List of governors of Newfoundland and Labrador facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Newfoundland and Labrador has a long history of leaders, starting way back in 1610! These leaders were called different things over time, like governors, commodore-governors, and lieutenant governors. Even though the title "Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador" only officially began when the province joined Canada in 1949, the role itself has been around for centuries. It's like a continuous line of people who have helped lead and guide the region.

Early Governors of Newfoundland (1610–1728)
Governors of Plaisance (1655–1713)
Lieutenant-Governors of Placentia (1713–1770)
Commodore-Governors of Newfoundland (1729–1825)
Civil Governors of Newfoundland (1825–1855)
Colonial Governors of Newfoundland (1855–1907)
Governors of the Dominion of Newfoundland (1907–1934)
Commission Governors of Newfoundland (1934–1949)
Lieutenant Governors of Newfoundland (1949–1999)
Lieutenant Governors of Newfoundland and Labrador (1999–Present)
See also

Early Governors of Newfoundland (1610–1728)

These were the first leaders of Newfoundland. They were called "Proprietary Governors" because they were often in charge of specific colonies or areas that were given to them by the King. They helped set up the first settlements and rules.

#	Name	Colony	Term start	Term end
Governors under King James I (1610–1625):
	John Guy	Cuper's Cove	1610	1614
	John Mason	Cuper's Cove	1615	1621
	Robert Hayman	Bristol's Hope	1618	1628
	Sir Richard Whitbourne	Renews	1618	1620
	Sir Francis Tanfield	South Falkland	1623	1626
	Edward Wynne	Ferryland	1621	1625
Governors under King Charles I (1625–1649):
	Sir Arthur Aston	Avalon	1625	1627
	George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore	Avalon	1627	1629
	Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore	Avalon	1629	1632
	William Hill	Avalon	1634	1638
1.	Sir David Kirke	Newfoundland	1638	→
Governors under Oliver Cromwell (1649–1658):
1.	cont...		←	1651
2.	John Treworgie	Newfoundland	1653	→
Governors under Richard Cromwell (1658–1660):
2.	cont...		←	→
Governors under King Charles II (1660):
2.	cont...		←	1660

Governors of Plaisance (1655–1713)

Plaisance was a French settlement in Newfoundland, known today as Placentia. These governors were in charge of the French colony during a time when both France and England had interests in Newfoundland.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under King Louis XIV (1655–1713):
	Sieur de Kéréon	1655	1660
	Nicolas Gargot de la Rochette	1660	1662
	Thalour Du Perron	1662	1663
	Lafontaine Bellot	1664	1667
	Sieur de la Palme	1667	1670
	Sieur de la Poippe	1670	1684
	Antoine Parat	1685	1690
	Louis de Pastour de Costebelle	1690	1691
	Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan	1690	1701
	Joseph de Monic	1697	1702
	Daniel d'Auger de Subercase	1702	1706
	Philippe Pastour de Costebelle	1706	1713

Lieutenant-Governors of Placentia (1713–1770)

After the French left Plaisance (Placentia) in 1713, British Lieutenant-Governors were appointed. They were in charge of the area, often reporting to a higher governor in Nova Scotia.

#	Name	Governor from	Governor until
Lieutenant-Governors under King George I (1713–1727) (Reporting to the Governor of Nova Scotia and Placentia):
1.	John Moody	1714	1717
2.	Martin Purcell (governor)	1717	1717
3.	Samuel Gledhill	1717	1729
Lieutenant-Governors under King George II (1727–1760):
1.	Henry Cope	1736	?1742
1.	Otho Hamilton	1744	c.1764
1.	Joseph Goreham	1770

Commodore-Governors of Newfoundland (1729–1825)

A "Commodore-Governor" was a high-ranking officer from the Royal Navy. Each spring, they would lead a group of fishing ships from England to Newfoundland. Their main jobs were to protect these ships and keep order. They also helped the "fishing admirals" (who were in charge of fishing rules) and wrote reports about the fishing industry for the English government. By 1818, Newfoundland had enough people living there all year round that it made sense to have a governor who lived there permanently.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under King George II (1729–1760):
3.	Henry Osborn	1729	1730
4.	George Clinton	1731	1731
5.	Edward Falkingham	1732	1732
6.	Robert MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry	1733	1734
7.	FitzRoy Henry Lee	1735	1737
8.	Philip Vanbrugh	1738	1738
9.	Henry Medley	1739	1740
10.	Thomas Smith	1741	1741
11.	John Byng	1742	1742
10.	Thomas Smith (second time)	1743	1743
12.	Sir Charles Hardy	1744	1744
13.	Richard Edwards	1745	1745
14.	Sir James Douglas, 1st Baronet	1746	1746
15.	John Bradstreet	1747	1747
15.	Charles Watson	1748	1748
16.	George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney	1749	1749
17.	Francis William Drake	1750	1752
18.	Hugh Bonfoy	1753	1754
19.	Richard Dorrill	1755	1756
20.	Richard Edwards	1757	1759
21.	James Webb	1760	→
Governors under King George III (1760–1820):
21.	cont...	←	1760
22.	Thomas Graves	1761	1763
23.	Sir Hugh Palliser	1764	1768
24.	John Byron	1769	1771
25.	Molyneux Shuldham	1772	1774
26.	Robert Duff	1775	1775
27.	John Montagu	1776	1778
28.	Richard Edwards	1779	1781
29.	John Campbell	1782	1785
30.	John Elliot	1786	1788
31.	Mark Milbanke	1789	1791
32.	Sir Richard King, 1st Baronet	1792	1793
33.	Sir James Wallace	1794	1796
34.	William Waldegrave	1797	1799
35.	Sir Charles Pole, 1st Baronet	1800	1801
36.	James Gambier	1802	1803
37.	Sir Erasmus Gower	1804	1806
38.	John Holloway	1807	1809
39.	Sir John Duckworth	1810	1812
40.	Sir Richard Goodwin Keats	1813	1816
41.	Francis Pickmore	1817	1818
42.	Sir Charles Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, of Marlborough House	1818	→
Governors under King George IV (1820–1825):
42.	cont...	←	1825

