Governor of Iowa

Governor of Iowa
Seal of the State of Iowa
Incumbent Terry Branstad since January 14, 2011
Style	The Honourable
Residence	Terrace Hill
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	Ansel Briggs; 1846
Formation	Constitution of Iowa
Succession	Every four years, unless re-elected
Salary	$130,000 (2013)

The Governor of Iowa is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Iowa. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Iowa's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Iowa State Legislature, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.

There have been 41 governors of Iowa. The longest-serving governor is Terry Branstad, who served from 1983 to 1999, was elected again in 2010 and took office on January 14, 2011. He is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, surpassing the previous record of 21 years set by George Clinton. The shortest-serving governor was Robert D. Fulton, who served 16 days.

Iowa Territory was formed on July 4, 1838, from Wisconsin Territory. It had three governors appointed by the President of the United States. The first governor did not arrive for six weeks after the territory had been created; in the interim, territorial secretary William B. Conway acted as governor.

The southeast portion of Iowa Territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa on December 3, 1846; the remainder became unorganized territory.