Governor of Minnesota Information & Governor of Minnesota Links at HealthHaven.com

The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Thirty-eight different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor, also served as state governor several years later. State governors are elected to office by popular vote, but territorial governors were appointed to the office by the United States president. The current governor of Minnesota is Republican Tim Pawlenty.

[edit] Powers and qualifications

Like the U.S. President, the governor has veto power over bills passed by the Minnesota State Legislature. As in most states, but unlike the U.S. President, the governor can also make line-item vetoes, where specific provisions in bills can be stripped out while allowing the overall bill to be signed into law.

The minimum required age of a candidate for the Governor of Minnesota is 25 years (having been a Minnesota resident for one year before the election).

Since a 1958 amendment to the Minnesota Constitution governors are elected to four-year terms. Previously, they served two-year terms. There is no term limit for governor of the state.^[1]

[edit] Cabinet

The governor has a cabinet consisting of the leaders of various state departments. The governor appoints these department heads, who are usually called commissioners. Cabinet-level departments include:

[edit] Residence

The Minnesota Governor's Residence is located in Saint Paul, at 1006 Summit Avenue.

[edit] Gallery

Henry Hastings Sibley, the first Governor of Minnesota	Alexander Ramsey, the second Territorial Governor of Minnesota	Harold Stassen, the 25th Governor of Minnesota	ArneC.jpg Arne Carlson, the 37th Governor of Minnesota
Jesse Ventura, the 38th Governor of Minnesota	Tim Pawlenty, the 39th and current Governor of Minnesota