The governor-general of the Philippine; ; was the chief executive of the colonial government in the Philippines under Spanish (1565–1898), American (1898–1946), British (1762–1764), and Japanese (1942–1945) rule. During the Spanish period, the office was formally known as the captain general of the Philippines (; ). The governor-general also served as the representative of the executive authority of the ruling power.
On November 15, 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established as a transitional government to prepare the country for independence from American rule. The governor-general was replaced by an elected Filipino president of the Philippines, who assumed many of the duties of the office as chief executive of the Commonwealth. The last American governor-general subsequently became the high commissioner to the Philippines.
From 1565 to 1898, the Philippines was under Spanish rule. From 1565 to 1821, the governor and captain-general was appointed by the viceroy of New Spain and governed the Captaincy General of the Philippines on behalf of the monarch of Spain. During vacancies in the office, such as upon the death of an incumbent or during transitional periods between appointments, the Real Audiencia of Manila appointed a temporary governor from among its members.
Following the Mexican War of Independence in 1821, New Spain ceased to exist and the administrative affairs of the Philippines that had previously been handled through Mexico City were transferred directly to Madrid and placed under the authority of the Spanish Crown.
Under New Spain (1565–1764) No. PortraitNameTenure startTenure endViceroy of New SpainSecretary of the IndiesValidoSecretary of the Universal BureauFirst Secretary of StateRegent Monarch1Miguel López de LegazpiApril 27,1565August 20,1572Francisco CeinosVacant (Overseas Affairs hold by the President of the Council of the Indies)No validoNo regencyPhilip IIGastón de Peralta3rd Marquess of FalcesAlonso Muñoz andLuis CarrilloAlonso MuñozFrancisco CeinosMartín Enríquez de Almanza2Guido de LavezarisAugust 20,1572August 25,15753Francisco de SandeAugust 25,1575April15804Gonzalo Ronquillo de PeñalosaApril1580March 10,1583Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza5th Count of Coruña5Diego RonquilloMarch 10,1583May 16,1584Luis de Villanueva y Zapata6Santiago de VeraMay 16,1584May1590Pedro Moya de ContrerasÁlvaro Manrique de Zúñiga1st Marquess of VillamanriqueLuis de Velasco1st Marquess of Salinas7Gómez Pérez DasmariñasJune 1,1590October 25,15938Pedro de RojasOctober1593December 3,15939Luis Pérez DasmariñasDecember 3,1593July 14,1596Gaspar de Zúñiga5th Count of MonterreyDuke of Lerma <ref name="ks" group="note">As valido of the King of Spain</ref> | rowspan="15" |Philip III|- |10| |Francisco de Tello de Guzmán|July 14,1596 |May1602 |- style="height:55px;" | rowspan="2" |11| rowspan="2" | | rowspan="2" |Pedro Bravo de Acuña| rowspan="2" |May1602 | rowspan="2" |June 24,1606 |- | rowspan="2" |Juan de Mendoza y Luna3rd Marquess of Montesclaros |- style="height:79px;" | rowspan="2" |12Cristóbal Téllez AlmazánJune 24,1606June 15,1608Luis de Velasco1st Marquess of Salinas13Rodrigo de ViveroJune 15,1608April160914Juan de SilvaApril1609April 19,1616García GuerraPedro OtárolaDiego Fernández de Córdoba1st Marquess of Guadalcázar15Andrés de AlcarazApril 19,1616July 3,161816Alonso Fajardo de TenzaJuly 3,1618July1624Cristóbal Gómez de Sandoval Paz de ValecilloBaltasar de Zúñiga Philip IVDiego Carrillo de Mendoza1st