The governor of Hong Kong was the representative of the British Crown in Hong Kong from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and commander-in-chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions. Upon the end of British rule and the handover of Hong Kong to 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.
Powers and functions
Authorities and duties of the governor 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 Foreign Secretary), exercised the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong throughout British sovereignty 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 of Hong Kong chaired the colonial cabinet, the Executive Council (ExCo), and, until 1993, was also the president of the Legislative Council. The governor appointed most, if not all, of the members of the colony's legislature (known colloquially as LegCo), which was largely an advisory body until the first indirect election to LegCo was held in 1985. Initially, both councils were dominated by British expatriates, but this progressively gave way to local Hong Kong Chinese appointees in later years. Historically, the governors of Hong Kong were either professional diplomats or senior colonial officials, except for the last governor, Chris Patten, who was a career politician. 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.House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 17 Dec 1996 (pt 3)
In the absence of the governor, the chief secretary immediately became the acting governor of the colony. The chief secretaries were historically drawn from the Colonial Office or British military. One Royal Navy Vice Admiral served as administrator after World War II. Four Japanese military officers (three Army officers and one naval vice admiral) served as administrators during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II.
Entitlements and benefits
Transport The governor of Hong Kong used a Daimler DS420 for day to day transport and a Rolls-Royce Phantom V landaulet for ceremonial occasions. Both vehicles were removed by the Royal Navy immediately following the handover to China on 1 July 1997.
Residences
The first governor, Sir Henry Pottinger, 1st Bt., resided at the site of the now Former French Mission Building from 1843 to 1846. It was used as the home of the Provisional Government after Japanese surrender from 1945 to 1946. The building housed the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal from the transfer of sovereignty to 6 September 2015. His successor, Sir John Davis, 1st Bt., also lived there before moving to Caine Road. Since the 4th governor, Sir John Bowring, the governors resided at Government House, excluding the period from 1941 to 1946. From 1941 to 1945 the Commandant of Japanese Forces as Military Governor of Hong Kong occupied Flagstaff House as their residence. The residence was returned to the Commander of British Forces following the end of World War II.
List of governors
British administrators and governors (1841–1941) Portrait Name Term of office Origin Background Ref Took office Left office Duration Sir Charles ElliotAdministrator 26 January 1841 12 August 1841 Dresden, Saxony Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China Civil and Miscellaneous Lists: Hong Kong Government. Hong Kong: Government Printer. 1973. p. 101.Endacott, G. B. (2005) . A Biographical Sketch-book of Early Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. pp. 56–58. . Alexander Robert JohnstonActing Administrator 22 June 1841 1 February 1842 Colombo, Ceylon Deputy Superintendent of British Trade in China The Chinese Repository. Volume 10. Canton. 1841. pp. 351–352.The Chinese Repository. Volume 11. Canton. 1842. pp. 674–676, 685. 13 June 1842 2 December 1842 Sir Henry Pottinger Administrator 12 August 1841 26 June 1843 Ballymacarrett, Ireland Lieutenant-General, East India Company Norton-Kyshe, James William (1898). The History of the Laws and Courts of Hong Kong. Volume 1. London: T. Fisher Unwin. p. 10. 1 Sir Henry Pottinger 26 June 1843 8 May 1844 Lieutenant-General 2 Sir John Francis Davis 8 May 1844 21 March 1848 London, England Chief Superintendent of British Trade in China 3 Sir George Bonham 21 March 1848 13 April 1854 London, England East India Company 4 Sir John Bowring 13 April 1854 2 May 1859 Exeter, England Member of Parliament (MP) William CaineActing Governor 2 May 1859 9 September 1859 Maynooth, Ireland Colonial Secretary 5 Sir Hercules Robinson 9 September 1859 15 March 1865 Westmeath, Ireland Colonial administrator William Thomas MercerActing Governor 15 March 1865 12 March 1866 London, England Colonial Secretary 6 Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell 12 March 1866 11 April 1872 Dublin, Ireland Colonial administrator Henry Wase WhitfieldLieutenant-Governor 11 April 1872 16 April 1872 England Commander and lieutenant governor 7 Sir Arthur Kennedy 16 April 1872 1 March 1877 County Down, Ireland Colonial administrator John Gardiner AustinAdministrator 1 March 1877 23 April 1877 Lowlands Plantation, Demerara 8 Sir John Pope Hennessy 23 April 1877 7 March 1882 County Cork, Ireland Malcolm Struan TonnochyAdministrator 7 March 1882 28 March 1882 Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, India Sir William Henry MarshAdministrator 28 March 1882 30 March 1883 England 9 Sir George Bowen 30 March 1883 21 December 1885 County Donegal, Ireland Sir William Henry MarshOfficer Administrating the Government 21 December 1885 25 April 1887 England William Gordon CameronOfficer Administering the Government 25 April 1887 6 October 1887 France Commander and lieutenant governor, British Army 10 Sir William Des Vœux 6 October 1887 7 May 1891 Baden-Baden, German Confederation Colonial