List of heads of state of the Bahamas

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This is a list of the heads of state of The Bahamas, from the independence of The Bahamas in 1973 to the present day.

Contents

From 1973 the head of state under the Bahamas Independence Act 1973 is the Monarch of The Bahamas, currently King Charles III, who is also the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The King is represented in The Bahamas by a Governor-General.

Monarch (1973–present)

The succession to the throne is the same as the succession to the British throne.

No.Monarch
(Birth–Death)
PortraitReignRoyal House Prime Minister
Reign startReign endDuration
1 Queen Elizabeth II in March 2015.jpg Queen Elizabeth
(1926–2022)
10 July 19738 September 202269 years, 60 days Windsor Pindling
Ingraham
Christie
Ingraham
Christie
Minnis
Davis
2 King Charles III (July 2023).jpg King Charles
(born 1948)
8 September 2022Incumbent1 year, 278 days Windsor Davis

Governor-General

The Governor-General is the representative of the Monarch in the Bahamas and exercises most of the powers of the Monarch. The Governor-General is appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General is appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of the Bahamas without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.

Symbols

^† Died in office.
  Denotes Acting Governors-General
No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officeMonarch
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir John Paul
(1916–2004)
10 July
1973
31 July
1973
21 daysElizabeth II
2 Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir Milo Butler
(1906–1979)
1 August
1973
22 January
1979 [†]
5 years, 174 daysElizabeth II
Insigne Bahamarum.svg Doris Sands Johnson
(1921–1983)
Acting Governor-General
22 January
1979
22 January
1979
0 daysElizabeth II
Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir Gerald Cash
(1917–2003)
Acting Governor-General
22 January
1979
23 September
1979
244 daysElizabeth II
3 Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir Gerald Cash
(1917–2003)
23 September
1979
25 June
1988
8 years, 276 daysElizabeth II
Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir Henry Milton Taylor
(1903–1994)
Acting Governor-General
26 June
1988
28 February
1991
2 years, 247 daysElizabeth II
4 Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir Henry Milton Taylor
(1903–1994)
28 February
1991
1 January
1992
307 daysElizabeth II
5 Insigne Bahamarum.svg Sir Clifford Darling
(1922–2011)
2 January
1992
2 January
1995
3 years, 0 daysElizabeth II
6 Orville Turnquest 1997 (cropped).jpg Sir Orville Turnquest
(b. 1929)
3 January
1995
13 November
2001
6 years, 314 daysElizabeth II
Insigne Bahamarum.svg Dame Ivy Dumont
(b. 1930)
Acting Governor-General
13 November
2001
1 January
2002
49 daysElizabeth II
7 Insigne Bahamarum.svg Dame Ivy Dumont
(b. 1930)
1 January
2002
30 November
2005
3 years, 333 daysElizabeth II
Insigne Bahamarum.svg Paul Adderley
(1928–2012)
Acting Governor-General
1 December
2005
1 February
2006
62 daysElizabeth II
8 Arthur D Hanna (cropped).jpg Arthur Dion Hanna
(1928–2021)
1 February
2006
14 April
2010
4 years, 72 daysElizabeth II
9 Arthur Foulkes (cropped).jpg Sir Arthur Foulkes
(b. 1928)
14 April
2010
8 July
2014
4 years, 85 daysElizabeth II
10 Marguerite Pindling (cropped).jpg Dame Marguerite Pindling
(b. 1932)
8 July
2014
28 June
2019
4 years, 355 daysElizabeth II
11 Cornelius A Smith (2008-01-22).jpg Sir Cornelius A. Smith
(b. 1937)
28 June
2019
Incumbent4 years, 350 daysElizabeth II
Charles III

Standards

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References