Colonial heads of the Bahamas
Encyclopedia
This is a list of colonial heads of the Bahamas. The first English settlement in the Bahamas was on Eleuthera
. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the Lords Proprietors of the Province of Carolina
, but the islands were left to themselves. The local pirates proclaimed a 'Privateers' Republic' with Edward Teach (Blackbeard) as chief magistrate in 1703. In 1717, the Bahamas became a British crown colony, and the pirates were driven out.
During the American War of Independence, the Bahamas were briefly occupied by both American and Spanish forces. In 1964, the Bahamas achieved self-governance, and, in 1973, full independence.
:
The islands were largely left to themselves, but the Lords Proprietors appointed Proprietary Governors to administer them:
In 1684, a joint French and Spanish fleet destroyed Charles Town (modern Nassau
).
, the colony's first governor.
On 10 July 1973, the Bahamas achieved independence from Britain. Following independence, the viceroy in the Bahamas was the Governor-General of the Bahamas.
Eleuthera
Eleuthera is an island in The Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Eleuthera is approximately 8,000...
. In 1670, the king granted the Bahamas to the Lords Proprietors of the Province of Carolina
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
, but the islands were left to themselves. The local pirates proclaimed a 'Privateers' Republic' with Edward Teach (Blackbeard) as chief magistrate in 1703. In 1717, the Bahamas became a British crown colony, and the pirates were driven out.
During the American War of Independence, the Bahamas were briefly occupied by both American and Spanish forces. In 1964, the Bahamas achieved self-governance, and, in 1973, full independence.
Proprietary Governors of the Bahamas (1670–1706)
On 1 November 1670, the Bahamas were granted to the Lords Proprietors of the Province of CarolinaProvince of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
:
- The Duke of AlbemarleChristopher Monck, 2nd Duke of AlbemarleChristopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, KG, PC was an English statesman and failed soldier.He was the son of George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle....
, 1670 – November 1688 - Lord CravenWilliam Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608-1697)William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, PC was an English nobleman and soldier.His father William Craven was born in a poor family in Appletreewick in North Yorkshire but moved to London, became wealthy, and was Lord Mayor of London in 1610.Craven fought for Frederick V on the Continent and fell in...
, 1670–9 April 1697 - Lord Ashley, 1670–1717
- Peter ColletonPeter ColletonSir Peter Colleton, 2nd Baronet of the Colleton Baronets, was MP for Bossiney 1681–1685 and 1689–1694.-References:...
, 1670–1717 - Sir George CarteretGeorge CarteretVice Admiral Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet , son of Elias de Carteret, was a royalist statesman in Jersey and England, who served in the Clarendon Ministry as Treasurer of the Navy...
, 1670–1680
The islands were largely left to themselves, but the Lords Proprietors appointed Proprietary Governors to administer them:
- Hugh Wentworth, 1671
- John Wentworth, December 1671–1676
- Charles Chillingworth, 1676–1677
- Roger Clarke, 1677–1682
- Richard Lilburne, 1684
In 1684, a joint French and Spanish fleet destroyed Charles Town (modern Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
).
- Thomas Bridges, 1687–1690
- Cadwallader Jones, 1690–1693
- Nicholas Trott, 1694–1696
- Nicholas Webb, 1697–1699
- Read Elding, 1699–1700, acting
- Elias Haskett, 1700–1701
- Ellis Lightfoot, 1701–1705
- Edward Birch, 1706
- Thomas Walker, 1706
Pirate Rule (1706–1718)
Starting around 1706 and lasting until 26 July 1718, the Bahamas were ruled by the anarchic Privateer's Republic, including:- Edward TeachBlackbeardEdward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
(Blackbeard), Chief Magistrate - Thomas Barrow
- Benjamin HornigoldBenjamin HornigoldCaptain Benjamin Hornigold was an 18th-century English pirate. His career lasted from 1715 to 1718, after which he turned pirate hunter and pursued his former allies on behalf of the Governor of the Bahamas...
Governors of the Bahamas (1717–1969)
In 1717 the Bahamas became a British crown colony. The pirates were driven out in 1718 by Woodes RogersWoodes Rogers
Woodes Rogers was an English sea captain, privateer, and, later, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.Rogers came from an...
, the colony's first governor.
