Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong (traditional Chinese: 香港總督; pinyin: Xianggang Zongdu; abbreviated 港督, Pinyin: Gangdu) was the head of the Hong Kong Government, ex-officio Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Admiral of the colony during British rule between 1841 and 1997.
Upon the end of British rule and the handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997, this office was replaced by the Chief Executive.
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The Governor
The Governor's powers and duties were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions. The Governor, appointed by the British monarch (on the advice of the prime minister), maintained executive power in Hong Kong throughout British rule, and with the exception of a brief experiment after World War II, no serious attempt was made to introduce representative government, until the final years of British rule.
The Governor appointed most, if not all, of the members of the colony's legislature the Legislative Council (known colloquially as LegCo), which was largely an advisory body before election was introduced until the first indirect elections of LegCo in 1985, and all members of the Executive Council (ExCo), effectively the cabinet of the colonial government. Initially both Councils were dominated by British expatriates, although this gave way to more local Hong Kong Chinese appointees in later years. Most recent governors of Hong Kong were professional diplomats, save the last Governor, Chris Patten, who was a career politician. The governor is the president of the Executive Council, and until 1993, the Legislative Council.
At December 1996, The Governor's salary was HK$3,036,000 per annum, tax-free. It was fixed at 125% of the Chief Secretary's salary. [1]
Acting Governor/Administrator
In the absence of the Governor, the Colonial Secretary was the acting Governor of the colony. Most were from the British Colonial Office or British Army officers. One Royal Navy Vice Admiral has served as administrator after World War II. Four Japanese military officers (3 army officers and 1 naval vice admiral) served as administrator during World War II.
Transport
The Governor of Hong Kong used a Daimler DS420 for day to day transport and a Rolls-Royce Phantom V landaulette for ceremonial occasions. Both vehicles were removed by the Royal Navy immediately following the handover to China on 1 July 1997.
Residences of the governors
- The first governor, Sir Henry Pottinger resided in the Former French Mission Building from 1843 to 1846. The building now houses the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. His successor, John Francis Davis also lived there for a while, before moving to Caine Road.
- From the 4th governor (Sir John Bowring) until the last one (Chris Patten), governors resided at Government House.
List
Hong Kong had 28 governors, and 9 administrators:
| Term | from | to | Governor | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1841 | August 1841 | Captain Charles Elliot RN(義律) | ||
| August 1841 | June 1843 | Sir Henry Pottinger (砵甸乍) | ||
| 1 | June 1843 | May 1844 | Sir Henry Pottinger (砵甸乍) | |
| 2 | May 1844 | March 1848 | Sir John Francis Davis (戴維斯 or 爹核士) | |
| March 1848 | March 1848 | Major-General William Staveley BA (士他花利) | ||
| 3 | March 1848 | April 1854 | Sir George Bonham (文咸 or 般咸) | |
| 4 | April 1854 | May 1859 | Sir John Bowring (寶寧) | |
| May 1859 | September 1859 | William Caine (堅) | ||
| 5 | September 1859 | March 1865 | Sir Hercules Robinson (夏喬士·羅便臣), later Lord Rosmead | |
| March 1865 | March 1866 | William T. Mercer (孖沙) | ||
| 6 | March 1866 | April 1872 | Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell (麥當奴) | |
| April 1872 | April 1872 | Henry Wase Whitfield (威菲路) | ||
| 7 | April 1872 | March 1876 | Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy (堅尼地) | |
| March 1876 | April 1877 | John Gardiner Austin (柯士甸) | ||
| 8 | April 1877 | March 1882 | Sir John Pope Hennessy (軒尼詩) | |
| March 1882 | March 1882 | Malcolm Struan Tonnochy (杜老誌) | ||
| March 1882 | March 1883 | Sir William H. Marsh (馬殊 or 馬師) | ||
| 9 | March 1883 | December 1885 | Sir George Ferguson Bowen (寶雲) | |
| December 1885 | April 1887 | Sir William H. Marsh (馬殊) | ||
| April 1887 | October 1887 | Major-General William Gordon Cameron (金馬倫) | ||
| 10 | October 1887 | May 1891 | Sir George William Des Vœux (德輔) | |
| May 1891 | December 1891 | Major-General Digby Barker (伯加) | ||
| 11 | December 1891 | January 1898 | Sir William Robinson (威廉·羅便臣) | |
| February 1898 | November 1898 | Major-General Wilsone Black | ||
| 12 | November 1898 | July 1903 | Sir Henry Arthur Blake (卜力) | |
| November 1903 | July 1904 | Sir Francis Henry May (梅含理) | ||
| 13 | July 1904 | April 1907 | Sir Matthew Nathan (彌敦) | |
| April 1907 | July 1907 | Sir Francis Henry May (梅含理) | ||
| 14 | July 1907 | March 1912 | Sir Frederick Lugard (盧押), later Lord Lugard | |
| March 1912 | July 1912 | Claud Severn (施勳) | ||
| 15 | July 1912 | September 1918 | Sir Francis Henry May (梅含理) | |
| September 1918 | September 1919 | Claud Severn (施勳) | ||
| 16 | September 1919 | October 1925 | Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs (司徒拔) | |
| March 1925 | November 1925 | Claud Severn (史雲) | ||
| 17 | November 1925 | February 1930 | Sir Cecil Clementi (金文泰) | |
| February 1930 | March 1930 | Wilfrid Southorn (修頓) | ||
| 18 | May 1930 | May 1935 | Sir William Peel (貝璐) | |
| May 1935 | September 1935 | Wilfrid Southorn (修頓) | ||
| September 1935 | November 1935 | Norman Smith (斯密夫) | ||
| November 1935 | December 1935 | Wilfrid Southorn (修頓) | ||
| 19 | December 1935 | April 1937 | Sir Andrew Caldecott (郝德傑) | |
| April 1937 | October 1937 | Norman Smith (斯密夫) | ||
| 20 | November 1937 | September 1941 | Sir Geoffrey Northcote (羅富國) | |
| 6 September1941 | 10 September1941 | Norman Smith (斯密夫) | ||
| 21 | September 1941 | Dec 1941 | Sir Mark Aitchison Young (楊慕琦) | |
| interrupted by Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong | ||||
| December 1941 | February 1942 | Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai (酒井隆) and Vice Admiral Masaichi Niimi (新見政一) | ||
| February 1942 | December 1944 | Lieutenant-General Rensuke Isogai (磯谷廉介) | ||
| February 1945 | August 1945 | Lieutenant-General Hisaichi Tanaka (田中久一) | ||
| interrupted by Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong | ||||
| August 1945 | September 1945 | Provisional Government ruled by Sir Franklin Charles Gimson (詹遜) | ||
| September 1945 | April 1946 | Military Government ruled by Rear Admiral Sir Cecil Halliday Jepson Harcourt (夏愨) | ||
| 21 | May 1946 | May 1947 | Sir Mark Aitchison Young (楊慕琦) | |
| 22 | July 1947 | December 1957 | Sir Alexander Grantham (葛量洪) | |
| December 1957 | January 1958 | Edgeworth Beresford David (戴維) | ||
| 23 | January 1958 | March 1964 | Sir Robert Brown Black (柏立基) | |
| March 1964 | April 1964 | Edmund Brinsley Teesdale (戴斯德) | ||
| 24 | April 1964 | October 1971 | Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench (戴麟趾) | |
| October 1971 | November 1971 | Sir Hugh Selby Norman-Walker (羅樂民) | ||
| 25 | November 1971 | April 1982 | Sir Murray MacLehose (麥理浩), later Lord MacLehose of Beoch | |
| April 1982 | May 1982 | Sir Philip Haddon-Cave (夏鼎基) | ||
| 26 | May 1982 | December 1986 | Sir Edward Youde (尤德) (died in office) | |
| December 1986 | April 1987 | Sir David Akers-Jones (鍾逸傑) (Acting Governor) | ||
| 27 | April 1987 | July 1992 | Sir David Wilson (衛奕信), later Lord Wilson of Tillyorn | |
| July 1992 | July 1992 | Sir David Robert Ford (霍德) | ||
| 28 | July 1992 | June 1997 | The Rt. Hon. Chris Patten (彭定康), later Lord Patten of Barnes | |
Firsts
- John Francis Davis - first Sinologist to serve as Governor
- John Bowring - first Puritan to serve as Governor
- John Pope Hennessy - first Irishman to serve as Governor
- Matthew Nathan - first Jew to serve as Governor
- Cecil Clementi - first Indian born and Cantonese speaking to serve as Governor
- Mark Aitchison Young - first prisoner of war to serve as Governor
- Takashi Sakai - first Japanese administrator to serve as Governor
- Edward Youde - first fluent in Mandarin and to die in office to serve as Governor
- Charles Elliot - first military administrator to serve as Governor
- Henry Eldred Curwen Pottinger - first Governor of Hong Kong
- Chris Patten - first non diplomat to serve as Governor and first Governor not to don the formal dress as Governor
See also
- History of Hong Kong
- Chief Executive of Hong Kong
