Previous Governors of Iowa
Governors who previously held office in Iowa, with term dates and party affiliation.
Kimberly Kay Reynolds is an American politician serving since 2017 as the 43rd governor of Iowa. A member of the Republican Party, she is the first female governor in Iowa history.
Terry Edward Branstad is a retired American politician and U.S. Army veteran who served as the 39th and 42nd governor of Iowa and the United States ambassador to China (2017–2020). A member of the Republican Party, Branstad is the longest-serving governor in United States history, with a total gubernatorial tenure of 22 years, 4 months, and 13 days.
Chester John Culver is an American politician who served from 2007 through 2011 as the 41st governor of Iowa. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 29th Secretary of State of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. He was elected governor in the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial election and ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 2010, losing to Terry Branstad.
Thomas James Vilsack is an American politician. He served as the 30th and 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2009 to 2017, during the Barack Obama administration, and again from 2021 to 2025 during the Joe Biden administration. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 40th Governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007.
Terry Edward Branstad is a retired American politician and U.S. Army veteran who served as the 39th and 42nd governor of Iowa and the United States ambassador to China (2017–2020). A member of the Republican Party, Branstad is the longest-serving governor in United States history, with a total gubernatorial tenure of 22 years, 4 months, and 13 days.
Robert Dolph Ray was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 38th governor of Iowa from January 16, 1969 to January 14, 1983.
Robert David Fulton was an American politician who briefly served as the 37th governor of Iowa during the first 16 days of 1969, making him the shortest-serving governor of Iowa. He also served as the lieutenant governor of Iowa from 1965 to 1969.
Harold Everett Hughes was an American politician who served as the 36th governor of Iowa from 1963 until 1969, and as a U.S. senator from Iowa from 1969 until 1975. He began his political career as a Republican but changed his affiliation to the Democratic Party in 1960.
Norman Arthur Erbe was an American attorney and politician who served as the 35th governor of Iowa, holding the position from 1961 to 1963.
Herschel Cellel Loveless was an American politician who served as the 34th governor of Iowa, from 1957 to 1961.