List of governors-general of Australia

The governor-general of Australia is the federal representative of the Australian monarch (currently ). The position came into being on 29 October 1900 with the establishment of the first Commonwealth office, just prior to the adoption of the new national constitution and has been held by 28 people since then. Because governors-general are appointed at His Majesty's pleasure, there is no fixed term, but governors-general are usually given a 5-year term.

Background For the first two decades after federation, governors-general were selected solely by the British government. The monarch was consulted on the decision into the 1930s. The first four governors-general were peers; Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson (appointed 1914) was the first commoner to hold the position, although he was also later elevated to the peerage. In 1920, Billy Hughes became the first prime minister to be consulted over the governor-generalship. Stanley Bruce (1925) and Joseph Lyons (1935) either asked for or were given a list of suitable candidates to choose from.

James Scullin (1930) became the first prime minister of Australia to exercise complete discretion in the appointment; his nomination of Sir Isaac Isaacs made Australia the first Dominion to have a native-born governor-general. In 1945, John Curtin nominated Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to the post. Henry was the first and only royal officeholder to take up the office — in October 1938, Prince George, Duke of Kent had been announced as successor to Lord Gowrie with effect from November 1939,"The Duke of Kent: Appointment in Australia", The Times (26 October 1938): 14. but on 11 September 1939, the Duke's appointment was postponed due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Prince George died in 1942 and thus his appointment never eventuated, instead Lord Gowrie continued in office in Australia until 1945, creating a still-unsurpassed record term of over 9 years."Duke of Kent and Australia", The Times (12 September 1939): 6. A second Australian (William McKell) was appointed in 1947; he was followed by three more Britons, each chosen by Sir Robert Menzies. Menzies's fourth nomination was Richard Casey, who took office in 1965; he and all subsequent governors-general have been Australian citizens. All Australian states except South Australia and Tasmania have provided at least one appointee (although the latter of these provided an Administrator of the Commonwealth for several months in 2003). The first female governor-general, Quentin Bryce, took office in 2008.

List of officeholders Portrait Name Term of officeMonarchPrime Minister Took office Left office Time in office1John Hope7th Earl of Hopetoun19011902VictoriaEdmund BartonEdward VII2Hallam Tennyson2nd Baron Tennyson19031904Alfred Deakin3Henry Northcote1st Baron Northcote19041908Chris WatsonGeorge ReidAlfred Deakin4William Ward2nd Earl of Dudley19081911Andrew FisherAlfred DeakinAndrew FisherGeorge V5Thomas Denman3rd Baron Denman19111914Joseph Cook6Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson19141920Andrew FisherBilly Hughes7Henry Forster1st Baron Forster19201925Stanley Bruce8John Baird1st Baron Stonehaven19251930James Scullin9Sir Isaac Isaacs19311936Joseph LyonsEdward VIII10Brigadier-GeneralAlexander Hore-Ruthven1st Baron Gowrie19361945George VIEarle PageRobert MenziesArthur FaddenJohn Curtin11Prince HenryDuke of Gloucester19451947Frank FordeBen Chifley12Sir William McKell19471953Robert MenziesElizabeth II13Field MarshalSir William Slim1953196014William Morrison1st Viscount Dunrossil1960196115William Sidney1st Viscount De L'Isle1961196516Richard CaseyBaron Casey19651969Harold HoltJohn McEwenJohn Gorton17Sir Paul Hasluck19691974William McMahonGough Whitlam18Sir John Kerr19741977Malcolm Fraser19Sir Zelman Cowen1977198220Sir Ninian Stephen19821989Bob Hawke21Bill Hayden198919967 yearsPaul Keating22Sir William Deane19962001John Howard23Peter Hollingworth2001200324Major GeneralMichael Jeffery20032008Kevin Rudd25Dame Quentin Bryce20082014Julia GillardKevin RuddTony Abbott26GeneralSir Peter Cosgrove20142019Malcolm TurnbullScott Morrison27GeneralDavid Hurley20192024 yearsAnthony AlbaneseCharles III28Sam Mostyn2024Incumbent

Timeline This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the governors-general of Australia. They are listed in order of first assuming office.

The following chart lists governors-general by lifespan (living governors-general on the green line), with the years outside of their governor-generalship in beige.

The following chart shows governors-general by their age (living governors-general in green), with the years of their governor-generalship in blue.

List of governors-general of Australia

Bron en licentie