- Woodes RogersWoodes RogersWoodes Rogers was an English sea captain, privateer, and, later, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.Rogers came from an...
, 26 July 1718–1721, first time - George Phenney, 1721–1728
- Woodes RogersWoodes RogersWoodes Rogers was an English sea captain, privateer, and, later, the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. He is known as the captain of the vessel that rescued the marooned Alexander Selkirk, whose plight is generally believed to have inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.Rogers came from an...
, August 1729–16 July 1732, second time - Richard Thompson, 1732–1733, acting
- Richard FitzwilliamsRichard FitzwilliamsRichard Fitzwilliams is a British public relations consultant and commentator. He specialises in promoting exhibitions of figurative art such as those of The Royal Society of Portrait Painters and The Threadneedle Prize at the Mall Galleries. He is also a royal commentator and film critic, and has...
, November 1733–1740 - John Tinker, 1740–1758
- John Gambier, 1758–1760, acting, first time
- William ShirleyWilliam ShirleyWilliam Shirley was a British colonial administrator who served twice as Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and as Governor of the Bahamas in the 1760s...
, 1760–1768 - Thomas ShirleySir Thomas Shirley, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Shirley, 1st Baronet was a British colonial governor and military officer. The son of William Shirley, a politically well-connected colonial administrator who served for many years as governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Shirley entered the military, serving in the Louisbourg...
, 28 November 1768–1774 - Montfort BrowneMontfort BrowneMontfort Browne was a British Army officer and Tory, and a major landowner and developer of British West Florida in the 1760s and 1770s. He commanded the Prince of Wales' American Regiment, a Loyalist regiment, in the American Revolutionary War...
, 1774–3 March 1776
- Samuel NicholasSamuel NicholasSamuel Nicholas was the first officer commissioned in the United States Continental Marines and by tradition is considered to be the first Commandant of the Marine Corps.-Early life:...
, 3 March 1776 – 17 March 1776, Commandant (American occupation)
- John Gambier, 17 March 1776–1778, acting, second time
- Montfort BrowneMontfort BrowneMontfort Browne was a British Army officer and Tory, and a major landowner and developer of British West Florida in the 1760s and 1770s. He commanded the Prince of Wales' American Regiment, a Loyalist regiment, in the American Revolutionary War...
, 1778–1779, restored - John Robert Maxwell, 1780–8 May 1782
- Bernardo de Gálvez, 8 May 1782 – 19 April 1783, Governor of Louisiana (Spanish occupation)
- Andrew de Vau, 1783 acting
- John Robert Maxwell, 1783–1784, restored
- James Edward Powell, 1784–1786
- John Brown, 1786–1787, acting
- Lord Dunmore, 1787–1796
- Robert Hunt, 1796–14 February 1797, acting
- John Forbes, 14 February 1797 – June 1797
- William DowdeswellWilliam Dowdeswell (governor)Lieutenant-General William Dowdeswell was a British soldier and politician from Worcestershire.-Career:The 3rd son of William Dowdeswell, he joined the army as a Lieutenant andCaptain in the 1st Foot Guards 1785...
, 20 November 1797–1801 - John Halkett, 1801–1804
- Charles Cameron, 8 May 1804–1820
- Lewis GrantLewis Grant (colonial administrator)Lewis Grant was the British governor of the Bahamas and governor of Trinidad ....
, 1821–1829 - James Carmichael SmythJames Carmichael SmythSir James Carmichael Smyth, 1st Baronet KCH CB was a British colonial administrator.He was born in London, England, the eldest of five sons of James Carmichael Smyth and Mary Holyland...
, 1829–1833 - Blayney Townley Balfour, 1833–1835
- William Macbean George ColebrookeWilliam MacBean George ColebrookeSir William MacBean George Colebrooke was a career soldier and colonial administrator who became lieutenant governor of New Brunswick in 1841.- External links :*...
, 1835–1837 - Francis Cockburne, 1837–1844
- George Benvenuto Matthew, 1844–1849
- John Gregory, 1849–1854
- Sir Alexander BannermanAlexander BannermanSir Alexander Bannerman was a British merchant, vintner, politician and colonial governor.-Background:...
, 1854–1857 - Charles John Bayley, 1857–1864
- Rawson William Rawson, 1864–1869
- Sir James Walker, 1869–1871
- George Cumine Strahan, 1871–1873
- Sir John Pope HennessyJohn Pope HennessySir John Pope Hennessy, KCMG , was an Irish and British politician and colonial administrator who served as the eighth Governor of Hong Kong.-Early life:...
, 1873–1874 - Sir William Robinson, 1874–1880
- Jeremiah Thomas Fitzgerald Callaghan, 1880–1881
- Sir Charles Cameron Lees, 1882 – January 1884
- Sir Henry Arthur BlakeHenry Arthur BlakeSir Henry Arthur Blake GCMG, DL was a British colonial administrator, Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903.-Early life and career:...
, 4 January 1884–1887 - Sir Ambrose SheaAmbrose SheaSir Ambrose Shea, KCMG , from Newfoundland was a political and business figure in Colonial Newfoundland and later served as Governor of the Bahamas. He was one of two Newfoundland delegates to the Québec Conference that led to Canadian confederation.Shea was born in St. John's, Newfoundland...
, 1887–1895 - Sir William Frederick Haynes Smith, 1895–1898
- Sir Gilbert Thomas CarterGilbert Thomas CarterSir Gilbert Thomas Carter KCMG was an administrative officer in the Royal Navy and later a colonial official who served as a Collector of Customs for the Gold Coast and a Treasurer of the Gold Coast and The Gambia...
, 1898–1904 - Sir William Grey-Wilson, 29 November 1904–1912
- Sir George Basil Haddon-Smith, 29 October 1912–1914
- Sir William Lamond AllardyceWilliam Lamond AllardyceSir William Lamond Allardyce KCMG was a career British civil servant in the Colonial Office who served as governor of Fiji , the Falkland Islands , Bahamas , Tasmania , and Newfoundland .Allardyce was born near Bombay, India, the son of Georgina Dickson Abbott and Colonel James Allardyce...
, 15 June 1914–1920 - Sir Harry Edward Spiller CordeauxHarry Edward Spiller CordeauxMajor Sir Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux K.C.M.G., C.B. was a British army officer and colonial administrator who became in turn Governor of Uganda, Saint Helena and the Bahamas.-Birth and education:...
, 8 December 1920–1926 - Sir Charles William James Orr, 15 March 1927 – January 1932
- Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford, 10 January 1932–1934
- Sir Charles Cecil Farquharson Dundas, 1934–1940, acting to 1937
- HRH The Prince Edward, Duke of WindsorEdward VIII of the United KingdomEdward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
, 18 August 1940–1945 - Sir William Lindsay MurphyWilliam Lindsay MurphySir William Lindsay Murphy was the British Governor of the Bahamas from 28 July 1945–1950. Prior to his appointment as Governor, he was the Colonial Secretary of Bermuda from 1942–1945, before which he was the Mayor of Colombo and first Municipal Commissioner from 1937 to 1941 in Ceylon. The Irish...
, 28 July 1945–1950 - Sir George Ritchie Sandford, 5 January 1950 – December 1950
- Sir Robert Arthur Ross Neville, 7 December 1950–1953
- Lord RanfurlyThomas Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of RanfurlyThomas Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of Ranfurly KCMG , known as Dan Ranfurly, was a British soldier and farmer, and served as governor of the Bahamas....
, 21 December 1953–1956 - Sir Oswald Raynor ArthurOswald Raynor ArthurSir Raynor Arthur was a British colonial administrator.Arthur was the son of Sigismund Arthur and Constance Hobhouse...
, 1 April 1957–1960 - Sir Robert Stapeldon, 18 July 1960–1964
- Ralph Francis Alnwick Grey, 3 June 1964–1968
- Sir Francis Edward Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 1 November 1968–1969
Governors of the Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands (1969–1973)
In 1969, the crown colony became the Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands.- Sir Francis Edward Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 1969–1972, continued
- Sir John Warburton PaulJohn Warburton PaulSir John Warburton Paul, GCMG, OBE, MC was a British government official, best known as a prolific administrator for 20 years of various British overseas territories around the world...
, 14 May 1972 – 10 July 1973
On 10 July 1973, the Bahamas achieved independence from Britain. Following independence, the viceroy in the Bahamas was the Governor-General of the Bahamas.