# List of governors of Newfoundland and Labrador

The following is a list of governors, commodore-governors, and lieutenant governors of Newfoundland and Labrador. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Newfoundland and Labrador came into being only upon the province's entry into Canadian Confederation in 1949, the post is a continuation from the first governorship of Newfoundland in 1610.

## Proprietary governors of Newfoundland, 1610–1728

| # | Name | Colony | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under James I (1610–1625): ||||||
| | John Guy | Cuper's Cove | 1610 | 1614 |
| | John Mason | Cuper's Cove | 1615 | 1621 |
| | Robert Hayman | Bristol's Hope | 1618 | 1628 |
| | Sir Richard Whitbourne | Renews | 1618 | 1620 |
| | Sir Francis Tanfield | South Falkland | 1623 | 1626 |
| | Edward Wynne | Ferryland | 1621 | 1625 |
| Governors under Charles I (1625–1649): ||||||
| | Sir Arthur Aston | Avalon | 1625 | 1627 |
| | The Lord Baltimore | Avalon | 1627 | 1629 |
| | The Lord Baltimore | Avalon | 1629 | 1632 |
| | William Hill | Avalon | 1634 | 1638 |
| 1. | Sir David Kirke | Newfoundland | 1638 | → |
| Governors under Oliver Cromwell (1649–1658): ||||||
| 1. | cont... | | ← | 1651 |
| 2. | John Treworgie | Newfoundland | 1653 | → |
| Governors under Richard Cromwell (1658–1660): ||||||
| 2. | cont... | | ← | → |
| Governors under Charles II (1660): ||||||
| 2. | cont... | | ← | 1660 |

## Governors of Plaisance, 1655–1713

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under Louis XIV (1655–1713): |||||
| | Sieur de Kéréon | 1655 | 1660 |
| | Nicolas Gargot de la Rochette | 1660 | 1662 |
| | Thalour Du Perron | 1662 | 1663 |
| | Lafontaine Bellot | 1664 | 1667 |
| | Sieur de la Palme | 1667 | 1670 |
| | Sieur de la Poippe | 1670 | 1684 |
| | Antoine Parat | 1685 | 1690 |
| | Louis de Pastour de Costebelle | 1690 | 1691 |
| | Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan | 1690 | 1701 |
| | Joseph de Monic | 1697 | 1702 |
| | Daniel d'Auger de Subercase | 1702 | 1706 |
| | Philippe Pastour de Costebelle | 1706 | 1713 |

## Lieutenant-governors of Placentia, 1713–1770

| # | Name | Governor from | Governor until |
| Lieutenant-Governors under George I (1713–1727) (Subject to Governor of Nova Scotia and Placentia): |||||
| 1. | John Moody | 1714 | 1717 |
| 2. | Martin Purcell (governor) | 1717 | 1717 |
| 3. | Samuel Gledhill | 1717 | 1729 |
| Lieutenant-Governors under George II (1727–1760): |||||
| 1. | Henry Cope | 1736 | ?1742 |
| 1. | Otho Hamilton | 1744 | c.1764 |
| 1. | Joseph Goreham | 1770 | |

## Commodore-governors of Newfoundland, 1729–1825

The Commodore-Governor was a British Royal Navy official who was commander of the annual fishing convoy which left England each spring to fish off Newfoundland and was charged with protecting the convoys from harm. He was also responsible for various administrative and judicial functions, including assisting the fishing admirals in maintaining law and order and compiling the annual report on the fishery for the English government. By 1818, the colony had a significant enough permanent population to justify having a resident governor.
| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under George II (1729–1760): |||||
| 3. | Henry Osborn | 1729 | 1730 |
| 4. | George Clinton | 1731 | 1731 |
| 5. | Edward Falkingham | 1732 | 1732 |
| 6. | Robert MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry | 1733 | 1734 |
| 7. | FitzRoy Henry Lee | 1735 | 1737 |
| 8. | Philip Vanbrugh | 1738 | 1738 |
| 9. | Henry Medley | 1739 | 1740 |
| 10. | Thomas Smith | 1741 | 1741 |
| 11. | John Byng | 1742 | 1742 |
| 10. | Thomas Smith (second time) | 1743 | 1743 |
| 12. | Sir Charles Hardy | 1744 | 1744 |
| 13. | Richard Edwards | 1745 | 1745 |
| 14. | James Douglas Bt | 1746 | 1746 |
| 15. | John Bradstreet | 1747 | 1747 |
| 15. | Charles Watson | 1748 | 1748 |
| 16. | The Lord Rodney | 1749 | 1749 |
| 17. | Francis William Drake | 1750 | 1752 |
| 18. | Hugh Bonfoy | 1753 | 1754 |
| 19. | Richard Dorrill | 1755 | 1756 |
| 20. | Richard Edwards | 1757 | 1759 |
| 21. | James Webb | 1760 | → |
| Governors under George III (1760–1820): |||||
| 21. | cont... | ← | 1760 |
| 22. | Thomas Graves | 1761 | 1763 |
| 23. | Sir Hugh Palliser | 1764 | 1768 |
| 24. | John Byron | 1769 | 1771 |
| 25. | Molyneux Shuldham | 1772 | 1774 |
| 26. | Robert Duff | 1775 | 1775 |
| 27. | John Montagu | 1776 | 1778 |
| 28. | Richard Edwards | 1779 | 1781 |
| 29. | John Campbell | 1782 | 1785 |
| 30. | John Elliot | 1786 | 1788 |
| 31. | Mark Milbanke | 1789 | 1791 |
| 32. | Sir Richard King Bt | 1792 | 1793 |
| 33. | Sir James Wallace | 1794 | 1796 |
| 34. | William Waldegrave | 1797 | 1799 |
| 35. | Sir Charles Morice Pole Bt | 1800 | 1801 |
| 36. | James Gambier | 1802 | 1803 |
| 37. | Sir Erasmus Gower | 1804 | 1806 |
| 38. | John Holloway | 1807 | 1809 |
| 39. | Sir John Thomas Duckworth GCB | 1810 | 1812 |
| 40. | Sir Richard Goodwin Keats | 1813 | 1816 |
| 41. | Francis Pickmore | 1817 | 1818 |
| 42. | Sir Charles Hamilton Bt | 1818 | → |
| Governors under George IV (1820–1825): |||||
| 42. | cont... | ← | 1825 |

