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List of governors of the Straits Settlements

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The governor of the Straits Settlements was appointed by the British East India Company until 1867, when the Straits Settlements became a Crown colony. Thereafter the governor was appointed by the Colonial Office. The position existed from 1826 to 1946. Between 1942 and 1945 the office was not filled, as the Straits Settlements was under Japanese occupation. From the late 19th century onward, the governor of the Straits Settlements was usually also British High Commissioner in Malaya and Brunei and British Agent for Sarawak and British North Borneo.

List of British governors (1826–1946)

British Straits Settlements
No. Portrait Name
(Born–Died) 		Term of office Origin Background or
previous appointment 		Monarch
Took office Left office Duration
1 Robert Fullerton
(1773–1831)		 27 November 1826 12 November 1830 3 years, 11 months Edinburgh, Scotland Second Member of Council,
and President of the Board of Trade
George IV

William IV
2 Robert Ibbetson
(1789–1880) 		12 November 1830 7 December 1833 3 years, 25 days England Resident Councillor
of Prince of Wales Island
3 Kenneth Murchison
(1794–1854) 		7 December 1833 17 November 1836 2 years, 11 months Scotland Resident Councillor
of Straits Settlements
4 Sir Samuel George Bonham
(1803–1863) 		18 November 1836 January 1843 ~ 6 years, 1 month Kent, England Resident Councillor
of Straits Settlements

Victoria
British East India Company
5 Major General William John Butterworth
(1801–1856) 		August 1843 21 March 1855 ~ 11 years, 9 months Unknown Lieutenant-Colonel
of the 38th Madras Regiment
6 Edmund Augustus Blundell
(1804–1868) 		21 March 1855 6 August 1859 4 years, 4 months Somerset, England Resident Councillor of Penang
India Office
7 Major General Sir William Orfeur Cavenagh
(1820–1891) 		6 August 1859 16 March 1867 7 years, 7 months Kent, England British Indian Army
Colonial Office
8 Major General Sir Harry St. George Ord
(1819–1885) 		16 March 1867 4 March 1871 3 years, 11 months Kent, England Special Commissioner to West Africa
— Major General Edward Archibald Harbord Anson
(1826–1925)
1st time Acting 		4 March 1871 22 March 1872 1 year and 18 days London, England Lieutenant Governor of Penang
8 Major General Sir Harry St. George Ord
(1819–1885) 		22 March 1872 3 November 1873 1 year, 7 months Kent, England Colonial administrator
— Major General Edward Archibald Harbord Anson
(1826–1925)
2nd time Acting 		3 November 1873 4 November 1873 1 day London, England Lieutenant Governor of Penang
9 Sir Andrew Clarke
(1824–1902) 		4 November 1873 8 May 1875 1 year, 6 months Hampshire, England Director of Works at the Admiralty
10 Sir William Jervois
(1821–1897) 		8 May 1875 3 April 1877 1 year, 10 months Isle of Wight, England Colonel of the Royal Engineers
— Major General Edward Archibald Harbord Anson
(1826–1925)
3rd time Acting 		3 April 1877 August 1877 ~ 4 months London, England Lieutenant Governor of Penang
11 Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson
(1834–1897) 		August 1877 10 February 1879 ~ 1 year, 5 months County Westmeath, Ireland Governor of Western Australia
— Major General Edward Archibald Harbord Anson
(1826–1925)
4th time Acting 		10 February 1879 16 May 1880 1 year, 3 months London, England Lieutenant Governor of Penang
12 Sir Frederick Weld
(1823–1891) 		16 May 1880 17 October 1887 7 years, 5 months Dorset, England Governor of Tasmania
13 Sir Cecil Clementi Smith
(1840–1916) 		17 October 1887 30 August 1893 5 years, 10 months London, England Colonial Secretary
of Straits Settlements
— William Edward Maxwell
(1846–1897)
Acting 		30 August 1893 1 February 1894 5 months and 2 days unknown Colonial Secretary
of Straits Settlements
14 Sir Charles Mitchell
(1836–1899)
Died while in office 		1 February 1894 7 December 1899 5 years, 10 months London, England Governor of Natal
— James Alexander Swettenham
(1846–1933)
Acting 		7 December 1899 5 November 1901 1 year, 10 months Derbyshire, England Colonial Secretary
of Straits Settlements

Edward VII
15 Sir Frank Swettenham
(1850–1946) 		5 November 1901 16 April 1904 2 years, 5 months Derbyshire, England Resident-General
of the Federated Malay States
16 Sir John Anderson
(1858–1918) 		16 April 1904 2 September 1911 7 years, 4 months Aberdeenshire, Scotland Colonial administrator

George V
17 Sir Arthur Henderson Young
(1854–1938) 		2 September 1911 17 February 1920 8 years, 5 months unknown Resident-General
of the Federated Malay States
18 Sir Laurence Guillemard
(1862–1951) 		17 February 1920 3 June 1927 7 years, 3 months unknown Colonial administrator
19 Sir Hugh Clifford
(1866–1941) 		3 June 1927 21 October 1929 2 years, 4 months London, England Governor of British Ceylon
— Sir John Scott
(1878 – 1946)
Acting 		21 October 1929 5 February 1930 3 months and 15 days unknown Colonial Secretary
of Straits Settlements
20 Sir Cecil Clementi
(1875–1947) 		5 February 1930 17 February 1934 4 years and 12 days Cawnpore, British India Governor of Hong Kong
— Sir Andrew Caldecott
(1884–1951)
Acting 		17 February 1934 9 November 1934 8 months and 23 days Kent, England Colonial Secretary
of Straits Settlements
Sir Shenton Thomas
(1879–1962) 		9 November 1934 15 February 1942 7 years, 3 months London, England Governor of the Gold Coast
21

Edward VIII

George VI

Japanese occupation of Singapore
From 15 February 1942 to 12 September 1945.
British Military Administration of the Straits Settlements
From 12 September 1945 to 31 March 1946.
George VI
— Lord Louis Mountbatten
(1900–1979)
British High Command 		12 September 1945 31 March 1946 6 months and 19 days Berkshire, England Supreme Allied Commander
of the Southeast Asia Theatre
British Straits Settlements
21 Sir Shenton Thomas
(1879–1962) 		12 September 1945 31 March 1946 6 months and 19 days London, England Colonial administrator
Singapore became a separate Crown Colony

See also

References

  1. "Past and present leaders of Singapore". Singapore National Library Board.

Further reading

Governors, civil commissioners and administrators of British dependencies
Crown
Dependencies
Overseas
territories
Former posts
Africa
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Asia
Europe
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 category
Governors of Singapore (1819–1959)
(with italics * for the Acting)
Resident of Singapore
(1819–1826)
Governors of the Straits Settlements
(under British India)
(1826–1867)
Governors of the Straits Settlements
(under Colonial Office)
(1867–1942)
Japanese Mayor of Syonan
(1942–1945)
British Military Administration
of the Straits Settlements
(1945–1946)
Governors of the Crown Colony of Singapore
(1946–1959)
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