It’s Official: Larry R. Rhoden, a Union Center rancher and legislative veteran who has served for six years as lieutenant governor, is the 34th Governor of South Dakota.
Under the terms of the Constitution of South Dakota, Lt. Governor Larry R. Rhoden succeeded to the Governor’s Office automatically upon the resignation of Governor Kristi Noem, who stepped aside today shortly after she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Rhoden is expected to take the oath of office in small ceremony at the State Capitol on Monday, with an inaugural celebration planned for February 8. It is the first time in South Dakota history that a gubernatorial transition has occurred during the legislative session.
A new governor means a new chapter in South Dakota history, and literally a new chapter in the next edition of The Governors of South Dakota. Until that is available, though, here are some historical milestones that Governor Rhoden has set:
- Rhoden, who was the 39th Lt. Governor of South Dakota, is the 34th Governor of South Dakota. He is the third lieutenant governor to succeed to the governor’s office, following Harvey Wollman, who took office when Richard F. Kneip resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, and Walter Dale Miller, who took office after George S. Mickelson died in a plane crash.
- Rhoden will serve a longer term than either Wollman or Miller. Wollman served for 161 days and Miller served for 1 year and 263 days. Rhoden’s current term will last 1 year and 349 days (the current gubernatorial term ends on January 9, 2027).
- Neither Wollman nor Miller were elected to their own four-year term as governor; it remains to be seen if Governor Rhoden will seek reelection.
- Our new First Lady is Rhoden’s wife of 43 years, Sandy (Murphy) Rhoden, a native of Madison.
- The Rhodens have four sons, Jesse, Cody, Reggie, and Tristen, and seven grandchildren. South Dakota’s 1st first couple, Arthur and Margaret Mellette, also had four sons.
- Both Larry and Sandy Rhoden are twins. Larry has a fraternal twin sister, while Sandy has an identical twin sister. As best I can tell, Rhoden is the first South Dakota governor to be a twin.
- Rhoden is the state’s 5th West River governor, following Tom Berry of Mellette County (1933-37), Leslie Jensen of Hot Springs (1937-39), M. Q. Sharpe of Lyman County (1943-47), and Walter Dale of Miller of Meade County (1993-95).
- Rhoden hails from Union Center. Like Walter Dale Miller, he is a lifelong native of Meade County. That makes Meade County the 5th county to be the home of more than one governor, and the first West River county to hold that distinction. The other counties, all East River, are Minnehaha (Foss, Boe, Janklow, Daugaard), Day (Sheldon and Anderson), Spink (Norbeck and Wollman) and Hamlin (Green and Noem).
- Rhoden is the second governor to be born in Meade County, following Miller.
- Born February 5, 1959, he is the first governor to have been born in February. Noem was the first to be born in November; with Rhoden, there has now been a governor born in all twelve months.
- Rhoden is the 16th governor to have been born in South Dakota.
- Rhoden’s home of Union Center is likely the smallest town in South Dakota history to be the home of the governor.
- Rhoden is a veteran of the South Dakota National Guard, which makes him the third Commander-in-Chief to have served in the Guard, following Leslie Jensen and Joe Foss.
- Rhoden is at least the 13th governor to be a farmer or rancher. He has also operated a custom welding business.
- Rhoden is the 12th governor not to hold a college degree, and the first since Miller. Read about governors’ alma maters at this post.
- Rhoden is a member of Union Center Community Baptist Church in Union Center. He is the fourth Baptist to be governor, following Charles Sheldon, Andrew E. Lee, and Carl Gunderson. Read about governors’ religious affiliations at this post.
- Rhoden will turn 66 on February 5, 2025; on the day he was sworn in, he was 65 years and 354 days old. That makes him the second-oldest new governor in South Dakota history, following Walter Dale Miller, who was 67 years, 196 days old when he succeeded Mickelson. (The oldest elected governor was Warren E. Green at 61 years, 203 days.) Read about the oldest and youngest governors here.
- Rhoden comes to office with 22 years in state office, including 10 years in the State House, 6 years in the State Senate, and 6 years as lieutenant governor. Only Miller, with 26 years, had more elected experience when he took office as governor.
- Rhoden is the 10th lieutenant governor to become governor, following Charles Herreid, Frank Byrne, Peter Norbeck, William McMaster, Carl Gunderson, Nils Boe, Harvey Wollman, Walter Dale Miller, and Dennis Daugaard.
- Rhoden is only the 2nd governor to have served in both houses of the State Legislature, following William H. McMaster. He served in the State House of Representatives from 2001-09 and from 2017-19, and in the State Senate from 2009-15.
- Rhoden is the 14th governor to have served in the State Senate, following Coe Crawford, Robert Vessey, Frank Byrne, Peter Norbeck, William McMaster, Carl Gunderson, William J. Bulow, Warren Green, Ralph Herseth, Richard F. Kneip, Harvey Wollman, Mike Rounds, and Dennis Daugaard.
- Rhoden is the the 10th governor to have served in the State House, following William McMaster, Tom Berry, George T. Mickelson, Joe Foss, Archie Gubbrud, Nils Boe, George S. Mickelson, Walter Dale Miller, and Kristi Noem. (Arthur C. Mellette served in the Indiana State House.)
- Rhoden, who served as House Majority Leader, is the 14th legislative leader to become governor.
- He is the 3rd house majority leader to become governor, following Archie Gubbrud and Walter Dale Miller.
- He is also the 3rd assistant house majority leader, following Miller and Kristi Noem.
- Rhoden is the only person in the history of the South Dakota State Legislature to have chaired both the House State Affairs Committee and the Senate State Affairs Committee. He is the 6th governor to have chaired the State Affairs Committee, following Senate chairs Carl Gunderson, Peter Norbeck, and Harvey Wollman, and House chairs William McMaster and Walter Dale Miller.
- Rhoden is the 28th Republican governor, and he continues the streak of Republican control of the South Dakota governor’s office that began in 1979. This period of control – 46 years and counting – is the longest in South Dakota history, and the longest current streak in the nation.
- Rhoden is the 8th consecutive Republican governor, tying the eight who served beginning with Charles Herreid and ending with Carl Gunderson from 1901-1927.
- Noem’s reelection was the 12th straight election victory by a Republican candidate for governor – the only longer streak is 13 straight elections from 1900 to 1924 (during the two-year term era).
- Rhoden ran for U.S. Senate in 2014, finishing second in a five-way primary to former Governor Mike Rounds. That makes the 2014 U.S. Senate primary only the second election in the last 50 years to feature two South Dakota past, present, or future governors – the last was the 1994 Republican gubernatorial primary pitting Governor Walter Dale Miller against former Governor Bill Janklow.
An early decision for Governor Rhoden will be the appointment of a new lieutenant governor to serve with him for the balance of the term. It will be just the third time in South Dakota history that a governor has appointed a lieutenant governor. His appointment is subject to confirmation by a majority of the Senate and the House, which can come during the regular legislative session or a special session.
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