High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

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High Commissioner of British Western Pacific Territories
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High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
Style His Excellency The Right Honourable
Residence Suva, Fiji (1877-1952)
Honiara, British Solomon Islands (1953-1976)
Appointer King/Queen of the United Kingdom
Formation13 August 1877
First holderThe Rt Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
Final holderThe Rt Hon. Sir Donald Luddington
Abolished2 January 1976

The high commissioner for the Western Pacific was the chief executive officer of the British Western Pacific Territories, a British colonial entity, which existed from 1877 until 1976. Numerous colonial possessions were attached to the Territories at different times, the most durable constituent colonies being Fiji (1877—1952) and the Solomon Islands (1893—1976). [1]

Contents

The office of high commissioner never existed independently, but was always filled ex officio by the Governor of one of the constitutive British islands colonies. The high commissioners were concurrently Governor of Fiji from 1877 to the end of 1952, although the office was suspended from 1942 through 1945, with most of the islands under British military rule and others, namely the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands and Phoenix Islands, under Japanese occupation. From 1 January 1953 to 1976, when the office was abolished, the governor of the Solomon Islands doubled as high commissioner. On 1 January 1972, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were taken off with their own governor. On 2 January 1976 after nearly all had been given separate statehood, the office of high commissioner and the entity of the Pacific Territories were abolished.

They administered from Suva and Honiara, respectively.

List of high commissioners for the Western Pacific (1877–1976)

#IncumbentPortraitTenureMonarchConcurrent office
Took officeLeft office
High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
1. Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon.jpg 13 August 18771880 Victoria Governor of Fiji
2. Sir William Des Vœux Sir G. William Des Voeux.jpg 20 December 188021 January 1885 Victoria Governor of Fiji
John Bates Thurston
Acting
John Bates Thurston.jpg 21 January 18851 January 1887 Victoria Governor of Fiji
(acting)
3. Sir Charles Mitchell Charles Mitchell.jpg 1 January 1887February 1888 Victoria Governor of Fiji
4. Sir John Bates Thurston John Bates Thurston.jpg February 18887 February 1897 Victoria Governor of Fiji
5. Sir George T. M. O'Brien George Thomas Michael O'Brien.jpg March 18971901 Victoria Governor of Fiji
Sir William Allardyce
Acting
William Lamond Allardyce.jpg 190110 September 1902 Edward VII Governor of Fiji
(acting)
6. Sir Henry Jackson 10 September 190211 October 1904 Edward VII Governor of Fiji
7. Sir Everard im Thurn 11 October 19041910 Edward VII Governor of Fiji
Sir Charles Major
Acting
191021 February 1911 Edward VII
George V
Governor of Fiji
(acting)
8. Sir Francis May Francis Henry May.gif 21 February 191125 July 1912 George V Governor of Fiji
9. Sir Ernest Sweet-Escott 25 July 191210 October 1918 George V Governor of Fiji
Sir Eyre Hutson
Acting for Sweet-Escott
19151916 George V Governor of Fiji
(acting)
10. Cecil Hunter-Rodwell 10 October 191825 April 1925 George V Governor of Fiji
Sir Eyre Hutson
Acting for Hunter-Rodwell
19191919 George V Governor of Fiji
(acting)
11. Sir Eyre Hutson 25 April 192522 November 1929 George V Governor of Fiji
12. Sir Arthur Fletcher 22 November 1929May 1936 George V
Edward VIII
Governor of Fiji
Sir Cecil Barton
Acting
May 1936November 1936 Edward VIII Governor of Fiji
(acting)
13. Sir Arthur Richards 28 November 1936August 1938 Edward VIII
George VI
Governor of Fiji
Sir Cecil Barton
Acting
August 1938September 1938 George VI Governor of Fiji
(acting)
14. Sir Harry Luke 16 September 19381942 George VI Governor of Fiji
Office suspended19421945
15. Sir Alexander Grantham 194521 March 1947 George VI Governor of Fiji
Sir John Nicoll
Acting
21 March 19478 October 1947 George VI Governor of Fiji
(acting)
16. Sir Brian Freeston 8 October 19473 July 1952 George VI
Elizabeth II
Governor of Fiji
17. Sir Robert Stanley 3 July 1952July 1955 Elizabeth II Governor of the Solomon Islands
(From 1 January 1953)
18. Sir John Gutch 19554 March 1961 Elizabeth II Governor of the Solomon Islands
19. Sir David Trench 4 March 196116 June 1964 Elizabeth II Governor of the Solomon Islands
20. Sir Robert Sidney Foster 16 June 19646 March 1969 Elizabeth II Governor of the Solomon Islands
21. Sir Michael Gass 6 March 19691973 Elizabeth II Governor of the Solomon Islands
22. Sir Donald Luddington 10 October 19732 January 1976 Elizabeth II Governor of the Solomon Islands

References

  1. Lawrence, David Russell (October 2014). The Naturalist and his "Beautiful Islands": Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific. ANU Press. ISBN   9781925022032.