This is a list of colonial governors of Seychelles, an archipelagic island country in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles was first colonized by the French in 1770, and captured by the British in 1810, who governed it under the subordination to Mauritius until 1903, when it became a separate crown colony. Seychelles achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 29 June 1976.
Italics indicate de facto continuation of office
| Tenure | Portrait | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Suzerainty | |||
| French colony, subordinated to Île de France (Mauritius) | |||
| 21 November 1742 | Claimed for France by Lazare Picault, named Îles de La Bourdonnais, not settled | ||
| 1 November 1756 | Annexed by France (Îles de Séchelles), not settled until 27 August 1770 | ||
| 27 August 1770 to 1772 | Jean-Charles de Launay de La Perrière , Commandant | ||
| 1772 to 1775 | Joseph François Eugène Benjamin Anselme , Commandant | ||
| 1775 to 1777 | Jean-Baptiste Le Roux de Kermeseven , Commandant | ||
| 1778 to 1781 | Charles Routier de Romainville , Commandant | ||
| 1781 to 1783 | Louis François Claude Berthelot de la Coste , Commandant | ||
| 1783 to 1786 | François, vicomte de Souillac , Commandant | ||
| 1786 to 1789 | Augustin Motais de Narbonne , Commandant | ||
| 1789 to 1792 | Louis Jean Baptiste Philogène de Malavois , Commandant | ||
| 1792 to 1793 | Charles Joseph Esnouf , Commandant | ||
| 9 September 1793 to 17 May 1810 | Jean-Baptiste Quéau de Quincy , Governor | Îles de Séchelles occupied by United Kingdom on 17 May 1794 (French administration continues to 17 May 1810) | |
| British Suzerainty | |||
| British colony, subordinated to Mauritius | |||
| 17 May 1810 to 2 June 1811 | Jean-Baptiste Quéau de Quincy , Commissioner | ||
| 2 June 1811 to 1812 | Bartholomew Sullivan , Commissioner | ||
| 1812 to 1815 | Bibye Lasage , Commissioner | ||
| 1815 to 1822 | Edward Henry Madge , Commissioner | ||
| 1822 to 1837 | George Harrison , Commissioner | ||
| 1837 to 1839 | Arthur Wilson , Commissioner | ||
| 1839 to 1850 | Charles Augustus Etienne Mylius , Commissioner | ||
| 1850 to 1852 | Robert William Keate , Commissioner | ||
| 1852 to 1862 | Charles William Bhering, Viscount Bhering , Commissioner | ||
| 1862 to 1868 | Swinburne Ward , Commissioner | ||
| 1868 to 1874 | William Hales Franklyn , Commissioner | ||
| 1874 to 1879 | Charles Spencer Salmon , Commissioner | ||
| 1879 to 1880 |  | Arthur Elibank Havelock , Commissioner | |
| 1880 to 1882 | Francis Theophilus Blunt , Commissioner | ||
| 1882 to 1888 | Arthur Cecil Stuart Barkly , Commissioner | ||
| 1889 to 1895 | Thomas Risely Griffith , Administrator | ||
| 1895 to August 1899 | Henry Cockburn Stewart , Administrator | ||
| August 1899 to 31 August 1903 |  | Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott , Administrator | |
| British crown colony | |||
| 31 August 1903 to November 1903 | | Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott , Administrator | |
| November 1903 to 1904 | Ernest Bickham Sweet-Escott , Governor | ||
| 1904 to 1912 |  | Walter Edward Davidson , Governor | |
| 1912 to 1918 | Charles Richard Mackey O'Brien , Governor | ||
| 1918 to 1922 |  | Sir Eustace Edward Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes , Governor | |
| 1922 to 1927 | Sir Joseph Aloysius Byrne , Governor | ||
| May 1927 to November 1927 | Sir Malcolm Stevenson , Governor | ||
| November 1927 to March 1928 | Sir Justin Louis Devaux , Acting Governor [1] | ||
| March 1928 | Robert Vere de Vere , Acting Governor | Sworn in on 22 March 1928 as Louis Devaux had refused to relinquish power [1] | |
| 1928 to 1934 |  | Sir de Symons Montagu George Honey , Governor | |
| 1934 to 1936 | Sir Gordon James Lethem , Governor | ||
| 1936 to 5 January 1942 | Arthur Francis Grimble , Governor | From 1 January 1938, Sir Arthur Francis Grimble | |
| 5 January 1942 to July 1947 | William Marston Logan , Governor | From 8 June 1944, Sir William Marston Logan. John Woodman OBE (Chief Justice, 1943–47) acted as Governor in 1946. [2] | |
| July 1947 to 14 May 1951 | Sir Percy Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke , Governor | ||
| 14 May 1951 to 1953 | Frederick Crawford , Governor | ||
| 31 May 1953 to January 1958 | William Addis , Governor | From 9 June 1955, Sir William Addis | |
| January 1958 to 13 August 1961 | John Kingsmill Thorp , Governor | From 13 June 1959, Sir John Kingsmill Thorp | |
| January 1962 to 1967 |  | The 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith , Governor | |
| 1967 to 1969 | Sir Hugh Selby Norman-Walker , Governor | ||
| 1969 to 1973 |  | Sir Bruce Greatbatch , Governor | Autonomy granted to the Seychelles on 12 November 1970 |
