (
Isaac ShelbyIsaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812...
,
John L. HelmJohn LaRue Helm was the eighteenth and twenty-fourth governor of Kentucky, although his service in that office totaled less than fourteen months. He also represented Hardin County in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives four...
,
James B. McCrearyJames Bennett McCreary was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He also served as the state's twenty-seventh and thirty-seventh governor...
, and
A. B. "Happy" ChandlerAlbert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was twice governor of Kentucky, a U.S. Senator, the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame...
) served multiple non-consecutive terms. Paul Patton, the first governor eligible for a second consecutive term under the amendment, won his reelection bid in 1999.
James GarrardJames Garrard was an American soldier who served as the second Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. He was also a Baptist minister, but his secretary of state, Unitarian minister Henry Toulmin, influenced him to adopt Socinianism...
succeeded himself in 1800, before the constitutional provision existed.
William GoebelWilliam J. Goebel was an American politician who served as Governor of Kentucky for a few days in 1900 after having been mortally wounded by an assassin the day before he was sworn in...
, who was elected to the office in the disputed election of 1899, remains the only governor of any U.S. state to die from assassination while in office.
Martha Layne CollinsMartha Layne Collins was Governor of the U.S. State of Kentucky from 1983 through 1987; she is a member of the Democratic Party...
, who held the office from 1983 to 1987, was the first woman to serve as governor of Kentucky and was only the third woman to serve as governor of any U.S. state who was not the wife or widow of a previous governor.
Steve BeshearSteven Lynn "Steve" Beshear is an American politician who has been Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky since 2007...
(
DThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
) is the 61st and current governor, having served since December 11, 2007. He defeated incumbent Governor
Ernie FletcherErnest Lee Fletcher is a Republican politician from Kentucky. He served as governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 2003-07. He previously served as U.S...
(
RThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
) in the
2007 gubernatorial electionThe Kentucky gubernatorial election, 2007 was held on November 6, 2007. In this election, incumbent Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher lost to Democratic challenger Steve Beshear, who therefore began serving as Governor of Kentucky in December 2007 for a term through December 2011...
held on November 6, 2007.
Governors
Kentucky was initially Kentucky CountyKentucky County was formed by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1776 by dividing Fincastle County into three new counties: Kentucky, Washington, and Montgomery...
in VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
. It achieved statehood and was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792; see the list of governors of Virginia for the period before statehood. There have been 56 governors, serving 61 distinct terms.
An unelected group proclaimed Kentucky's secession from the UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that tried to form the Confederacy...
on November 20, 1861, and it was annexed by the Confederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
on December 10, 1861. The Confederate government elected two governors (listed separately), but it never held much control over the state, and the main line of governors was preserved.
| # | Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Lt. Governor The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
| Terms |
|---|
| 1 |
Isaac ShelbyIsaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812...
|
Democratic-Republican |
June 4, 1792 |
June 7, 1796 |
None |
1 |
| 2 |
James GarrardJames Garrard was an American soldier who served as the second Governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. He was also a Baptist minister, but his secretary of state, Unitarian minister Henry Toulmin, influenced him to adopt Socinianism...
|
Democratic-Republican |
June 7, 1796 |
September 5, 1804 |
None |
2 |
| Alexander Scott Bullitt Alexander Scott Bullitt was an American pioneer and statesman who was an early settler in Kentucky. He was a political leader in the early days of Kentucky statehood....
|
| 3 |
Christopher GreenupChristopher Greenup was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and the third Governor of Kentucky...
|
Democratic-Republican |
September 5, 1804 |
September 1, 1808 |
John Caldwell John Caldwell was a Kentucky Politician, State Senator, and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.He was elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 1792, and was later elected the 2nd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, elected in 1804, and died while presiding over the State Senate in his first...
|
1 |
Thomas PoseyThomas Posey was an officer in the American Revolution, a General during peacetime, Lt. Gov. of Kentucky, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and a Louisiana Senator.-Family and background:...
|
| 4 |
Charles ScottCharles Scott was an American soldier and politician who served as Governor of Kentucky from 1808 to 1812. Orphaned at an early age, Scott served under Edward Braddock and George Washington in the French and Indian War...
|
Democratic-Republican |
September 1, 1808 |
August 24, 1812 |
Gabriel SlaughterGabriel Slaughter was the seventh Governor of Kentucky and was the first person to ascend to that office upon the death of the sitting governor. His family moved to Kentucky from Virginia when he was very young. He became a member of the Kentucky militia, serving throughout his political career...
|
1 |
|-
|5
|
Isaac ShelbyIsaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812...
|Democratic-Republican
|August 24, 1812
|September 5, 1816
|
Richard HickmanRichard Hickman was the 3rd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, serving in that capacity from 1812 to 1816 under Issac Shelby during Shelby's second term as governor....
