The Spouse of 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...

generally assists the office-holder in welcoming ambassadors and their spouses, and in performing their other official duties. The Governor-General's spouse traditionally participates in celebratory occasions, attends functions and, as a patron of various voluntary associations, works to promote the activities of those associations. None of the activities have any official status.

Both the Governor-General and their spouse are entitled to the style "His/Her Excellency" during the Governor-General's term of office, but not thereafter.

Except for the current Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce

Quentin Bryce

Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....

, all Australian Governors-General have been male, and all but the current spouse have been females. The current spouse is Professor Michael Bryce

Michael Bryce

Michael John Bryce AM AE is an Australian architect and graphic and industrial designer. He is the husband of the current Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce.-Biography:...

.

No Governor-General has been single throughout his term, but two spouses died during the Governor-General's term: Lady De L'Isle, wife of Lord De L'Isle

William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle

William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle and 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC , was the 15th Governor-General of Australia and the final non-Australian to hold the office...

 (1962); and Lady (Alison) Kerr, wife of Sir John Kerr (1974). Kerr remarried during his term; De L'Isle remarried after his term had finished.

The longest-serving spouse has been Lady Gowrie, wife of the longest-serving Governor-General, Lord Gowrie

Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie

Brigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC was a British soldier and colonial governor and the tenth Governor-General of Australia. Serving for 9 years and 7 days, he is the longest serving Governor-General in Australia's history...

, who served nine years 1936-1945. The shortest-serving spouse was Lady Dunrossil, wife of Lord Dunrossil

William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil

William Shepherd Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, GCMG, MC, KStJ, PC, QC , the 14th Governor-General of Australia, was born in Scotland and educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh. He joined the British Army in the First World War and served with an artillery regiment...

, who died in 1961, one year and one day after taking up the office, being the only Governor-General to die in office. Lady Dunrossil died in 1983.

The generality of the spouses of Governors-General have been content to be background figures providing the office-holder with support. Some have been all but unknown to the general Australian public. However, some have been notable in their own right, and details are shown in the following table.

