High commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.
The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.
Commonwealth
Bilateral diplomacy
In the Commonwealth of Nations, a high commissioner is the senior diplomat (ranking as an ambassador) in charge of the diplomatic mission of one Commonwealth government to another. In this usage, a Commonwealth nation's high commission is its embassy to another Commonwealth nation.
British colonial usage
Historically, in the British Empire (most of which would become the Commonwealth) high commissioners were envoys of the imperial government appointed to manage protectorates or groups of territories not fully under the sovereignty of the British Crown, while Crown colonies (which were British sovereign territory) would normally be administered by a governor and the most significant possessions, large confederations and the independent Commonwealth Dominions would be headed by a governor-general.
An example was the island of Cyprus. Until 12 July 1878, Cyprus was under the Ottoman rule based in Istanbul. From that date, it was under British administration, but Istanbul retained nominal sovereignty until Cyprus was fully annexed by Britain on 5 November 1914. There were nine successive high commissioners, all but one already knighted, from 22 July 1878 until on 10 March 1925. Cyprus became a crown colony, and the last incumbent stayed on as its first governor.
The high commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan, who administered Mandatory Palestine, had a considerable effect on the history of Zionism and the early stages of what would become the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
A high commission could also be charged with the last phase of a decolonisation, as in the crown colony of the Seychelles, granted autonomy on 12 November 1970: the last governor, Colin Hamilton Allen (1921–1993), stayed on as the only colonial high commissioner from 1 October 1975, when self-rule under the Crown was granted, until 28 June 1976 when the Seychelles became an independent republic within the Commonwealth.
British indirect rule As diplomatic residents (as diplomatic ranks were codified, this became a lower class than ambassadors and high commissioners) were sometimes appointed to native rulers, high commissioners could likewise be appointed as British agents of indirect rule upon native states. Thus high commissioners could be charged with managing diplomatic relations with native rulers and their states (analogous to the resident minister), and might have under them several resident commissioners or similar agents attached to each state.
In present-day Nigeria: Northern Nigeria, three incumbents 1900–1907, the last of whom stayed on as first governor, Southern Nigeria, three incumbents 1900–1906 (four terms), the last of whom stayed on as first governor.
In certain regions of particular importance, a commissioner-general would be appointed, to have control over several high commissioners and governors, e.g. the commissioner-general for south-east Asia had responsibility for Malaya and British Borneo.
High commissioners as administrators The role of High Commissioner for Southern Africa was coupled with that of British governor of the Cape Colony in the 19th century, giving the colonial administrator responsibility both for administering British possessions and relating to neighbouring Boer settlements. The best known of these high commissioners, Alfred Milner, who was appointed to both positions in the 1890s, is considered responsible by some for igniting the Second Boer War.
Historically, in southern Africa, the protectorates of Bechuanaland (now Botswana), Basutoland (now Lesotho) and Swaziland (now Eswatini) were administered as High Commission Territories by the governor-general of South Africa, who was also the British high commissioner for Bechuanaland, Basutoland, and Swaziland, until the 1930s, with various local representatives, and subsequently by the British high commissioner (from 1961 ambassador) to South Africa, who was represented locally in each territory by a resident commissioner.
The British governor of the crown colony of the Straits Settlements, based in Singapore, doubled as high commissioner of the Federated Malay States, and had authority over the resident-general in Kuala Lumpur, who in turn was responsible for the various residents appointed to the native rulers of the Malay states under British protection.
The High Commissioner for the Western Pacific initially exercised extraterritorial jurisdiction over British subjects in the western Pacific Ocean, but later developed into an administrative role supervising resident commissioners and other officials in British protectorates, including the British Solomon Islands Protectorate and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.
Currently there is still one high commissioner who also serves in an additional capacity as a governor: the British high commissioner to New Zealand serves ex officio as British colonial Governor of the Pitcairn Islands.
Other territorial administrators
External territories and decolonisation In the (post-)colonial sense, some other powers have or previously had high commissioners, or rather the exact equivalent in their language.
Kingdom of Denmark
In the Kingdom of Denmark, high commissioners (, , ) represent the crown and the Kingdom Government (Regeringen) in Greenland and the Faroe Islands (two self-governing regions of the kingdom – the unity of the Realm) and take part in negotiations on policies and decisions affecting their region including negotiations with the devolved legislatures and the Kingdom Parliament (Folketinget). Greenland and the Faroe Islands have one commissioner each.
