List of colonial governors of Papua New Guinea

This article lists the colonial governors of Papua New Guinea, from the establishment of German New Guinea in 1884 until the independence of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1975.

List

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

German New Guinea / Territory of New Guinea

TenurePortrait Incumbent NotesCommissioner of German New Guinea (1885–1887)1885 to January 1887Landeshauptleute of the German New Guinea Company (1886–1889)10 June 1886 to 1 March 1888Georg von Schleinitz1 March 1888 to 31 October 1889Commissioner of German New Guinea (1889–1892)1 November 1889 to 31 August 1892Acting to 30 September 1890Landeshauptleute of the German New Guinea Company (1892–1898)1 September 1892 to 3 March 18953 March 1895 to 17 August 189622 September 1896 to 13 August 1897Curt von HagenDied in office15 August 1897 to 11 September 1897Albert HahlFirst time, acting11 September 1897 to 16 October 1898Hugo SkopnikActing Vgl. Michael Fröhlich: Imperialismus – Deutsche Kolonial- und Weltpolitik 1880–1914. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag dtv, München 1994, S. 211.In 1899, following the German–Spanish Treaty, the German Empire assumed direct control of the colony from the German New Guinea Company, appointing a governor.Governors of German New Guinea (1899–1914)1 April 1899 to 10 July 1901Rudolf von Bennigsen10 July 1901 to 13 April 1914Albert HahlSecond time, acting to 10 November 190213 April 1914 to 17 October 1914Eduard HaberActingIn 1914, as part of the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I, an expeditionary force from Australia called the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) captured and occupied the territory following the Battle of Bita Paka and the Siege of Toma. In 1920, the territory was turned into a League of Nations mandate, administered by Australia, and formalized with the passage of the New Guinea Act 1920.Military Administrators of the Territory of New Guinea (1914–1921)11 November 1914 to 8 January 1915Colonel William HolmesKilled in the Battle of Messines (1917)8 January 1915 to 21 October 1917Colonel Samuel Pethebridge21 October 1917 to 21 April 1918Seaforth Simpson MackenzieActing21 April 1918 to 1 May 1920George Johnston1 May 1920 to 21 March 1921Thomas GriffithsFirst timeAdministrators of the Territory of New Guinea (1921–1942)21 May 1921 to 13 June 1933Evan Wisdom13 June 1933 to 12 September 1934Thomas GriffithsSecond time, acting12 September 1934 to December 1942Walter McNicollFrom 14 December 1937, Sir Walter Ramsay McNicoll; in Australia from 24 January 194224 January 1942 to 12 February 1942Kenneth Carlyle McMullenActing for McNicollJapanese Commanders of occupied New Guinea (1942–1945)21 January 1942 to 1942Tomitarō Horii9 November 1942 to 13 September 1945Hatazō AdachiCommander of the 18th Army9 November 1942 to 6 September 1945Hitoshi ImamuraCommander of the 8th Area Army, based at Rabaul, in charge of New Guinea islandsU.S. Military Commanders (1943–1944)June 1943 to September 1944Walter KruegerCommander of the 6th ArmySeptember 1944 to December 1944Robert L. EichelbergerCommander of the 8th ArmyHeads of the New Guinea Administrative Unit (1942)14 February 1942 to 15 February 1942George Wilfred Lambert TownsendBased in Port Moresby15 February 1942 to 10 April 1942Kenneth Carlyle McMullenBased in Port Moresby

In 1945, the Territory of New Guinea was merged with the Territory of Papua to form the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. The merger was formalized with the passage of the Papua and New Guinea Act 1949.

British New Guinea / Territory of Papua

TenurePortrait Incumbent NotesMagistrate for Queensland in New Guinea (1883)3 April 1883 to 2 July 1883Henry Majoribanks ChesterPolice Magistrate on Thursday IslandSpecial Commissioners for Great Britain in New Guinea (1884–1885)6 November 1884 to 2 December 1885Peter ScratchleyFrom 6 June 1885, Sir Peter Scratchley. Died in office2 December 1885 to 1886Hugh Hastings RomillyActing1886 to 1887John DouglasAdministrator of British New Guinea (1888–1895)1888 to 1895Sir William MacGregorLieutenant-Governors of British New Guinea (1895–1904)1895 to 1897Sir William MacGregor1898 to 1903George Le Hunte1903 to 1904Christopher Stansfield RobinsonActing administratorLieutenant-Governors of Papua (1904–1942)1904 to 1907Francis Rickman BartonActing. The territory was renamed from British New Guinea to Papua with the passage of the Papua Act 19051908 to 27 February 1940Sir Hubert MurrayDied in office27 February 1940 to 1942Hubert Leonard MurrayNephew of Sir Hubert Murray; actingMilitary Administrator (1942–1946)13 February 1942 to 31 October 1945Major General Basil MorrisCommander of the 8th Military DistrictHead of the Papuan Civil Administrative Unit (1942)14 February 1942 to 10 April 1942Sydney Elliott-SmithIn Port MoresbyGeneral Officers Commanding of the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit [ANGAU] (1942–1946)10 April 1942 to August 1942Kenneth Carlyle McMullenIn Port MoresbyAugust 1942 to 24 June 1946Major General Basil MorrisIn Port Moresby until October 1945, afterwards in Lae. Styled as Head of the ANGAU until 7 February 19444 September 1944 to 9 December 1944Brigadier Donald ClelandActing for Morris

In 1945, the Territory of Papua was merged with the Territory of New Guinea to form the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. The merger was formalized with the passage of the Papua and New Guinea Act 1949.

Territory of Papua and New Guinea

TenurePortrait Incumbent NotesAdministrators of Papua and New Guinea (1945–1973)11 October 1945 to 5 June 1952Jack Keith Murray Provisional to 1 July 1949July 1952 to December 1966Brigadier Donald Cleland From 10 June 1961, Sir Donald Cleland9 January 1967 to 1970David Hay 1970 to 1 December 1973Leslie Wilson Johnson In 1972, the name of the territory was changed to Papua New GuineaDecember 1973William Kearney ActingHigh Commissioners of Papua New Guinea (1973–1975)December 1973William Kearney Acting1 December 1973 to March 1974Leslie Wilson Johnson March 1974 to 16 September 1975Thomas Kingston Critchley Afterwards served as the Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea until 1978

On 16 September 1975, Papua New Guinea achieved independence following the passage of the Papua New Guinea Independence Act 1975. For a list of viceroys in Papua New Guinea after independence, see Governor-General of Papua New Guinea.

List of colonial governors of Papua New Guinea

Bron en licentie