Governor of Hong Kong


The Governor of Hong Kong was the representative in Hong Kong of the British Crown from 1843 to 1997. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions. Upon the end of British rule and the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, most of the civil functions of this office went to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and military functions went to the Commander of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison.

The governor

Authorities and duties of the governor were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions in 1843. The governor, appointed by the British monarch, exercised the executive branch of the Government of Hong Kong throughout British sovereignty and, with the exception of a brief experiment after World War II, no serious attempt was made to introduce representative government, until the final years of British rule.
The Governor of Hong Kong chaired the colonial cabinet, the Executive Council, and, until 1993, was also the President of the Legislative Council. The governor appointed most, if not all, of the members of the colony's legislature, which was largely an advisory body until the first indirect election to LegCo was held in 1985. Initially, both Councils were dominated by British expatriates, but this progressively gave way to local Hong Kong Chinese appointees in later years. Historically, the Governors of Hong Kong were either professional diplomats or senior colonial officials, except for the last governor, Chris Patten, who was a career politician.
In December 1996, the governor's salary was HK$3,036,000 per annum, tax-free. It was fixed at 125% of the Chief Secretary's salary.
In the absence of the governor, the chief secretary immediately became the acting governor of the colony. The chief secretaries were historically drawn from the Colonial Office or British military. One Royal Navy Vice Admiral served as administrator after World War II. Four Japanese military officers served as administrators during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II.

Transport

The Governor of Hong Kong used a Daimler DS420 for day to day transport and a Rolls-Royce Phantom V landaulet for ceremonial occasions. Both vehicles were removed by the Royal Navy immediately following the handover to China on 1 July 1997.

Residences

British administrators and governors (1841–1941)

Japanese occupation (1941–1945)

British administrators and governors (1945–1997)

Timeline


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from: 26/06/1843 till:08/05/1844 color:non text:"Pottinger" fontsize:9
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from: 21/03/1848 till:13/04/1854 color:non text:"Bonham" fontsize:9
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from: 29/07/1907 till:16/03/1912 color:non text:"Lugard" fontsize:9
from: 04/07/1912 till:12/09/1918 color:non text:"May" fontsize:9
from: 30/09/1919 till:31/10/1925 color:non text:"Stubbs" fontsize:9
from: 01/11/1925 till:01/02/1930 color:non text:"Clementi" fontsize:9
from: 09/05/1930 till:17/05/1935 color:non text:"Peel" fontsize:9
from: 12/12/1935 till:16/04/1937 color:non text:"Caldecott" fontsize:9
from: 28/10/1937 till:06/09/1941 color:non text:"Northcote" fontsize:9
from: 10/09/1941 till:15/12/1941 color:non text:"Young" fontsize:9
from: 01/05/1946 till:17/05/1947 color:non text:"Young" fontsize:9
from: 25/07/1947 till:31/12/1957 color:non text:"Grantham" fontsize:9
from: 23/01/1958 till:31/03/1964 color:non text:"Black" fontsize:9
from: 14/04/1964 till:19/10/1971 color:non text:"Trench" fontsize:9
from: 19/11/1971 till:08/05/1982 color:non text:"MacLehose" fontsize:9
from: 20/05/1982 till:04/12/1986 color:non text:"Youde" fontsize:9
from: 09/04/1987 till:03/07/1992 color:non text:"Wilson" fontsize:9
from: 09/07/1992 till:30/06/1997 color:non text:"Patten" fontsize:9

Firsts