| Governor of Hong Kong | |||||||||||
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| Flag of the Governor of Hong Kong, 1959–1997 | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 香港總督 | ||||||||||
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The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions. Upon the end of British rule and the transfer of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997, most of the civil functions of this office went to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and military functions went to the commander of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison.
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The Governor's powers and duties were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions in 1843. 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 was the President of the Executive Council, and until 1993, the Legislative Council.
In 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]
In the absence of the Governor, the Chief Secretary was the acting Governor of the colony. Most were from the 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.
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.
| # | Term start | Term end | Governor | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1841 | August 1841 | Sir Charles Elliot | ||
| June 1841 | December 1841 | Alexander Robert Johnston (acting) | ||
| August 1841 | June 1843 | Sir Henry Pottinger | ||
| June 1842 | December 1842 | Alexander Robert Johnston (acting) | ||
| 1 | June 1843 | May 1844 | Sir Henry Pottinger | |
| 2 | May 1844 | March 1848 | Sir John Francis Davis | |
| March 1848 | March 1848 | William Staveley | ||
| 3 | March 1848 | April 1854 | Sir George Bonham | |
| 4 | April 1854 | May 1859 | Sir John Bowring | |
| May 1859 | September 1859 | William Caine | ||
| 5 | September 1859 | March 1865 | Sir Hercules Robinson | |
| March 1865 | March 1866 | William Thomas Mercer | ||
| 6 | March 1866 | April 1872 | Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell | |
| April 1872 | April 1872 | Henry Wase Whitfield | ||
| 7 | April 1872 | March 1876 | Sir Arthur Kennedy | |
| March 1876 | April 1877 | John Gardiner Austin | ||
| 8 | April 1877 | March 1882 | Sir John Pope Hennessy | |
| March 1882 | March 1882 | Malcolm Struan Tonnochy | ||
| March 1882 | March 1883 | Sir William Henry Marsh | ||
| 9 | March 1883 | December 1885 | Sir George Bowen | |
| December 1885 | April 1887 | Sir William Henry Marsh | ||
| April 1887 | October 1887 | William Gordon Cameron | ||
| 10 | October 1887 | May 1891 | Sir William Des Vœux | |
| May 1891 | December 1891 | Sir George Digby Barker | ||
| 11 | December 1891 | January 1898 | Sir William Robinson | |
| February 1898 | November 1898 | Sir Wilsone Black | ||
| 12 | November 1898 | July 1903 | Sir Henry Arthur Blake | |
| November 1903 | July 1904 | Sir Francis Henry May | ||
| 13 | July 1904 | April 1907 | Sir Matthew Nathan | |
| April 1907 | July 1907 | Sir Francis Henry May | ||
| 14 | July 1907 | March 1912 | Sir Frederick Lugard | |
| March 1912 | July 1912 | Claud Severn | ||
| 15 | July 1912 | September 1918 | Sir Francis Henry May | |
| September 1918 | September 1919 | Claud Severn | ||
| 16 | September 1919 | October 1925 | Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs | |
| March 1925 | November 1925 | Claud Severn | ||
| 17 | November 1925 | February 1930 | Sir Cecil Clementi | |
| February 1930 | March 1930 | Wilfrid Southorn | ||
| 18 | May 1930 | May 1935 | Sir William Peel | |
| May 1935 | September 1935 | Wilfrid Southorn | ||
| September 1935 | November 1935 | Norman Lockhart Smith | ||
| November 1935 | December 1935 | Wilfrid Southorn | ||
| 19 | December 1935 | April 1937 | Sir Andrew Caldecott | |
| April 1937 | October 1937 | Norman Lockhart Smith | ||
| 20 | November 1937 | September 1941 | Sir Geoffry Northcote | |
| 6 September 1941 | 10 September 1941 | Norman Lockhart Smith | ||
| 21 | September 1941 | December 1941 | Sir Mark Aitchison Young | |
| Under Japanese occupation | ||||
| December 1941 | February 1942 | Takashi Sakai and Masaichi Niimi | ||
| February 1942 | December 1944 | Rensuke Isogai | ||
| February 1945 | August 1945 | Hisakazu Tanaka | ||
| Restoration of British rule | ||||
| August 1945 | September 1945 | Sir Franklin Charles Gimson (provisional government) |
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| September 1945 | April 1946 | Sir Cecil Harcourt (military government) |
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| 21 | May 1946 | May 1947 | Sir Mark Aitchison Young | |
| 22 | July 1947 | December 1957 | Sir Alexander Grantham | |
| December 1957 | January 1958 | Edgeworth Beresford David | ||
| 23 | January 1958 | March 1964 | Sir Robert Brown Black | |
| March 1964 | April 1964 | Edmund Brinsley Teesdale | ||
| 24 | April 1964 | October 1971 | Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench | |
| October 1971 | November 1971 | Sir Hugh Norman-Walker | ||
| 25 | November 1971 | April 1982 | Sir Murray MacLehose | |
| April 1982 | May 1982 | Sir Charles Philip Haddon-Cave | ||
| 26 | May 1982 | December 1986 | Sir Edward Youde | |
| December 1986 | April 1987 | Sir David Akers-Jones (acting) | ||
| 27 | April 1987 | July 1992 | Sir David Wilson | |
| July 1992 | July 1992 | Sir David Robert Ford | ||
| 28 | July 1992 | June 1997 | Chris Patten | |