List of South Dakota governors from first to last

South Dakota joined the Union on November 2, 1889. It was admitted as the 40th state, alongside North Dakota. The Dakota Territory was divided into the two states of North and South Dakota for admission into the Union.

Arthur Calvin Mellette became the first governor of the state of South Dakota on November 2, 1889. He was also the last governor of the Dakota Territory.

Here is a chronological list of the governors of South Dakota from first to last.

No.	Governor	Term in Office	Party
1	Arthur C. Mellette	November 2, 1889 – January 3, 1893	Republican
2	Charles H. Sheldon	January 3, 1893 – January 5, 1897	Republican
3	Andrew E. Lee	January 5, 1897 – January 8, 1901	Populist
4	Charles N. Herreid	January 8, 1901 – January 3, 1905	Republican
5	Samuel H. Elrod	January 3, 1905 – January 8, 1907	Republican
6	Coe I. Crawford	January 8, 1907 – January 5, 1909	Republican
7	Robert S. Vessey	January 5, 1909 – January 7, 1913	Republican
8	Frank M. Byrne	January 7, 1913 – January 2, 1917	Republican
9	Peter Norbeck	January 2, 1917 – January 4, 1921	Republican
10	William H. McMaster	January 4, 1921 – January 6, 1925	Republican
11	Carl Gunderson	January 6, 1925 – January 3, 1927	Republican
12	William J. Bulow	January 3, 1927 – January 6, 1931	Democratic
13	Warren Green	January 6, 1931 – January 3, 1933	Republican
14	Tom Berry	January 3, 1933 – January 5, 1937	Democratic
15	Leslie Jensen	January 5, 1937 – January 3, 1939	Republican
16	Harlan J. Bushfield	January 3, 1939 – January 5, 1943	Republican
17	Merrell Q. Sharpe	January 5, 1943 – January 7, 1947	Republican
18	George T. Mickelson	January 7, 1947 – January 2, 1951	Republican
19	Sigurd Anderson	January 2, 1951 – January 4, 1955	Republican
20	Joe Foss	January 4, 1955 – January 6, 1959	Republican
21	Ralph Herseth	January 6, 1959 – January 3, 1961	Democratic
22	Archie M. Gubbrud	January 3, 1961 – January 5, 1965	Republican
23	Nils Boe	January 5, 1965 – January 7, 1969	Republican
24	Frank Farrar	January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1971	Republican
25	Richard F. Kneip	January 5, 1971 – July 24, 1978	Democratic
26	Harvey Wollman	July 24, 1978 – January 1, 1979	Democratic
27	Bill Janklow	January 1, 1979 – January 10, 1987	Republican
28	George S. Mickelson	January 10, 1987 – April 19, 1993	Republican
29	Walter Dale Miller	April 19, 1993 – January 7, 1995	Republican
30	Bill Janklow	January 7, 1995 – January 7, 2003	Republican
31	Mike Rounds	January 7, 2003 – January 8, 2011	Republican
32	Dennis Daugaard	January 8, 2011 – January 5, 2019	Republican
33	Kristi Noem	January 5, 2019 – Incumbent	Republican