Iowa Governor

Governor of Iowa
Seal of the State of Iowa
Incumbent Kim Reynolds since May 24, 2017
Style	The Honorable
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 individuals who served as governor of Iowa, including the current governor, Kim Reynolds who was sworn in on May 24, 2017. The longest-serving governor is Terry Branstad, who served from 1983 to 1999, and then again from 2011 to 2017. He is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, surpassing the previous record of 21 years set by George Clinton of New York. 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.