|1
|-
|6
|
George MadisonGeorge Madison was the sixth Governor of Kentucky. He was the first governor of Kentucky to die in office, serving only a few weeks in 1816. Little is known of Madison's early life. He was a member of the influential Madison family of Virginia, and was a second cousin to President James Madison...
|Democratic-Republican
|September 5, 1816
|October 14, 1816
|
Gabriel SlaughterGabriel Slaughter was the seventh Governor of Kentucky and was the first person to ascend to that office upon the death of the sitting governor. His family moved to Kentucky from Virginia when he was very young. He became a member of the Kentucky militia, serving throughout his political career...
|½
|-
|7
|
Gabriel SlaughterGabriel Slaughter was the seventh Governor of Kentucky and was the first person to ascend to that office upon the death of the sitting governor. His family moved to Kentucky from Virginia when he was very young. He became a member of the Kentucky militia, serving throughout his political career...
|Democratic-Republican
|October 14, 1816
|August 29, 1820
|
vacant
|½
|-
|8
|
John AdairJohn Adair was an American pioneer, soldier and statesman. He was the seventh governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the U.S. House and Senate. Adair enlisted in the state militia and served in the Revolutionary War, where he was held captive by the British for a period of time...
|Democratic-Republican
|August 29, 1820
|August 24, 1824
|
William T. BarryWilliam Taylor Barry was an American statesman and jurist.Born near Lunenburg, Virginia, he moved to Fayette County, Kentucky, in 1796 with his parents John Barry, an American Revolutionary War veteran, and Susannah Barry...
|1
|-
|9
|
Joseph DeshaJoseph Desha was a U.S. Representative and the ninth governor of Kentucky. Desha was the first Kentucky governor not to have served in the Revolutionary War. He did, however, serve under William Henry Harrison and "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War, and lost two brothers in battle...
|Democratic-Republican
|August 24, 1824
|August 26, 1828
|
Robert B. McAfeeRobert Breckinridge McAfee was a Kentucky politician, and was the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky serving from 1824 to 1828....
|1
|-
|10
|
Thomas MetcalfeThomas Metcalfe was a U.S. Representative, Senator, and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first gubernatorial candidate in the state's history to be chosen by a nominating convention rather than a caucus...
|
National RepublicanThe National Republicans were a political party in the United States. The party, and its precursor factions of Adams supporters and Anti-Jacksonian politicians, existed from approximately 1825–1833....
|August 26, 1828
|September 4, 1832
|
John BreathittJohn Breathitt was the eleventh Governor of Kentucky. He was the first Democrat to hold this office and was the second Kentucky governor to die in office. Shortly after his death, Breathitt County, Kentucky was created and named in his honor.Early in life, Breathitt was appointed a deputy surveyor...
|1
|-
|11
|
John BreathittJohn Breathitt was the eleventh Governor of Kentucky. He was the first Democrat to hold this office and was the second Kentucky governor to die in office. Shortly after his death, Breathitt County, Kentucky was created and named in his honor.Early in life, Breathitt was appointed a deputy surveyor...
|
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|September 4, 1832
|February 21, 1834
|
James T. MoreheadJames Turner Morehead was a United States Senator and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first native-born Kentuckian to hold the governorship of the state...
|½
|-
|12
|
James T. MoreheadJames Turner Morehead was a United States Senator and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first native-born Kentuckian to hold the governorship of the state...
|National Republican
|February 21, 1834
|August 30, 1836
|
vacant
|½
|-
|13
|
James ClarkJames Clark was a 19th century American politician who served in all three branches of Kentucky's government and in the U.S. House of Representatives. His political career began in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1807...
|
WhigThe Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from 1833 to 1856, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party...
|August 30, 1836
|August 27, 1839
|
Charles A. WickliffeCharles Anderson Wickliffe was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He also served as Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Governor of Kentucky, and was appointed Postmaster General by President John Tyler...
|½
|-
|14
|
Charles A. WickliffeCharles Anderson Wickliffe was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He also served as Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Governor of Kentucky, and was appointed Postmaster General by President John Tyler...
|Whig
|August 27, 1839
|September 2, 1840
|
vacant
|½
|-
|15
|
Robert P. LetcherRobert Perkins Letcher was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, diplomat and governor of Kentucky. He also served in the Kentucky General Assembly where he was Speaker of the House in 1837 and 1838. A strong supporter of the Whig Party, he was a friend of Henry Clay and John J...
|Whig
|September 2, 1840
|September 4, 1844
|
Manlius V. ThomsonManlius Valerius Thomson was a Kentucky Lawyer, politician, and the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1840 to 1844.Thomson was born in Scott County, Kentucky and studied in the common schools. He further earned his A.B. from Transylvania University in 1822. He was a Kentucky State Senator for...
|1
|-
|16
|
William OwsleyWilliam Owsley was an associate justice on the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the sixteenth governor of Kentucky. He also served in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was Kentucky Secretary of State under Governor James Turner Morehead.Owsley studied law under John Boyle...
