Governors of Tasmania
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| Governor of Tasmania | |
|---|---|
| Viceroy | |
| Provincial/State | |
 Badge of the Governor |
|
| Incumbent: Peter Underwood |
|
| Style: |
His Excellency |
| Appointed by: |
Elizabeth II as Queen of Australia |
| First viceroy: |
Sir Henry Fox Young |
| Formation: |
8 January 1855 |
The Governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia does at the national level.
In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of Tasmania. Nevertheless, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier.
See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor.
The official residence of the Governor is Government House located at the Queens Domain.
Two internationally famous Governors of Tasmania were Captain Sir John Franklin (the British mariner who would later die trying to find the North West Passage), and former UNSCOM weapons inspector Richard Butler.
The first Australian-born Governor of Tasmania was Sir Stanley Burbury (appointed 1973). The first Tasmanian-born governor was Sir Guy Green (appointed 1995). Since Burbury, all Tasmanian governors have been Australian-born, except for the incumbent Peter Underwood, who was born in the United Kingdom but emigrated to Australia at an early age.
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[edit] Divided in two
Between 1804 and 1813, Van Diemen's Land was divided along the 42nd parallel, and governed separately.[1] [2]
[edit] Lieutenant-Governors in the south
| No. | Lieutenant-Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel David Collins | 1804 | 1810 |
| 2 | Edward Lord | March 1810 | July 1810 |
| 3 | Captain J. Murray | 1810 | 1812 |
[edit] Lieutenant-Governors in the north
| No. | Lieutenant-Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel William Paterson | 1804 | 1808 |
| 2 | John Brabyn | 1808 | 1810 |
| 3 | Major G.A. Gordon | 1810 | 1812 |
| 4 | Captain J. Ritchie | 1812 | 1812 |
[edit] List of Governors of Tasmania
[edit] Lieutenant-Governors
The colony was called Van Diemen's Land until 1856.
| No. | Lieutenant-Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel Thomas Davey | 4 February 1813 | 9 March 1817 |
| 2 | Colonel William Sorell | 9 March 1817 | 14 May 1824 |
| 3 | Colonel Sir George Arthur KCH | 14 May 1824 | 29 October 1836 |
| 4 | Captain Sir John Franklin FRGS | 5 January 1837 | 21 August 1843 |
| 5 | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | 21 August 1843 | 13 October 1846 |
| 6 | Sir William Denison KCB | 25 January 1847 | 8 January 1855 |
[edit] Governors
| No. | Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Henry Young KCMG | 8 January 1855 | 10 December 1861 |
| 2 | Colonel Sir Thomas Browne KCMG CB | 11 December 1862 | 30 December 1868 |
| 3 | Sir Charles Du Cane KCMG | 15 January 1869 | 30 November 1874 |
| 4 | The Hon. Sir Frederick Weld GCMG | 13 January 1875 | 5 April 1880 |
| 5 | Major Sir George Strahan KCMG | 7 December 1881 | 28 October 1886 |
| 6 | Sir Robert Hamilton KCB | 11 March 1887 | 30 November 1892 |
| 7 | The Rt Hon. The Viscount Gormanston GCMG | 8 August 1893 | 14 August 1900 |
| 8 | Captain Sir Arthur Havelock GCMG GCSI GCIE | 8 November 1901 | 16 April 1904 |
| 9 | The Rt Hon. The Lord Strickland GCMG | 28 October 1904 | 20 May 1909 |
| 10 | Major-General Sir Harry Barron KCMG CVO | 16 September 1909 | 3 March 1913 |
| 11 | The Rt Hon. Sir William Ellison-Macartney KCMG | 4 June 1913 | 31 March 1917 |
| 12 | Sir Francis Newdegate GCMG KStJ | 30 March 1917 | 22 February 1920 |
| 13 | Sir William Allardyce KCMG | 16 April 1920 | 27 January 1922 |
| 14 | Sir James O'Grady KCMG | 23 December 1924 | 23 December 1930 |
| 15 | Sir Ernest Clark GCMG KCB CBE | 4 August 1933 | 4 August 1945 |
| 16 | Admiral Sir Hugh Binney KCB KCMG DSO | 24 December 1945 | 8 May 1951 |
| 17 | The Rt Hon. Sir Ronald Cross, Bt KCMG KCVO PC | 22 August 1951 | 4 June 1958 |
| 18 | The Rt Hon. The Lord Rowallan KT KBE MC TD | 21 October 1959 | 25 March 1963 |
| 19 | General Sir Charles Gairdner GBE KCMG KCVO CB | 24 September 1963 | 11 July 1968 |
| 20 | Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan KCMG KCVO KBE CB | 2 December 1968 | 30 November 1973 |
| 21 | The Hon. Sir Stanley Burbury KCMG KCVO KBE | 5 December 1973 | 16 March 1982 |
| 22 | Sir James Plimsoll AC CBE KStJ | 1 October 1982 | 8 May 1987 |
| 23 | General Sir Phillip Bennett AC KBE DSO KStJ | 19 October 1987 | 2 October 1995 |
| 24 | The Hon. Sir Guy Green AC KBE CVO | 2 October 1995 | 3 October 2003 |
| 25 | Richard Butler AC | 3 October 2003 | 9 August 2004 |
| 26 | The Hon. William Cox AC RFD ED QC | 15 December 2004 | 2 April 2008 |
| 27 | The Hon. Peter Underwood AC | 2 April 2008 | present |
[edit] Living former governors
As of April 2008[update], four former governors are alive, the oldest being Sir Phillip Bennett (1987–95, born 1928). The most recent governor to die was Sir Stanley Burbury (1973–82), on 24 April 1995. The most recently-serving governor to die was Sir James Plimsoll (1982–87), on 8 May 1987.
| Name | Term as governor | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Phillip Bennett | 1987–1995 | 27 December 1928 |
| Sir Guy Green | 1995–2003 | 26 July 1937 |
| Richard Butler | 2003–2004 | 13 May 1942 |
| William Cox | 2004–2008 | 1 April 1936 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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