The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The governor is the head of the executive branch of North Dakota's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.
There have been 32 governors since North Dakota became a state, serving 33 distinct terms, with William Langer having been elected to multiple terms. The current officeholder is Republican Doug Burgum.
Dakota Territory was organized on March 2, 1861; [1] on November 2, 1889, it was split into the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. [2]
The Constitution of North Dakota originally provided for the election of a governor and lieutenant governor every two years, which was changed to four years in 1964. [3] A limit of two terms was added in 2023. [4] The governor and lieutenant governor are elected together on a ticket, [5] and should the office of governor become vacant, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. [6] The term of office begins on the December 15 following the election. [7]
No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor [lower-alpha 1] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Miller (1843–1908) [8] [9] | November 20, 1889 [10] – January 7, 1891 (did not run) [8] | Republican [11] | 1889 | Alfred Dickey | |||||
2 | Andrew H. Burke (1850–1918) [12] [13] | January 7, 1891 [14] – January 4, 1893 (lost election) | Republican [11] | 1890 | Roger Allin | |||||
3 | Eli C. D. Shortridge (1830–1908) [15] [16] | January 4, 1893 [lower-alpha 2] – January 9, 1895 (did not run) | Populist [15] | 1892 | Elmer D. Wallace [lower-alpha 3] | |||||
4 | Roger Allin (1848–1936) [20] [21] | January 9, 1895 [22] – January 7, 1897 (lost nomination) [23] | Republican [11] | 1894 | John H. Worst | |||||
5 | Frank A. Briggs (1858–1898) [24] [25] | January 7, 1897 [lower-alpha 4] – August 9, 1898 (died in office) | Republican [11] | 1896 | Joseph M. Devine | |||||
6 | Joseph M. Devine (1861–1938) [28] [29] | August 9, 1898 [30] – January 3, 1899 (did not run) | Republican [11] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||||
7 | Frederick B. Fancher (1852–1944) [31] [32] | January 3, 1899 [33] – January 7, 1901 (withdrew) [lower-alpha 5] | Republican [11] | 1898 | Joseph M. Devine | |||||
8 | Frank White (1856–1940) [35] [36] | January 7, 1901 [37] – January 4, 1905 (did not run) | Republican [11] | 1900 | David Bartlett | |||||
1902 | ||||||||||
9 | Elmore Y. Sarles (1859–1929) [38] [39] | January 4, 1905 [40] – January 9, 1907 (lost election) | Republican [11] | 1904 | ||||||
10 | John Burke (1859–1937) [41] [42] | January 9, 1907 [43] – January 8, 1913 (did not run) | Democratic [11] | 1906 | Robert S. Lewis | |||||
1908 | ||||||||||
1910 | Usher L. Burdick | |||||||||
11 | L. B. Hanna (1861–1948) [44] [45] | January 8, 1913 [46] – January 3, 1917 (did not run) | Republican [11] | 1912 | Anton Kraabel | |||||
1914 | John H. Fraine | |||||||||
12 | Lynn Frazier (1874–1947) [47] [48] | January 3, 1917 [49] – November 23, 1921 (recalled) [lower-alpha 6] | Republican/ Nonpartisan League [47] | 1916 | Anton Kraabel | |||||
1918 | Howard R. Wood | |||||||||
1920 | ||||||||||
13 | Ragnvald Nestos (1877–1942) [50] [51] | November 23, 1921 [52] – January 7, 1925 (lost nomination) [50] | Republican/ Independent Voters [50] | 1921 (recall) [lower-alpha 6] | ||||||
1922 | Frank H. Hyland | |||||||||
14 | Arthur G. Sorlie (1874–1928) [53] [54] | January 7, 1925 [55] – August 28, 1928 (died in office) | Republican/ Nonpartisan League [53] | 1924 | Walter Maddock | |||||
1926 | ||||||||||
