List of colonial heads of Sierra Leone

This is a list of colonial administrators in Sierra Leone from the establishment of the Province of Freedom by the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor in 1787 until Sierra Leone's independence in 1961.

Administrator (1787) 
On 14 May 1787, the Province of Freedom was founded by the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor for freed slaves.
B. Thompson (14 May - September 1787)

Governor (1787-1789) 
On 22 August 1788, the Province of Freedom and the land along the Freetown peninsula was given to Captain John Taylor of the HMS Miro. In 1789, it was abandoned.

John Taylor (August 1788 - 1789)

Agent (1791-1792) 
In January 1791, Granville Town was taken back by the St. George Bay Company.
Alexander Falconbridge (January 1791 - March 1792)

Superintendent (1792) 
In 1792, Freetown was founded as the main town of the newly established Colony of Sierra Leone

John Clarkson (March - July 1792)

Governors (1792-1827) 
John Clarkson (July - 31 December 1792)
William Dawes (31 December 1792 - March 1794) (1st time)
Zachary Macaulay (March 1794 - 6 May 1795) (1st time)
William Dawes (6 May 1795 - March 1796) (2nd time)
Zachary Macaulay (March 1796 - April 1799) (2nd time)
John Gray (April - May 1799) (1st time)

On 5 July 1799, the Province of Freedom was renamed Sierra Leone.
Thomas Ludlum (May 1799 - 1800) (1st time)
John Gray (1800 - January 1801) (2nd time)
William Dawes (January 1801 - February 1803) (3rd time) 
William Day (February 1803 - 1803) (1st time)
Thomas Ludlum (1803 - 1805) (2nd time)
William Day (1805 - 4 November 1805) (2nd time)

On 1 January 1808, Sierra Leone (including the coastal area) becomes a Crown colony of the United Kingdom, and the Sierra Leone Company stopped being in charge.
Thomas Ludlum (1806 - 21 July 1808) (3rd time, acting to 1 January 1808)
Thomas Perronet Thompson (21 July 1808 - 12 February 1810)
Edward H. Columbine (12 February 1810 - May 1811)
Robert Bones (May - 1 July 1811) (acting)
Charles William Maxwell (1 July 1811 - July 1815)
Charles MacCarthy (July - December 1814) (1st time, acting for Maxwell)
J. Mailing (December 1814 - January 1815) (acting for Maxwell)
R. Purdie (January - March 1815) (acting for Maxwell)
William Appleton (March - June 1815) (acting for Maxwell)
H.B. Hyde (June - July 1815) (acting for Maxwell)
Charles MacCarthy (from 1820, Sir Charles Macarthy) (July 1815 - July 1820) (2nd time, acting to 1 January 1816)
Sir Alexander Grant (July 1820 - 1821) (1st time, acting)
Burke (1821) (acting)

On 17 October 1821, Sierra Leone territory became part of British West African Territories. Its Governorship was held by the Governor (from 1827 until 1837 Lieutenant governor) of Sierra Leone.

Sir Alexander Grant (1821 - November 1821) (2nd time, acting)
Sir Charles MacCarthy (November 1821 - 21 January 1824) (3rd time)
Daniel Molloy Hamilton (21 January - 5 February 1824) (acting)
Charles Turner (5 February 1824 - 7 March 1826)
Kenneth Macaulay and Samuel Smart (1st time) (8 March - August 1826) (acting)
Sir Neil Campbell (August 1826 - December 1827)

Lieutenant governors (1827-1837) 
Hugh Lumley (December 1827 - 1828) (1st time)
Dixon Denham (1828 - 8 May 1828)
Hugh Lumley (9 June - July 1828) (2nd time)
Samuel Smart (July - November 1828) (2nd time, acting)
Henry John Ricketts (November 1828 - 1829) (acting)
Augustine Fitzgerald Evans (1829 - 1830) (acting)
Alexander Maclean Fraser (1830) (acting)
Alexander Findlay (1830 - July 1833) 
Michael Linning Melville (July - December 1833) (acting)
Octavius Temple (December 1833 - 1834)
Thomas Cole (1834 - February 1835) (1st time, acting)
Henry Dundas Campbell (February 1835 - 1837)
Thomas Cole (1837) (2nd time, acting)

Governors (1837-1961) 
Richard Doherty (1837 - 1840)
John Jeremie (1840 - April 1841)
J. Carr (April - September 1841) (acting)
William Fergusson (September 1841 - January 1842) (1st time, acting) 
George Macdonald (January 1842 - July 1844)
William Fergusson (July 1844 - 1845) (2nd time)

On 13 January 1850, Sierra Leone becomes a separate crown colony again.
Norman William MacDonald (1845 - 1852)
Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy (1852 - 1854) (1st time) 
Robert Dougan (1854) (1st time, acting)
Sir Stephan John Hill (1854 - 1855) (1st time)
Robert Dougan (1855) (2nd time)
Sir Stephan John Hill (1855 - 1859) (2nd time)
Alexander Fitzjames (1859 - 1860)
Sir Stephan John Hill (1860 - 1861) (3rd time)
William Hill and Smith (1861 - 1862) (acting)
Samuel Wensley Blackall (1862 - 1865) (1st time)
Chamberlayne (1865 - 19 February 1866) (acting)

On 19 February 1866, Sierra Leone territory becomes part of the British West African Settlements. Its Governorship was held by the Governor of Sierra Leone.
Samuel Wensley Blackall (19 February 1866 - 1867) (2nd time)
Gustavus N.K. Yonge (1867) (acting)
Samuel Wensley Blackall (1867 - 1868) (3rd time)
John Jennings Kendall (1868 - 1869) (1st time, acting) 
Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy (1869 - 1871) (2nd time)
John Jennings Kendall (1871) (2nd time, acting)
Sheppard (1871) (acting)
Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy (1871 - January 1872) (3rd time) 
John Jennings Kendall (January - February 1872) (3rd time, acting)
John Pope Hennessey (February 1872 - 7 March 1873) 
Robert William Keate (7 March - 17 March 1873)
Alexander Bravo and Robert William Harley (17 March - 2 October 1873) (acting)
Sir Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley (2 October 1873 - 4 March 1874) 
George Berkeley (4 March - 17 December 1874)

On 17 December 1874, British West African Settlements became known as British West Africa Settlements.
George French (17 December 1874 - 1875) (acting) 
Cornelius Hendricksen Kortright (1875) (1st time)
Sir Samuel Rowe (1875 - 1876) (1st time)
Cornelius Hendricksen Kortright (1876 - 1877) (2nd time)
Horatio James Huggins (1877) (acting)
Sir Samuel Rowe (September 1877 - 1880) (2nd time)
William Streeten (1880 - 1881) (acting)
Sir Samuel Rowe (1881) (3rd time)
Franas Frederick Pinkett (1881) (1st time, acting)
Arthur Elibank Havelock (1881 - 1883) (1st time)
Franas Frederick Pinkett (1883) (2nd time, acting)
Arthur Elibank Havelock (1883 - 1884) (2nd time)
Arthur M. Tarleton (1884) (acting)
Franas Frederick Pinkett (1884 - 1885) (3rd time, acting)
Sir Samuel Rowe (1885 - 1886) (4th time)
James Shaw Hay (1886 - 1887) (1st time, acting)
Sir Samuel Rowe (1887 - 1888) (5th time)
J.M. Maltby (1888) (1st time, acting)

On 28 November 1888, the Sierra Leone became a separate crown colony again.
Sir James Shaw Hay (1888 - 1889) (2nd time, acting to 24 November 1888) 
Patchett and Foster (1889) (acting)
J.M. Maltby (1889 - 1890) (2nd time)
Sir James Shaw Hay (1890 - 1891) (3rd time)
J.J. Crooks (1891 - 1892) (acting)
W.H.Q. Jones (1892) (1st time, acting)
Francis Fleming (1892 - 1893) (1st time)
W.H.Q. Jones (1893) (2nd time, acting)
Francis Fleming (1893 - 1894) (2nd time)
W.H.Q. Jones (1894) (3rd time, acting)
Frederic Cardew (1894 - 1895) (1st time)
Caulfield (1895 - 24 August 1895) (1st time, acting)

On 24 August 1895, the land by the coast of Sierra Leone became a British protectorate, and the crown colony was renamed as the Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate.
Frederic Cardew (from 22 June 1897, Sir Frederic Cardew) (24 August 1895 - 1897) (2nd time)
J.C. Gore (1897) (acting)
Caulfield (1897) (2nd time, acting)
Sir Frederic Cardew (1897 - 1899) (3rd time)
Matthew Nathan (1899) (acting)
Sir Frederic Cardew (1899 - 1900) (4th time)
Caulfield (1900 - 11 December 1900) (3rd time, acting)
Sir Charles Anthony King-Harman (11 December 1900 - 3 October 1904)
Sir Leslie Probyn (3 October 1904 - 1910)
Sir Edward Marsh Merewether (1910 - 1913) (1st time) 
Claude Hollis (1913) (acting)
Sir Edward Marsh Merewether (1913 - 1916) (2nd time) 
Sir Richard James Wilkinson (9 March 1916 - 1921) (1st time) 
John C. Maxwell (1921) (acting)
Sir Richard James Wilkinson (1921 - 4 May 1922) (2nd time)
Alexander Ransford Slater (from 1924, Sir Alexander Ransford Slater) (4 May 1922 - 24 September 1927)
Sir Joseph Aloysius Byrne (24 September 1927 - 1929) (1st time)
Mark Aitchison Young (1929 - 1930) (acting)
Sir Joseph Aloysius Byrne (1930 - 23 May 1931) (2nd time)
Sir Arnold Wienholt Hodson (23 May 1931 - 17 July 1934)
Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore (17 July 1934 - 21 May 1937)
Sir Douglas James Jardine (21 May 1937 - 5 July 1941)
Sir Hubert Craddock Stevenson (5 July 1941 - September 1947)
Sir George Beresford-Stooke (September 1947 - December 1952)
Sir Robert de Zouche Hall (December 1952 - 1 September 1956)
Maurice Henry Dorman (from 2 January 1957, Sir Maurice Henry Dorman) (1 September 1956 - 27 April 1961)

In 1961, Sierra Leone achieved independence from the United Kingdom. After independence, the viceroy in Sierra Leone was the Governor-General of Sierra Leone.

References 
Guinness Book of Kings, Rulers & Statesmen, Clive Carpenter, Guinness Superlatives Ltd
African States and Rulers, John Stewart, McFarland

Other websites 
Worldstatesmen.org

British Empire
Sierra Leone
Lists of people