Governor of Iowa

Governor of Iowa is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Iowa, and is the head of the executive branch of the Iowa state government. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and is limited to serving two terms. The current governor is Kim Reynolds, a member of the Republican Party, who was inaugurated on May 24, 2017, following the resignation of Terry Branstad, who was appointed as the United States Ambassador to China by Donald Trump. The governor's powers and duties are established by the Iowa Constitution and Iowa Code, and include serving as the commander-in-chief of the Iowa National Guard and the Iowa State Guard.

History

The office of the governor of Iowa was established in 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the United States as the 29th state. The first governor of Iowa was Ansel Briggs, a Democrat who served from 1846 to 1850. Since then, there have been 41 governors of Iowa, including notable figures such as Samuel J. Kirkwood, who served as the governor of Iowa during the American Civil War and later as a United States Senator from Iowa; William L. Harding, who served as the governor of Iowa during World War I and implemented a series of progressive reforms; and Harold Hughes, who served as the governor of Iowa from 1963 to 1969 and was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. Other notable governors of Iowa include Robert D. Ray, who served from 1969 to 1983 and was a member of the Republican Party; Terry Branstad, who served from 1983 to 1999 and again from 2011 to 2017; and Tom Vilsack, who served from 1999 to 2007 and later as the United States Secretary of Agriculture under Barack Obama.

Powers and duties

The governor of Iowa has a range of powers and duties, including serving as the commander-in-chief of the Iowa National Guard and the Iowa State Guard; appointing judges to the Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals; and granting pardons and reprieves to individuals convicted of crimes in Iowa. The governor also has the power to veto legislation passed by the Iowa General Assembly, although the legislature can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Iowa House of Representatives and the Iowa Senate. The governor is also responsible for submitting a budget to the legislature each year, and for overseeing the administration of the state government, including the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Iowa Department of Public Health. The governor also serves as a member of the National Governors Association and the Midwestern Governors Association, and works with other governors to address regional and national issues, such as the Great Lakes Compact and the Mississippi River Basin Initiative.

Election and succession

The governor of Iowa is elected to a four-year term, and is limited to serving two terms. The election is held in November of each even-numbered year, and the governor is inaugurated on the second Monday in January of the following year. If the governor is unable to serve, the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa assumes the office, as happened in 2017 when Kim Reynolds became governor following the resignation of Terry Branstad. The governor is also subject to impeachment and removal from office by the Iowa House of Representatives and the Iowa Senate, as outlined in the Iowa Constitution and the Iowa Code. The governor's election is also influenced by the Iowa Democratic Party and the Iowa Republican Party, which play important roles in the state's politics, as well as the League of Women Voters of Iowa and the Iowa Federation of Labor, which work to promote civic engagement and voter participation.

List of governors

There have been 41 governors of Iowa since the state was admitted to the United States in 1846. The list of governors includes Ansel Briggs, Stephen Hempstead, James W. Grimes, Ralph P. Lowe, Samuel J. Kirkwood, William M. Stone, Buren R. Sherman, William L. Harding, Nathan E. Kendall, John Hammill, Clyde L. Herring, Daniel W. Turner, Nelson G. Kraschel, George A. Wilson, Bourke B. Hickenlooper, Robert D. Ray, Terry Branstad, Tom Vilsack, and Chet Culver, among others. The governors have been members of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and other parties, and have served during times of war and peace, economic prosperity and depression, and social change and upheaval, including the American Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War.

Residences and offices

The governor of Iowa has several official residences and offices, including the Terrace Hill mansion in Des Moines, which serves as the official residence of the governor and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the Iowa State Capitol building, which houses the governor's office and the Iowa General Assembly; and the Iowa Governor's Office building, which is located in the East Village neighborhood of Des Moines and serves as the administrative headquarters of the governor's office. The governor also has a ceremonial office in the Iowa State Capitol building, which is used for official events and receptions, and is decorated with artwork and artifacts from the Iowa Arts Council and the State Historical Society of Iowa.

See also

The governor of Iowa is an important figure in the state's politics and government, and is closely tied to other institutions and organizations, including the Iowa General Assembly, the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Democratic Party, and the Iowa Republican Party. The governor also works with other governors and officials through organizations such as the National Governors Association and the Midwestern Governors Association, and is involved in regional and national issues, such as the Great Lakes Compact and the Mississippi River Basin Initiative. Other notable figures and institutions in Iowa include Sally Pederson, the former Lieutenant Governor of Iowa; Tom Harkin, the former United States Senator from Iowa; Leonard Boswell, the former United States Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district; and the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa, which are all public research universities located in Iowa. The governor's office also works closely with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Department of Economic Development to promote the state's economy and natural resources, including the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, the Iowa Soybean Association, and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association.