15 | Walter Maddock (1880–1951) [56] [57] | August 28, 1928 [58] – January 9, 1929 (lost election) | Republican/ Nonpartisan League [56] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||||
16 | George F. Shafer (1888–1948) [59] [60] | January 9, 1929 [61] – January 4, 1933 (did not run) [lower-alpha 7] | Republican/ Independent Voters [59] | 1928 | John W. Carr | |||||
1930 | ||||||||||
17 | William Langer (1886–1959) [62] [63] | January 4, 1933 [lower-alpha 8] – July 19, 1934 (removed) [lower-alpha 9] | Republican/ Nonpartisan League [62] | 1932 | Ole H. Olson | |||||
18 | Ole H. Olson (1872–1954) [68] [69] | July 19, 1934 [lower-alpha 9] – January 7, 1935 (did not run) | Republican/ Nonpartisan League | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||||
19 | Thomas H. Moodie (1878–1948) [70] [71] | January 7, 1935 [72] – February 2, 1935 (removed) [lower-alpha 10] | Democratic [70] | 1934 | Walter Welford | |||||
20 | Walter Welford (1868–1952) [73] [74] | February 2, 1935 [75] – January 6, 1937 (lost election) | Republican/ Nonpartisan League [73] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Vacant | |||||
21 | William Langer (1886–1959) [62] [63] | January 6, 1937 [76] – January 2, 1939 (did not run) [lower-alpha 11] | Independent [62] | 1936 | Thorstein H. H. Thoresen | |||||
22 | John Moses (1885–1945) [77] [78] | January 2, 1939 [79] – January 2, 1945 (did not run) [lower-alpha 12] | Democratic [77] | 1938 | Jack A. Patterson | |||||
1940 | Oscar W. Hagen | |||||||||
1942 | Henry Holt | |||||||||
23 | Fred G. Aandahl (1897–1966) [80] [81] | January 2, 1945 [82] – January 3, 1951 (did not run) [lower-alpha 13] | Republican [80] | 1944 | Clarence P. Dahl | |||||
1946 | ||||||||||
1948 | ||||||||||
24 | Norman Brunsdale (1891–1978) [83] [84] | January 3, 1951 [85] – January 7, 1957 (did not run) | Republican [83] | 1950 | Ray Schnell | |||||
1952 | Clarence P. Dahl | |||||||||
1954 | ||||||||||
25 | John E. Davis (1913–1990) [86] [87] | January 7, 1957 [88] – January 3, 1961 (did not run) [lower-alpha 14] | Republican [86] | 1956 | Francis Clyde Duffy | |||||
1958 | Clarence P. Dahl | |||||||||
26 | William L. Guy (1919–2013) [89] [90] | January 3, 1961 [91] – January 2, 1973 (did not run) [89] | Democratic– Nonpartisan League [89] | 1960 | Orville W. Hagen | |||||
1962 | Frank A. Wenstrom | |||||||||
1964 | Charles Tighe | |||||||||
1968 | Richard F. Larsen | |||||||||
27 | Arthur A. Link (1914–2010) [92] [93] | January 2, 1973 [94] – January 6, 1981 (lost election) | Democratic– Nonpartisan League [92] | 1972 | Wayne Sanstead | |||||
1976 | ||||||||||
28 | Allen I. Olson (b. 1938) [95] | January 6, 1981 [96] – January 1, 1985 (lost election) | Republican [95] | 1980 | Ernest Sands | |||||
29 | George A. Sinner (1928–2018) [97] | January 1, 1985 [lower-alpha 15] – December 15, 1992 (did not run) | Democratic– Nonpartisan League [97] | 1984 | Ruth Meiers | |||||
1988 | Lloyd Omdahl | |||||||||
30 | Ed Schafer (b. 1946) [100] | December 15, 1992 [101] – December 15, 2000 (did not run) | Republican [100] | 1992 | Rosemarie Myrdal | |||||
1996 | ||||||||||
31 | John Hoeven (b. 1957) [102] | December 15, 2000 [103] – December 7, 2010 (resigned) [lower-alpha 16] | Republican [102] | 2000 | Jack Dalrymple | |||||
2004 | ||||||||||
2008 | ||||||||||
32 | Jack Dalrymple (b. 1948) [104] | December 7, 2010 [105] – December 15, 2016 (did not run) | Republican [104] | Succeeded from lieutenant governor | Drew Wrigley | |||||
2012 | ||||||||||
33 | Doug Burgum (b. 1956) [106] | December 15, 2016 [107] – Incumbent [lower-alpha 17] | Republican [106] | 2016 | Brent Sanford | |||||
2020 | ||||||||||
Tammy Miller |
The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.
