| Governor of Ascension | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of Ascension | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Appointer | Monarch of the United Kingdom |
| Term length | at His Majesty's pleasure |
| Formation | 2009 |
| First holder | Andrew Gurr |
|
|---|
The Governor of Ascension is the representative of the monarch in Ascension Island, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. He is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government, his role is to act as the de facto head of state.
Prior to 2009, Ascension Island was a dependency of Saint Helena and therefore directly represented by the Governor of Saint Helena. The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 made Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha, equal constituent parts of the territory with their own governments and established the position of Governor of Ascension.[1]
Governors from 2009 to present[edit]
Per section 143 of the Constitution Order, the persons appointed as Governor of Saint Helena are ex officio also Governor of Ascension.
Recent officeholders:
- 2009-2011: Andrew Gurr
- 2011-2016: Mark Andrew Capes
- 2016-2019: Lisa Honan[2]
- 2019-2022: Dr. Philip Rushbrook[3]
- 2022-: Nigel Phillips[4]
Administrators, from 1964 to present[edit]
However, as Ascension Island is 809 miles (1,302 km) away from Saint Helena, an administrator is appointed to act as the Governor's representative on the island specifically. This arrangement predates the current constitutional structure and the first administrator was appointed in 1942.
Here is a list of them since 1964, if not 1942, formally referred to as "His / Her Honour".
| Administrator | from | until | notes ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. E. Wainwright | June 1964 | September 1966 | |
| Anthony Grant Ayerst Beyts | September 1966 | September 1967 | |
| H. W. D. McDonald | June 1968 | September 1973 | |
| Geoffrey Colin Guy († 2006) | September 1973 | November 1976 | |
| G. McDonald | November 1976 | June 1977 | |
| G. B. Kendal | June 1977 | September 1977 | |
| Simon Gillett | September 1977 | June 1979 | |
| P. Duncan | June 1979 | September 1980 | |
| Bernard Edward Pauncefort († 2010) | September 1980 | August 1982 | |
| Ian George Thow | August 1982 | August 1984 | |
| Michael T. S. Blick | August 1984 | January 1989 | |
| J. J. Beale | January 1989 | February 1991 | |
| Brian Norman Connelly | February 1991 | June 1995 | |
| Roger C. Huxley | June 1995 | 23 July 1999 | |
| Geoffrey Fairhurst | 23 July 1999 | 10 July 2002 | |
| Andrew Michael Kettlewell | 22 September 2002 | September 2005 | |
| Michael Thomas Hill | September 2005 | September 2008 | |
| Ross Denny | September 2008 | 9 September 2011 | |
| Colin Wells | 27 October 2011 | August 2014 | |
| Marc Holland | 26 August 2014[5] | March 2018 | |
| Justine Allan | 26 March 2018 | 25 November 2018 | |
| Steven Chandler | 9 March 2019[6] | 16 March 2020 | |
| Sean Burns († 2023)[7] | 17 March 2020[8] | 2 November 2022 | |
| Simon Minshull | 2 November 2022 | Incumbent |
Resident-magistrates, from 1922 to 1964[edit]
| Resident-magistrate | from | until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. Haining | 1922 | 1925 | |
| E. Lee Lander | 1925 | 1928 | |
| Fred Wood | 1928 | 1929 | |
| E. A. Willmott | 1929 | 1934 | |
| Lionel Bartlett | 1934 | 1936 | |
| Percy Edwin Bunker | 1936 | 1938 | |
| C. Nias | 1938 | 1938 | |
| Percy Edwin Bunker | 1938 | 1939 | second time |
| Stephen Harold Cardwell | 1939 | 1944 | |
| Maurice Campbell Clark | 1944 | 1947 | |
| V. W. Oelrichs | 1 July 1947 | 1949 | |
| Herbert Louis Nicholson Ascough | 15 July 1949 | 1951 | |
| F. G. Eastwood | 1 February 1951 | 1952 | |
| B. Stephens | 14 April 1952 | 1954 | |
| A. R. Harrison | 1 November 1954 | 1955 | |
| F. J. Atkins | 10 October 1955 | 1956 | |
