# List of premiers of Nova Scotia

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia was a British colony with a system of responsible government since 1848, before it joined Canadian Confederation in 1867. Since Confederation, the province has been a part of the Canadian federation and has kept its own legislature to deal with provincial matters.
Nova Scotia has a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the House of Assembly. The premier is Nova Scotia's head of government, and the king in right of Nova Scotia is its head of state and is represented by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia. The premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of Nova Scotia, and presides over that body.
Members are first elected to the House during general elections. General elections must be conducted every five years from the date of the last election, but the premier may ask for early dissolution of the Legislative Assembly. An election may also occur if the governing party loses the confidence of the legislature by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion. Nova Scotia has had 27 individuals serve as premier since Confederation, of which 12 were Conservatives, 14 were Liberals, and one New Democrat.
Two premiers of Nova Scotia later became prime minister of Canada, John Sparrow David Thompson and Charles Tupper.

## Premiers of Nova Scotia

| No. | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Electoral mandates (Assembly) | Political party | Riding |
| Premiers of the pre-Confederation period |||||||||
| 1 | James Boyle Uniacke (1799–1858) | 2 February 1848 | 4 April 1854 | 1847 election (18th Leg.)⁠ 1851 election (19th Leg.) | Liberal | MLA for Cape Breton County |
| 2 (1 of 2) | William Young (1799–1887) | 4 April 1854 | 24 February 1857 | Appointment (19th Leg.)⁠ 1855 election (20th Leg.) | Liberal | MLA for Inverness County |
| 3 (1 of 2) | James William Johnston (1792–1873) | 24 February 1857 | 10 February 1860 | 1859 election (22nd Leg.) | Conservative | MLA for Annapolis County |
| 4 (2 of 2) | William Young (1799–1887) | 10 February 1860 | 3 August 1860 | Appointment (22nd Leg.) | Liberal | MLA for Inverness County |
| 5 | Joseph Howe (1804–1873) | 3 August 1860 | 11 June 1863 | Appointment (22nd Leg.) | Liberal | MLA for Hants County, South Division |
| 6 (2 of 2) | James William Johnston (1792–1873) | 11 June 1863 | 11 May 1864 | 1863 election (23rd Leg.) | Conservative | MLA for Annapolis County |
| 7 | Charles Tupper (1821–1915) | 11 May 1864 | 4 July 1867 | Appointment (23rd Leg.) | Confederation | MLA for Cumberland County |
| Premiers of the post-Confederation period |||||||||
| 1 | Hiram Blanchard (1820–1874) | 4 July 1867 | 7 November 1867 | Appointment (caretaker government) | Conservative (Ldr. 1867) | MLA for Inverness County |
| 2 | William Annand (1808–1887) | 7 November 1867 | 11 May 1875 | 1867 election (24th Leg.)⁠ 1871 election (25th Leg.)⁠ 1874 election (26th Leg.) | Anti-Confederation (Ldr. 1867) | Councillor for province-at-large |
| 3 | Philip Carteret Hill (1821–1894) | 11 May 1875 | 22 October 1878 | Appointment (26th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1875) | MLA for Halifax County |
| 4 | Simon Hugh Holmes (1831–1919) | 22 October 1878 | 25 May 1882 | 1878 election (27th Leg.) | Conservative (Ldr. 1874) | MLA for Pictou County |
| 5 | John Sparrow David Thompson (1845–1894) | 25 May 1882 | 3 August 1882 | Appointment (caretaker government) | Conservative (Ldr. 1882) | MLA for Antigonish County |
| 6 | William Thomas Pipes (1850–1909) | 3 August 1882 | 28 July 1884 | 1882 election (28th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1882) | MLA for Cumberland County |
| 7 | William Stevens Fielding (1848–1929) | 28 July 1884 | 20 July 1896 | Appointment (28th Leg.)⁠ 1886 election (29th Leg.)⁠ 1890 election (30th Leg.)⁠ 1894 election (31st Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1883) | MLA for Halifax County |
| 8 | George Henry Murray (1861–1929) | 20 July 1896 | 24 January 1923 | Appointment (31st Leg.)⁠ 1897 election (32nd Leg.)⁠ 1901 election (33rd Leg.)⁠ 1906 election (34th Leg.)⁠ 1911 election (35th Leg.)⁠ 1916 election (36th Leg.)⁠ 1920 election (37th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1896) | MLA for Victoria County |
