Who Was The First Governor Of Kentucky?
| Isaac Shelby | |
|---|---|
| Circa 1820 | |
| 1st and 5th Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office August 24, 1812 – September 5, 1816 | |
| Lieutenant | Richard Hickman |
| Preceded by | Charles Scott |
| Succeeded by | George Madison |
| In office June 4, 1792 – June 1, 1796 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | James Garrard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 11, 1750 Hagerstown, Province of Maryland |
| Died | July 18, 1826 (aged 75) Lincoln County, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Susannah Hart |
| Relations | Ephraim McDowell (son-in-law), Charles Stewart Todd (son-in-law) |
| Residence | Traveler’s Rest |
| Profession | soldier, colonial militia officer, state militia officer, farmer, politician, state governor |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal, Thanks of Congress |
| Signature | |
| Nickname | Old Kings Mountain |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom United States |
| Branch/service | Virginia Colonial Militia Continental Army Kentucky Militia |
| Years of service | 1774–1815 |
| Rank | Governor of Kentucky |
| Commands | Fincastle County company, Virginia Colonial Militia, Sullivan County Regiment, Overmountain Men, Kentucky Militia |
| Battles/wars | Lord Dunmore’s War Battle of Point Pleasant (1774) American Revolutionary War Battle of Musgrove Mill (1780) Battle of Kings Mountain (1780) Siege of Ninety-Six (1780) Battle of Cowpens (1781) War of 1812 Battle of the Thames (1813) |
Isaac Shelby was a member of the Virginia and North Carolina legislatures in addition to serving as the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky. He was born on December 11, 1750, and passed away on July 18, 1826. In addition, he served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, Lord Dunmore’s War, and the War of 1812 all at the same time.
During his time as governor of Kentucky, he participated in the Battle of the Thames as the commander of the Kentucky militia, an event for which he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. A number of municipalities and military installations in addition to counties in nine different states have been named after him.
It is thought that he was inspired to choose “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” as the state motto of Kentucky because of his appreciation for John Dickinson’s poem “The Liberty Song.” Issac Shelby’s military career got its start when he fought beside his father at the sole major engagement of Lord Dunmore’s War, the Battle of Point Pleasant.
- Issac was his father’s second-in-command during the conflict.
- In the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, he served as a supply collector for the Continental Army, during which time he became known for his skills as an experienced woodsman and surveyor.
- Later on in the war, he and John Sevier were in charge of leading excursions through the Appalachian Mountains against the British army in North Carolina.
At the Battle of Kings Mountain, he was one of the most important factors that led to the British defeat. In recognition of his devotion, the Assembly of North Carolina bestowed upon Shelby a ceremonial sword and a pair of pistols. Additionally, he was given the moniker “Old Kings Mountain,” which he carried with him for the rest of his life.
- After the war, Isaac Shelby moved his family to the lands that had been given to him as a reward for his military service.
- There, he became active in the process by which Kentucky was transformed from a county in Virginia into a separate state.
- His bravery won him the respect of the people of the state, and in 1792, the electoral college of Kentucky chose him without opposition to fill the position of governor.
He protected Kentucky from Native American raids and established the state’s first government. He employed the Citizen Genet scandal as a means of persuading the Washington government to come to terms with the Spanish on unrestricted trade along the Mississippi River.
Isaac Shelby decided to retire from public life when his stint as governor came to a close; nevertheless, the looming conflict in the War of 1812 forced him to return to the political arena. The citizens of Kentucky strongly encouraged Shelby to make another bid for governor and to guide them through the impending battle.
He won the election handily and, at the request of General William Henry Harrison, took command of the Kentucky forces that participated in the Battle of the Thames. Following the conclusion of the conflict, he turned down President James Monroe’s invitation to become the Secretary of War.
Who was the second governor of Kentucky?
James H. Garrard, his grandson, is currently serving as the state treasurer of Kentucky.
| James Garrard | |
|---|---|
| James Garrard portrait in 1818 | |
| 2nd Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office June 7, 1796 – September 5, 1804 | |
| Lieutenant | Alexander Scott Bullitt |
| Preceded by | Isaac Shelby |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Greenup |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 14, 1749 Stafford County, Virginia |
| Died | January 19, 1822 (aged 73) Bourbon County, Kentucky, US |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Mountjoy |
| Relations | Grandfather of James H. Garrard, Kenner Garrard, and Theophilus T. Garrard |
| Residence | Mount Lebanon |
| Profession | Soldier, minister, farmer, lumber miller, distiller |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Virginia militia |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Revolutionary War |
James Garrard was an American farmer, Baptist clergyman, and politician who served as the second governor of Kentucky from the years 1796 through 1804. He was born on January 14, 1749, and passed away on January 19, 1822. He was the last governor of Kentucky to be elected to two consecutive terms because of term limitations placed by the state constitution when it was adopted in 1799.
- This restriction was removed by an amendment in 1992, which made it possible for Paul E.
- Patton to run for reelection in 1999.
- Following his service in the Revolutionary War, Garrard relocated westward to the region of Virginia that is now known as Bourbon County in Kentucky.
- He was elected to a number of political positions at the local level, including that of delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates.
He was selected to serve as a delegate to five of the ten statehood conventions that helped establish Kentucky’s independence from Virginia and contributed to the writing of the initial constitution for the state. Garrard was one of the delegates who participated in an unsuccessful effort to remove the provisions of the constitution that guaranteed the institution of slavery into the future.
- In 1795, he ran for governor against Isaac Shelby, hoping to take his place.
- Benjamin Logan came out on top in a three-way campaign and got a plurality of the electoral votes cast, but he did not win a majority of them.
