Governors of Queensland
Encyclopedia
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
of the Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level
Governors of the Australian states
The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives of the Queen of Australia in each of that country's six states. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
as does the Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
at the national level.
In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of Queensland. Nevertheless, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier.
The Governor of Queensland has resided at Government House, Brisbane since 1910. Government House consists of a mansion known as Fernberg set in 14 hectares of gardens and bushland in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
suburb of Bardon. Unlike Fernberg, the original Government House
Old Government House, Queensland
Queensland's first Government House is located at Gardens Point in the grounds of the Queensland University of Technology at the end of George Street in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
was purpose-built and was used from 1862 to 1910; the building still exists today on the grounds of Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
.
The current Governor, Penelope Wensley
Penelope Wensley
Penelope "Penny" Anne Wensley, AC is the Governor of Queensland and a former Australian diplomat.Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, she was educated at Penrith High School in New South Wales, the Rosa Bassett School in London , and the University of Queensland where she graduated with a first class...
was sworn in on 29 July 2008.
The first Australian- (and Queensland-) born Governor of Queensland was Lieutenant-General Sir John Lavarack
John Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
(appointed 1946). His successor, Sir Henry Abel Smith
Henry Abel Smith
Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith KCMG KCVO DSO was a British Army officer and a Governor of Queensland.-Biography:He was born in London, on 8 March 1900, the son of Francis Abel Smith and wife Madeline St. Maur Seymour...
was British. All subsequent governors have been Australian-born, except for Leneen Forde, who was born in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
but who emigrated to Australia at an early age.
List of Governors of Queensland
| No. | Governor | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rt Hon Sir George Bowen GCMG | 10 December 1859 | 4 January 1868 |
| 2 | Colonel Sir Samuel Blackall Samuel Blackall Colonel Samuel Wensley Blackall was an Irish soldier and politician, who was the second Governor of Queensland from 1868 until he died in office in 1871.... |
14 August 1868 | 2 January 1871 |
| 3 | The Most Hon Marquess of Normanby George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby George Augustus Constantine Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby, GCB, GCMG, PC , styled Viscount Normanby between 1831 and 1838 and Earl of Mulgrave between 1838 and 1863, was a British Liberal politician and colonial governor.-Background:Normanby was born in London, the son of Constantine Phipps, 1st... GCB GCMG PC Privy Council of the United Kingdom Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom... |
12 August 1871 | 12 November 1874 |
| 4 | Sir William Cairns William Cairns Sir William Wellington Cairns, KCMG was a British colonial administrator, born in County Down, Ireland. He served in various senior colonial civil service posts in the British Empire before being appointed Governor of Queensland in January 1875. He held the post for two years before becoming... KCMG |
23 January 1875 | 14 March 1877 |
| 5 | Sir Arthur Kennedy Arthur Edward Kennedy Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy GCMG CB was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of a number of British colonies, namely Sierra Leone, Western Australia, Vancouver Island, Hong Kong and Queensland.... GCMG CB |
20 July 1877 | 2 May 1883 |
| 6 | Sir Anthony Musgrave Anthony Musgrave Sir Anthony Musgrave KCMG was a colonial administrator and governor. He was born at St John’s, Antigua, the third of 11 children of Anthony Musgrave and Mary Harris Sheriff... KCMG |
6 November 1883 | 9 November 1888 |
| 7 | Field Marshal Field Marshal Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical... Sir Henry Norman Henry Wylie Norman Field Marshal Sir Henry Wylie Norman GCB, GCMG, CIE , Field Marshal and colonial Governor.-Early life:He was born 2 December 1826, only son of James Norman, merchant, and his wife Charlotte, née Wylie.... GCB GCMG CIE |
1 May 1889 | 31 December 1895 |
| 8 | The Rt Hon Lord Lamington Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, GCMG, GCIE was a British politician and colonial administrator who was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907.... GCMG GCIE |
9 April 1896 | 19 December 1901 |
| 9 | Lieutenant General Sir Herbert Chermside Herbert Chermside Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Charles Chermside GCMG, CB was a British soldier who served as Governor of Queensland in Australia from 1902 to 1904.-Early life and education:... GCMG CB |
24 March 1902 | 10 October 1904 |
