The governor of British Guiana was the representative of the Crown in British Guiana. The office existed from 1831 when the colonies of Demerara-Essequibo (see Demerara and Essequibo) and Berbice united as British Guiana until 1966 when Guyana attained independence.
History Originally the former Dutch colonies of Demerara-Essequibo and Berbice were ceded to the United Kingdom in 1815 with each one being run by a Lieutenant-Governor. In 1831, the British unified the two colonies into British Guiana and appointed Benjamin D'Urban and the first full Governor. Initially the Governor served representing the British Monarch with the Court of Policy, run by the British Guianese plantation owners, acting as the legislature under the pre-existing Dutch made constitution of 1792. In the 1920s, due to disputes between the plantation owners and new bauxite miners and rice farmers, the British introduced a new constitution to formalise British Guiana as a Crown Colony with the Governor holding executive power. The Court of Policy would be replaced by a Legislative Council that gradually gained more elected seats over the decades.
After the 1953 general election, the first held with a fully elected Legislative Council, the Marxist People's Progressive Party won power and passed labour rights bills and pushed for independence. In response, the Governor Alfred Savage dismissed the government, suspended the constitution and appointed his own executive made up of British officials, businessmen and British Guianese conservative politicians. For the next election in 1957, the Legislative Council was reformed by the Governor but with a majority of appointed members. In 1961 a new constitution came into force with the Governor still as acting representative of the Monarch in the colony. The new constitution did not include the power for the Governor to dismiss government ministers or unilaterally dissolve the new House of Assembly, this was rectified by a constitutional amendment in 1964.
Governors of British Guiana (1831–1966) The following were governors of British Guiana. On 26 May 1966, the colony achieved independence from the United Kingdom as Guyana. After independence, the viceroy in Guyana was the Governor-General of Guyana. TenurePortrait Incumbent Notes21 July 1831 – 26 June 1833Sir Benjamin D'Urban26 June 1833 – 27 June 1838Sir James Carmichael-Smyth27 June 1838 – 19 May 1848 Sir Henry Light19 May 1848 – 12 February 1849 William WalkerActing, first time12 February 1849 – 11 May 1853Henry Barkly11 May 1853 – 23 May 1854 William WalkerActing, second time23 May 1854 – 7 January 1862Sir Philip Wodehouse7 January 1862 – 25 January 1869Sir Francis Hincks25 January 1869 – 26 December 1873 Sir John Scott27 December 1873 – 10 March 1874 Edward RushworthActing10 March 1874 – 8 March 1877James Robert Longden8 March 1877 – 3 April 1877 William A. G. YoungActing, first time3 April 1877 – 13 December 1881Sir Cornelius Hendricksen Kortright13 December 1881 – 4 May 1882 William A. G. YoungActing, second time4 May 1882 – 1887 Sir Henry Turner Irving26 April 1884 – 1884 Sir William Haynes-SmithActing for Irving1887–1888Charles BruceActing1888 – 23 March 1893Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount GormanstonApril 1891 – 15 October 1891Sir Charles BruceActing for Viscount Gormanston, second time23 March 1893 – 5 July 1893Sir Charles BruceActing, third time5 July 1893 – September 1895Sir Charles Cameron Lees15 December 1894 – 29 January 1895Charles Cavendish BoyleActing for Lees, first timeSeptember 1895 – March 1896Charles Cavendish BoyleActing, second timeMarch 1896 – 27 March 1898 Sir Augustus William Lawson Hemming1 October 1896 – 18 November 1896Charles Cavendish BoyleActing for Hemming, third time27 May 1897 – 28 July 1897Charles Cavendish BoyleActing for Hemming, fourth time27 March 1898 – 3 July 1901Sir Walter Joseph Sendall3 July 1901 – 26 September 1904Sir James Alexander Swettenham26 September 1904 – 5 July 1912Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson5 July 1912 – 15 April 1917Sir Walter Egerton15 April 1917 – 4 April 1923 Sir Wilfred Collet4 April 1923 – 31 August 1925 Sir Graeme Thomson 31 August 1925 – 7 November 1928 Sir Cecil Hunter-Rodwell7 November 1928 – 9 June 1930Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg9 June 1930 – 26 March 1935 Sir Edward Brandis Denham26 March 1935 – 19 November 1937Sir Geoffry Alexander Stafford NorthcoteActing from 193619 November 1937 – 7 November 1941 Sir Wilfrid Edward Francis Jackson7 November 1941 – 1947 Sir Gordon James LethemActing from 194612 April 1947 – 14 April 1953 Sir Charles Campbell Woolley14 April 1953 – 25 October 1955Sir Alfred William Lungley Savage25 October 1955 – 22 December 1958 Sir Patrick Muir Renison22 December 1958 – 7 March 1964 Sir Ralph Francis Alnwick Grey7 March 1964 – 26 May 1966Sir Richard Edmonds Luyt
Flags
See also
President of Guyana List of heads of state of Guyana List of prime ministers of Guyana
References