All Topics  
Secretary of State for the Colonies

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Secretary of State for the Colonies
 
 
  Topics Secretary of State for the Colonies Topic Home

The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom

In the politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior Her Majesty's Governmentminister chosen by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
 official in charge of managing the various British colonies. The position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increasingly troublesome North America
Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783....
n colonies. Previously those responsibilities had fallen to the Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department

The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretary of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but geographically....
, who was responsible for Southern England, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, the American colonies, and relations with the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 and Muslim
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
 states of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.

The men who held office were:



In 1782, following the loss of the American colonies, the office was abolished, and its duties given to the Home Secretary, then Lord Sydney.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Secretary of State for the Colonies'
Start a new discussion about 'Secretary of State for the Colonies'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom

In the politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior Her Majesty's Governmentminister chosen by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom....
 official in charge of managing the various British colonies. The position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increasingly troublesome North America
Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783....
n colonies. Previously those responsibilities had fallen to the Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department

The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretary of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but geographically....
, who was responsible for Southern England, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, the American colonies, and relations with the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 and Muslim
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
 states of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
.

The men who held office were:

  • Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough
    Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire

    Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, Privy Council of Great Britain , was a British politician of the Georgian era. He was usually called the Earl of Hillsborough in America when he served as Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1768?1772, a critical period leading toward the American Revolution....
     (27 February, 1768 - 27 August, 1772)
  • William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth
    William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth

    William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth Privy Council of Great Britain, Fellow of the Royal Society was a United Kingdom statesman who is most remembered for his part in the government before and during the American Revolution....
     (27 August, 1772 - 10 November 1775)
  • Lord George Germain (10 November, 1775 - February 1782
  • Welbore Ellis
    Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip

    Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip Privy Council of Great Britain was a Great Britain statesman.In 1741, he was elected Member of Parliament for Cricklade , then moved to Weymouth and Melcombe Regis , Aylesbury , Petersfield , Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and Petersfield ....
     (February - 8 March, 1782)


In 1782, following the loss of the American colonies, the office was abolished, and its duties given to the Home Secretary, then Lord Sydney. In 1794 a new office was created for Henry Dundas — the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War

The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a United Kingdom Cabinet -level position, first applied to Henry Dundas ....
, which now took responsibility for the Colonies, and was renamed the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a Cabinet of the United Kingdom level position responsible for the army and the British colonies ....
 in 1801. In 1854, military reforms led to the Colonial and Military responsibilities of this secretary of state being split into two separate offices, with Sir George Grey
Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet

Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Whig Party politician. He held office under four Prime Ministers, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, and Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, and notably served three...
 becoming the first Secretary of State for the Colonies under the new arrangement.

  • Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet
    Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet

    Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Whig Party politician. He held office under four Prime Ministers, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, and Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, and notably served three...
     (12 June, 1854 - 8 February, 1855)
  • Sidney Herbert
    Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea

    Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea was an England statesman....
     (8 February, 1855 - 23 February, 1855)
  • Lord John Russell
    John Russell, 1st Earl Russell

    John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Order of the Garter, Order of St Michael and St George, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an England British Whig Party and Liberal Party politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century....
     (23 February, 1855 - 21 July, 1855)
  • Sir William Molesworth (21 July, 1855 - 21 November, 1855)
  • Henry Labouchere
    Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton

    File:Charles Baugniet00a.jpgHenry Labouchere was a prominent United Kingdom British Whig Party and Liberal Party politician of the mid-19th century....
     (21 November, 1855 - 21 February, 1858)
  • Edward Henry Stanley, Lord Stanley (26 February, 1858 - 5 June, 1858)
  • Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton (5 June, 1858 - 11 June, 1859)
  • Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle (18 June, 1859 - 7 April, 1864)
  • Edward Cardwell (7 April, 1864 - 26 June, 1866)
  • Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon (6 July, 1866 - 8 March, 1867)
  • Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (8 March, 1867 - 1 December, 1868)
  • Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (9 December, 1868 - 6 July, 1870)
  • John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
    John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

    John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Order of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal Party politician....
     (6 July, 1870 - 17 February, 1874)
  • Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon (21 February, 1874 - 4 February, 1878)
  • Sir Michael Hicks Beach (4 February, 1878 - 21 April, 1880)
  • John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
    John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

    John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Order of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal Party politician....
     (21 April, 1880 - 16 December, 1882)
  • Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (16 December, 1882 - 9 June, 1885)
  • Frederick Arthur Stanley (24 June, 1885 - 28 January, 1886)
  • Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (6 February, 1886 - 20 July, 1886)
  • Edward Stanhope
    Edward Stanhope

    Edward Stanhope, Member of Parliament Privy Council was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.The second son of Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope, Stanhope was born in London....
     (3 August, 1886 - 14 January, 1887)
  • Henry Thurstan Holland, 1st Baron Knutsford (14 January, 1887 - 11 August, 1892)
  • George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon
    George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon

    George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon Knight of the Garter, Order of the Star of India, Order of the Indian Empire, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom politician who served in every Liberal Party cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later....
     (18 August, 1892 - 21 June, 1895)
  • Joseph Chamberlain
    Joseph Chamberlain

    Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British businessman, politician, and statesman.In his early years Chamberlain was a radically minded Liberal Party member, a campaigner for educational reform, and President of the Board of Trade....
     (29 June, 1895 - 16 September, 1903) (Resigned)
  • Alfred Lyttelton
    Alfred Lyttelton

    Alfred Lyttelton was a British politician and sportsman who excelled at both Association football and cricket.One of twelve children of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton, and a nephew to William Ewart Gladstone, Lyttelton studied at Eton College - where he was President of Pop - and Trinity College, Cambridge....
     (11 October, 1903 - 4 December, 1905)
  • Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin (10 December, 1905 - 12 April, 1908)
  • Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Earl of Crewe
    Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe

    File:Robert Crewe-Milnes portrait.jpgRobert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe Knight of the Garter , Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom statesman and writer....
     (12 April, 1908 - 3 November, 1910)
  • Lewis Vernon Harcourt (3 November, 1910 - 25 May, 1915)
  • Andrew Bonar Law
    Andrew Bonar Law

    Andrew Bonar Law was a Canada-born United Kingdom Conservative Party statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been born outside the British Isles....
     (25 May, 1915 - 10 December, 1916)
  • Walter Hume Long (10 December, 1916 - 10 January, 1919)
  • Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner
    Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner

    Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner, Order of the Garter, Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a controversial German-born United Kingdom statesman and colonial administrator....
     (10 January, 1919 - 13 February, 1921)
  • Winston Churchill
    Winston Churchill

    Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
     (13 February, 1921 - 19 October, 1922)
  • Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
    Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire

    Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, Order of the Garter, GCMG, Royal Victorian Order , was a Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire , Governor General of Canada , and Secretary of State for the Colonies ....
     (24 October, 1922 - 22 January, 1924)
  • James Henry Thomas
    James Henry Thomas

    James Henry Thomas, was a United Kingdom Labor union and Labour Party politician. He was involved in a British political scandals involving budget leaks....
     (22 January, 1924 - 3 November, 1924)
  • Leo Amery
    Leopold Stennett Amery

    Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery Companion of Honour, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , usually known as Leo Amery or L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist, noted for his interest in military preparedness, British Raj, and the British Empire....
     (6 November, 1924 - 4 June, 1929)
  • Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield
    Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield

    Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a British socialist, economist and reformer who is typically mentioned in the same breath as his wife, Beatrice Webb....
     (7 June, 1929 - 24 August, 1931)
  • James Henry Thomas
    James Henry Thomas

    James Henry Thomas, was a United Kingdom Labor union and Labour Party politician. He was involved in a British political scandals involving budget leaks....
     (25 August, 1931 - 5 November, 1931)
  • Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister
    Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton

    Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton, Order of the British Empire, Order of the Companions of Honour, Military Cross, Privy Council of the United Kingdom , known as Philip Lloyd-Greame until 1924 and as The Viscount Swinton from 1935 until 1955, was a prominent British Conservative Party politician from the 1920s until th...
     (5 November, 1931 - 7 June, 1935)
  • Malcolm MacDonald
    Malcolm Macdonald