Marquess of GélvesCount-Duke of Olivares 17Jeronimo de SilvaJuly1624June1625Rodrigo Pacheco3rd Marquess of Cerralvo18Fernándo de SilvaJune1625June 29,162619Juan Niño de TaboraJune 29,1626July 22,163220Lorenzo de OlasoJuly 22,1632163321Juan Cerezo de SalamancaAugust 29,1633June 25,163522Sebastián Hurtado de CorcueraJune 25,1635August 11,1644Lope Díez de Armendáriz1st Marquess of CadreitaDiego López Pacheco7th Duke of EscalonaJuan de Palafox y MendozaGarcía Sarmiento de Sotomayor2nd Count of SalvatierraLuis de Haro 23Diego Fajardo ChacónAugust 11,1644July 25,1653Marcos de Torres y RuedaMatías de PeraltaLuis Enríquez de Guzmán9th Count of Alba de Liste24Sabiniano Manrique de LaraJuly 25,1653September 8,1663Francisco Fernández de la Cueva8th Duke of AlburquerqueJuan Francisco Leiva y de la Cerda5th Marquess of AdradaNo valido Personalist government of Philip IV25Diego de SalcedoSeptember 8,1663September 28,1668Diego Osorio de Escobar y LlamasAntonio Sebastián Álvarez de Toledo2nd Marquess of ManceraJuan Everardo Nithard Mariana of Austria As regent during the minority of his son, Charles IICharles II26Juan Manuel de la Peña BonifazSeptember 28,1668September 24,1669Fernando de Valenzuela 27Manuel de LeónSeptember 24,1669September 21,1677Payo Enríquez de RiveraNo regencyJohn Joseph of Austria As Chief Minister of Spain28Francisco Coloma y MacedaApril 11,1677September 25,167729Francisco de Montemayor y MansillaSeptember 21,1677September 28,167830Juan de Vargas HurtadoSeptember 28,1678August 24,1684Duke of Medinaceli Tomás de la Cerda3rd Marquess of la Laguna de Camero Viejo31Gabriel de Curucealegui y ArriolaAugust 24,1684April1689Count of Oropesa Melchor Portocarrero3rd Count of MonclovaGaspar de la Cerda8th Count of Galve32Alonso de Abella FuertesApril1689July169033Fausto Cruzat y GóngoraJuly 25,1690December 8,1701No valido After the dimission of Count of Oropesa, there wasn't any powerful personJuan Ortega y MontañésJosé Sarmiento de Valladares1st Duke of AtriscoCount of Oropesa Cardinal Portocarrero Cardinal Portocarrero During the illness of Charles IIGovernment Board of the Realms After the death of Charles IIVacantUntil the coronation of Philip of AnjouAntonio de Ubilla As Secretary of the Universal BureauPhilip VNo regencyCardinal Portocarrero During the voyage of Philip V34Domingo Zabálburu de EchevarriDecember 8,1701August 25,1709Juan Ortega y MontañésFrancisco Fernández de la Cueva1st Duke of AlburquerqueNo regencyMarquis of Mejorada del Campo 35Martín de Ursúa' y Arismendi1st Count of LizárragaAugust 25,1709February 4,1715Fernando de Alencastre1st Duke of LinaresManuel Vadillo y Velasco José de Grimaldo Bernardo Tinajero de la Escalera As Secretary of State for the Navy and the Indies of Spain36José TorralbaFebruary 4,1715August 9,1717No secretary Baltasar de Zúñiga1st Duke of Arión37Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y RuedaAugust 9,1717October 11,171938Francisco de la CuestaOctober 11,1719August 6,1721Miguel Fernández Durán Andres Matías de Pes Marzaraga 39Toribio de CossíoAugust 6,1721August 14,1729Juan de Acuña1st Marquess of Casa FuerteNo secretary Antonio de Sopeña y Mioño Juan Bautista de Orendáin Louis IPhilip VJosé de Grimaldo Baron Ripperda José de Grimaldo José de Patiño y Rosales Juan Bautista de Orendáin40Fernándo Valdés TamónAugust 14,1729July1739Juan Antonio de Vizarrón y EguiarretaJosé de Patiño y Rosales As First Secretary of State of SpainMarquis of Villarías Mateo Pablo Díaz de Lavandero 41Gaspar de la Torre y