|Whig
|September 4, 1844
|September 6, 1848
|
Archibald DixonArchibald Dixon was a U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He represented the Whig Party in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1844, serving under Governor William Owsley. In 1851, the Whigs nominated him for governor, but he lost to Lazarus W...
|1
|-
|17
|
John J. CrittendenJohn Jordan Crittenden was an American statesman from Kentucky. He twice served as United States Attorney General. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and served as the state's seventeenth governor....
|Whig
|September 6, 1848
|July 13, 1850
|
John L. HelmJohn LaRue Helm was the eighteenth and twenty-fourth governor of Kentucky, although his service in that office totaled less than fourteen months. He also represented Hardin County in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives four...
|½
|-
|18
|
John L. HelmJohn LaRue Helm was the eighteenth and twenty-fourth governor of Kentucky, although his service in that office totaled less than fourteen months. He also represented Hardin County in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives four...
|Whig
|July 31, 1850
|September 2, 1851
|
vacant
|½
|-
|19
|
Lazarus W. PowellLazarus Whitehead Powell was the nineteenth Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1851 to 1855. He was later elected to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate from 1859 to 1865....
|Democratic
|September 2, 1851
|September 4, 1855
|
John B. ThompsonJohn Burton Thompson was a United States Representative and Senator from Kentucky.Born near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Thompson completed preparatory studies and studied law. He was admitted to the bar and practiced in Harrodsburg, becoming the Commonwealth's Attorney...
|1
|-
|20
|
Charles S. MoreheadCharles Slaughter Morehead was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, and served as the twentieth governor of Kentucky...
|
Know NothingThe Know Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to U.S. values and controlled by the Pope in Rome...
|September 4, 1855
|August 30, 1859
|
James G. HardyJames Greene Hardy was a popular Kentucky politician and outstanding orator who belonged to the American or Know-Nothing Party. Prior to being elected Lt...
|1
|-
|rowspan="2"|21
|rowspan="2"|
Beriah MagoffinBeriah Magoffin was the twenty-first governor of Kentucky, serving during the early part of the Civil War. Personally, Magoffin adhered to a states' rights position, including the right of a state to secede from the Union, and he sympathized with the Confederate cause...
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|rowspan="2"|August 30, 1859
|rowspan="2"|August 18, 1862
|
Linn BoydLinn Boyd was a prominent U.S. politician of the 1840s and 1850s, and served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1851 to 1855. Boyd was elected to the House as a Democrat from Kentucky from 1835 to 1837 and again from 1839 to 1855, serving seven terms in the House...
|rowspan="2"|½
|-
|
vacant
|-
|22
|
James F. RobinsonJames Fisher Robinson was the twenty-second Governor of Kentucky, serving the remainder of the unfinished term of Governor Beriah Magoffin. Magoffin, a Confederate sympathizer, became increasingly ineffective after the elections of 1861 yielded a supermajority to pro-Union forces in both houses of...
|Democratic
|August 18, 1862
|September 1, 1863
|
vacant
|½
|-
|23
|
Thomas E. BramletteThomas Elliott Bramlette was the twenty-third governor of Kentucky. He was elected in 1863 and guided the state through the latter part of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction...
|Democratic
|September 1, 1863
|September 3, 1867
|
Richard T. JacobRichard Taylor Jacob was Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky .-Background and Early Life:Richard Taylor Jacob was born in Oldham County, Kentucky into a locally influential family...
|1
|-
|24
|
John L. HelmJohn LaRue Helm was the eighteenth and twenty-fourth governor of Kentucky, although his service in that office totaled less than fourteen months. He also represented Hardin County in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly and was chosen Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives four...
|Democratic
|September 3, 1867
|September 8, 1867
|
John W. StevensonJohn White Stevenson was a U.S. Representative, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of Kentucky and U.S. Senator. His father, Andrew Stevenson, had served as Speaker of the House and minister to Great Britain...
|½
|-
|25
|
John W. StevensonJohn White Stevenson was a U.S. Representative, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of Kentucky and U.S. Senator. His father, Andrew Stevenson, had served as Speaker of the House and minister to Great Britain...
|Democratic
|September 8, 1867
|February 3, 1871
|
vacant
|1½
|-
|26
|Preston H. Leslie
|Democratic
|February 3, 1871
|August 31, 1875
|John G. Carlisle
|1½
|-
|27
|
James B. McCrearyJames Bennett McCreary was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He also served as the state's twenty-seventh and thirty-seventh governor...
|Democratic
|August 31, 1875
|September 2, 1879
|
John C. UnderwoodJohn Cox Underwood was the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky serving in that capacity from 1875 to 1879.Underwood was born at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He was a member of the Odd Fellows, and was elected Lieutenant Governor under Governor James B. McCreary. He died...
|1
|-
|28
|
Luke P. BlackburnLuke Pryor Blackburn was a doctor and philanthropist who, despite only meager previous political experience, served as Governor of Kentucky from 1879 to 1883...
