Dakota Territory existed as an entity from 1861 until 1889, when it was divided into the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The Territorial Governor was appointed by the President of the United States.

The men who served as Governor (and their dates of office) were:

• William Jayne (1861-1863)
• Newton Edmunds (1863-1866)
• Andrew Jackson Faulk (1866-1869)
• John A. Burbank (1869-1873)
• John L. Pennington (1874-1878)
• William Alanson Howard (1878-1880)
• Nehemiah G. Ordway (1880-1884)
• Gilbert A. Pierce (1884-1886)
• Louis K. Church (1887-1889)
• Arthur C. Mellette (1889)

Trivia

• In 1873, Edwin S. McCook served as acting governor of the territory in place of Burbank. McCook was assassinated in Yankton by a disgruntled constituent.

• In 1858 a provisional government formed in Dakota Territory and appointed Wilmot Brookings as territorial governor. However, the federal government refused to acknowledge this territorial government and its governor. Three years later, a new and different Dakota Territory government formed – it and Governor William Jayne were officially recognized by Washington.

Lists of United States territorial governors