AyalaJuly1739September 21,1745Marquis of Villarías Pedro de Castro1st Duke of la ConquistaPedro Malo de VillavicencioPedro Cebrián5th Count of Fuenclara42Juan de ArechederraSeptember 21,1745July 20,1750Marquess of Ensenada Juan Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas1st Count of RevillagigedoFerdinand VIJosé de Carvajal 43Francisco José de Ovando1st Marquess of BrindisiJuly 20,1750July 26,1754Duke of Huéscar Ricardo Wall Ricardo Wall As Secretary of State for IndiesJulián de Arriaga y Ribera 44Pedro Manuel de Arandía SantistebanJuly 26,1754May 31,1759Agustín de Ahumada2nd Marquess of Amarillas45Miguel Lino de EzpeletaJune1759May 31,1761Elisabeth Farnese Until the arrival of Charles IIICharles IIINo regencyFrancisco Antonio de EchávarriFrancisco Cajigal de la VegaJoaquín de Montserrat1st Marquess of Cruillas46Manuel Rojo del Río y VieyraJuly1761October 6,1762
British occupation of Manila (1762–1764)
After the Spanish defeat at the Battle of Manila in 1762, the Philippines was briefly governed simultaneously by two Governors-General, one of the Spanish Empire and one of the British Empire.
Great Britain shortly occupied Manila and the naval port of Cavite as part of the Seven Years' War, while the Spanish Governor-General set up a provisional government in Bacolor, Pampanga to continue administering the rest of the archipelago.
British governor-general No. PortraitNameTenure startTenure endSecretary of State for the Southern DepartmentPrime Minister Monarch46aDawsonne DrakeNovember 2,1762May 31,1764The Earl of EgremontThe Earl of ButeGeorge IIIGeorge GrenvilleThe Earl of Halifax
Spanish governor-general No. PortraitNameTenure startTenure endViceroy of New SpainSecretary of State for IndiesFirst Secretary of State Monarch47Simón de Anda y SalazarOctober 6,1762February 10,1764Joaquín de Montserrat1st Marquess of CruillasJulián Arriaga y Ribera Ricardo Wall Charles IIIJerónimo Grimaldi
Under New Spain (1764–1821) After the British returned Manila to the Spanish in 1764, the Spanish Governor-General Francisco Javier de la Torre resumed administration of the Philippines under the authority of the Viceroy of New Spain in modern-day Mexico (New Spain) as part of the Spanish Empire.
The Philippines, along with the rest of the Spanish Empire, became part of the First French Empire in 1808 after Napoleon overthrew Ferdinand VII and installed Joseph Bonaparte as king until his abdication in 1813, as part of a disastrous consequence of Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign, the Peninsular Wars, particularly the Battle of Vitoria, and of forming the Sixth Coalition.
No. PortraitNameTenure startTenure endViceroy of New SpainSecretary of the IndiesFirst Secretary of State Monarch48Francisco Javier de la TorreMarch 17,1764July 6,1765Joaquín de Montserrat1st Marquess of CruillasJulián Arriaga y Ribera Jerónimo Grimaldi Charles III49José Antonio Raón y GutiérrezJuly 6,1765July1770Carlos Francisco de Croix1st Marquess of Croix(47)Simón de Anda y SalazarJuly1770October 30,1776Antonio María de BucareliMarquess of Sonora 50Pedro SarrióOctober 30,1776July1778Count of Floridablanca 51José Basco y VargasJuly1778September 22,1787Francisco Romá y RosellMartín de MayorgaMatías de Gálvez y GallardoVicente de Herrera y RiveroBernardo de Gálvez1st Count of GálvezEusebio Sánchez ParejaAlonso Núñez de Haro y PeraltaCount of Floridablanca Antonio PorlierAs Secretary of State for Grace and Justice of Indies Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán