List of colonial heads of British Somaliland

Term	Incumbent	Notes
British Suzerainty
1884 to 20 July 1887	Frederick Mercer Hunter, Political Agent
British Somaliland Protectorate
20 July 1887 to 1888	Frederick Mercer Hunter, Resident
1888 to 1893	Edward Vincent Stace, Resident
1893 to 1896	Charles William Henry Sealy, Resident
1896 to 1897	William Butler Ferris, Resident
1897 to 1898	James Hayes Sadler James Hayes Sadler Colonel Sir James Hayes Sadler, KCMG, CB was a British diplomat and civil servant.In 1854 Sadler was commissioned into the Artillery Battalion of the Royal Sussex Militia... , Resident
1898 to 1901	James Hayes Sadler James Hayes Sadler Colonel Sir James Hayes Sadler, KCMG, CB was a British diplomat and civil servant.In 1854 Sadler was commissioned into the Artillery Battalion of the Royal Sussex Militia... , Consul-General
1901 to 1902	Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux Major Sir Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux K.C.M.G., C.B. was a British army officer and colonial administrator who became in turn Governor of Uganda, Saint Helena and the Bahamas.-Birth and education:... , acting Consul-General	1st time
1902 to 1905	Eric John Eagles Swayne Eric John Eagles Swayne Sir Eric John Eagles Swayne was a British army officer and colonial administrator. He served in British Somaliland, where he was appointed Commissioner, and as Governor of British Honduras, now Belize.-Early years:... , Consul-General
1905 to 8 May 1906	Vacant
8 May 1906 to 1909	Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux Major Sir Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux K.C.M.G., C.B. was a British army officer and colonial administrator who became in turn Governor of Uganda, Saint Helena and the Bahamas.-Birth and education:... , Commissioner	2nd time
1909 to January 1910	Vacant
January 1910 to 1911	Sir William Henry Manning, Commissioner
July 1911 to 1914	Horace Archer Byatt, Commissioner
May 1914 to October 1919	Geoffrey Francis Archer Geoffrey Francis Archer Geoffrey Francis Archer was a British ornithologist, big game hunter and colonial official. He was Commissioner and then Governor of British Somalia between 1913 and 1922, and was responsible for finally eliminating the menace of the Mad Mullah... , Commissioner
October 1919 to 17 August 1922	Geoffrey Francis Archer Geoffrey Francis Archer Geoffrey Francis Archer was a British ornithologist, big game hunter and colonial official. He was Commissioner and then Governor of British Somalia between 1913 and 1922, and was responsible for finally eliminating the menace of the Mad Mullah... , Governor	From 5 June 1920, Sir Geoffrey Francis Archer
17 August 1922 to 29 November 1925	Gerald Henry Summers, Governor
29 November 1925 to 26 January 1926	Vacant
26 January 1926 to 18 June 1932	Sir Harold Baxter Kittermaster Harold Baxter Kittermaster Sir Harold Baxter Kittermaster KCMG, KBE was governor of British Somaliland , British Honduras , and then of the Nyasaland protectorate in the period before the Second World War.... , Governor
18 June 1932 to 2 March 1939	Sir Arthur Salisbury Lawrance, Governor
2 March 1939 to 18 August 1940	Vincent Goncalves Glenday, Governor
British Somaliland under Italian occupation Italian conquest of British Somaliland The Italian conquest of British Somaliland was a military campaign in the Horn of Africa, which took place in August 1940 between forces of Italy and those of Great Britain and its Commonwealth...
19 August 1940 to October 1940	Guglielmo Nasi Guglielmo Nasi Guglielmo Ciro Nasi was an Italian General who fought in Italian East Africa during World War II.-Biography:Nasi was born in Civitavecchia, Latium... , Military Governor
October 1940 to 16 March 1941	Carlo De Simone Carlo De Simone Carlo De Simone was an officer in the Italian Army during World War II.During most of the East African Campaign, Lieutenant-General De Simone commanded Italian forces in southern Italian Somaliland. However, during the Italian invasion of British Somaliland, De Simone commanded General Guglielmo... , Military Governor
British Somaliland Protectorate
29 March 1941 to 3 March 1943	Arthur Reginald Chater Arthur Reginald Chater Major-General Arthur Reginald Chater CB, CVO, DSO, OBE, Croix de Guerre was an officer in the Royal Marines during World War I, the interwar years, and World War II.... , Military Governor
3 March 1943 to 3 March 1948	Gerald Thomas Fisher, Military Governor
3 March 1948 to 15 November 1948	Gerald Thomas Fisher, Governor
1948 to February 1954	Gerald Reece Gerald Reece Sir Gerald Reece, KCMG, CBE, DL was a British writer and colonial administrator. He served as Governor of the British Somaliland Protectorate from 1948 until February 1954.... , Governor	From 1950, Sir Gerald Reece
February 1954 to 1959	Theodore Ouseley Pike, Governor	From 2 January 1956, Sir Theodore Ouseley Pike
11 July 1959 to 26 June 1960	Douglas Hall Sir Douglas Hall, 14th Baronet Sir Douglas Basil Hall KCMG, 14th Baronet was a British colonial administrator and radio enthusiast. He served as the last Governor of the British Somaliland Protectorate before its independence, from 11 July 1959 to 26 June 1960.-Career:Educated at Keble College, Oxford, Hall joined the Colonial... , Governor
26 June 1960	Independence as State of Somaliland State of Somaliland The State of Somaliland was a short-lived independent state in the territory of modern-day Somalia.-History:In May 1960, the British Government stated that it would be prepared to grant independence to the then protectorate of British Somaliland, with the intention that the territory would unite...
1 July 1960	Unification of State of Somaliland State of Somaliland The State of Somaliland was a short-lived independent state in the territory of modern-day Somalia.-History:In May 1960, the British Government stated that it would be prepared to grant independence to the then protectorate of British Somaliland, with the intention that the territory would unite... with Italian Somaliland Italian Somaliland Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various... to form Somali Republic Somalia Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

For continuation, see Heads of state of Somalia

See also