Governor of Minnesota

From Freepedia

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.

Like the U.S. president, the governor has veto power over bills passed by the Minnesota State Legislature. As in most states, 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.

At present, governors are elected to four-year terms, although the term has been just two years at some times in the past. The governor has a cabinet of consisting of the leaders of various state departments. The governor appoints these department heads. Cabinet-level departments include: