Governor of South Dakota
Seal of South Dakota
State flag
Incumbent
Kristi Noem
since January 5, 2019
Government of South Dakota
StyleThe Honorable
ResidenceThe Governor's Mansion (official)
Watertown, South Dakota (private)
Term lengthFour years, renewable once consecutively[1]
Inaugural holderArthur C. Mellette
1889[2]
FormationConstitution of South Dakota
Salary$139,100.00 [3] [4]
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota.[5] The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election.[1] The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who took office on January 5, 2019.

Qualifications

Anyone who seeks to be elected Governor of South Dakota must meet the following qualifications:[6][better source needed]

Powers and duties

The governor holds many powers and duties, which in many ways are similar to those held by the President of the United States:[7]

History

From 1889 until 1974, the governor served a two-year term. Until the 1940s, the governor was allowed to serve unlimited terms; since that time, governors have been limited to two consecutive terms. The gubernatorial term was extended to four years in 1974. The governor and lieutenant governor run on a single ticket. The gubernatorial nominee must win a primary, whereas the lieutenant governor nominee is selected at a state party convention. After the convention they run on a single ticket.[1]

The first governor of South Dakota was Arthur C. Mellette, who was also the last governor of the Dakota Territory.[2]

Two of South Dakota's governors have left office before their terms expired. In 1978, Richard F. Kneip resigned office six months before the expiration of his term to accept an appointment as United States Ambassador to Singapore.[10] On April 19, 1993, George S. Mickelson was killed in a plane crash near Dubuque, Iowa; Mickelson is the only South Dakota governor to die in office. Mickelson and his father, George Theodore Mickelson, are the only father-son duo to serve as governor.[11]

South Dakota's longest-serving governor was Bill Janklow; he was the first governor to complete two four-year terms, and he did it twice, serving from 1979 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 2003.[12] Janklow is also the only person to serve non-consecutive terms as governor.

Several governors have gone on to serve in other high offices. Coe I. Crawford,[13] Peter Norbeck,[14] William H. McMaster, William J. Bulow, Harlan J. Bushfield, and Mike Rounds followed their tenures as governor by serving in the United States Senate. Bill Janklow served briefly in the United States House of Representatives following his second stint as governor.[15] Kristi Noem is South Dakota's first female governor.

Of the 50 states, South Dakota currently holds the longest non-interrupted party control of the governorship. The Republican Party has controlled the South Dakota governorship since January 1, 1979.

List of governors of South Dakota

Main article: List of governors of South Dakota

References

  1. ^ a b c "Article IV, Section 2, Constitution of South Dakota". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Arthur C. Mellette". The Weekly South Dakotan. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  3. ^ "South Dakota Financial Information".
  4. ^ "Kristi Noem". Retrieved December 27, 2021.</
  5. ^ "Article IV, Section 1, Constitution of South Dakota". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  6. ^ Dakota "Governor of South Dakota". ((cite web)): Check |url= value (help)
  7. ^ "South Dakota Government". sd4history.comThe Weekly South Dakotan]. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Article IV, Section 3, Constitution of South Dakota". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  9. ^ "Article IV, Section 4, Constitution of South Dakota". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  10. ^ "Richard Kneip from Elkton, SD". South Dakota Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 31, 2010.[dead link]
  11. ^ "George Mickelson, 52, Governor Of South Dakota, Dies in a Crash". The New York Times. April 21, 1993. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  12. ^ Wald, Matthew L. (November 5, 1998). "The 1998 Elections: State by State -- Midwest; South Dakota". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  13. ^ "Crawford, Coe Isaac, (1858 - 1944)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  14. ^ "Peter Norbeck from Clay County, SD". South Dakota Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 31, 2010. [dead link]
  15. ^ Christian, Nichole M.; Cushman, John H. Jr.; Day, Sherri; Dillon, Sam; Lewis, Neil A.; Pear, Robert; Pristin, Terry; Shenon, Philip (November 7, 2002). "The 2002 Elections: Midwest; South Dakota". The New York Times. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
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