## Civil governors of Newfoundland, 1825–1855

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under George IV (1825–1830): |||||
| 43. | Sir Thomas John Cochrane | 1825 | → |
| Governors under William IV (1830–1837): |||||
| 43. | cont... | ← | 1834 |
| 44. | Sir Henry Prescott | 1834 | → |
| Governors under Queen Victoria (1837–1855): |||||
| 44. | cont... | ← | 1841 |
| 45. | Sir John Harvey KCH | 1841 | 1846 |
| | Robert Law (colonial administrator) | 1846 | 1847 |
| 46. | Sir John Le Marchant | 1847 | 1852 |
| 47. | Ker Baillie-Hamilton | 1852 | 1855 |

## Colonial governors of Newfoundland, 1855–1907

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under Queen Victoria (1855–1901): |||||
| 48. | Sir Charles Henry Darling | 1855 | 1857 |
| 49. | Sir Alexander Bannerman | 1857 | 1864 |
| 50. | Sir Anthony Musgrave | 1864 | 1869 |
| 51. | Sir Stephen John Hill KCMG CB | 1869 | 1876 |
| 52. | Sir John Hawley Glover KCMG | 1876 | 1881 |
| 53. | Sir Henry Berkeley Fitzhardinge Maxse KCMG | 1881 | 1883 |
| 52. | Sir John Hawley Glover (second time) KCMG | 1883 | 1885 |
| 54. | Sir William Des Vœux | 1886 | 1887 |
| 55. | Sir Henry Arthur Blake KCMG FRGS FRCI | 1887 | 1889 |
| 56. | Sir John Terence Nicholls O'Brien | 1889 | 1895 |
| 57. | Sir Herbert Harley Murray | 1895 | 1898 |
| 58. | Sir Henry Edward McCallum | 1898 | → |
| Governors under Edward VII (1901–1907): |||||
| 58. | cont... | ← | 1901 |
| 59. | Sir Charles Cavendish Boyle KCMG | 1901 | 1904 |
| 60. | Sir William MacGregor CB KCMG | 1904 | 1907 |

## Governors of the Dominion of Newfoundland, 1907–1934

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under Edward VII (1907–1910): |||||
| 60. | Sir William MacGregor (continued) CB KCMG | 1907 | 1909 |
| 61. | Sir Ralph Champneys Williams CMG | 1909 | → |
| Governors under George V (1910–1934): |||||
| 61. | cont... | ← | 1913 |
| 62. | Sir Walter Edward Davidson KCMG CBE | 1913 | 1917 |
| 63. | Sir Charles Alexander Harris | 1917 | 1922 |
| 64. | Sir William Allardyce KCMG | 1922 | 1928 |
| 65. | Sir John Middleton | 1928 | 1932 |
| 66. | Sir David Murray Anderson KCB KCMG MVO | 1933 | 1934 |

## Commission governors of Newfoundland, 1934–1949

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under George V (1934–1936): |||||
| 66. | Sir David Murray Anderson (continued) KCB KCMG MVO | 1934 | 1935 |
| 67. | Sir Humphrey T. Walwyn KCSI KCMG CB DSO | 1936 | → |
| Governors under Edward VIII (1936): |||||
| 67. | cont... | ← | → |
| Governors under George VI (1936–1949): |||||
| 67. | cont... | ← | 1946 |
| 68. | Gordon MacDonald | 1946 | 1949 |

## Lieutenant governors of Newfoundland, 1949–1999

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under George VI (1949–1952): |||||
| 69. | Sir Albert Walsh | 1949 | 1949 |
| 70. | Sir Leonard Outerbridge CBE DSO | 1949 | → |
| Governors under Elizabeth II (1952–1999): |||||
| 70. | cont... | ← | 1957 |
| 71. | Campbell Leonard Macpherson | 1957 | 1963 |
| 72. | ρ Fabian O'Dea QC | 1963 | 1969 |
| 73. | Ewart John Arlington Harnum OC | 1969 | 1974 |
| 74. | Gordon Arnaud Winter OC | 1974 | 1981 |
| 75. | William Anthony Paddon OC | 1981 | 1986 |
| 76. | James McGrath PC | 1986 | 1991 |
| 77. | Frederick Russell OC CD | 1991 | 1997 |
| 78. | Arthur Maxwell House OC FRCP | 1997 | 1999 |

## Lieutenant governors of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1999–present

| # | Name | Term start | Term end |
| Governors under Elizabeth II (1999–2022): |||||
| 78. | Arthur Maxwell House OC FRCP | 1999 | 2002 |
| 79. | Edward Roberts CM ONL QC | 2002 | 2008 |
| 80. | John Crosbie PC OC ONL QC | 2008 | 2013 |
| 81. | Frank Fagan CM ONL | 2013 | 2018 |
| 82. | Judy Foote PC ONL | 2018 | → |
| Governors under Charles III (2022–present): |||||
| 82. | cont... | ← | 2023 |
| 83. | Joan Marie Aylward | 2023 | Present |
* ↑ Colour denotes living former lieutenant governors