| 9 | Ernest Howard Armstrong (1864–1946) | 24 January 1923 | 16 July 1925 | Appointment (37th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1923) | MLA for Shelburne County |
| 10 | Edgar Nelson Rhodes (1877–1942) | 16 July 1925 | 11 August 1930 | 1925 election (38th Leg.)⁠ 1928 election (39th Leg.) | Conservative (Ldr. 1925) | MLA for Hants County |
| 11 | Gordon Sidney Harrington (1883–1943) | 11 August 1930 | 5 September 1933 | Appointment (39th Leg.) | Conservative (Ldr. 1930) | MLA for Cape Breton Centre |
| 12 (1 of 2) | Angus L. Macdonald (1890–1954) | 5 September 1933 | 10 July 1940 | 1933 election (40th Leg.)⁠ 1937 election (41st Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1930) | MLA for Halifax South |
| 13 | Alexander Stirling MacMillan (1871–1955) | 10 July 1940 | 8 September 1945 | Appointment (41st Leg.)⁠ 1941 election (42nd Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1940) | MLA for Hants |
| 14 (2 of 2) | Angus L. Macdonald (1890–1954) | 8 September 1945 | 13 April 1954 | Appointment (42nd Leg.)⁠ 1945 election (43rd Leg.)⁠ 1949 election (44th Leg.)⁠ 1953 election (45th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1945) | MLA for Halifax South |
| 15 | Harold Connolly (1901–1980) | 13 April 1954 | 30 September 1954 | Appointment (45th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1954) | MLA for Halifax North |
| 16 | Henry Hicks (1915–1990) | 30 September 1954 | 20 November 1956 | Appointment (45th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1954) | MLA for Annapolis |
| 17 | Robert Stanfield (1914–2003) | 20 November 1956 | 13 September 1967 | 1956 election (46th Leg.)⁠ 1960 election (47th Leg.)⁠ 1963 election (48th Leg.)⁠ 1967 election (49th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 1948) | MLA for Colchester |
| 18 | George Isaac Smith (1909–1982) | 13 September 1967 | 28 October 1970 | Appointment (49th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 1967) | MLA for Colchester |
| 19 | Gerald Regan (1928–2019) | 28 October 1970 | 5 October 1978 | 1970 election (50th Leg.)⁠ 1974 election (51st Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1965) | MLA for Halifax Needham |
| 20 | John Buchanan (1931–2019) | 5 October 1978 | 12 September 1990 | 1978 election (52nd Leg.)⁠ 1981 election (53rd Leg.)⁠ 1984 election (54th Leg.)⁠ 1988 election (55th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 1971) | MLA for Halifax Atlantic |
| 21 | Roger Stuart Bacon (1926–2021) | 12 September 1990 | 26 February 1991 | Appointment (55th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 1990) | MLA for Cumberland East |
| 22 | Donald William Cameron (1946–2021) | 26 February 1991 | 11 June 1993 | Appointment (55th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 1991) | MLA for Pictou East |
| 23 | John Savage (1932–2003) | 11 June 1993 | 18 July 1997 | 1993 election (56th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1992) | MLA for Dartmouth South |
| 24 | Russell MacLellan (b. 1940) | 18 July 1997 | 16 August 1999 | Appointment (56th Leg.)⁠ 1998 election (57th Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 1997) | MLA for Cape Breton North |
| 25 | John F. Hamm (b. 1938) | 16 August 1999 | 24 February 2006 | 1999 election (58th Leg.)⁠ 2003 election (59th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 1995) | MLA for Pictou Centre |
| 26 | Rodney MacDonald (b. 1972) | 24 February 2006 | 19 June 2009 | Appointment (59th Leg.)⁠ 2006 election (60th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 2006) | MLA for Inverness |
| 27 | Darrell Dexter (b. 1957) | 19 June 2009 | 22 October 2013 | 2009 election (61st Leg.) | New Democratic (Ldr. 2001) | MLA for Cole Harbour |
| 28 | Stephen McNeil (b. 1964) | 22 October 2013 | 23 February 2021 | 2013 election (62nd Leg.)⁠ 2017 election (63rd Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 2007) | MLA for Annapolis |
| 29 | Iain Rankin (b. 1983) | 23 February 2021 | 31 August 2021 | Appointment (63rd Leg.) | Liberal (Ldr. 2021) | MLA for Timberlea-Prospect |
| 30 | Tim Houston (b. 1970) | 31 August 2021 | incumbent | 2021 election (64th Leg.)⁠ 2024 election (65th Leg.) | Progressive Conservative (Ldr. 2018) | MLA for Pictou East |