List of spouses of the Governor-General of Australia

Governor-General	Term start	Term end	Spouse	Born	Died	Notes
7th Earl of Hopetoun John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC , also known as Viscount Aithrie before 1873 and as The 7th Earl of Hopetoun between 1873 and 1902, was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his brief and controversial tenure as the...  (1st Marquess of Linlithgow)	1 January 1901	9 January 1903	Hersey, Countess of Hopetoun Hersey, Marchioness of Linlithgow Hersey, Marchioness of Linlithgow was a British aristocrat, who was the wife of John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, who, as the 7th Earl of Hopetoun, was the first Governor-General of Australia 1901-1902.-Biography:...	31 March 1867	3 April 1937	Lady Hopetoun was the daughter of the 4th Baron Ventry Baron Ventry Baron Ventry, of Ventry in the County of Kerry, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Sir Thomas Mullins, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Ventry in the County of Kerry, in the Baronetage of Ireland in 1797. The Mullins family claimed descent from... . She became the Marchioness of Linlithgow Marquess of Linlithgow Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun....  on 27 October 1902, after the Hopetouns had left Australia (17 July) but while her husband was still formally the Governor-General.
2nd Baron Tennyson Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, GCMG, PC , the second Governor-General of Australia, was born at Chapel House, Twickenham, in Surrey, England. Named after his father's late friend Arthur Hallam, he was the elder son of Alfred Tennyson, the most popular and prominent poet of late Victorian...	9 January 1903	21 January 1904	Baroness (Audrey) Tennyson	19 August 1854	7 December 1916	After Lady Tennyson's death in 1916, Lord Tennyson married again in 1918. Her diaries "Audrey Tennyson's Vice-Regal Days" were edited by Dame Alexandra Hasluck Alexandra Hasluck Dame Alexandra Hasluck, AD, alternatively named Lady Hasluck , was an author and social historian in Western Australia... , the spouse of a later Governor-General, Sir Paul Hasluck Paul Hasluck Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck KG GCMG GCVO KStJ was an Australian historian, poet, public servant and politician, and the 17th Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:... .
1st Baron Northcote Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote Henry Stafford Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote GCMG, GCIE, CB, PC , known as Sir Henry Northcote, Bt, between 1887 and 1900, was a Conservative politician and colonial administrator...	21 January 1904	9 September 1908	Baroness (Alice) Northcote CI Order of the Crown of India The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...  DBE	?	1 June 1934	Lady Northcote was the adopted daughter of George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen George Stephen, 1st Baron of Mount Stephen , known as Sir Stephen, between 1778 and 1891.-Canadian Pacific Railway syndicate:... . She was the first Patron of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia... . She was created a Companion of the Order of the Crown of India Order of the Crown of India The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system.The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India. The Order is open only to women; no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947...  in 1878, and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...  in 1919.
2nd Earl of Dudley William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, KP, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ, PC, TD, DL , styled Viscount Ednam before 1885, was a British Conservative politician...	9 September 1908	31 July 1911	Rachel, Countess of Dudley CBE	8 August 1868	26 June 1920	Lady Dudley was instrumental in setting up the state-based Bush Nursing Scheme. She drowned while swimming off the coast of Ireland, aged 51, in 1920. In 1924 Lord Dudley remarried, to Gertie Millar Gertie Millar Gertrude "Gertie" Millar was one of the most famous English singer-actresses of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies.... , a well-known actress.
3rd Baron Denman Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman GCMG, KCVO, PC was a British Liberal politician and the fifth Governor-General of Australia.-Early years:...	31 July 1911	18 May 1914	Baroness (Gertrude) Denman GBE	7 November 1884	2 June 1954	Lady Denman was active in women's rights issues including the promotion of women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. She named the city of Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...  and is commemorated in Lady Denman Drive in the national capital. In 1951 she was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...  (GBE).
Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson	18 May 1914	6 October 1920	Lady (Helen) Munro Ferguson GBE	1865	9 April 1941	Lady Munro Ferguson was the daughter of the Viceroy of India Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William... , the 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society... . She later became Viscountess Novar. She was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1918 for her wartime work for the British Red Cross British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work... .
1st Baron Forster Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster, GCMG, PC, DL , was a British Conservative Party politician who became the seventh Governor-General of Australia-Background and education:...	6 October 1920	8 October 1925	Baroness (Rachel) Forster GBE	1870	12 April 1962	Lady Forster was the daughter of the 1st Baron Montagu of Beaulieu Baron Montagu of Beaulieu Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for the Conservative politician Lord Henry Montagu Douglas Scott, who had earlier represented Selkirkshire and South Hampshire in the House of Commons... . The "Rachel Forster Hospital for Women" in Sydney was named after her. She was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1926.