| 1973 to 1 October 1975 | Colin Hamilton Allan , Governor | ||
| 1 October 1975 to 28 June 1976 | Colin Hamilton Allan , High Commissioner | Self-rule granted to the Seychelles on 1 October 1975 | |
| 29 June 1976 | Independence as Republic of Seychelles | ||
For continuation after independence, see: List of presidents of Seychelles
Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles, is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, is 1,500 kilometres east of mainland Africa. Nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas departments of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; and Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago to the east. Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa as well as the least populated sovereign African country, with an estimated population of 100,600 in 2022.
The politics of Seychelles have historical roots in both one-party socialism and autocratic rule. Following independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, Seychelles was a sovereign republic until 1977, when the original President and leader of the Seychelles Democratic Party, James Mancham, was overthrown in a bloodless coup by the Prime Minister France-Albert René. René installed a single-party socialist state under the Seychelles People's Progressive Front in 1979 which remained in power until 1993, when multiparty elections took place for the first time since independence, after restoring the multi-party system in 1991. Modern day Seychelles governance takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Seychelles is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly.
France-Albert René was a Seychellois lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the second President of Seychelles from 1977 to 2004. He also served as the country's second Prime Minister from its independence in 1976 to 1977.
James Alix Michel, GCSK is a Seychellois politician who served as the third President of Seychelles from 2004 to 2016. He previously served as vice president under his predecessor, France-Albert René, from 1996 to 2004.
United Seychelles is a political party in Seychelles. It publishes a newspaper called The People. It was known as the Seychelles People's Progressive Front until June 2009, when it changed its name to the People's Party. The party changed its name again in November 2018, from the People's Party to United Seychelles.
Sir James Richard Marie Mancham KBE was a Seychellois politician who founded the Seychelles Democratic Party and was the first President of Seychelles from 1976 to 1977.
Wavel Ramkalawan is a Seychellois politician and Anglican priest who has been serving as the President of Seychelles since 26 October 2020. Ramkalawan was an opposition MP from 1993 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1998 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. On 25 October 2020, Ramkalawan won the presidential election, the country's first such victory for an opposition candidate since independence, marking its first successful peaceful transition of power.
Franco-Seychellois are people of French descent living in the Seychelles. Franco-Seychellois have played an important role in the country's history both before and since independence.
The history of Seychelles dates back to the fourth of the Portuguese India Armadas led by Vasco da Gama, though Seychelles was likely already known to Arab navigators and other sailors for many centuries. On 15 March 1503, the scrivener Thomé Lopes noted the sighting of an elevated island, doubtless one of the granitic islands and almost certainly Silhouette Island. The first recorded landing was by the men of the English East India Company ship Ascension, which arrived in Seychelles in January 1609.The islands were claimed by France in 1756. Seychelles remained uninhabited until the first settlers arrived on board the ship Thélemaque, which arrived on 27 August 1770. Captain Leblanc Lecore landed the first colonists, comprising 15 white men, eight Africans and five Indians. The Seychellois Creole language developed as a means of communication between the different races. The British frigate Orpheus commanded by Captain Henry Newcome arrived at Mahé on 16 May 1794. Terms of capitulation were drawn up and the next day Seychelles was surrendered to Britain. Following the fall of Mauritius to British forces, Captain Phillip Beaver of the Nisus arrived at Mahé on 23 April 1811 and took possession of Seychelles as a permanent colony of Britain. The Seychelles became an independent republic in 1976. Following a coup d'état, a socialist one-party state ruled the country from 1977 to 1993. The subsequent democratic Presidential elections were won by candidates of the same party.
This is a list of public holidays in Seychelles.