administrator Sir George Digby BarkerOfficer Administering the Government 7 May 1891 10 December 1891 Clare, England Commander and lieutenant governor, British Army 11 Sir William Robinson 10 December 1891 1 February 1898 Wetherden, England Colonial administrator Sir Wilsone BlackOfficer Administering the Government 1 February 1898 25 November 1898 Glasgow, Scotland Commander and lieutenant governor 12 Sir Henry Arthur Blake 25 November 1898 21 November 1903 Limerick, Ireland Colonial administrator Sir Francis Henry MayOfficer Administering the Government 21 November 1903 29 July 1904 Dublin, Ireland Colonial Secretary 13 Sir Matthew Nathan 29 July 1904 20 April 1907 London, England Colonial administrator Sir Francis Henry MayOfficer Administering the Government 20 April 1907 29 July 1907 Dublin, Ireland Colonial Secretary 14 Sir Frederick Lugard 29 July 1907 16 March 1912 Madras, India Colonial administrator Claud SevernOfficer Administering the Government 16 March 1912 4 July 1912 Adelaide, South Australia 15 Sir Francis Henry May 4 July 1912 12 September 1918 Dublin, Ireland Colonial Secretary Claud SevernOfficer Administering the Government 12 September 1918 30 September 1919 Adelaide, South Australia Colonial administrator 16 Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs 30 September 1919 31 October 1925 Oxford, England 17 Sir Cecil Clementi 1 November 1925 1 February 1930 Cawnpore, India Thomas SouthornOfficer Administering the Government 1 February 1930 9 May 1930 Durham, England Colonial Secretary 18 Sir William Peel 9 May 1930 17 May 1935 Hexham, England Colonial administrator Thomas SouthornOfficer Administering the Government 17 May 1935 13 September 1935 Leamington Spa, England Colonial Secretary Norman Lockhart SmithOfficer Administering the Government 13 September 1935 1 November 1935 Durham, England Colonial administrator Thomas SouthornOfficer Administering the Government 1 November 1935 12 December 1935 Leamington Spa, England Colonial Secretary 19 Sir Andrew Caldecott 12 December 1935 16 April 1937 Kent, England Colonial administrator Norman Lockhart SmithOfficer Administering the Government 16 April 1937 28 October 1937 Durham, England Colonial Secretary 20 Sir Geoffry Northcote 28 October 1937 6 September 1941 London, England Colonial administrator Norman Lockhart SmithOfficer Administering the Government 6 September 1941 10 September 1941 Durham, England Colonial Secretary 21 Sir Mark Aitchison Young 10 September 1941 25 December 1941 India Colonial administrator
Japanese occupation (1941–1945) Portrait Name Term of office Origin Background Ref Took office Left office Duration Takashi SakaiAdministrator 25 December 1941 20 February 1942 Kamo, Hiroshima Lieutenant general Masaichi NiimiAdministrator Hiroshima, Hiroshima Vice admiral 1 Rensuke Isogai 20 February 1942 24 December 1944 Tanba, Hyōgo Lieutenant general 2 Hisakazu Tanaka 1 February 1945 16 August 1945 Himeji, Hyōgo
British administrators and governors (1945–1997) Portrait Name Term of office Origin Background Ref Took office Left office Duration Sir Franklin Charles GimsonProvisional Governor 28 August 1945 30 August 1945 Leicestershire, England Colonial Secretary Sir Cecil HarcourtMilitary administration 1 September 1945 1 May 1946 London, England Admiral (Royal Navy) 21 Sir Mark Aitchison Young 1 May 1946 17 May 1947 India Colonial administrator David Mercer MacDougallAdministrator 17 May 1947 25 July 1947 Perth, Scotland Colonial Secretary 22 Sir Alexander Grantham 25 July 1947 31 December 1957 London, England Colonial administrator Edgeworth Beresford DavidAdministrator 31 December 1957 23 January 1958 Dulwich, England Colonial Secretary 23 Sir Robert Brown Black 23 January 1958 31 March 1964 Edinburgh, Scotland Colonial administrator Edmund Brinsley TeesdaleAdministrator 31 March 1964 14 April 1964 Shanghai, China Colonial Secretary 24 Sir David C. C. Trench 14 April 1964 19 October 1971 Quetta, India Colonial administrator Sir Hugh Norman-WalkerAdministrator 19 October 1971 19 November 1971 London, England Colonial Secretary 25 Sir Murray MacLehose 19 November 1971 8 May 1982 Glasgow, Scotland UK Ambassador to Denmark Sir Philip Haddon-CaveActing governor 8 May 1982 20 May 1982 Hobart, Australia Chief Secretary 26 Sir Edward Youde 20 May 1982 4 December 1986 Penarth, Wales UK Ambassador to China Sir David Akers-JonesActing governor 4 December 1986 9 April 1987 Sussex, England Chief Secretary 27 Sir David Wilson 9 April 1987 3 July 1992 Clackmannanshire, Scotland Diplomat Sir David FordActing governor 3 July 1992 9 July 1992 England Chief Secretary 28 Chris Patten 9 July 1992 30 June 1997 Lancashire, England Chairman of Conservative Party
Timeline
Firsts Charles Elliot, first administrator Sir Henry Pottinger, first governor, first Irishman and first Ulsterman to serve in the role Sir John Francis Davis, first Sinologist to serve as governor Sir John Bowring, first Puritan to serve as governor Sir John Pope Hennessy, first Irish Catholic to serve as governor Sir Matthew Nathan, first Jew to serve as governor Sir Francis H. May, first police chief to serve as governor and the first governor to suffer an assassination attempt (which failed) Sir Cecil Clementi, first Indian-born and Cantonese-speaking governor Sir Mark Young, first prisoner of war to serve as governor Takashi Sakai, first Japanese administrator to serve as governor Cecil Harcourt, first British military administrator to serve as governor (all past governors with military service had retired before assuming the post) Sir Murray MacLehose, first non-colonial officer to serve as governor; he was a diplomat, a foreign service officer Sir Edward Youde, first governor fluent in Mandarin; only governor to die in office