1st Baron Stonehaven John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, GCMG, DSO, PC, JP, DL , known as Sir John Baird, Bt, between 1920 and 1925 and as The Lord Stonehaven between 1925 and 1928, was a British Conservative politician, who served as a Member of Parliament, government minister, and was later the eighth...	8 October 1925	21 January 1931	Baroness (Sydney) Stonehaven	20 September 1874	21 September 1974	Lady Stonehaven was the daughter of the 10th Earl of Kintore Earl of Kintore Earl of Kintore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1677 for Sir John Keith, third son of William Keith, 6th Earl Marischal . He was made Lord Keith of Inverurie and Keith Hall at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland... . Following their departure from Australia, she became Viscountess Stonehaven. She acceded to the earldom of Kintore in her own right as the 11th Countess of Kintore in 1966. She died on the day after her 100th birthday, and at her death she was the oldest member of the House of Lords House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster.... .
Sir Isaac Isaacs Isaac Isaacs Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs GCB GCMG KC was an Australian judge and politician, was the third Chief Justice of Australia, ninth Governor-General of Australia and the first born in Australia to occupy that post. He is the only person ever to have held both positions of Chief Justice of Australia and...	21 January 1931	23 January 1936	Lady (Deborah "Daisy") Isaacs	1869/70	June 1960
1st Baron Gowrie Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie Brigadier General Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie VC, GCMG, CB, DSO & Bar, PC was a British soldier and colonial governor and the tenth Governor-General of Australia. Serving for 9 years and 7 days, he is the longest serving Governor-General in Australia's history...	23 January 1936	30 January 1945	Baroness (Zara) Gowrie	20 January 1879	19 July 1965	Lady Gowrie was involved in the provision of child care, and the Lady Gowrie Child Centres were named in her honour. She later became Countess of Gowrie. From the 1930s she was instrumental in advancing the career of the opera singer Dame Joan Hammond Joan Hammond Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, DBE, CMG was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer.- Early life :... , whose final public performance was at Lady Gowrie's funeral.
HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester was a soldier and member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary....	30 January 1945	11 March 1947	HRH The Duchess of Gloucester Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife and then widow of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V and Queen Mary.The daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, Scotland’s largest landowner, her brothers Walter and...  GCB CI GCVO Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...  GBE	25 December 1901	29 October 2004	The Duchess of Gloucester was an aunt of Queen Elizabeth II. After her husband's death in 1974, she became known as Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. She lived to age 102 and holds the record, previously held by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, as the longest-lived person in the history of the British Royal Family.
Sir William McKell William McKell Sir William John McKell GCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947, and was the 12th Governor-General of Australia. He was also the oldest Governor General of Australia, at 93 when he died....	11 March 1947	8 May 1953	Lady (Mary) McKell	1893	July 1985	Lady McKell was the eponym of the Lady McKell, a Sydney Harbour ferry which operated 1970-1993, and is now the Victoria Star, a luxury cruise ship operating in Melbourne.
Sir William Slim William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim Field Marshal William Joseph "Bill"'Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia....	8 May 1953	2 February 1960	Lady (Aileen) Slim	1901	1993	Lady Slim later became Viscountess Slim.
1st Viscount Dunrossil William Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil William Shepherd Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, GCMG, MC, KStJ, PC, QC , the 14th Governor-General of Australia, was born in Scotland and educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh. He joined the British Army in the First World War and served with an artillery regiment...	2 February 1960	3 February 1961 (died)	Viscountess (Allison) Dunrossil	?	26 March 1983	Lady Dunrossil was born Catherine Allison Swan. Lord Dunrossil was the only Governor-General to die in office. Lady Dunrossil consequently became the shortest-serving spouse of a Governor-General.
1st Viscount De L'Isle William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle and 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC , was the 15th Governor-General of Australia and the final non-Australian to hold the office...	3 August 1961	7 May 1965	Viscountess (Jacqueline) De L'Isle	20 October 1914	15 November 1962	Lady De L'Isle was the daughter of John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, MC , was a British and Anglo-Irish soldier. As a young officer in World War I he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During the 1930s he served as Chief of the... . She was a Senior Commander in the Auxiliary Territorial Service Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War...  in World War II. She died in 1962, during her husband's term as Governor-General. In 1966 he married Margaret Shoubridge.
