List of governors of the Gold Coast facts for kids

The Gold Coast was a part of West Africa that was controlled by the British from 1621 until 1957. Today, this area is known as Ghana. During this time, special leaders called colonial administrators were in charge. They were like the main managers for the British government in the Gold Coast.

These administrators, often called governors, were responsible for different parts of the Gold Coast. This included the main Gold Coast Colony, the Ashanti Colony, the Northern Territories Protectorate, and a special area called British Togoland. This article tells you about the people who held these important roles.

Early British Leaders (1621–1751)

The British first arrived in the Gold Coast in 1621. At first, their presence was mainly about trade. The people in charge during this early period were known as governors. They helped manage the trading posts and early settlements.

Portrait	Name	Started role	Left role
	Sir William St John	1621	1623
	William Greenhill	1660	Unknown
	Henry Greenhill	1680	1685
	Henry Nurse	1685	1695
	John Bloome	1691	1697
	Baggs	1697	1701
	Sir Dalby Thomas	1703	1711

Merchants Take Charge (1751–1822)

After 1751, a group called the Committee of Merchants of the Gold Coast took over the administration. These were business people who managed the British trading interests. They appointed their own governors to oversee the trade and settlements.

Portrait	Name	Started role	Left role
	Thomas Melvil	23 June 1751	23 January 1756
	William Tymewell	23 January 1756	17 February 1756
	Charles Bell	17 February 1756	15 October 1757
	Nassau Senior	15 October 1757	10 May 1761
	Charles Bell	10 May 1761	15 August 1763
	William Mutter	15 August 1763	1 March 1766
	John Hippersley	1 March 1766	11 August 1766
	Gilbert Petrie	11 August 1766	21 April 1769
	John Crossle	21 April 1769	11 August 1770
	Richard Miles	20 January 1777	25 March 1780
	John Roberts	25 March 1780	20 May 1781
	John B. Weuves	20 May 1781	29 April 1782
	Richard Miles	29 April 1782	29 January 1784
	James Morgue	29 January 1784	24 January 1787
	Thomas Price	24 January 1787	27 April 1787
	Thomas Morris	27 April 1787	20 June 1789
	William Fielde	20 June 1789	15 November 1791
	John Gordon	15 November 1791	31 March 1792
	Archibald Dalzel	31 March 1792	16 December 1798
	Jacob Mould	16 December 1798	4 January 1799
	John Gordon	4 January 1799	28 April 1800
	Archibald Dalzel	28 April 1800	30 September 1802
	Jacob Mould	30 September 1802	8 February 1805
	George Torrane	8 February 1805	4 December 1807
	Edward White	4 December 1807	21 April 1816
	Joseph Dawson	21 April 1816	19 January 1817
	John Hope Smith	19 January 1817	27 March 1822

Direct British Rule (1822–1828)

From 1822, the British government took more direct control. They appointed governors to manage the Gold Coast. This period saw some important changes in how the colony was run.

• Sir Charles MacCarthy, 27 March 1822 – 17 May 1822 (first time)
• James Chisholm, 17 May 1822 – December 1822 (first time)
• Sir Charles MacCarthy, December 1822 – 21 January 1824 (second time)
• James Chisholm, 21 January 1824 – 17 October 1824 (second time)
• Edward Purdon, 17 October 1824 – 22 March 1825
• Major-general Sir Charles Turner, 22 March 1825 – 8 March 1826
• Sir Neil Campbell, 18 May 1826 – 15 November 1826
• Major Henry John Ricketts, 15 November 1826 – 11 October 1827 (first time)
• Hugh Lumley, 11 October 1827 – 10 March 1828
• George Hingston, 10 March 1828 – 5 June 1828
• Major Henry John Ricketts, 5 June 1828 – 25 June 1828 (second time)

Merchants Return (1828–1843)

The Committee of Merchants took control again for a period. They continued to appoint governors to manage the British interests in the Gold Coast.

• John Jackson, 25 June 1828 – 19 February 1830
• George Maclean, 19 February 1830 – 26 June 1836 (first time)
• William Topp, 26 June 1836 – 15 August 1838
• George Maclean, 15 August 1838 – 1843 (second time)

Gold Coast Crown Colony (1843–1957)

In 1843, the Gold Coast became a formal British colony. This meant it was directly ruled by the British government. After some wars, especially the Third Anglo-Ashanti War (1873–74), the Gold Coast was fully declared a "Crown Colony." This period lasted until Ghana became independent.

Here are some of the key governors during this long period:

• Henry Worsley Hill, 1843–8 March 1845
• William Winniett, 15 April 1846 – 31 January 1849 (first time)
• Sir William Winniett, 13 January 1850 – 4 December 1850 (second time)
• Stephen John Hill, 14 October 1851–December 1854
• Sir Benjamin Chilley Campbell Pine, March 1857–April 1858
• Edward B. Andrews, 20 April 1860 – 14 April 1862
• Richard Pine, 20 September 1862 – 1865
• Edward Conran, April 1865–February 1867
• Herbert Taylor Ussher, February 1867–April 1872 (first time)
• John Pope Hennessy, April 1872 – 1872
• Robert William Harley, September 1872–2 October 1873
• Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 2 October 1873 – 4 March 1874
• George Cumine Strahan, June 1874–7 April 1876
• Sanford Freeling, December 1876–13 May 1878
• Herbert Taylor Ussher, June 1879–1 December 1880 (second time)
• Sir Samuel Rowe, 4 March 1881 – 29 April 1884
• William Brandford Griffith, 24 April 1885 – 7 April 1895 (second time)
• William Edward Maxwell, 7 April 1895 – 6 December 1897
• Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, 6 December 1897 – 29 August 1900
• Sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1900 – 9 February 1904
• John Pickersgill Rodger, 3 March 1904 – 19 September 1910
• James Jamieson Thorburn, 21 November 1910 – 29 June 1912
• Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, 26 December 1912 – 1 April 1919
• Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, 9 October 1919 – 24 April 1927
• Sir Alexander Ransford Slater, July 1927–5 April 1932 (second time)
• Sir Shenton Thomas, 30 November 1932 – 13 May 1934
• Sir Arnold Weinholt Hodson, 24 October 1934 – 24 October 1941
• Sir Alan Cuthbert Maxwell Burns, 29 June 1942 – 2 August 1947
• Sir Gerald Hallen Creasy, 12 January 1948 – 15 February 1949
• Sir Charles Noble Arden-Clarke, 11 August 1949 – 6 March 1957.

Ghana Becomes Independent (1957–1960)

On March 6, 1957, the Gold Coast became an independent country called Ghana. It was still part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, which is a group of countries that used to be part of the British Empire.

After independence, the Queen of the United Kingdom was still the head of state for Ghana. Her representative in Ghana was called the Governor-General. This role was held by:

• Lord Listowel, March 1957 – July 1960

Ghana became a republic in 1960. This meant it no longer had the Queen as its head of state. Instead, it had its own president.

See also

• History of Ghana
• List of heads of state of Ghana
• List of Ghana governments
• List of colonial heads of Sierra Leone
• Lists of incumbents

Images for kids

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  Placeholder for missing images

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  Henry Greenhill

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  Archibald Dalzel

Sources

• http://www.rulers.org/rulg1.html#ghana
• http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Ghana.html
• http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/goldcoast/goldcoastadmin.htm