|Democratic
|September 2, 1879
|September 5, 1883
|
James E. CantrillJames E. Cantrill was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He served as a Captain in the Confederate States Army Cavalry as a portion of Morgan's Men. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky serving from 1879-1883....
|1
|-
|29
|
J. Proctor KnottJames Proctor Knott was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as governor of Kentucky from 1883 to 1887. Born in Kentucky, he moved to Missouri in 1850 and began his political career there...
|Democratic
|September 5, 1883
|August 30, 1887
|
James R. HindmanJames Robert Hindman was Lieutenant Governor of KentuckyHe was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky in 1839. In 1883, he ran for, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, serving a full four year term under Governor J. Proctor Knott....
|1
|-
|30
|
Simon B. BucknerSimon Bolivar Buckner fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War and in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He later served as the thirtieth governor of Kentucky....
|Democratic
|August 30, 1887
|September 2, 1891
|
James W. BryanJames William Bryan was Lieutenant Governor of KentuckyHe was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky in 1853. In 1887, he ran for, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, serving a full four year term under Governor Simon B. Buckner.-Sources:...
|1
|-
|31
|
John Young BrownJohn Young Brown was a U.S. Representative and Governor of Kentucky. A gifted orator, his criticism of the Know-Nothing Party drew death threats against him early in his career. Later, the U.S. House of Representatives censured him for a speech against General Benjamin F. Butler.Brown was first...
|Democratic
|September 2, 1891
|December 10, 1895
|
Mitchell C. AlfordMitchell Cary Alford was Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.Alford was born in Fayette County, Kentucky and he graduated from the Transylvania University Law School in 1880...
|1
|-
|32
|William O. Bradley
|Republican
|December 10, 1895
|December 12, 1899
|
William J. WorthingtonWilliam Jackson Worthington served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky under Governor William O. Bradley from 1895-1899.-References:...
|1
|-
|33
|
William S. TaylorWilliam Sylvester Taylor was the thirty-third governor of Kentucky. He was initially declared the winner of the disputed gubernatorial election of 1899, but the Kentucky General Assembly reversed the election results, giving the victory to his opponent, William Goebel...
|Republican
|December 12, 1899
|January 30, 1900
|
John MarshallJohn Marshall served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky under Governor William S. Taylor from 1899–1900. Both Governor Bradley and Lieutenant Governor Marshall were removed from office by a Supreme Court decision that ruled that William Goebel had rightly been elected governor in the...
|⅓
|-
|34
|
William GoebelWilliam J. Goebel was an American politician who served as Governor of Kentucky for a few days in 1900 after having been mortally wounded by an assassin the day before he was sworn in...
|Democratic
|January 30, 1900
|February 3, 1900
|
J. C. W. BeckhamJohn Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was the thirty-fifth governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky...
|⅓
|-
|rowspan="2"|35
|rowspan="2"|
J. C. W. BeckhamJohn Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was the thirty-fifth governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky...
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|rowspan="2"|February 3, 1900
|rowspan="2"|December 12, 1907
|
vacant
|rowspan="2"|1⅓
|-
|
William P. ThorneWilliam P. Thorne served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky under Governor J. C. W. Beckham from 1903–1907.-References:...
|-
|36
|
Augustus E. WillsonAugustus Everett Willson was the thirty-sixth governor of Kentucky. Orphaned at the age of twelve, Willson went to live with relatives in New England...
|Republican
|December 10, 1907
|December 12, 1911
|
William H. CoxWilliam H. Cox was an American politician, who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1907 to 1911, under Governor Augustus E. Willson.-References:...
|1
|-
|37
|
James B. McCrearyJames Bennett McCreary was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He also served as the state's twenty-seventh and thirty-seventh governor...
|Democratic
|December 12, 1911
|December 7, 1915
|
Edward J. McDermottEdward J. McDermott was an American politician, who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1911 to 1915, under Governor James B. McCreary....
|1
|-
|38
|
Augustus O. StanleyAugustus Owsley Stanley was the thirty-eighth governor of Kentucky. He also represented that state in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate...
|Democratic
|December 7, 1915
|May 19, 1919
|
James D. BlackJames Dixon Black was thirty-ninth governor of Kentucky, serving for seven months in 1919. He ascended to the office when Governor Augustus O. Stanley was elected to the U.S. Senate....
|½
|-
|39
|
James D. BlackJames Dixon Black was thirty-ninth governor of Kentucky, serving for seven months in 1919. He ascended to the office when Governor Augustus O. Stanley was elected to the U.S. Senate....
|Democratic
|May 19, 1919
|December 9, 1919
|
vacant
|½
|-
|40
|
Edwin P. MorrowEdwin Porch Morrow was the fortieth governor of Kentucky, serving from 1919 to 1923. His father Thomas Z. Morrow was a candidate for governor in 1883, and his uncle William O. Bradley was elected governor in 1895...