Baron Casey Richard Casey, Baron Casey Richard Gardiner Casey, Baron Casey KG GCMG CH DSO MC KStJ PC was an Australian politician, diplomat and the 16th Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:...	7 May 1965	30 April 1969	Baroness (Maie) Casey AC	13 March 1892	20 January 1983	Lady Casey was an aviatrix, writer, artist and opera librettist.
Sir Paul Hasluck Paul Hasluck Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck KG GCMG GCVO KStJ was an Australian historian, poet, public servant and politician, and the 17th Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:...	30 April 1969	11 July 1974	Lady (Alexandra) Hasluck Alexandra Hasluck Dame Alexandra Hasluck, AD, alternatively named Lady Hasluck , was an author and social historian in Western Australia...  AD	26 August 1908	18 June 1993	Lady Hasluck was a noted authoress, and editor of the diaries of one of her predecessors, Lady (Audrey) Tennyson. In 1978 she became the first of only two Dames of the Order of Australia, and was known as Dame Alexandra Hasluck thereafter.
Sir John Kerr	11 July 1974	8 December 1977	1. Lady (Alison) Kerr	1915	10 September 1974	Lady (Alison) Kerr died two months after Sir John Kerr's appointment as Governor-General. Four months later he married Anne Robson, who was the first Australian to be appointed a Member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters.
			2. Lady (Anne) Kerr Anne Kerr, Lady Kerr Anne Kerr, Lady Kerr was the second wife of Sir John Kerr, Governor-General of Australia 1974-77. They were married during his term of office, six months after his first wife had died.-Biography:...	1914	16 September 1997
Sir Zelman Cowen Zelman Cowen Sir Zelman Cowen, was the 19th Governor-General of Australia. He is currently the oldest living former Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:...	8 December 1977	29 July 1982	Lady (Anna) Cowen	24 July 1925	living	Lady Cowen was the cousin of politician Walter Jona Walter Jona Walter Jona was a former Liberal Party of Australia member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.-Early life and career:...
Sir Ninian Stephen Ninian Stephen Sir Ninian Martin Stephen, is a retired politician and judge, who served as the 20th Governor-General of Australia and as a Justice in the High Court of Australia.-Early life:...	29 July 1982	16 February 1989	Lady (Valerie) Stephen	?	living
Bill Hayden Bill Hayden William George "Bill" Hayden AC was the 21st Governor-General of Australia. Prior to this, he represented the Australian Labor Party in parliament; he was a minister in the government of Gough Whitlam, and later became Leader of the Opposition, narrowly losing the 1980 federal election to the...	16 February 1989	16 February 1996	Dallas Hayden	?	living
Sir William Deane William Deane Sir William Patrick Deane, AC, KBE, QC , Australian judge and the 22nd Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:William Deane was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He was educated at Catholic schools including St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in...	16 February 1996	29 June 2001	Lady (Helen) Deane	13 February 1935	living	She was educated at Kincoppal Convent in Sydney and Sydney University where she graduated in law. After graduation, she practised as a solicitor with the Sydney firm of Freehill, Hollingdale & Page.
Dr Peter Hollingworth Peter Hollingworth Peter John Hollingworth AC, OBE is an Australian Anglican bishop. He served as the Archbishop of Brisbane for 11 years before becoming the 23rd Governor-General of Australia from 2001 until 2003....	29 June 2001	28 May 2003	Ann Hollingworth	19 May 1936	living	Ann Hollingworth worked as an obstetric physiotherapist, specialising in turn in geriatrics, women's health and orthopaedics, finally working at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital is a hospital located in the suburb of Herston in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The hospital was formerly known as the Brisbane General Hospital.The hospital currently has a total of 948 beds... . She retired from practice in 1998.
Major General Michael Jeffery Michael Jeffery Major General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC was the 24th Governor-General of Australia , the first Australian career soldier to be appointed governor-general...	11 August 2003	5 September 2008	Marlena Jeffery	1944	living	During her husband's numerous postings around Australia, to England and Papua New Guinea, Marlena Jeffery successfully lobbied for better housing and conditions for army families and established pre-school centres at Holsworthy and Enoggera Barracks. She was made a 'Citizen of Western Australia' for her work with charities during the years 1993-2000 when her husband was Governor of Western Australia Governor of Western Australia The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;... . She was also appointed a Dame of Grace (DStJ) in the Order of St John.
Ms Quentin Bryce Quentin Bryce Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....	5 September 2008	Incumbent	Professor Michael Bryce Michael Bryce Michael John Bryce AM AE is an Australian architect and graphic and industrial designer. He is the husband of the current Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce.-Biography:...  AM AE Air Efficiency Award The Air Efficiency award, abbreviated to AE when placed after a holder's name, was a United Kingdom honour given for ten years' efficient service in the Reserve Air Forces of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Empire. Unlike other long service and meritorious conduct awards, both officers and...	?	incumbent	Professor Bryce is a renowned graphic designer, whose work includes the stylised "Opera House" logo for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games 2000 Summer Olympics The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... . He is an Adjunct Professor of Design at three important tertiary institutions.