The under-secretary of state for the colonies was a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the secretary of state for the colonies and, from 1948, also to a minister of state.
Under-secretaries of state for the colonies, 1768–1782
Name Entered office Left officeRichard Phelps 1768 1768 John Pownall 1768 1770 John Pownall and William Knox 1770 1776 William Knox and Christopher D'Oyly 1776 1778 William Knox and Thomas De Grey 1778 1780 William Knox and Benjamin Thompson 1780 1781 William Knox and John Fisher 1781 1782
In 1782, following the loss of the American colonies, the office was abolished, and its duties given to the home secretary. From there it passed to the War Office, which was later renamed the War and Colonial Office. In 1854 this office was split, and the Colonial Office reestablished.
Parliamentary under-secretaries of state for the colonies, 1854–1966
For earlier office-holders see Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.
Name Entered office Left officeFrederick Peel 1854 1855 John Ball 1855 1857 Chichester Fortescue 1857 1858 Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon 1858 1859 Chichester Fortescue 1859 1865 William Edward Forster 1865 1866 Charles Adderley 1866 1868 William Monsell 1868 1871 Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen 1871 1874 James Lowther 1874 1878 George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan 1878 1880 M. E. Grant Duff 1880 1881 Leonard Courtney 1881 1882 Evelyn Ashley 1882 1885 Windham Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl 1885 1886 George Osborne Morgan 1886 1886 Windham Wyndham-Quin, 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl 1886 1887 William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow 1887 1888 Baron Henry de Worms 1888 1892 Sydney Buxton 1892 1895 William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne 1895 1900 William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow 1900 1903 Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough 1903 1905 Winston Churchill 1905 1908 J. E. B. Seely 1908 1911 Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas of Crudwell 1911 1911 Alfred Emmott, 1st Baron Emmott 1911 1914 John Poynder Dickson, 1st Baron Islington 1914 1915 Arthur Steel-Maitland 1915 1917 William Hewins 1917 1919 Leo Amery 1919 1921 E. F. L. Wood 1921 1922 William Ormsby-Gore 1922 1924 Sydney Arnold, 1st Baron Arnold 1924 1924 William Ormsby-Gore 1924 1929 William Lunn 1929 1929 Drummond Shiels 1929 1931 Robert William Hamilton 1931 1932 Ivor Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of Plymouth 1932 1936 Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr 1936 1937 Basil Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 4th Marquess of Dufferin and Ava 1937 1940 George Hall 1940 1942 Harold Macmillan 1942 1943 Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire 1943 1945 Arthur Creech Jones 1945 1946 Ivor Thomas 1946 1947 David Rees-Williams 1947 1950 Thomas Fotheringham-Cook 1950 1951 Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster 1951 1951 Alexander Lloyd, 2nd Baron Lloyd 1951 1957 John Profumo 1957 1958 Julian Amery 1958 1960 Hugh Fraser 1960 1962 Nigel Fisher 16 July 1962 24 October 1963 Nigel Fisher and Richard Hornby 24 October 1963 16 October 1964 Eirene White and Stephen Taylor, Baron Taylor 20 October 1964 11 October 1965 Stephen Taylor, Baron Taylor and Frank Beswick, Baron Beswick 11 October 1965 11 April 1966 Frank Beswick, Baron Beswick 11 April 1966 1 August 1966
Abolished 1966. Thereafter, see Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs.
Minister of state for the colonies, 1948–1964
Name Entered office Left officeWilliam Hare, 5th Earl of Listowel 1948 1950 John Dugdale 1950 1951 Alan Lennox-Boyd 1951 1952 Henry Hopkinson 1952 1955 John Hare 1955 1956 John Maclay 1956 1957 John Drummond, 17th Earl of Perth 1957 1962 George Petty-FitzMaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne 1962 1964
Abolished 1964. Thereafter, see Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs.
Permanent under-secretaries of state for the colonies, 1825 and 1854–1966
Name Entered office Left officeSir Robert Hay 1825 1836 Sir James Stephen 1836 1847 Herman Merivale 1848 1859 Sir Frederic Rogers 1859 1871 Sir Robert Herbert 1871 1892 Sir Robert Henry Meade 1892 1897 Edward Wingfield 1897 1900 Montagu Ommanney 1900 1907 Sir Francis Hopwood 1907 1911 Sir John Anderson 1911 1916 Sir George Fiddes 1916 1921 Sir James Masterton-Smith 1921 1925 Sir Samuel Wilson 1925 1933 Sir John Maffey 1933 1937 Sir Cosmo Parkinson 1937 1940 Sir George Gater 1940 1940 Sir Cosmo Parkinson 1940 1942 Sir George Gater 1942 1947 Sir Thomas Lloyd 1947 1956 Sir John Macpherson 1956 1959 Sir Hilton Poynton 1959 1966
References