French Originally the French word Haut Commissaire, or in full Haut Commissaire de la république (High Commissioner of the Republic), was rarely used for gubernatorial functions, rather (Lieutenant-)gouverneur(-général) and various lower titles. Exceptions were: since 22 March 1907, the colonial Gouverneur of New Caledonia was also appointed as high commissioner in the Pacific Ocean, to co-ordinate with the governors of the French settlements in Oceania and the governors-general of French Indochina; the French resident commissioner of the Anglo-French condominium Nouvelles Hébrides and the residents to the island protectorates of Wallis and Futuna were subordinated to him once Charles de Gaulle named someone else as high commissioner for the French Territory of the Pacific and the Far East, January 1941 – 1945: Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu (b. 1889 – d. 1964), while in December 1941 the Vichy (pro-German) government named Jean Decoux (b. 1884 – d. 1963) to the post (who in fact was only responsible for Wallis and Futuna, which was the only Pacific territory not to have rallied to the Free French at that time). In Atlantic waters, from 14 September 1939 until September 1943, four French possessions in the Americas (French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique, all in the Caribbean, as well as Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, off the Canadian coast) were temporarily grouped together (from June 1940 under Vichy France, so remaining on the Allied side). The two consecutive 'high commissioners in the Antilles' (quite a misleading title: French Guiana is in continental South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon off the Canadian coast, so in North America) held both administrative authority over the local governors and equivalent officers (rather like a gouverneur général did elsewhere on a permanent basis) and military command in the 'Theater Atlantic West': 14 September 1939 – 14 July 1943 Georges Robert (b. 1875 – d. 1965) 14 July 1943 – September 1943 Henri Hoppenot (b. 1891 – d. 1977)
In the later period of decolonisation, the office of high commissioner in a colony to become an allied nation was intended to become remarkably analogous to the Commonwealth's 'close relationship diplomats' in President General De Gaulle's project for a French Union to match the Commonwealth, but it soon started to fall apart, so they actually just presided over most of the peaceful decolonisation. Algérie (Algeria), once similar to Tunis, but incorporated directly into the French Republic, got its only high commissioner on 19 March 1962 – Christian Fouchet (b. 1911 – d. 1974) – until its 3 July 1962 independence from France (Algerian State; 25 September 1962 People's Democratic Algerian Republic ruled by the FLN, the former armed revolt) in present-day Benin, since 13 October 1946 Dahomey overseas territory, on 4 December 1958 granted autonomy as Republic of Dahomey, the last (acting) governor, René Tirant (b. 1907), stayed on as only high commissioner until the 1 August 1960 independence Chad, since 27 October 1946 an overseas territory of France (part of AEF colony) under its own governor, shortly after it was on 28 November 1958 granted autonomy as Republic of Chad, had a single high commissioner from 22 January 1959: Daniel Marius Doustin (b. 1920) until its 11 August 1960 independence from France. Congo-Brazzaville (variously named, often Middle Congo) had a single high commissioner, a bit after it was granted on 28 November 1958 autonomy (as Republic of Congo), 7 January 1959 – 15 August 1960: Guy Noël Georgy (b. 1918 – d. 2003) after many lieutenant governors since 11 December 1888 (under the governor-general of AEF, except the several cases when he governed the French Congo personally); afterwards it was an independent republic Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) had two high commissioners since it was granted autonomy as republic of Ivory Coast: 4 December 1958 – 15 July 1960 Ernest de Nattes (b. 1908), the last of the long list of governors since 10 March 1893 (colony until 27 October 1946, then overseas territory) 15 July 1960 – 7 August 1960 Yves René Henri Guéna (b. 1922); thereafter it was an independent republic Gabon had two high commissioners since on 28 November 1958 autonomy was granted (as Gabonese Republic) to the former overseas territory (since 1946) November 1958 – July 1959 Louis Marius Pascal Sanmarco (b. 1912 – d. 2015), also the last of the governors since 1941 (after various otherwise styled chief executives before; it had since 15 January 1910 been part of French Equatorial Africa, AEF) July 1959 – 17 August 1960 Jean Risterucci (b. 1911 – d. 1982); thereafter it was an independent republic Mauritania had two high commissioners, after having been a protectorate since 12 May 1903 (under a single military commandant), from 18 October 1904 the French civil territory of Mauritania under a commissioner (part of French West Africa (AOF); under its governor-general in Dakar, Senegal), and since 12 January 1920 a French colony under a lieutenant governor (many incumbents, again under Dakar), on 28 November 1958 obtaining autonomy (as Islamic Republic of Mauritania): 5 October 1958 – February 1959 Henri Joseph Marie Bernard (b. 1920) February 1959 – 28 November 1960 Amédée Joseph Émile Jean Pierre Anthonioz (b. 1913 – d. 1996); since independence from France it had its own president (or a junta chief); In Niger, since 13 October 1946 an overseas territory of France (part of French West Africa, see Senegal) under a lieutenant-governor, on 19 December 1958 granted autonomy as Republic of Niger, there was a single high commissioner 25 August 1958 – 10 November 1960: Jean Colombani (b. 1903), i.e. still several months after the formal 3 August 1960 independence whilst there was no president