Territory Governors 1849-1853 Alexander Ramsey 1853-1857 Willis Arnold Gorman 1857-1858 Samuel Medary State Governors 1858-1860 Henry Hastings Sibley 1860-1863 Alexander Ramsey 1863-1864 Henry Adoniram Swift 1864-1866 Stephen Miller 1866-1870 William Raine Marshall 1870-1874 Horace Austin 1874-1876 Cushman Davis 1876-1882 John Sargent Pillsbury 1882-1887 Lucius Frederick Hubbard 1887-1889 Andrew Ryan McGill 1889-1893 William Rush Merriam 1893-1895 Knute Nelson 1895-1899 David Marston Clough 1899-1901 John Lind 1901-1905 Samuel Rinnah Van Sant 1905-1909 John Albert Johnson 1909-1915 Adolph Olson Eberhart 1915-1915 Winfield Scott Hammond 1915-1921 Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist 1921-1925 Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus 1925-1931 Theodore Christianson 1931-1936 Floyd B. Olson 1936-1937 Hjalmar Petersen 1937-1939 Elmer Austin Benson 1939-1943 Harold Stassen 1943-1947 Edward John Thye 1947-1951 Luther Wallace Youngdahl 1951-1955 Clyde Elmer Anderson 1955-1961 Orville Freeman 1961-1963 Elmer Lee Andersen 1963-1967 Karl Fritjof Rolvaag 1967-1971 Harold R LeVander 1971-1976 Wendell Richard Anderson 1976-1979 Rudy Perpich 1979-1983 Albert H. Quie 1983-1991 Rudy Perpich 1991-1999 Arne H. Carlson 1999-2003 Jesse Ventura (James George Janos ) 2003-____ Tim Pawlenty