The Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture is an elected position in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Commissioner of Agriculture serves as head of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The commissioner manages agriculture markets, rural development, and the Kentucky Proud Program. The current commissioner of agriculture is Jonathan Shell (R).
History
Creation In his message to the 1875-76 Kentucky General Assembly, Governor James B. McCreary called for the creation of a Bureau of Agriculture and Statistics in order to better organize Kentucky's agricultural capacity as well as provide general statistical information. Subsequently, Representative George Washington Craddock of Franklin County filed a bill to establish the Bureau of Agriculture, Immigration, and Statistics. Following a number of amendments as well as discussions by a special committee, the bill was amended to create the Bureau of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Statistics which was to be led by a commissioner appointed by the governor for two-year terms with a set salary of $2,000. The bill received final passage, was signed into law, and took effect on March 20, 1876.
Name changes Following the ratification of the 1891 Kentucky Constitution, the office of commissioner was made an elected constitutional office with a four-year term. The following year, the bureau was renamed to the Bureau of Agriculture, Labor, and Statistics. In 1934, the bureau's name was changed again, this time to the Department of Agriculture, Labor, and Statistics. In 1962, the department was renamed for the final time to simply the Department of Agriculture. The commissioner's title was also amended to reflect each name change as they occurred.
List of commissioners +Commissioner of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Statistics (1876–1892)No.ImageNameTerm of officeParty1Winston Jones Davie1876–1879Democratic2Charles W. Bowman1879–1884Democratic3John F. Davis1884–1888Democratic4Charles Y. Wilson1888–1892Democratic +Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor, and Statistics (1892–1962)No.ImageNameTerm of officeParty5Nicholas McDowell1892–1896Democratic6Lucas Moore1896–1900Republican7Ion B. Nall1900–1904Democratic8C. Hubert Vreeland1904–1908Democratic9Merrel C. Rankin1908–1912Republican10John W. Newman1912–1916Democratic11Mat S. Cohen1916–1920Democratic12William C. Hanna1920–1924Republican13Clell Coleman1924–1928Democratic14Newton Bright1928–1932Democratic15Eugene Flowers1932–1936Democratic16Garth Ferguson1936–1940Democratic17William H. May 1940–1944Democratic18Elliott Robertson1944–1948Republican19Harry F. Walters1948–1952Democratic20Ben S. Adams1951–1956Democratic21Ben J. Butler1956–1960Democratic22Emerson Beauchamp1960–1964Democratic +Commissioner of Agriculture (1962–present)No.ImageNameTerm of officeParty22Emerson Beauchamp1960–1964Democratic23Wendell P. Butler1964–1968Democratic24J. Robert Miller1968–1972Republican25Wendell P. Butler1972–1976Democratic26Thomas O. Harris1976–1980Democratic27Alben W. Barkley II1980–1984Democratic28David Boswell1984–1988Democratic29Ward "Butch" Burnette1988–1991Democratic30Charles L. Hamilton1991–1992Democratic31Ed Logsdon1992–1996Democratic32Billy Ray Smith1996–2004Democratic33Richie Farmer2004–2012Republican34James Comer2012–2016Republican35Ryan Quarles2016–2024Republican36Jonathan Shell2024–presentRepublican
References