William "Wild Bill" Langer was an American lawyer and politician from North Dakota, where he was an infamous character, bouncing back from a scandal that forced him out of the governor's office and into multiple trials. He was the 17th and 21st governor of North Dakota from 1932 to 1934 and from 1937 to 1939.
Ole H. Olson was the 16th lieutenant governor and 18th governor of North Dakota.
Walter Welford was inaugurated as the 20th Governor of North Dakota on February 2, 1935, after Thomas H. Moodie was removed from office after it was determined he was ineligible to hold the office. He served until 1937, having lost the 1936 race to former governor William Langer.
Thomas Hilliard Moodie was an American politician who was born in Winona, Minnesota. After he was inaugurated Governor of North Dakota in January 1935, it was revealed that he had not officially been a resident of the state for the mandatory five years, and he was removed from office in February 1935 having served less than a month.
Frank A. Briggs was an American Republican elected official who served as the fifth governor of North Dakota from January 6, 1897 until his death nineteen months later.
Obert A. Olson was a North Dakota public servant and politician with the Republican Party. Olson served as a state legislator, State Treasurer (1919-1920), and mayor of Bismarck (1937-1938).
The politics of North Dakota were shaped historically by early settlement by people from the Northern Tier, who carried their politics west ultimately from New England, upstate New York, and the Upper Midwest. The area and state also received numerous European immigrants and migrants, particularly during the era of opening up of former Native American lands for sale and settlement.
Great Plains Software, Inc. was an accounting software company located in Fargo, North Dakota, whose products focused on small to medium-sized businesses. It was founded in 1981, went public in 1997, and was sold to Microsoft in 2001. Prior to its acquisition, it had 2,200 employees.
Drew Howard Wrigley is an American attorney, lawyer, and politician from North Dakota. Wrigley currently serves as the attorney general of North Dakota after being appointed to the position by Governor Doug Burgum following the death of Wayne Stenehjem. Wrigley had previously declared his candidacy for the office in early January 2022. Wrigley was elected to a four-year term in November 2022, garnering 71% of the vote. Wrigley previously served as the United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota from 2001 to 2009 and again from 2019 to 2021, appointed by President George W. Bush and Donald Trump, respectively. Between his terms as United States attorney, Wrigley served as the 37th lieutenant governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016.
The state of North Dakota has improved in its treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents in the late 1990s and into the 21st Century, when the LGBT community began to openly establish events, organizations and outlets for fellow LGBT residents and allies, and increase in political and community awareness.
Douglas James Burgum is an American businessman and politician serving since 2016 as the 33rd governor of North Dakota. He is among the wealthiest governors in the U.S., with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion. A member of the Republican Party, Burgum was a candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election.
The 2020 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, concurrently with other federal and statewide elections, including the U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Republican Governor Doug Burgum and Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford were both re-elected to a second term.
The COVID-19 pandemic in North Dakota is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The state reported its first case on March 11, 2020.
Tammy Miller is an American CEO and politician from North Dakota. Assuming office in 2023, she is the 39th lieutenant governor of North Dakota. Miller was appointed by Governor Doug Burgum, following Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford's resignation.