The Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales is a government position in the state of New South Wales, Australia, acting as a deputy to the Governor of New South Wales.

The office was first created in October 1786, before the arrival of the First Fleet, to act as a deputy to the first governor, Arthur Phillip

Arthur Phillip

Admiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...

. At that time the office was filled by military officers.

From 1872 onwards this office was permanently filled by the Chief Justice of New South Wales

Chief Justice of New South Wales

The Chief Justice of New South Wales is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of New South Wales. The Chief Justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court as well as the administrative head...

 but the position may be retained by the Chief Justice after his/her retirement from the Supreme Court of New South Wales

Supreme Court of New South Wales

The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales...

 .

Role

Originally, the Lieutenant Governor had a legislative role with a seat on the first Legislative Council of New South Wales in 1824, this was later phased out due to the lessening of the powers of the state governor. The role of the governors are enshrined in part 2A of the New South Wales Constitution Act (1902).

The current role of the Lieutenant Governor is to take up the duties of the Governor if the Governor dies, resigns, or is absent. This occurred most recently in September 2008, when, in the absence of Governor Marie Bashir

Marie Bashir

Marie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular...

, the Lieutenant Governor, James Spigelman

James Spigelman

James Jacob Spigelman AC QC is a former Australian judge. He served as Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 19 May 1998 until 31 May 2011.-Early years and education:...

, administered the swearing in of the new cabinet of the Nathan Rees

Nathan Rees

Nathan Rees MP, , an Australian politician, was the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Australian Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009...

 government.

If the Lieutenant Governor becomes incapacitated while serving in the office of Governor, the next most senior judge of the Supreme Court is sworn in as the Administrator. This occurred in May 1973 when Sir Leslie Herron

Leslie Herron

Sir Leslie James Herron, KBE, CMG, KStJ was a prominent Australian barrister, judge, chief justice and lieutenant governor of New South Wales. Biographer Martha Rutledge describes him as being “interested, interesting and with a lively sense of humour”, but that he “conducted his court with...

 died suddenly while the Governor, Sir Roden Cutler was overseas. Sir John Kerr became the Administrator until Cutler was able to return.

The Lieutenant-Governors/Administrators have no standing powers but stand ready to act in the Governor's position.

Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of NSW

No.	Governor	From	To
1	Major Robert Ross	24 October 1786	8 July 1792
2	Major Francis Grose	13 December 1792	17 December 1794
3	Lieutenant-Colonel William Paterson William Paterson (explorer) Colonel William Paterson, FRS was a Scottish soldier, explorer, Lieutenant governor and botanist best known for leading early settlement in Tasmania. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Paterson when citing a botanical name.-Early years:A native of Montrose, Scotland, Paterson was...	18 December 1794	19 September 1795
	Office vacant	20 September 1795	September 1800
4	Colonel William Paterson William Paterson (explorer) Colonel William Paterson, FRS was a Scottish soldier, explorer, Lieutenant governor and botanist best known for leading early settlement in Tasmania. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Paterson when citing a botanical name.-Early years:A native of Montrose, Scotland, Paterson was...	September 1800	26 January 1808
5	George Johnston George Johnston (New South Wales) Lieutenant-Colonel George Johnston was briefly Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, Australia after leading the rebellion later known as the Rum Rebellion....	26 January 1808	25 April 1808
6	Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Foveaux Joseph Foveaux Joseph Foveaux was a soldier and convict settlement administrator in colonial New South Wales, Australia.Foveaux was baptised on 6 April 1767 at Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England, the sixth child of Joseph Foveaux and his wife Elizabeth, née Wheeler...	25 April 1808	9 January 1809
7	The Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Maurice O'Connell Maurice Charles O'Connell Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell was a commander of forces and lieutenant-governor of New South Wales.O'Connell was born in Ireland in 1768. He had had a distinguished career in the army when he came with Macquarie to New South Wales in charge of the 73rd regiment...	10 January 1810	12 February 1814
8	Colonel George Molle	13 February 1814	12 September 1817
9	Colonel James Erskine CB	12 September 1817	25 February 1823
10	Colonel William Stewart	26 February 1823	23 March 1827
	Post abolished	24 March 1827	4 December 1837
11	Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Snodgrass	5 December 1837	23 February 1838
	Unknown	24 February 1838	12 July 1846
	The Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Maurice O'Connell Maurice Charles O'Connell Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell was a commander of forces and lieutenant-governor of New South Wales.O'Connell was born in Ireland in 1768. He had had a distinguished career in the army when he came with Macquarie to New South Wales in charge of the 73rd regiment...	12 July 1846	2 August 1846
	Unknown	2 August 1846	21 February 1872
	The Rt Hon. Sir Alfred Stephen GCMG CB Alfred Stephen Sir Alfred Stephen was an Australian judge and chief justice of New South Wales.Stephen was born at St Christopher in the West Indies. His father, John Stephen , was related to Henry John Stephen, Sir James Stephen and Sir James FitzJames Stephen, all men of great distinction in England...	22 February 1872	15 January 1891
	The Rt Hon. Sir Frederick Darley GCMG	16 January 1891	4 January 1910
	The Hon. Sir William Cullen KCMG KC William Portus Cullen Sir William Portus Cullen KCMG was Chief Justice of New South Wales, Australia.-Early life:Cullen was born at Mount Johnston, near Jamberoo, New South Wales, the seventh son of John and Rebecca Cullen. A brother, Joseph Cullen, was a Member of Parliament for both New South Wales and Western...	28 January 1910	27 January 1930
	The Hon. Sir Philip Street KCMG Philip Whistler Street Sir Philip Whistler Street KCMG was the eighth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Street was a distinguished lawyer, patron of many benevolent institutions and also the lieutenant governor of New South Wales. Biographer Percival Serle states "Street had the culture, dignity...	28 January 1930	11 September 1938
	The Hon. Sir Frederick Jordan KCMG QC Frederick Richard Jordan Sir Frederick Richard Jordan KCMG was a barrister, chief justice and lieutenant governor of New South Wales.. He was the ninth Chief justice of New South Wales, a state of Australia. Jordan was a distinguished lawyer as well as the Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales...	12 September 1938	4 November 1949
	The Hon. Sir Kenneth Street KCMG QC	6 January 1950	19 February 1972
	The Hon. Sir Leslie Herron KBE CMG QC Leslie Herron Sir Leslie James Herron, KBE, CMG, KStJ was a prominent Australian barrister, judge, chief justice and lieutenant governor of New South Wales. Biographer Martha Rutledge describes him as being “interested, interesting and with a lively sense of humour”, but that he “conducted his court with...	22 May 1972	3 May 1973
	The Rt. Hon. Sir John Kerr AK, GCMG, GCVO, QC	16 May 1973	27 May 1974
	The Hon. Sir Laurence Street KCMG AC QC Laurence Street Sir Laurence Whistler Street AC, KCMG, QC is an Australian jurist and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.-Family:...	28 June 1974	1 November 1988
	The Hon. Murray Gleeson AC QC	2 November 1988	31 March 1998
	The Hon. James Spigelman AC QC James Spigelman James Jacob Spigelman AC QC is a former Australian judge. He served as Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 19 May 1998 until 31 May 2011.-Early years and education:...	1 April 1998	31 May 2011
	The Hon. Tom Bathurst QC Tom Bathurst Thomas Frederick Bathurst QC is an Australian judge. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales from 1 June 2011.-Early years and education:...	1 June 2011	Present