Who were the former Governors of Nebraska?
Nebraska Territorial Governors
Francis Burt 1854 - Died in office Oct. 18, 1854
Thomas B. Cuming
1854-1855
acting governor upon death of Gov Burt.
1857-1858 acting governor upon resignation of Gov. Izard
Mark W. Izard 1855-1857 -resigned October 25, 1857
William A. Richardson 1858 - resigned December 5, 1858
J. Sterling Morton
1858-1859 -acting governor upon resignation of Gov. Richardson
1861 -acting governor upon resignation of Gov. Black
Samuel W. Black 1859-1861 - resigned Feb 24, 1861
Algernon S. Paddock 1861 -acting governor
Alvin Saunders 1861-1867
State
David Butler (R) 1867-1871 -Elected in 1866, but did not take office until NE became a state. Impeached and removed
William H. James (R) 1871-1873 - acting governor until inauguration of Gov. Furnas
Robert W. Furnas (R) 1873-1875
Silas Garber (R) 1875-1879
Albinus Nance (R) 1879-1883
James W. Dawes (R) 1883-1887
John M. Thayer (R)
1887-1891
1891-1892 -in office 1887 to Jan. 15, 1891; May 5, 1891- to Feb. 8, 1892
James E. Boyd (D)
1891
1892-1893 -Election contested by Gov. John M. Thayer. Suit delayed final seating of Gov. Boyd. In
office Jan 15, 1891- May 5, 1891; Feb. 8, 1892-1893
Lorenzo Crounse (R) 1893-1895
Silas Holcomb (F) 1895-1899 (F= Fusion Party composed of Populists
and Democrats)
William A. Poynter (F) 1899-1901
Charles H. Dietrich (R) 1901 -in office Jan. 3, 1901-May 1, 1901 -resigned
Ezra P. Savage (R) 1901-1903 -acting governor upon resignation of Governor Dietrich
John H. Mickey (R) 1903-1907
George L. Sheldon (R) 1907-1909
Ashton C. Shallenberger (D) 1909-1911
Chester H. Aldrich (R) 1911-1913
John H. Morehead (D) 1913-1917
Keith Neville (D) 1917-1919
Samuel R. McKelvie (R) 1919-1923
Charles W. Bryan (D)
1923-1925
1931-1935
Adam McMullen (R) 1925-1929
Arthur J. Weaver (R) 1929-1931
Robert Leroy Cochran (D) 1935-1941
Dwight Griswold (R) 1941-1947
Val Peterson (R) 1947-1953
Robert B. Crosby (R) 1953-1955
Victor E. Anderson (R) 1955-1959
Ralph G. Brooks (D) 1959-1960 -died in office Sept. 9, 1960
Dwight W. Burney (R) 1960-1961 - acting governor from Sept. 9,
1960-Jan. 5, 1961
Frank B. Morrison (D) 1961-1967
Norbert T. Tiemann (R) 1967-1971
J. James Exon (D) 1971-1979
Charles Thone (R) 1979-1983
J. Robert Kerrey (D) 1983-1987
Kay A. Orr (R) 1987-1991
E. (Earl) Benjamin Nelson (D) 1991-1999
Mike Johanns (R) 1999-
2005 - confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture January 20, 2005
David Heineman (R) 2005 - 2015 Lt.
Governor sworn into office January 21, 2005
Pete Ricketts (R) 2015 - 2023