    Malcolm Ian Macdonald is a former England football er nicknamed "Supermac", famed for scoring goals for Luton Town F.C., Newcastle United F.C. and Arsenal F.C.....
     (7 June, 1935 - 22 November, 1935)
  • James Henry Thomas
    James Henry Thomas

    James Henry Thomas, was a United Kingdom Labor union and Labour Party politician. He was involved in a British political scandals involving budget leaks....
     (22 November, 1935 - 22 May, 1936) (Resigned)
  • William Ormsby-Gore (28 May, 1936 - 16 May, 1938)
  • Malcolm MacDonald
    Malcolm Macdonald

    Malcolm Ian Macdonald is a former England football er nicknamed "Supermac", famed for scoring goals for Luton Town F.C., Newcastle United F.C. and Arsenal F.C.....
     (16 May, 1938 - 12 May, 1940)
  • George Ambrose Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd (12 May, 1940 - 8 February, 1941)
  • Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne (8 February, 1941 - 22 February, 1942)
  • Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (22 February, 1942 - 22 November, 1942)
  • Oliver Stanley
    Oliver Stanley

    Oliver Frederick George Stanley Military Cross was a prominent British Conservative Party politician who held many ministerial posts before his early death when it was expected he would soon assume higher office....
     (22 November, 1942 - 26 July, 1945)
  • George Hall (3 August, 1945 - 4 October, 1946)
  • Arthur Creech Jones
    Arthur Creech Jones

    Arthur Creech Jones was a United Kingdom trade union official and politician. Originally a civil servant, his imprisonment as a conscientious objector during the First World War forced him to change careers....
     (4 October, 1946 - 28 February, 1950)
  • James Griffiths (28 February, 1950 - 26 October, 1951)
  • Oliver Lyttelton
    Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos

    Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos Order of the Garter Privy Council of the United Kingdom Distinguished Service Order Military Cross was a British businessman who was brought into government during the World War II, holding a number of ministerial posts....
     (28 October, 1951 - 28 July, 1954)
  • Alan Lennox-Boyd (28 July, 1954 - 14 October, 1959)
  • Iain Macleod
    Iain Macleod

    Iain Norman Macleod was a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician and government minister....
     (14 October, 1959 - 9 October, 1961)
  • Reginald Maudling
    Reginald Maudling

    Reginald Maudling was a United Kingdom politician known for his intellectual brilliance, political pragmatism, and easygoing nature but slightly dogged by a reputation for laziness....
     (9 October, 1961 - 13 July, 1962)
  • Duncan Sandys
    Duncan Sandys

    Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys Order of the Companions of Honour Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative Party governments in the 1950s and 1960s....
     (13 July, 1962 - 16 October, 1964)
  • Anthony Greenwood (18 October, 1964 - 23 December, 1965)
  • Francis Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (23 December, 1965 - 6 April, 1966)
  • Frederick Lee (6 April, 1966 - 1 August, 1966)


Until 1925, when the office of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

File:Sidney Webb.jpgThe position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet level position created in 1925 to deal with British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Dominion of Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State, as well as the self-governing colony of Southern...
 was created, the Colonial Office
Colonial Office

Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department...
 had responsibility for all British colonies and dominions besides India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, which had its own Secretary of State
Secretary of State for India

File:John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn - Project Gutenberg eText 17976.jpgThe office of Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was created in 1858 when Company rule in India ended and British India was brought under direct British administration ....
. In 1966, with most of the colonies gone, the office was merged with that of the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations

The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations was a British Cabinet office existing between 1947 and 1966, responsible for dealing with British relationship with members of the Commonwealth of Nations ....
 to create the new office of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs

The position of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs was created on 1 August 1966 by the merger of the old positions of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and Secretary of State for the Colonies....
.

In 1968 the Commonwealth Office was subsumed into the Foreign Office, which became known as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs....
.

From 1768 until 1966 the Secretary of State was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies

The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a #Minister of State for the Colonies ....
 (at times an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies

The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies....
), and latterly by a Minister of State
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies

The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and, from 1948, also to a #Minister of State for the Colonies ....
.