Civil Governors of Newfoundland (1825–1855)

After the Commodore-Governors, Newfoundland began to have "Civil Governors." These leaders were not necessarily naval officers. They focused on governing the growing population and managing the colony's affairs.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under King George IV (1825–1830):
43.	Sir Thomas John Cochrane	1825	→
Governors under King William IV (1830–1837):
43.	cont...	←	1834
44.	Sir Henry Prescott	1834	→
Governors under Queen Victoria (1837–1855):
44.	cont...	←	1841
45.	Sir John Harvey	1841	1846
	Robert Law (colonial administrator)	1846	1847
46.	Sir John Le Marchant	1847	1852
47.	Ker Baillie-Hamilton	1852	1855

Colonial Governors of Newfoundland (1855–1907)

During this period, Newfoundland was a British colony. The Colonial Governors were representatives of the British Crown, helping to manage the colony's government and its relationship with Britain.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under Queen Victoria (1855–1901):
48.	Sir Charles Henry Darling	1855	1857
49.	Sir Alexander Bannerman	1857	1864
50.	Sir Anthony Musgrave	1864	1869
51.	Sir Stephen John Hill	1869	1876
52.	Sir John Hawley Glover	1876	1881
53.	Sir Henry Berkeley Fitzhardinge Maxse	1881	1883
52.	Sir John Hawley Glover (second time)	1883	1885
54.	Sir William Des Vœux	1886	1887
55.	Sir Henry Arthur Blake	1887	1889
56.	Sir John Terence Nicholls O'Brien	1889	1895
57.	Sir Herbert Harley Murray	1895	1898
58.	Sir Henry Edward McCallum	1898	→
Governors under King Edward VII (1901–1907):
58.	cont...	←	1901
59.	Sir Charles Cavendish Boyle	1901	1904
60.	Sir William MacGregor	1904	1907

Governors of the Dominion of Newfoundland (1907–1934)

Newfoundland became a "Dominion" in 1907, which meant it was a self-governing country within the British Empire. The Governors during this time represented the King or Queen and played a role in the Dominion's government.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under King Edward VII (1907–1910):
60.	Sir William MacGregor (continued)	1907	1909
61.	Sir Ralph Champneys Williams	1909	→
Governors under King George V (1910–1934):
61.	cont...	←	1913
62.	Sir Walter Edward Davidson	1913	1917
63.	Sir Charles Alexander Harris	1917	1922
64.	Sir William Allardyce	1922	1928
65.	Sir John Middleton	1928	1932
66.	Sir David Murray Anderson	1933	1934

Commission Governors of Newfoundland (1934–1949)

During a difficult economic time, Newfoundland's self-government was paused. A "Commission of Government" was set up, and these governors led the island along with a group of commissioners.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under King George V (1934–1936):
66.	Sir David Murray Anderson (continued)	1934	1935
67.	Sir Humphrey T. Walwyn	1936	→
Governors under King Edward VIII (1936):
67.	cont...	←	→
Governors under King George VI (1936–1949):
67.	cont...	←	1946
68.	Gordon MacDonald	1946	1949

Lieutenant Governors of Newfoundland (1949–1999)

In 1949, Newfoundland joined Canada and became a province. At this point, the role of "Governor" changed to "Lieutenant Governor." The Lieutenant Governor represents the King or Queen in the province and performs important duties like opening legislative sessions and giving royal approval to new laws.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Lieutenant Governors under King George VI (1949–1952):
69.	Sir Albert Walsh	1949	1949
70.	Sir Leonard Outerbridge	1949	→
Lieutenant Governors under Queen Elizabeth II (1952–1999):
70.	cont...	←	1957
71.	Campbell Leonard Macpherson	1957	1963
72.	Fabian O'Dea	1963	1969
73.	Ewart John Arlington Harnum	1969	1974
74.	Gordon Arnaud Winter	1974	1981
75.	William Anthony Paddon	1981	1986
76.	James McGrath	1986	1991
77.	Frederick Russell	1991	1997
78.	Arthur Maxwell House	1997	1999

Lieutenant Governors of Newfoundland and Labrador (1999–Present)

In 2001, the province officially changed its name to Newfoundland and Labrador. The Lieutenant Governor's role continued, representing the Crown and serving the people of the province.

#	Name	Term start	Term end
Governors under Queen Elizabeth II (1999–2022):
78.	Arthur Maxwell House	1999	2002
79.	Edward Roberts	2002	2008
80.	John Crosbie	2008	2013
81.	Frank Fagan	2013	2018
82.	Judy Foote	2018	→
Governors under King Charles III (2022–present):
82.	cont...	←	2023
83.	Joan Marie Aylward	2023	Present