|Republican
|December 9, 1919
|December 11, 1923
|
S. Thruston BallardSamuel Thruston Ballard was an American politician, who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1919 to 1923, under Governor Edwin P. Morrow.-External links:...
|1
|-
|41
|
William J. FieldsWilliam Jason Fields was a U.S. Representative and the forty-first Governor of Kentucky. An early defeat for a seat in the state legislature convinced Fields that a slow climb through the political ranks was not the way to attain his goal of becoming governor of his home state...
|Democratic
|December 11, 1923
|December 13, 1927
|
Henry DenhardtHenry Denhardt was a Democratic American politician, who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1923 to 1927, under Governor William J. Fields....
|1
|-
|42
|
Flem D. SampsonFlem Davis Sampson was the forty-second governor of Kentucky, serving from 1927 to 1931. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1894, and opened a law practice in Barbourville, Kentucky. He formed a political alliance with future congressmen Caleb Powers and John Robsion, both prominent...
|Republican
|December 13, 1927
|December 8, 1931
||
James Breathitt, Jr.James Breathitt, Jr. was an American politician from Kentucky.Breathitt was born on December 14, 1890 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.Breathitt was educated at Centre College....
|1
|-
|43
|
Ruby LaffoonRuby Laffoon was the forty-third governor of Kentucky, serving from 1931 to 1935. He was introduced to politics by his uncle, U. S. Representative Polk Laffoon. After developing a mixed record of political victories and defeats at the county and state levels, he was chosen as the Democratic...
|Democratic
|December 8, 1931
|December 10, 1935
|
A. B. "Happy" ChandlerAlbert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was twice governor of Kentucky, a U.S. Senator, the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame...
|1
|-
|44
|
A. B. "Happy" ChandlerAlbert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was twice governor of Kentucky, a U.S. Senator, the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame...
|Democratic
|December 10, 1935
|October 9, 1939
|
Keen JohnsonKeen Johnson was the forty-fifth governor of Kentucky, serving from 1939 to 1943. He remains the only journalist to have served in that capacity. After serving in World War I, Johnson purchased and edited the Elizabethtown Mirror...
|½
|-
|45
|
Keen JohnsonKeen Johnson was the forty-fifth governor of Kentucky, serving from 1939 to 1943. He remains the only journalist to have served in that capacity. After serving in World War I, Johnson purchased and edited the Elizabethtown Mirror...
|Democratic
|October 9, 1939
|December 7, 1943
|
Rodes K. MyersRodes Kirby Myers was an active Kentucky Democrat and served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 1939-1943.Myers' hometown was Bowling Green, Kentucky. Myers was a Kentucky delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948 and 1956,In 1939 Myers ran for Lieutenant Governor...
|1½
|-
|46
|
Simeon S. WillisSimeon Slavens Willis was the forty-sixth governor of Kentucky, serving from 1943 to 1947. He was the only Republican elected governor of Kentucky between 1927 and 1967.Willis' family came to Kentucky from Ohio about 1889...
|Republican
|December 7, 1943
|December 9, 1947
|
Kenneth H. TuggleKenneth H. Tuggle , a Republican, served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, 1943-1947. It was 53 years before another Republican was elected Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky....
|1
|-
|47
|
Earle C. ClementsEarle Chester Clements served as a U.S. Representative, Governor and U.S. Senator for the state of Kentucky. He served as Senate Majority Whip when Lyndon Johnson was Senate Majority Leader.-Early life:...
|Democratic
|December 9, 1947
|November 27, 1950
|Lawrence W. Wetherby
|½
|-
|rowspan="2"|48
|rowspan="2"|Lawrence W. Wetherby
|rowspan="2"|Democratic
|rowspan="2"|November 27, 1950
|rowspan="2"|December 13, 1955
|
vacant
|rowspan="2"|1½
|-
|
Emerson BeauchampEmerson "Doc" Beauchamp served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky under Governor Lawrence Wetherby."Doc" Beauchamp was from Logan County, Kentucky. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I and World War II. He served in the Kentucky Senate from 1944 through 1946. He was elected Lieutenant...
|-
|49
|
A. B. "Happy" ChandlerAlbert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was twice governor of Kentucky, a U.S. Senator, the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame...
|Democratic
|December 13, 1955
|December 8, 1959
|
Harry Lee WaterfieldHarry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....
|1
|-
|50
|
Bert T. CombsBertram Thomas Combs , born in Manchester, Clay County, Kentucky, was the Democratic Governor of Kentucky from 1959 through 1963....
|Democratic
|December 8, 1959
|December 10, 1963
|Wilson Wyatt
|1
|-
|51
|
Edward T. BreathittEdward Thompson "Ned" Breathitt Jr. was a United States politician. He was elected governor of Kentucky in 1963....
|Democratic
|December 10, 1963
|December 12, 1967
|
Harry Lee WaterfieldHarry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....
|1
|-
|52
|
Louie B. NunnLouie Broady Nunn , a native of tiny Park in Barren County in southern Kentucky, was his state's Governor from 1967 to 1971. Nunn was the first and only Republican governor of Kentucky after 1943 until Ernie Fletcher's election in 2003.-Early life:Park is located between Hiseville, Seymour, and...
|Republican
|December 12, 1967
|December 7, 1971
||
Wendell H. FordWendell Hampton Ford is an American politician from Kentucky who belongs to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election to governor in 1971 until his retirement from the Senate in 1999.-Early life:Ford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky...
|1
|-
|53
|
Wendell H. FordWendell Hampton Ford is an American politician from Kentucky who belongs to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election to governor in 1971 until his retirement from the Senate in 1999.-Early life:Ford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky...
|Democratic
|December 7, 1971
|December 28, 1974
|Julian M. Carroll
|½
|-
|54
|
Julian M. CarrollJulian Morton Carroll was the Democratic Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky from 1974 to 1979.Born in Paducah, Kentucky in McCracken County, Kentucky, Carroll continued to reside in that county, where he worked as a lawyer. He served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives,...
|Democratic
|December 28, 1974
|December 11, 1979
|
Thelma StovallThelma Hawkins Stovall was a pioneering female Southern politician who won several statewide elective offices in Kentucky, capping her career as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky under the administration of her fellow Democrat, Governor Julian Carroll.Stovall was born in Munfordville, Kentucky. She...
|1½
|-
|55
|
John Y. Brown, Jr.John Young Brown Jr. is a U.S. Democratic Party politician, entrepreneur and businessman.John Y. Brown Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His father, John Y. Brown, Sr. was a member of the U.S. Congress from Kentucky and a member of the Kentucky state legislature for nearly three decades,...
|Democratic
|December 11, 1979
|December 13, 1983
|
Martha Layne CollinsMartha Layne Collins was Governor of the U.S. State of Kentucky from 1983 through 1987; she is a member of the Democratic Party...
|1
|-
|56
|
Martha Layne CollinsMartha Layne Collins was Governor of the U.S. State of Kentucky from 1983 through 1987; she is a member of the Democratic Party...
|Democratic
|December 13, 1983
|December 8, 1987
|
Steve BeshearSteven Lynn "Steve" Beshear is an American politician who has been Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky since 2007...
|1
|-
|57
|
Wallace G. WilkinsonWallace Glenn Wilkinson was a Kentucky businessman who made a fortune with college bookstores, and Governor of Kentucky, 1987-1991.Born in Casey County, Kentucky, Wilkinson graduated from Liberty High School in 1959...
|Democratic
|December 8, 1987
|December 10, 1991
|
Brereton JonesBrereton Chandler Jones is an American political figure. He served as the Democratic Governor of Kentucky from 1991 until 1995.Born in 1939 in Gallipolis, Ohio, Jones graduated from the University of Virginia in 1961...
|1
|-
|58
|
Brereton JonesBrereton Chandler Jones is an American political figure. He served as the Democratic Governor of Kentucky from 1991 until 1995.Born in 1939 in Gallipolis, Ohio, Jones graduated from the University of Virginia in 1961...
|Democratic
|December 10, 1991
|December 12, 1995
|
Paul E. PattonPaul E. Patton served as Democratic governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. He is a Presbyterian, and lives in Pikeville, Kentucky.Patton was born in Fallsburg, which is in Lawrence County, Kentucky. In 1959, he received his B.S...
|1
|-
|59
|
Paul E. PattonPaul E. Patton served as Democratic governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. He is a Presbyterian, and lives in Pikeville, Kentucky.Patton was born in Fallsburg, which is in Lawrence County, Kentucky. In 1959, he received his B.S...
|Democratic
|December 12, 1995
|December 9, 2003
|Steve Henry
|2
|-
|60
|
Ernie FletcherErnest Lee Fletcher is a Republican politician from Kentucky. He served as governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 2003-07. He previously served as U.S...
|Republican
|December 9, 2003
|December 11, 2007
|
Steve PenceStephen B. Pence is a former Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He took office with fellow Republican Ernie Fletcher in December 2003....
|1
|-
|61
|
Steve BeshearSteven Lynn "Steve" Beshear is an American politician who has been Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky since 2007...
|Democratic
|December 11, 2007
|
incumbent
|
Daniel MongiardoFrank Daniel Mongiardo is an American physician and politician from Kentucky. Mongiardo is a Democrat and serves as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky since 2007. He was a member of the Kentucky State Senate from 2001 to 2007 and a candidate in the 2004 U.S. Senate election for Kentucky, narrowly...
|1
|}
Confederate governors
During the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, a group of
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
sympathizers met at the
Russellville, KentuckyRussellville is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,149 at the 2000 census. It is named for General William Russell, a Revolutionary War soldier and frontier leader.-History:...
to form a
Confederate governmentThe Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Southern sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elected government in Frankfort, which had strong Union sympathies...
for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. While this government never successfully displaced the government in
FrankfortFrankfort is a city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population, it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
, two men were elected governor of the Confederate government:
George W. JohnsonGeorge Washington Johnson was the first Confederate governor of Kentucky. A lawyer-turned-farmer from Scott County, Kentucky, Johnson favored secession as a means of preventing the Civil War, believing the Union and Confederacy would be forces of equal strength, each too wary to attack the other...
, who served from November 20, 1861 to his death on April 8, 1862 at the
Battle of ShilohThe Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. Confederate forces under Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard launched a surprise...
, and, on Johnson's death,
Richard HawesRichard Hawes was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky. He was part of an influential political family, with a brother, uncle, and cousin who also served as U.S. Representatives. He began his political career as an ardent Whig and was a close...
, who served until the Confederate surrender on April 9, 1865. The Confederate government disbanded shortly after the end of the war in 1865.
Other high offices held
This is a table of congressional seats, other federal offices, and other governorships held by governors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Kentucky except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.
| Name |
Gubernatorial term |
U.S. CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
|
Other offices held |
HouseThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
|
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
|
Christopher GreenupChristopher Greenup was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and the third Governor of Kentucky...
|
1804–1808 |
H |
|
|
John AdairJohn Adair was an American pioneer, soldier and statesman. He was the seventh governor of Kentucky and represented the state in both the U.S. House and Senate. Adair enlisted in the state militia and served in the Revolutionary War, where he was held captive by the British for a period of time...
|
1820–1824 |
H |
S |
|
Joseph DeshaJoseph Desha was a U.S. Representative and the ninth governor of Kentucky. Desha was the first Kentucky governor not to have served in the Revolutionary War. He did, however, serve under William Henry Harrison and "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War, and lost two brothers in battle...
|
1824–1828 |
H |
|
|
| Thomas Metcalfe Thomas Metcalfe was a U.S. Representative, Senator, and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first gubernatorial candidate in the state's history to be chosen by a nominating convention rather than a caucus...
|
1828–1832 |
H |
S |
|
James T. MoreheadJames Turner Morehead was a United States Senator and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first native-born Kentuckian to hold the governorship of the state...
|
1834–1836 |
|
S |
|
James ClarkJames Clark was a 19th century American politician who served in all three branches of Kentucky's government and in the U.S. House of Representatives. His political career began in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1807...
|
1836–1839 |
H |
|
|
Charles A. WickliffeCharles Anderson Wickliffe was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He also served as Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Governor of Kentucky, and was appointed Postmaster General by President John Tyler...
|
1839–1840 |
H |
|
U.S. Postmaster GeneralThe United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
|
Robert P. LetcherRobert Perkins Letcher was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, diplomat and governor of Kentucky. He also served in the Kentucky General Assembly where he was Speaker of the House in 1837 and 1838. A strong supporter of the Whig Party, he was a friend of Henry Clay and John J...
|
1840–1844 |
H |
|
Ambassador to Mexico The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since 1823, when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett became the first U.S. envoy to Mexico in 1825. The rank...
|
John J. CrittendenJohn Jordan Crittenden was an American statesman from Kentucky. He twice served as United States Attorney General. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and served as the state's seventeenth governor....
|
1848–1850 |
H |
S |
U.S. Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
* (twice) |
Lazarus W. PowellLazarus Whitehead Powell was the nineteenth Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1851 to 1855. He was later elected to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate from 1859 to 1865....
|
1851–1855 |
|
S |
|
Charles S. MoreheadCharles Slaughter Morehead was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, and served as the twentieth governor of Kentucky...
|
1855–1859 |
H |
|
|
John W. StevensonJohn White Stevenson was a U.S. Representative, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of Kentucky and U.S. Senator. His father, Andrew Stevenson, had served as Speaker of the House and minister to Great Britain...
|
1867–1871 |
H |
S* |
|
Preston LesliePreston Hopkins Leslie was governor of Kentucky from 1871 to 1875 and territorial governor of Montana from 1887 to 1889. He ascended to the office of governor by three different means. First, he succeeded Kentucky governor John W. Stevenson upon the latter's resignation to accept a seat in the...
|
1871–1875 |
|
|
Governor of Montana Territory |
James B. McCrearyJames Bennett McCreary was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky. He also served as the state's twenty-seventh and thirty-seventh governor...
|
1875–1879, 1911–1915 |
H |
S |
|
| J. Proctor Knott James Proctor Knott was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as governor of Kentucky from 1883 to 1887. Born in Kentucky, he moved to Missouri in 1850 and began his political career there...
|
1883–1887 |
H |
|
|
John Y. BrownJohn Young Brown was a U.S. Representative and Governor of Kentucky. A gifted orator, his criticism of the Know-Nothing Party drew death threats against him early in his career. Later, the U.S. House of Representatives censured him for a speech against General Benjamin F. Butler.Brown was first...