- Garrard won with a majority of the vote in the second vote between the top two candidates, Logan and Garrard, even though the state constitution did not specify whether a plurality or a majority was required.
This was because the constitution did not specify whether a plurality or a majority was required. Garrard’s election was challenged by Logan before both the state attorney general John Breckinridge and the state senate, but both bodies asserted that they lacked the constitutional authority to take any action in the matter.
- Garrard, a Democrat-Republican, was against the Alien and Sedition Acts and advocated for the adoption of the Kentucky Resolutions.
- He also opposed the Kentucky Resolutions.
- He advocated for corporate subsidies, improvements to the state’s militia and jail system, public education, and measures that would be beneficial to the state’s substantial debtor class.
In the year 1798, the very first governor’s residence for the state was built, and Garrard was the first person to ever live there. In part as a result of the turmoil that the election of 1795 brought about, he advocated for the convening of a constitutional conference in 1799.
- Due to the fact that he opposed the institution of slavery, he was not selected to be a delegate at the convention.
- Although Garrard was personally excused from this rule and was re-elected in 1799, it was written into the subsequent constitution that the governor would be elected by public vote and that it would be illegal for the governor to succeed himself in office.
During his second tenure in office, he voiced his support for Thomas Jefferson’s acquisition of Louisiana from France as a method of circumventing the blockade that prevented U.S. goods from entering the port at New Orleans. His Secretary of State, Harry Toulmin, was successful in convincing him to accept the teachings of Unitarianism at the conclusion of his time.
As a result, he was kicked out of the Baptist church, which brought an end to his ministry. In addition, he had disagreements with the legislature on the choice of a registrar for the state land office. As a result, he became resentful and was hesitant to continue his career in politics at the end of his tenure.
He withdrew to his estate, Mount Lebanon, and spent the remaining years of his life cultivating the land and engaging in business until the day he passed away on January 19, 1822. In recognition of his service, the new county in Kentucky that was established during his first term was given the name Garrard.
How many governors has Ky had?
There have been 59 different people serve as Governor of Kentucky during the state’s history. Although it was against the law for a governor to succeed himself in office prior to a constitutional change in 1992, four individuals did so anyway: Isaac Shelby, John LaRue Helm, James B. McCreary, and A.B. “Happy” Chandler. However, their tenure were not consecutive.
How long is a governor’s term in Kentucky?
| Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth seal | |
| Incumbent Andy Beshear since December 10, 2019 | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Residence | Kentucky Governor’s Mansion |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Inaugural holder | Isaac Shelby |
| Formation | June 4, 1792 |
| Deputy | Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky |
| Salary | $145,992 (2018) |
| Website | governor,ky,gov |
The position of Chief Executive Officer of the State of Kentucky belongs to the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. There have been 62 men and 1 women who have held the office of Governor of Kentucky. The term for governor lasts for four years, and incumbents have had the opportunity to run for re-election once before losing their eligibility to do so for the subsequent four years since 1992.
- In the course of the history of the state, there have been six persons who have held the office of governor twice, four of them have done so for a total of two non-consecutive terms each.
- There are only five states in the United Places that have elections for governor every other year, and Kentucky is one of those states.
Andy Beshear is now serving his first term as governor after being elected for the first time in 2019. The state constitution lists all of the governor’s authority and responsibilities. Each of the four constitutions that have been approved in the state of Kentucky (in 1792, 1799, 1850, and 1891, respectively) have given the governor more power than the previous one.
The constitution provides the governor with a number of rights, including the authority to veto legislation, award pardons, and convene a session of the legislature whenever they see fit. The governor is the highest-ranking officer in the state’s armed forces and is vested with the authority to ensure compliance with the state’s legal system.
The holder of this position is granted considerable legislative authority to make nominations to the different cabinets and departments that make up the executive branch. This ability is, however, slightly constrained by the implementation of a merit system for state employees in the year 1960.
- As a result of the large number of nominations to boards and commissions that are within the governor’s authority in Kentucky, the office of governor has traditionally been regarded as one of the most powerful state executive posts in the United States.
- In addition, the governor’s power has been bolstered by the fact that he or she has broad discretion in the process of awarding state contracts and strong influence over the legislature, despite the fact that this latter power has been diminishing since the middle of the 1970s.
Although different parties have held the position of governor at various times throughout history, the history of the post as a whole is typically characterized by extended periods of dominance exercised by a single party. During the time of the First Party System, there were not many Federalists living in Kentucky, therefore Democratic Republicans were the dominant political force in the state and won every election for governor up until 1828.
- The Jacksonian Democrats, who were the forerunners of the contemporary Democratic Party, and the National Republicans were the two parties that emerged from the Democratic-Republican divide to form the Second Party System (later to become Whigs ).
- From the election of Thomas Metcalfe in 1828 until the election of John Breathitt in 1851, the governorship was held almost exclusively by Whigs.
John Breathitt was the only Democrat to be elected during that time period. Following the dissolution of the Whig Party in the 1850s, the Democratic Party assumed control of the governorship for the remainder of the Third Party System. Charles S. Morehead, a member of the Know Nothing Party, was the sole exception to this rule.
- The election of Republican William O’Connell Bradley in 1895 marked the beginning of the only period in which there was genuine competition for the governorship between two political parties.
- From the time of Bradley’s election until 1931, the office of governor of Kentucky was held by five Republicans and six Democrats.
Only four Republicans have held the office of governor in Kentucky since 1931, and not a single Republican governor has ever been re-elected; the most recent Republican governor, Matt Bevin, was unsuccessful in his bid for re-election.