List of premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador

Danny Williams is the current premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador is the First Minister for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which was at certain points in its history a colony, dominion, and province. The province has had a system of responsible government since 1855, when it became a British crown colony. In 1907, it became a dominion, and in 1949, it became a province and joined Canadian Confederation. Since then, the province has been a part of the Canadian federation and has kept its own legislature to deal with provincial matters. The province was named Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001.^[1]

The province has a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the Premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the House of Assembly. The Premier is Newfoundland and Labrador's head of government, and the Queen of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, and presides over that body. Members are first elected to the House during general elections. General elections must be conducted every four years from the date of the last election. An election may also take place if the governing party loses the confidence of the legislature by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion.^[2]

From 1855 to 1908, the position of First Minister was known as Prime Minister and later Premier. After the colony was granted dominion status, the position became known as Prime Minister starting in 1908.^[3] Democratic government was suspended in 1934 and replaced by an appointed Commission of Government, a six-member commission appointed by the United Kingdom and had three British and three Newfoundland appointees,^[4] which ended in 1949 when Newfoundland became a province of Canada. Since the reinstitution of democratic government in 1949, the position of First Minister has again been known as Premier.^[5]

Since 1855, Newfoundland and Labrador has been led by ten Colonial Prime Ministers, eleven Dominion Prime Ministers, three Chairmen of Commission of Government, and nine Premiers, of which four were part of a coalition government, fifteen were from the Liberal Party, thirteen were from the Progressive Conservative Party, and one was from the Anti-Confederation Party.

Newfoundland and Labrador Leaders (Pre-Confederation) (1949)

      Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador       Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador       Anti-Confederation Party       Newfoundland Reform Party       Newfoundland Tory Party       Newfoundland People's Party

Premier (party)			Period	Parliaments	Elections
Colonial Prime Ministers (Premiers)
	1st	Philip Francis Little (Liberal Party)	May 7, 1855 1858	6th	Elected May 7, 1855 Resigned 1858
	2nd	John Kent (Liberal Party)	1858 1861		Designated 1858
				7th	Re-elected November 7, 1859
	3rd	Sir Hugh W. Hoyles (Conservative Party)	1861 April 1865	8th	Elected May 2, 1861
	4th	Sir Frederick Carter (1st time of 2)	April 1865 January 1870	9th	Elected May 7, 1865 as a coalition
	5th	Charles Fox Bennett (Anti-Confederate Party)	January 1870 January 31, 1874	10th	Elected November 13, 1869
				11th	Re-elected November 1873 Resigned January 31, 1874
	—	Sir Frederick Carter (Conservative Party) (2nd time of 2)	January 31, 1874 April 1878		Designated January 31, 1874
				12th	Re-elected November 7, 1874 Resigned April 1878
	6th	Sir William Whiteway (Conservative Party) (1st time of 3)	April 1878 1885		Designated April 1878
				13th	Re-elected November 4, 1878
				14th	Re-elected November 6, 1882
	7th	Sir Robert Thorburn (Reform Party)	1885 1889	15th	Elected October 31, 1885
	—	Sir William Whiteway (Liberal Party) (2nd time of 3)	1889 April 11, 1894	16th	Elected November 6, 1889
				17th	Re-elected November 6, 1893 Resigned April 11, 1894
	8th	Augustus F. Goodridge (Tory Party)	April 11, 1894 December 13, 1894		Designated April 11, 1894 Resigned December 13, 1894
	9th	Daniel J. Greene (Liberal Party)	December 13, 1894 February 8, 1895		Designated December 13, 1894 Resigned February 8, 1895
	—	Sir William Whiteway (Liberal Party) (3rd time of 3)	February 8, 1895 October 1897		Designated February 8, 1895
	10th	Sir James Spearman Winter (Tory Party)	October 1897 March 6, 1900	18th ...	Elected October 28, 1897 Resigned March 6, 1900
Dominion Prime Ministers
	1st	Sir Robert Bond (Liberal Party)	March 6, 1900[N 1] March 2, 1909	...	Designated March 6, 1900
				19th	Re-elected November 8, 1900
				20th	Re-elected October 31, 1904
				21st	Re-elected November 2, 1908 Resigned March 6, 1900
	2nd	Sir Edward Patrick Morris (Newfoundland People's Party)	March 2, 1909 December 31, 1917		Designated March 2, 1909
				22nd	Re-elected May 8, 1909
				23rd	October 30, 1913 Resigned December 31, 1917
	3rd	Sir William F. Lloyd (Liberal Party/National Government)	January 5, 1918 May 22, 1919		Designated January 5, 1918 Resigned May 22, 1919
	4th	Sir Michael Patrick Cashin (Newfoundland People's Party)	May 22, 1919 November 17, 1919		Designated May 22, 1919
	5th	Sir Richard Squires (Liberal Reform Party)	November 17, 1919 July 24, 1923		Designated November 17, 1919
				24th	Re-elected November 2, 1919
				25th	Re-elected May 2, 1923 Resigned July 24, 1923
	6th	William Warren (Liberal Reform party)	July 24, 1923 May 10, 1924		Designated July 24, 1923 Resigned May 10, 1924
	7th	Albert Hickman (caretaker)	May 10, 1924 June 9, 1924		Designated May 10, 1924
	8th	Walter Stanley Monroe (Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party)	June 9, 1924 August 1928	26th	Elected June 2, 1924 Resigned August 1928
	9th	Frederick C. Alderdice (Liberal-Conservative Progressive Party)	August 1928 November 17, 1928		Designated August 1928
	10th	Sir Richard Squires (Liberal Party)	November 17, 1928 June 1932	27th	Elected October 29, 1928
	11th	Frederick C. Alderdice (United Newfoundland Party)	June 1932 January 30, 1934	28th	Elected June 11, 1932
Chairmen of Commission of Government
	1st	David Murray Anderson (Non-partisan)	January 30, 1934 1935	—	—
	2nd	Humphrey T. Walwyn (Non-partisan)	1936 1946	—	—
	3rd	Gordon MacDonald (Non-partisan)	1946 April 1, 1949	—	—

Premiers of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

	1st	Joseph R. Smallwood (Liberal)	April 1, 1949 January 18, 1972	29th	Elected May 27, 1949
				30th	Re-elected November 26, 1951
				31st	Re-elected October 2, 1956
				32nd	Re-elected August 20, 1959
				33rd	Re-elected November 10, 1962
				34th	Re-elected September 8, 1966
				35th	Re-elected October 28, 1971 as a hung legislature
	2nd	Frank D. Moores (Progressive Conservative)	January 18, 1972 March 26, 1979	36th	Elected March 27, 1972
				37th	Re-elected September 16, 1975
	3rd	Brian Peckford (Progressive Conservative)	March 26, 1979 March 22, 1989		Designated March 26, 1979
				38th	Re-elected June 18, 1979
				39t	Re-elected April 6, 1982
				40th	Re-elected April 2, 1985 Resigned March 22, 1989
	4th	Thomas Rideout (Progressive Conservative)	March 22, 1989 May 5, 1989		Designated March 22, 1989
	5th	Clyde Wells (Liberal)	May 5, 1989 January 26, 1996	41st	Elected April 20, 1989
				42nd	Re-elected May 3, 1993
	6th	Brian Tobin (Liberal)	January 26, 1996 October 16, 2000		Designated January 26, 1996
				43rd	Re-elected February 22, 1996
				44th	Re-elected February 9, 1999 Resigned October 16, 2000
	7th	Beaton Tulk (Liberal)	October 16, 2000 February 13, 2001		Designated October 16, 2000 Resigned February 13, 2001
	8th	Roger Grimes (Liberal)	February 13, 2001 November 6, 2003		Designated February 13, 2001
	9th	Danny Williams (Progressive Conservative)	November 6, 2003 Present	45th	Elected October 21, 2003
				46th	Re-elected October 9, 2007

Living former premiers

As of January 2010^[update], six former premiers are alive, the oldest being Clyde Wells (1989–1996, born 1937). The most recent premier to die was Frank Moores (1972–1979), on July 10, 2005.

See also

• Leader of the Opposition (Newfoundland and Labrador)
• List of Newfoundland and Labrador lieutenant-governors

Notes

References

General

Specific

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