| A. R. Harrison | 5 March 1956 | 18 May 1958 | second time |
| B. R. Irving | 18 May 1958 | 4 November 1958 | |
| A. R. Harrison | 4 November 1958 | 30 April 1961 | third time |
| J. R. Bruce | 30 April 1961 | 28 June 1962 | |
| J. Markham | 28 June 1962 | 21 December 1962 | |
| J. R. Bruce | 21 December 1962 | 1964 | second time |
Commandants, 1815–1922[edit]
| Commandant | from | until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Kearney White | 22 October 1815 | March 1816 | |
| William Roberts | March 1816 | August 1817 | |
| James Thorn | August 1817 | September 1819 | |
| Robert Campbell | September 1819 | March 1823 | |
| Edward Nicolls | March 1823 | November 1828 | First Royal Marines officer as commandant |
| William Bate | 3 November 1828 | 15 April 1838 | Died in office |
| Hugh Evans | April 1838 | January 1839 | |
| Roger Sawrey Tinklar | January 1839 | 14 September 1840 | Died in office |
| J. Wade | September 1840 | December 1840 | Acting |
| W. Lee | December 1840 | April 1841 | Acting |
| H. Bennett | April 1841 | December 1841 | Died in office |
| W. Lee | December 1841 | July 1842 | Acting; second time |
| Thomas Peard Dwyer | July 1842 | April 1844 | |
| T. C. C. Moore | April 1844 | May 1844 | |
| John Fraser | May 1844 | 11 October 1844 | |
| Arthur Fleming Morrell | 11 October 1844 | 18 January 1847 | |
| Frederick Hutton | 18 January 1847 | October 1851 | |
| William Hewgill Kitchen | October 1851 | June 1855 | |
| George Alexander Seymour | June 1855 | March 1858 | |
| William Farquharson Burnett | March 1858 | July 1861 | |
| Frederick Lamport Barnard | July 1861 | March 1864 | |
| Joseph Grant Bickford | March 1864 | June 1864 | |
| F. Hammond | June 1864 | September 1866 | |
| Walter James Hunt-Grubbe | September 1866 | March 1867 | |
| Arthur Wilmshurst | March 1867 | November 1868 | |
| J. G. Mead | November 1868 | May 1869 | |
| R. W. Evans | May 1869 | October 1869 | |
| E. F. Kirby | October 1869 | October 1872 | |
| John Brazier Creagh | October 1872 | January 1874 | |
| James Wylie East | January 1874 | February 1877 | |
| Henry Bouchier Phillimore | February 1877 | December 1878 | |
| Arthur George Robertson Roe | December 1878 | September 1882 | |
| George Parsons | September 1882 | October 1886 | |
| Richard Henry Napier | October 1886 | June 1890 | |
| Richard Evans | June 1890 | May 1893 | |
| J. G. Jones | May 1893 | May 1896 | |
| John Edric Blaxland | May 1896 | July 1899 | |
| George Northmore Arthur Pollard | July 1899 | 13 May 1902 | |
| Robert Kyle McAlpine | 13 May 1902 | 13 March 1905 | |
| Reginald Hallward Morgan | 13 March 1905 | 29 April 1908 | |
| J. W. Dunstan | 29 April 1908 | 27 April 1910 | |
| G. Carpenter | 27 April 1910 | 21 April 1913 | |
| Henry Cleeve Bennett | 21 April 1913 | 8 June 1919 | |
| Harold George Grant | 8 June 1919 | 15 October 1920 | |
| Charles Arthur Tennyson | 15 October 1920 | 31 October 1922 |
References[edit]
- ^ "Constitution of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Order 2009". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ "Foreign & Commonwealth Office – Change of Her Majesty's Governor of St Helena". Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "Change of Governor of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 4 December 2018.
- ^ "Arrival of new Governor of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha". St Helena Government. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Swearing in of new Administrator – Ascension Island Government".
- ^ "New Administrator Arrives – Ascension Island Government". Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ Died on 16 March 2023 in Tristan da Cunha.
- ^ "Administrator Sean Burns Begins Official Duties – Ascension Island Government".
External links[edit]
- Government of Ascension Island,
- chronology and lists of commanding officers, resident-magistrates and administrators.
