List of Governors of Kentucky
Governors
Kentucky was initially Kentucky County in Virginia. 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.

List of Governors of Kentucky

Section Title: Governors
Table Section Text: Kentucky was initially Kentucky County in Virginia. 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.

No.	Governor	Term in office	Party	Election	Lt. Governor

1	-	Isaac Shelby	June 4, 1792 – June 7, 1796 (not candidate for election)	Democratic- Republican	1792	Office did not exist

2	-	James Garrard	June 7, 1796 – September 5, 1804 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1796

1800	Alexander Scott Bullitt

3	-	Christopher Greenup	September 5, 1804 – September 1, 1808 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1804	John Caldwell (died November 19, 1804)

Vacant

Thomas Posey (acting, elected Speaker in 1805)

4	-	Charles Scott	September 1, 1808 – August 24, 1812 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1808	Gabriel Slaughter

5	-	Isaac Shelby	August 24, 1812 – September 5, 1816 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1812	Richard Hickman

6	-	George Madison	September 5, 1816 – October 14, 1816 (died in office)	Democratic- Republican	1816	Gabriel Slaughter

7	-	Gabriel Slaughter	October 14, 1816 – August 29, 1820 (not candidate for election)	Democratic- Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

8	-	John Adair	August 29, 1820 – August 24, 1824 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1820	William T. Barry

9	-	Joseph Desha	August 24, 1824 – August 26, 1828 (term limited)	Democratic- Republican	1824	Robert B. McAfee

10	-	Thomas Metcalfe	August 26, 1828 – September 4, 1832 (term limited)	National Republican	1828	John Breathitt

11	-	John Breathitt	September 4, 1832 – February 21, 1834 (died in office)	Democratic	1832	James Turner Morehead

12	-	James Turner Morehead	February 21, 1834 – August 30, 1836 (not candidate for election)	National Republican	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

13	-	James Clark	August 30, 1836 – August 27, 1839 (died in office)	Whig	1836	Charles A. Wickliffe

14	-	Charles A. Wickliffe	August 27, 1839 – September 2, 1840 (not candidate for election)	Whig	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

15	-	Robert P. Letcher	September 2, 1840 – September 4, 1844 (term limited)	Whig	1840	Manlius Valerius Thomson

16	-	William Owsley	September 4, 1844 – September 6, 1848 (term limited)	Whig	1844	Archibald Dixon

17	-	John J. Crittenden	September 6, 1848 – July 31, 1850 (resigned)	Whig	1848	John L. Helm

18	-	John L. Helm	July 31, 1850 – September 2, 1851 (not candidate for election)	Whig	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

19	-	Lazarus W. Powell	September 2, 1851 – September 4, 1855 (term limited)	Democratic	1851	John Burton Thompson

20	-	Charles S. Morehead	September 4, 1855 – August 30, 1859 (term limited)	Know Nothing	1855	James Greene Hardy

21	-	Beriah Magoffin	August 30, 1859 – August 18, 1862 (resigned)	Democratic	1859	Linn Boyd (died December 17, 1859)

Vacant

22	-	James Fisher Robinson	August 18, 1862 – September 1, 1863 (not candidate for election)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate

23	-	Thomas E. Bramlette	September 1, 1863 – September 3, 1867 (term limited)	Democratic	1863	Richard Taylor Jacob

24	-	John L. Helm	September 3, 1867 – September 8, 1867 (died in office)	Democratic	1867	John W. Stevenson

25	-	John W. Stevenson	September 8, 1867 – February 3, 1871 (resigned)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

1868 (special)

26	-	Preston Leslie	February 3, 1871 – August 31, 1875 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from President of the Senate

1871	John G. Carlisle

27	-	James B. McCreary	August 31, 1875 – September 2, 1879 (term limited)	Democratic	1875	John C. Underwood

28	-	Luke P. Blackburn	September 2, 1879 – September 5, 1883 (term limited)	Democratic	1879	James E. Cantrill

29	-	J. Proctor Knott	September 5, 1883 – August 30, 1887 (term limited)	Democratic	1883	James R. Hindman

30	-	Simon Bolivar Buckner	August 30, 1887 – September 2, 1891 (term limited)	Democratic	1887	James William Bryan

31	-	John Y. Brown	September 2, 1891 – December 10, 1895 (term limited)	Democratic	1891	Mitchell Cary Alford

32	-	William O'Connell Bradley	December 10, 1895 – December 12, 1899 (term limited)	Republican	1895	William Jackson Worthington

33	-	William S. Taylor	December 12, 1899 – January 31, 1900 (removed from office)	Republican	1899	John Marshall

34	-	William Goebel	January 31, 1900 – February 3, 1900 (died in office)	Democratic	J. C. W. Beckham

35	-	J. C. W. Beckham	February 3, 1900 – December 10, 1907 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

1900 (special)

1903	William P. Thorne

36	-	Augustus E. Willson	December 10, 1907 – December 12, 1911 (term limited)	Republican	1907	William Hopkinson Cox

37	-	James B. McCreary	December 12, 1911 – December 7, 1915 (term limited)	Democratic	1911	Edward J. McDermott

38	-	Augustus Owsley Stanley	December 7, 1915 – May 19, 1919 (resigned)	Democratic	1915	James D. Black

39	-	James D. Black	May 19, 1919 – December 9, 1919 (lost election)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

40	-	Edwin P. Morrow	December 9, 1919 – December 11, 1923 (term limited)	Republican	1919	S. Thruston Ballard

41	-	William J. Fields	December 11, 1923 – December 13, 1927 (term limited)	Democratic	1923	Henry Denhardt

42	Flem D. Sampson	December 13, 1927 – December 8, 1931 (term limited)	Republican	1927	James Breathitt Jr.

43	-	Ruby Laffoon	December 8, 1931 – December 10, 1935 (term limited)	Democratic	1931	Happy Chandler

44	-	Happy Chandler	December 10, 1935 – October 9, 1939 (resigned)	Democratic	1935	Keen Johnson

45	-	Keen Johnson	October 9, 1939 – December 7, 1943 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

1939	Rodes K. Myers

46	Simeon Willis	December 7, 1943 – December 9, 1947 (term limited)	Republican	1943	Kenneth H. Tuggle

47	-	Earle Clements	December 9, 1947 – November 27, 1950 (resigned)	Democratic	1947	Lawrence Wetherby

48	-	Lawrence Wetherby	November 27, 1950 – December 13, 1955 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

1951	Emerson Beauchamp

49	-	Happy Chandler	December 13, 1955 – December 8, 1959 (term limited)	Democratic	1955	Harry Lee Waterfield

50	-	Bert Combs	December 8, 1959 – December 10, 1963 (term limited)	Democratic	1959	Wilson W. Wyatt

51	-	Ned Breathitt	December 10, 1963 – December 12, 1967 (term limited)	Democratic	1963	Harry Lee Waterfield

52	-	Louie Nunn	December 12, 1967 – December 7, 1971 (term limited)	Republican	1967	Wendell Ford

53	-	Wendell Ford	December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974 (resigned)	Democratic	1971	Julian Carroll

54	-	Julian Carroll	December 28, 1974 – December 11, 1979 (term limited)	Democratic	Succeeded from Lieutenant Governor	Vacant

1975	Thelma Stovall

55	-	John Y. Brown Jr.	December 11, 1979 – December 13, 1983 (term limited)	Democratic	1979	Martha Layne Collins

56	-	Martha Layne Collins	December 13, 1983 – December 8, 1987 (term limited)	Democratic	1983	Steve Beshear

57	Wallace Wilkinson	December 8, 1987 – December 10, 1991 (term limited)	Democratic	1987	Brereton Jones

58	Brereton Jones	December 10, 1991 – December 12, 1995 (term limited)	Democratic	1991	Paul E. Patton

59	-	Paul E. Patton	December 12, 1995 – December 9, 2003 (term limited)	Democratic	1995	Steve Henry

1999

60	-	Ernie Fletcher	December 9, 2003 – December 11, 2007 (lost election)	Republican	2003	Steve Pence

61	-	Steve Beshear	December 11, 2007 – December 8, 2015 (term limited)	Democratic	2007	Daniel Mongiardo

2011	Jerry Abramson (resigned November 13, 2014)

Crit Luallen

62	-	Matt Bevin	December 8, 2015 – present	Republican	2015	Jenean Hampton

Sentence(s)

Isaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky.

final_sentence: Isaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky.