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List of governors of British South African colonies#Natal Colony

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File:SouthAfrica1885.svg. It is showing British possessions and protectorates, the two Boer Republics (ZAR and Orange Free State), besides German South West Africa and Portuguese Mozambique.]]

This article lists the governors of British South African colonies, including the colonial prime ministers. It encompasses the period from 1797 to 1910, when present-day South Africa was divided into four British colonies namely: Cape Colony (preceded by Dutch Cape Colony), Natal Colony, Orange River Colony and Transvaal Colony.

After the colonies were disestablished as a result of the creation of the Union of South Africa, the area was divided into four provinces of the Union: Cape Province, Natal Province, Orange Free State Province and Transvaal Province.

Cape Colony

File:Cape Colony map.png

=Governors=

File:Flag of the Governor of the Cape Colony (1876–1910).svg

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Notes

colspan="4"| Governors
5 May 1797 to 20 November 179860pxGeorge Macartney, 1st Earl MacartneyKnown for the 1793 Macartney Embassy to China
20 November 1798 to 9 December 179960pxFrancis Dundas1st time, acting
10 December 1799 to 20 April 180160pxSir George Yonge, 5th Baronet
21 April 1801 to 20 February 180360pxFrancis Dundas2nd time, acting
colspan="4"| Commissioner-general
21 February 1803 to 25 September 180460pxJacob Abraham de MistRepresented the Batavian Republic
colspan="4"| Governors
1 March 1803 to 18 January 180660pxJan Willem JanssensRepresented the Batavian Republic
10 January 1806 to 17 January 180760pxSir David Baird, 1st BaronetMilitary governor, acting
17 January 1807 to 21 May 1807Henry George Grey1st time, acting
22 May 1807 to 4 July 181160pxDu Pré Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon
5 July 1811 to 5 September 1811Henry George Grey2nd time, acting
6 September 1811 to 6 April 181460pxJohn Cradock, 1st Baron Howden
18 October 1813 to 7 January 1814Robert MeadeActing for Cradock; son of Theodosia, Countess of Clanwilliam
6 April 1814 to 5 March 182660pxLord Charles Somerset
13 January 1820 to 30 November 182160pxSir Rufane Shaw DonkinActing for Somerset
5 March 1826 to 9 September 182860pxRichard BourkeActing
9 September 1828 to 10 August 183360pxSir Galbraith Lowry Cole
10 August 1833 to 16 January 1834Thomas Francis WadeActing (for D'Urban from 10 January 1834)
10 January 1834 to 20 January 183860pxSir Benjamin D'Urban
22 January 1838 to 18 March 184460pxSir George Thomas Napier
18 March 1844 to 27 January 184760pxSir Peregrine Maitland
colspan="4"| Governors and high commissioners for Southern Africa
27 January 1847 to 1 December 184760pxSir Henry Pottinger
1 December 1847 to 31 March 185260pxSir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet
31 March 1852 to 26 May 185460pxGeorge Cathcart
26 May 1854 to 5 December 185460pxCharles Henry DarlingActing
5 December 1854 to 15 August 186160pxSir George Grey
20 August 1859 to 4 July 1860rowspan="2"|60pxrowspan="2"|Robert Wynyard1st time, acting for Grey
15 August 1861 to 15 January 18622nd time, acting
15 January 1862 to 20 May 187060pxSir Philip Wodehouse
20 May 1870 to 31 December 1870Charles Craufurd HayActing
31 December 1870 to 31 March 187760pxSir Henry Barkly
31 March 1877 to 15 September 188060pxSir Henry Bartle FrereKnown for initiating the Anglo-Zulu War and the First Boer War
15 September 1880 to 27 September 188060pxHenry Hugh CliffordActing
27 September 1880 to 22 January 188160pxSir George StrahanActing
22 January 1881 to 1 May 188960pxSir Hercules Robinson1st time
30 April 1881 to August 1881rowspan="2"|rowspan="2"|Sir Leicester Smyth1st time, acting for Robinson
25 April 1883 to 26 March 18842nd time, acting for Robinson
7 April 1886 to 7 July 188660pxSir Henry TorrensActing for Robinson
1 May 1889 to 13 December 188960pxHenry Augustus SmythActing
13 December 1889 to 30 May 189560pxHenry Loch, 1st Baron Loch
14 January 1891 to 1 December 1892rowspan="2"|60pxrowspan="2"|Sir William Gordon Cameron1st time, acting for Loch
May 1894 to July 18942nd time, acting for Loch
30 May 1895 to 21 April 189760pxSir Hercules Robinson2nd time; from 10 August 1896, Hercules Robinson, Baron Rosmead
21 April 1897 to 5 May 189760pxSir William Howley GoodenoughActing
5 May 1897 to 6 March 190160pxAlfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner
2 November 1898 to 14 February 189960pxSir William ButlerActing for Milner
6 March 1901 to 31 May 191060pxSir Walter Hely-Hutchinson
17 June 1909 to 21 September 190960pxSir Henry ScobellActing for Hely-Hutchinson

{{British Governors of the Cape Colony}}

=Prime ministers=

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Party

! Notes

1 December 1872 to 5 February 187860pxJohn Charles Moltenon-p
6 February 1878 to 8 May 188160pxJohn Gordon Spriggn-p1st time
9 May 1881 to 12 May 188460pxThomas Charles Scanlenn-p
13 May 1884 to 24 November 188660pxThomas Upingtonn-p
25 November 1886 to 16 July 189060pxSir John Gordon Spriggn-p2nd time
17 July 1890 to 12 January 189660pxCecil Rhodesn-pResigned in the aftermath of the Jameson Raid
13 January 1896 to 13 October 189860pxSir John Gordon Spriggn-p3rd time
13 October 1898 to 17 June 190060pxWilliam Schreinern-p
18 June 1900 to 21 February 190460pxSir John Gordon Spriggbgcolor={{party color|Progressive Party (Cape Colony)}}|PP4th time
22 February 1904 to 2 February 190860pxLeander Starr Jamesonbgcolor={{party color|Progressive Party (Cape Colony)}}|PPLeader of the Jameson Raid
3 February 1908 to 31 May 191060pxJohn X. Merrimanbgcolor={{party color|South African Party (Cape Colony)}}|SAP

{{Cape Premiers}}

Natal Colony

File:Natal Colony map.png

=Governors=

File:Flag of the Governor of the Natal Colony (1905–1907).svg

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Notes

colspan="4"| Special Commissioner
10 May 1843 to 31 May 1844Henry Cloete
31 May 1844 to 4 December 184560pxdirect rule by Cape ColonyDuring this time, Sir Peregrine Maitland served as the governor of Cape Colony
colspan="4"| Lieutenant-governors
4 December 1845 to 1 August 1849Martin Thomas West
19 April 1850 to 3 Mar 185560pxBenjamin Pine1st time
5 November 1856 to 31 December 1864John Scott
31 December 1864 to 26 July 1865John Maclean
26 July 1865 to 26 August 186560pxJohn Wellesley ThomasActing
26 August 1865 to 24 May 186760pxJohn Jarvis BissetActing
24 May 1867 to 19 July 1872Robert William Keate
19 July 1872 to 30 April 187360pxAnthony Musgrave
30 April 1873 to 22 July 1873Thomas MillesActing
22 July 1873 to 1 April 187560pxSir Benjamin Pine2nd time
1 April 1875 to 3 September 187560pxSir Garnet Joseph WolseleyActing
3 September 1875 to 20 April 1880Sir Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer1st time
20 April 1880 to 5 May 188060pxWilliam BellairsActing
5 May 1880 to 2 July 188060pxHenry Hugh CliffordActing
colspan="4"| Governors
2 July 1880 to 27 February 188160pxSir George Pomeroy Colley
17 August 1880 to 14 September 1880Henry AlexanderActing for Colley
27 February 1881 to 3 April 188160pxSir Evelyn WoodActing
3 April 1881 to 9 August 188160pxRedvers BullerActing
22 December 1881 to 6 March 188260pxCharles Mitchell1st time, acting
6 March 1882 to 23 October 1885Sir Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer2nd time
18 February 1886 to 5 June 188960pxSir Arthur Havelock
1 December 1889 to July 189360pxCharles Mitchell2nd time
July 1893 to 27 September 1893Francis Seymour HadenActing
28 September 1893 to 6 May 190160pxSir Walter Hely-Hutchinson
13 May 1901 to 7 June 190760pxSir Henry McCallum
2 September 1907 to 23 December 190960pxSir Matthew Nathan
17 January 1910 to 31 May 191060pxPaul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen

=Prime ministers=

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Party

! Notes

10 October 1893 to 14 February 189760pxSir John Robinsonn-p
15 February 1897 to 4 October 189760pxHarry Escomben-p
5 October 1897 to 8 June 1899Sir Henry Binnsn-p
9 June 1899 to 17 August 1903Sir Albert Henry Himen-p
18 August 1903 to 16 May 1905George Morris Suttonn-p
16 May 1905 to 28 November 1906Charles John Smythen-p
28 November 1906 to 28 April 191060pxFrederick Moorn-p

{{NatalPremiers}}

Orange River Colony

File:Orange Free State map.png

=Governors=

File:Flag of the Governor of the Orange River Colony (1902–1910).svg

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Notes

23 June 1902 to 1 April 190560pxAlfred Milner, 1st Viscount MilnerSimultaneously served as the governor of Transvaal Colony
2 April 1905 to 7 June 190760pxWilliam Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne
7 June 1907 to 31 May 191060pxSir Hamilton Goold-Adams

=Prime minister=

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Party

! Notes

27 November 1907 to 31 May 191060pxAbraham FischerORULater served as the Minister of the Interior Affairs of South Africa, from 1912 to 1913

Transvaal Colony

File:Transvaal map.png

=Governors of the Transvaal=

File:Flag of the Governor of the Transvaal Colony (1904–1910).svg

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Notes

colspan="4"| First annexation
colspan="4"| Administrators
12 April 1877 to 4 March 187960pxSir Theophilus Shepstone
4 March 1879 to 8 August 188160pxOwen LanyonFrom 6 April 1880, Sir William Owen Lanyon; acting for Wolseley 29 September 1879 – 27 April 1880
colspan="4"| Governor
29 September 1879 to 27 April 188060pxGarnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley
colspan="4"| Second annexation
colspan="4"| Administrator
4 January 1901 to 23 June 190260pxAlfred Milner, 1st Viscount MilnerSimultaneously served as the Administrator of Orange River Colony
colspan="4"| Governors
21 June 1902 to 1 April 190560pxAlfred Milner, 1st Viscount MilnerSimultaneously served as the governor of Orange River Colony
2 April 1905 to 31 May 191060pxWilliam Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne

=Lieutenant-governors of the Transvaal=

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Notes

colspan="4"| Second annexation
colspan="4"| Lieutenant-Governors
29 September 1902 to 4 December 190560pxSir Arthur LawleyAppointed Governor of Madras
23 March 1906 to January 190760pxSir Richard SolomonActing for Selborne 4 December 1905 to 2 October 1906

=Prime Minister of the Transvaal=

class="wikitable"

! Tenure

! Portrait

! Incumbent

! Party

! Notes

4 March 1907 to 31 May 191060pxLouis BothaHVAfterwards served as the first prime minister of South Africa, from 1910 to 1919

See also

References

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

  • {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Natal|volume=19|first=Frank Richardson |last=Cana}}
  • {{cite book|last1=Ingram|first1=Joseph Forsyth|title=The Colony of Natal: An Official Illustrated Handbook and Railway Guide|date=1895|publisher=J. Causton and Sons|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/colonynatalanof00ingrgoog/page/n44 26]|url=https://archive.org/details/colonynatalanof00ingrgoog|oclc=813121}}
  • {{cite magazine |title=Governors & Administrators of Natal |url=https://archive.org/details/natalalmanacdire00pietuoft |magazine=Natal Almanac, Directory and Yearly Register |location=Pietermaritzburg |publisher=P. Davis & Sons |date=1897 |issue=35 |page=304 }}
  • [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/South_Africa.html#cape-colony "South Africa: Cape Colony"], worldstatesmen.org © Ben Cahoon.
  • [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/South_Africa.html#Natal "South Africa: Natal Colony"], worldstatesmen.org © Ben Cahoon.
  • [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/South_Africa.html#Orange "South Africa: Orange Free State"], worldstatesmen.org © Ben Cahoon.
  • [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/South_Africa.html#Transvaal "South Africa: Transvaal"], worldstatesmen.org © Ben Cahoon.

{{refend}}

External links

  • [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/South_Africa.html World Statesmen – South Africa]

{{South Africa topics}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Governors of British South African colonies}}

South African colonies

Category:Lists of political office-holders in South Africa

Category:Lists of South African people

Category:South Africa history-related lists

Category:Governors in South Africa