|
1891–1895 |
H |
|
|
| William O. Bradley |
1895–1899 |
|
S |
|
| J. C. W. Beckham John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was the thirty-fifth governor of Kentucky and a United States Senator from Kentucky...
|
1900–1907 |
|
S |
|
Augustus O. StanleyAugustus Owsley Stanley was the thirty-eighth governor of Kentucky. He also represented that state in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate...
|
1915–1919 |
H |
S* |
|
William J. FieldsWilliam Jason Fields was a U.S. Representative and the forty-first Governor of Kentucky. An early defeat for a seat in the state legislature convinced Fields that a slow climb through the political ranks was not the way to attain his goal of becoming governor of his home state...
|
1923–1927 |
H |
|
|
A. B. "Happy" ChandlerAlbert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was twice governor of Kentucky, a U.S. Senator, the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame...
|
1935–1939, 1955–1959 |
|
S* |
|
| Earle C. Clements Earle Chester Clements served as a U.S. Representative, Governor and U.S. Senator for the state of Kentucky. He served as Senate Majority Whip when Lyndon Johnson was Senate Majority Leader.-Early life:...
|
1947–1950 |
H |
S* |
|
Bert T. CombsBertram Thomas Combs , born in Manchester, Clay County, Kentucky, was the Democratic Governor of Kentucky from 1959 through 1963....
|
1959–1963 |
|
|
Sixth Circuit Court Judge The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
|
Wendell H. FordWendell Hampton Ford is an American politician from Kentucky who belongs to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election to governor in 1971 until his retirement from the Senate in 1999.-Early life:Ford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky...
|
1971–1975 |
|
S* |
|
Ernie FletcherErnest Lee Fletcher is a Republican politician from Kentucky. He served as governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 2003-07. He previously served as U.S...
|
2003–2007 |
H |
|
|
In addition, one Confederate governor,
Richard HawesRichard Hawes was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the second Confederate Governor of Kentucky. He was part of an influential political family, with a brother, uncle, and cousin who also served as U.S. Representatives. He began his political career as an ardent Whig and was a close...
, served as a U.S. Representative.
Living former governors
, seven former governors were alive, the oldest being
Wendell H. FordWendell Hampton Ford is an American politician from Kentucky who belongs to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election to governor in 1971 until his retirement from the Senate in 1999.-Early life:Ford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky...
(1971–1975, born 1924). The most recent governor to die was
Louie B. NunnLouie Broady Nunn , a native of tiny Park in Barren County in southern Kentucky, was his state's Governor from 1967 to 1971. Nunn was the first and only Republican governor of Kentucky after 1943 until Ernie Fletcher's election in 2003.-Early life:Park is located between Hiseville, Seymour, and...
(1967–1971), on January 29, 2004. The most recently-serving governor to die was
Wallace G. WilkinsonWallace Glenn Wilkinson was a Kentucky businessman who made a fortune with college bookstores, and Governor of Kentucky, 1987-1991.Born in Casey County, Kentucky, Wilkinson graduated from Liberty High School in 1959...
(1987–1991), on July 5, 2002.
| Name | Gubernatorial term | Date of birth |
|---|
Wendell H. FordWendell Hampton Ford is an American politician from Kentucky who belongs to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election to governor in 1971 until his retirement from the Senate in 1999.-Early life:Ford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky...
|
1971–1975 |
September 8, 1924 |
| Julian Carroll Julian Morton Carroll was the Democratic Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky from 1974 to 1979.Born in Paducah, Kentucky in McCracken County, Kentucky, Carroll continued to reside in that county, where he worked as a lawyer. He served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives,...
|
1975–1979 |
April 16, 1931 |
| John Y. Brown, Jr. John Young Brown Jr. is a U.S. Democratic Party politician, entrepreneur and businessman.John Y. Brown Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His father, John Y. Brown, Sr. was a member of the U.S. Congress from Kentucky and a member of the Kentucky state legislature for nearly three decades,...
|
1979–1983 |
December 28, 1933 |
Martha Layne CollinsMartha Layne Collins was Governor of the U.S. State of Kentucky from 1983 through 1987; she is a member of the Democratic Party...
|
1983–1987 |
December 7, 1936 |
| Brereton Jones Brereton Chandler Jones is an American political figure. He served as the Democratic Governor of Kentucky from 1991 until 1995.Born in 1939 in Gallipolis, Ohio, Jones graduated from the University of Virginia in 1961...
|
1991–1995 |
June 27, 1939 |
| Paul E. Patton Paul E. Patton served as Democratic governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. He is a Presbyterian, and lives in Pikeville, Kentucky.Patton was born in Fallsburg, which is in Lawrence County, Kentucky. In 1959, he received his B.S...
|
1995–2003 |
May 26, 1937 |
Ernie FletcherErnest Lee Fletcher is a Republican politician from Kentucky. He served as governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 2003-07. He previously served as U.S...
|
2003–2007 |
November 12, 1952 |