| 10 | The Rt Hon Viscount Chelmsford Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor of Queensland , Governor of New South Wales from 1909 to 1913, and Viceroy of India from 1916 to 1921, where he was responsible for the creation of the Montagu-Chelmsford... GCSI GCMG GCIE GBE PC |
30 November 1905 | 26 May 1909 |
| 11 | The Rt Hon Sir William MacGregor William MacGregor Sir William MacGregor GCMG, CB was a Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea, Governor of Newfoundland and Governor of Queensland.-Early life:... GCMG CB |
2 December 1909 | 16 July 1914 |
| 12 | Major Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams Hamilton Goold-Adams Major Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, GCMG, CB was an Irish soldier and colonial administrator who was Governor of Queensland in Australia from 1915 to 1920.-Biography:... GCMG CB |
15 March 1915 | 3 February 1920 |
| 13 | Lieutenant Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan Matthew Nathan Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan GCMG, PC was a British soldier and civil servant, who variously served as the Governor of Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Natal and Queensland... GCMG |
3 December 1920 | 17 September 1925 |
| 14 | Lieutenant General Sir John Goodwin John Goodwin (governor) Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Herbert John Chapman Goodwin KCB, KCMG, DSO , known as Sir John Goodwin, was a British soldier and medical practitioner, who served as the Governor of the Australian state of Queensland between 1927 and 1932.Goodwin was born in 1871 in Kandy, Ceylon to a British Army... KCB KCMG DSO |
13 June 1927 | 7 April 1932 |
| 15 | The Rt Hon Sir Leslie Wilson Leslie Orme Wilson Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, DSO, PC was a British soldier, Conservative politician and Governor of Queensland.-Personal life:... GCMG GCSI GCIE DSO PC |
13 June 1932 | 23 April 1946 |
| 16 | Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack John Lavarack Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state.... KCMG KCVO KBE CB DSO |
1 October 1946 | 4 December 1957 |
| 17 | Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith Henry Abel Smith Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith KCMG KCVO DSO was a British Army officer and a Governor of Queensland.-Biography:He was born in London, on 8 March 1900, the son of Francis Abel Smith and wife Madeline St. Maur Seymour... KCMG KCVO DSO |
18 March 1958 | 18 March 1966 |
| 18 | Sir Alan Mansfield Alan Mansfield Sir Alan James Mansfield KCMG, KCVO was Governor of Queensland, Australia between 1966 and 1972.-Family:Sir Alan Mansfield was born in Brisbane and educated in Sydney. The Mansfield family had land in Gumdale. Mansfield lived in the Mount Gravatt area for many years... KCMG KCVO |
21 March 1966 | 21 March 1972 |
| 19 | Air Marshal Sir Colin Hannah Colin Hannah Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force and a Governor of Queensland. Born in Western Australia, he was a member of the Militia before joining the RAAF in 1935. After graduating as a pilot, Hannah served in Nos. 22 and... KCMG KCVO KBE CB |
21 March 1972 | 20 March 1977 |
| 20 | Commodore Sir James Ramsay James Ramsay (Australian governor) Commodore Sir James Maxwell Ramsay KCMG, KCVO, CBE, DSC .Served as Governor of Queensland, Australia from 22 April 1977 until 21 July 1985... KCMG KCVO CBE DSC Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is... |
22 April 1977 | 21 July 1985 |
| 21 | Sir Walter Campbell AC QC Queen's Counsel Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law... |
22 July 1985 | 29 July 1992 |
| 22 | Leneen Forde AC | 29 July 1992 | 29 July 1997 |
| 23 | Major General Peter Arnison Peter Arnison Major General Peter Maurice Arnison AC CVO, , was Governor of Queensland from July 1997 until July 2003. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1962, and retired from the Australian Army in 1996... AC CVO |
29 July 1997 | 29 July 2003 |
| 24 | Quentin Bryce Quentin Bryce Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland.... AC |
29 July 2003 | 29 July 2008 |
| 25 | Penelope Wensley Penelope Wensley Penelope "Penny" Anne Wensley, AC is the Governor of Queensland and a former Australian diplomat.Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, she was educated at Penrith High School in New South Wales, the Rosa Bassett School in London , and the University of Queensland where she graduated with a first class... AC |
29 July 2008 | Present |
Living former governors
Three former governors of Queensland are alive, the oldest being Leneen Forde (1992–97, born 1935).| Name | Term as governor | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Leneen Forde | 1992–1997 | 12 May 1935 |
| Peter Arnison Peter Arnison Major General Peter Maurice Arnison AC CVO, , was Governor of Queensland from July 1997 until July 2003. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1962, and retired from the Australian Army in 1996... |
1997–2003 | 1940 |
| Quentin Bryce Quentin Bryce Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland.... |
2003–2008 | 23 December 1942 |
The most recent death of a former governor was that of Sir Walter Campbell (1985–92), on 4 September 2004.