The colonial governors of Spanish Sahara were the colonial administrators responsible for the territory of Spanish Sahara, an area equivalent to modern-day Western Sahara. The list covers the period from November 1884 to February 1976, when Spain announced it had transferred sovereignty to Morocco and terminated its administration of the territory.
List
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
TenurePortrait Incumbent NotesSpanish suzerainty3 November 1884 to 10 July 1885Emilio Bonelli, CommandantRoyal Commissioner on the West Coast of Africa10 July 1885 to 6 April 1887Emilio Bonelli, Royal CommissionerArrives in Río de Oro on 26 August 1885Political and Military Subgovernors of Río de Oro6 April 1887 to bf. 1902Emilio Bonelli, Subgovernor1902 to 1 December 1903 Ángel Villalobos, Subgovernor1 December 1903 to 1913, SubgovernorDelegates of the High Commissioner in the Southern Zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco1913 to 7 November 1925, DelegateOccupation of Cape Juby and La Güera7 November 1925 to 19 June 1932, Delegate19 June 1932 to 30 August 1933, Delegate30 August 1933 to 1 July 1934 José González Deleito, Delegate1 July 1934 to 29 August 1934 Benigno Martínez Portillo, DelegateGovernment delegates in the Sahara29 August 1934 to 4 May 1936 Benigno Martínez Portillo, Government Delegate4 May 1936 to 7 August 1936 Carlos Pedemonte Sabín, Government DelegateSpanish coup of July 1936; start of the Spanish Civil War7 August 1936 to 12 March 1937 , Government Delegate12 March 1937 to 17 May 1940 Antonio de Oro Pulido, Government DelegateFounded the city of El Aaiún in 1938Politico-Military Governor of Ifni and the Sahara and Delegate of the High Commissioner in the Southern Zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco17 May 1940 to 24 July 1946 José Bermejo López, GovernorGovernors of the Government of Spanish West Africa24 July 1946 to 17 August 1949 José Bermejo López, Governor17 August 1949 to 29 March 1952 Francisco Rosaleny Burguet, Governor29 March 1952 to 26 February 1954 Venancio Tutor Gil, Governor26 February 1954 to 23 May 1957 Ramón Pardo de Santayana y Suárez, GovernorApostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara and Ifni established on 5 July 1954, with Félix Erviti Barcelona OMI as the first apostolic prefect23 May 1957 to 10 January 1958Mariano Gómez-Zamalloa y Quirce, GovernorServed at the start of the Ifni WarGovernors-general of Spanish Sahara10 January 1958 to 22 July 1958 José Héctor Vázquez, Governor-GeneralServed at the end of the Ifni War27 July 1958 to 6 October 1961 Mariano Alonso Alonso, Governor-General13 October 1961 to 21 February 1964 Pedro Latorre Alcubierre, Governor-General6 March 1964 to 5 November 1965 Joaquín Agulla y Jiménez-Coronado, Governor-General5 November 1965 to 26 November 1965 Adolfo Artalejo Campos, Governor-General5 December 1965 to 2 February 1967 Ángel Enríquez Larrondo, Governor-General18 February 1967 to 4 March 1971 José María Pérez de Lema y Tejero, Governor-GeneralServed at the time of the Zemla Intifada4 March 1971 to 6 June 1974Fernando de Santiago y Díaz de Mendívil, Governor-General6 June 1974 to 6 February 1976Federico Gómez de Salazar y Nieto, Governor-GeneralServed at the time of the Green March14 February 1976Spain announces it has transferred sovereignty to Morocco26 February 1976Spain terminates its administration27 February 1976Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic proclaimed by the Polisario Front14 April 1976Spanish Sahara is partitioned and annexed by and 11 August 1979Mauritanian part of the territory annexed by Morocco
See also International Court of Justice Advisory opinion on Western Sahara History of Western Sahara Moroccan Army of Liberation Spanish protectorate in Morocco List of Spanish high commissioners in Morocco
References
External links World Statesmen – Western Sahara