Governors of Tasmania
Encyclopedia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
does at the national level.
In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of Tasmania. Nevertheless, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier.
See Governors of the Australian states
Governors of the Australian states
The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives of the Queen of Australia in each of that country's six states. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
for a description and history of the office of Governor.
The official residence of the Governor is Government House
Government House, Hobart
Government House, Hobart is the home and official residence of the Governor of Tasmania, Australia.The palatial house is located on Lower Domain Road in the Queens Domain, near the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, and is the official residence of the governor of Tasmania...
located at the Queens Domain
Queens Domain
The Queens Domain, also known as The Domain to locals, is a small hilly area of bushland just north-east of the CBD of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, alongside the Derwent River...
.
Two internationally famous Governors of Tasmania were Captain Sir John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
(the British mariner who would later die trying to find the North West Passage), and former UNSCOM weapons inspector Richard Butler
Richard Butler (diplomat)
Richard William Butler AC has served as an Australian diplomat, a United Nations weapons inspector and the Governor of Tasmania.-Life and career:...
.
The first Australian-born Governor of Tasmania was Sir Stanley Burbury
Stanley Burbury
Sir Stanley Charles Burbury, KCMG, KCVO, KBE was an Australian jurist. He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, and the first Australian-born person appointed as Governor of Tasmania 1973-1982.-Biography:...
(appointed 1973). The first Tasmanian-born governor was Sir Guy Green (appointed 1995). Since Burbury, all Tasmanian governors have been Australian-born, except for the incumbent Peter Underwood, who was born in the United Kingdom but emigrated to Australia at an early age.
Divided in two
Between 1804 and 1813, Van Diemen's LandVan Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
was divided along the 42nd parallel, and governed separately.http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/governor/pastgovs.html http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=69
Lieutenant-Governors in the south
| No. | Lieutenant-Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel David Collins David Collins (governor) Colonel David Collins was the first Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Van Diemens Land, founded in 1804, which in 1901 became the state of Tasmania in the Commonwealth of Australia.-Early life and military career:... |
1804 | 1810 |
| 2 | Edward Lord | March 1810 | July 1810 |
| 3 | Captain J. Murray | 1810 | 1812 |
Lieutenant-Governors in the north
| No. | Lieutenant-Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel William Paterson William Paterson (explorer) Colonel William Paterson, FRS was a Scottish soldier, explorer, Lieutenant governor and botanist best known for leading early settlement in Tasmania. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Paterson when citing a botanical name.-Early years:A native of Montrose, Scotland, Paterson was... |
1804 | 1808 |
| 2 | John Brabyn | 1808 | 1810 |
| 3 | Major G.A. Gordon | 1810 | 1812 |
| 4 | Captain J. Ritchie | 1812 | 1812 |
Lieutenant-Governors
The colony was called Van Diemen's LandVan Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
until 1856.
| No. | Lieutenant-Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel Thomas Davey Thomas Davey Thomas Davey was the second Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemens Land.-Early life:Few details are known of his early life, but Thomas Davey was serving in the army or navy in 1777, and went to Australia as a lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Marines with the First Fleet 10 years later... |
4 February 1813 | 9 March 1817 |
| 2 | Colonel William Sorell William Sorell William Sorell was a soldier and third Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land.-Early life:Sorell was born probably in the West Indies, the eldest son of Lieutenant-general William Alexander Sorell and his wife Jane... |
9 March 1817 | 14 May 1824 |
| 3 | Colonel Sir George Arthur KCH George Arthur Lieutenant-General Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet KCH PC was Lieutenant Governor of British Honduras , Van Diemen's Land and Upper Canada . He also served as Governor of Bombay .-Early life:George Arthur was born in Plymouth, England... |
14 May 1824 | 29 October 1836 |
| 4 | Captain Sir John Franklin FRGS John Franklin Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic... |
5 January 1837 | 21 August 1843 |
| 5 | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | 21 August 1843 | 13 October 1846 |
| 6 | Sir William Denison KCB William Denison Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866.... |
25 January 1847 | 8 January 1855 |
Governors
| No. | Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Henry Young KCMG Henry Young Sir Henry Edward Fox Young, KCMG was the fifth Governor of South Australia, serving in that role from 2 August 1848 until 20 December 1854. He was then the first Governor of Tasmania, from 1855 until 1861.-Early life:... |
8 January 1855 | 10 December 1861 |
| 2 | Colonel Sir Thomas Browne KCMG CB Thomas Gore Browne Colonel Sir Thomas Robert Gore Browne KCMG CB was a British colonial administrator, who was Governor of St Helena, Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Tasmania and Governor of Bermuda.-Early life:... |
11 December 1862 | 30 December 1868 |
| 3 | Sir Charles Du Cane KCMG Charles Du Cane Sir Charles Du Cane, KCMG was a British Conservative Party politician and colonial administrator who was a Member of Parliament from 1852–1854 and Governor of Tasmania from 1868 to 1874.... |
15 January 1869 | 30 November 1874 |
| 4 | The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG Frederick Weld Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, GCMG , was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth Premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasmania, and Governor of the Straits Settlements.-Early life:Weld was born near... |
13 January 1875 | 5 April 1880 |
| 5 | Major Sir George Strahan KCMG George Strahan Major Sir George Cumine Strahan KCMG was a British military officer and colonial administrator, best known as the Governor of Tasmania from 1881 to 1886.-Early life and military career:... |
7 December 1881 | 28 October 1886 |
| 6 | Sir Robert Hamilton KCB Robert George Crookshank Hamilton Sir Robert George Crookshank Hamilton KCB, was the sixth Governor, and the Commander-in-Chief of the then British colony of Tasmania from 11 March 1887, until 30 November 1892, during which time he oversaw the ministries of two Tasmanian Premiers... |
11 March 1887 | 30 November 1892 |
| 7 | The Rt Hon. The Viscount Gormanston GCMG Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston Jenico William Joseph Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston GCMG , was an Anglo-Irish colonial administrator.Gormanston was born the son of Edward Anthony John Preston, 13th Viscount Gormanston, and his wife Lucretia, daughter of William Charles Jerningham, and was born at Gormanston Castle, County... |
8 August 1893 | 14 August 1900 |
| 8 | Captain Sir Arthur Havelock GCMG GCSI GCIE Arthur Havelock Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE was a career British colonial governor, serving as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1880, of Natal, of Madras, of Ceylon from 1890 to 1895, and of Tasmania from 1901 to 1904.... |
8 November 1901 | 16 April 1904 |
| 9 | The Rt Hon. The Lord Strickland GCMG | 28 October 1904 | 20 May 1909 |
| 10 | Major-General Sir Harry Barron KCMG CVO Harry Barron Major General Sir Harry Barron KCMG, CVO was Governor of Tasmania from 1909 to 1913, and Governor of Western Australia from 1913 to 1917.... |
16 September 1909 | 3 March 1913 |
| 11 | The Rt Hon. Sir William Ellison-Macartney KCMG William Ellison-Macartney Sir William Grey Ellison-Macartney, KCMG was a British politician, who also served as the Governor of the Australian states of Tasmania and Western Australia.-Early life:... |
4 June 1913 | 31 March 1917 |
| 12 | Sir Francis Newdegate GCMG KStJ Francis Newdegate Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate Newdegate GCMG was Governor of Tasmania from 1917 to 1920, and Governor of Western Australia from 1920 to 1924.... |
30 March 1917 | 22 February 1920 |
| 13 | Sir William Allardyce KCMG | 16 April 1920 | 27 January 1922 |
| 14 | Sir James O'Grady KCMG James O'Grady Sir James O'Grady, KCMG was a trade unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the first colonial governor appointed by the Labour Party from within its own ranks.- Early life :... |
23 December 1924 | 23 December 1930 |
| 15 | Sir Ernest Clark GCMG KCB CBE Ernest Clark (governor) Sir Ernest Clark, GCMG, KCB, CBE was a British civil servant, who was Governor of Tasmania from 1933 to 1945.-Early life and education:... |
4 August 1933 | 4 August 1945 |
| 16 | Admiral Sir Hugh Binney KCB KCMG DSO Hugh Binney Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney, KCB, KCMG, DSO was a British naval officer and administrator who was Governor of Tasmania from 1945 to 1953.-Early life:... |
24 December 1945 | 8 May 1951 |
| 17 | The Rt Hon. Sir Ronald Cross, Bt KCMG KCVO PC | 22 August 1951 | 4 June 1958 |
| 18 | The Rt Hon. The Lord Rowallan KT KBE MC TD Thomas Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan Thomas Godfrey Polson Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan, KT, KBE, MC, TD , had a distinguished military career, was Chief Scout of the British Commonwealth and Empire and Governor of Tasmania.-Early life:... |
21 October 1959 | 25 March 1963 |
| 19 | General Sir Charles Gairdner GBE KCMG KCVO CB Charles Gairdner General Sir Charles Henry Gairdner, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, CB was a British Army general during World War II and was Governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, and Governor of Tasmania from 1963 to 1968.-Early life:... |
24 September 1963 | 11 July 1968 |
| 20 | Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan KCMG KCVO KBE CB Edric Bastyan Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Montague Bastyan, KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was Governor of South Australia from 4 April 1961 until 1 June 1968 then Governor of Tasmania from 2 December 1968 until 30 November 1973... |
2 December 1968 | 30 November 1973 |
| 21 | The Hon. Sir Stanley Burbury KCMG KCVO KBE Stanley Burbury Sir Stanley Charles Burbury, KCMG, KCVO, KBE was an Australian jurist. He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, and the first Australian-born person appointed as Governor of Tasmania 1973-1982.-Biography:... |
5 December 1973 | 16 March 1982 |
| 22 | Sir James Plimsoll AC CBE KStJ James Plimsoll Sir James Plimsoll AC, CBE, KStJ was an Australian diplomat and Governor of Tasmania.-Life and career:Plimsoll was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys' High School . He graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney 1938 and was appointed to the Bank of New South... |
1 October 1982 | 8 May 1987 |
| 23 | General Sir Phillip Bennett AC KBE DSO KStJ Phillip Bennett General Sir Phillip Harvey Bennett AC, KBE, DSO is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 1984 to 1987, and later as Governor of Tasmania from 1987 to 1995.... |
19 October 1987 | 2 October 1995 |
| 24 | The Hon. Sir Guy Green AC KBE CVO | 2 October 1995 | 3 October 2003 |
| 25 | Richard Butler AC Richard Butler (diplomat) Richard William Butler AC has served as an Australian diplomat, a United Nations weapons inspector and the Governor of Tasmania.-Life and career:... |
3 October 2003 | 9 August 2004 |
| 26 | The Hon. William Cox AC RFD ED QC | 15 December 2004 | 2 April 2008 |
| 27 | The Hon. Peter Underwood AC | 2 April 2008 | present |
Living former governors
, four former governors are alive, the oldest being Sir Phillip BennettPhillip Bennett
General Sir Phillip Harvey Bennett AC, KBE, DSO is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 1984 to 1987, and later as Governor of Tasmania from 1987 to 1995....
(1987–95, born 1928). The most recent governor to die was Sir Stanley Burbury
Stanley Burbury
Sir Stanley Charles Burbury, KCMG, KCVO, KBE was an Australian jurist. He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, and the first Australian-born person appointed as Governor of Tasmania 1973-1982.-Biography:...
(1973–82), on 24 April 1995. The most recently-serving governor to die was Sir James Plimsoll
James Plimsoll
Sir James Plimsoll AC, CBE, KStJ was an Australian diplomat and Governor of Tasmania.-Life and career:Plimsoll was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys' High School . He graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney 1938 and was appointed to the Bank of New South...
(1982–87), on 8 May 1987.
| Name | Term as governor | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Phillip Bennett Phillip Bennett General Sir Phillip Harvey Bennett AC, KBE, DSO is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 1984 to 1987, and later as Governor of Tasmania from 1987 to 1995.... |
1987–1995 | 27 December 1928 |
| Sir Guy Green | 1995–2003 | 26 July 1937 |
| Richard Butler Richard Butler (diplomat) Richard William Butler AC has served as an Australian diplomat, a United Nations weapons inspector and the Governor of Tasmania.-Life and career:... |
2003–2004 | 13 May 1942 |
| William Cox William Cox (governor) William John Ellis Cox, AC, RFD, ED, QC was Governor of Tasmania from 15 December 2004 to 2 April 2008, prior to which he was the state's Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor.... |
2004–2008 | 1 April 1936 |