A 'governor' or 'governour' (archaic) is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the
Head of state. The title also applies to officials with a similar mandate as representatives of a
chartered company which has been granted exercise of sovereignty in a colonial area, such as the British
HEIC or the Dutch
VOC. Sometimes these companies operate as a major state within a state with its own armed forces.
In federations, a governor can be the title of each appointed or (as in the US) elected
politician who governs a constitutive
state.
Most countries in the world have some sort of official known or rendered as "governor," though in some countries the heads of the constitutive states, provinces, communities and regions may have a different title.
This is particularly common in European nations and many of their former colonies, with titles such as ''President of the Regional Council'' in
France and ''minister-president'' in
Germany. Other countries using different titles for sub-national units include
Spain,
Italy and
Switzerland.
There can also be non-political governors: high ranking officials in private or similar
governance such as commercial and non-profit management, styled governor(s), who simply ''govern'' an institution, such as a
corporation or a
bank. For example, in the
United Kingdom and other
Commonwealth countries there are
prison governors ("warden" in the
United States),
school governors and bank governors.
Pre-Roman empires
Although the legal and administrative framework of
provinces, each administrated by a governor, was created by the
Romans, the term ''governor'' has been a convenient term for historians to use in describing similar systems in
antiquity. Indeed, many regions of the pre-Roman antiquity were ultimately replaced by Roman 'standardized' provincial governments after their conquest by Rome.
Egypt
★ In Pharaonic times, the governors of each of dozens of provinces in the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt (called
"nomes" by the Greeks, and whose names often alluded to local patterns of religious worship) are usually known by the Greek word
Nomarch.
★ The whole (or most) of Egypt was repeatedly reduced to the status of province of a larger empire under foreign conquerors, notably under an Achaemenid
satrap (see below).
Mesopotamia and beyond
Assyria, a ruthless conqueror of a large empire, ...
★ ''shaknu''
★ ''bel pihati''
===Pre- & Hellenistic
satraps===
★
Media and Achaemenid
Persia introduced the satrapy, probably inspired by the Assyrian / Babylonian examples
★
Alexander the Great and equally Hellenistic
diadoch kingdoms, mainly
Seleucids (greater Syria) and
Lagids ('Ptolemies' in Hellenistic Egypt)
★ in later
Persia, again under Iranian dynasties:
★
★
Parthia
★
★ the
Sassanid dynasty dispensed with the office after Shapur I (who had still 7 of them), replacing them with petty vassal rulers, known as ''shahdar''s
Roman empires and legacy
In ancient Rome
Main articles: Roman Governor
From the creation of the earliest Roman subject provinces a governor was appointed each year to administer each of them. The core function of a Roman governor was as a
magistrate or judge, and the management of taxation and public spending in their area.
Under the Republic and the early Empire, however, a governor also commanded military forces in his province. Republican governors were all men who had served in senior magistracies (the
consulate or
praetorship) in Rome in the previous year, and carried related titles as governor (''proconsul'' or ''propraetor''). The first Emperor, Octavianus Augustus (who acquired or settled a number of new territories; officially his style was republican:
Princeps civitatis), divided the provinces into two categories; the traditionally prestigious governorships remained as before (in what have become known as "senatorial" provinces), while in a range of others he retained the formal governorships himself, delegating the actual task of administration to appointees (usually with the title ''legatus Augusti'', although some small provinces received governors with other titles such as ''procurator''). The infamous character of
Pontius Pilate in the Christian
Gospels is a governor of this sort.
A special case was Egypt, a rich 'private' domain and vital granary, where the Emperor almost inherited the theocratic status of a Pharaoh. The Emperor was represented there by a governor ''sui generis'' styled ''Praefectus Augustalis'' (the very title evokes the religious cult of the Emperor).
Emperors Diocletian (see
Tetrarchy) and Constantine in the third and fourth centuries AD carried out a root and branch reorganisation of the administration with two main features:
★ Provinces were divided up and became much more numerous (Italy itself, before the 'colonizing homeland', was brought into the system for the first time); they were then grouped into dioceses, and the dioceses in turn into four pretorian prefectures (originally each under a residing co-emperor);
★ Military responsibilities were removed from governors and given to new officials called ''
comes rei militaris'' (the comital title was also granted to many court and civilian administrative positions) or ''
dux'', later also ''
Magister militum''.
The prestige governorships of Africa and Asia remained with the title proconsul, and the special right to refer matters directly to the Emperor; the ''Praefectus Augustalis'' in Alexandria and the ''Comes Orientis'' in Antioch also retained special titles. Otherwise the governors of provinces had various titles without obvious logic, some known as consularis, some as ''
corrector'', some as praeses. Apart from Egypt and the East (''Oriens'' - ''viz'' greater Syria), each diocese was directed by a governor known as a ''vicarius''. The prefectures were directed by ''praefecti praetorio'' (a role transformed from a very different one in the early Empire).
Byzantium
This system survived with few significant changes until the collapse of the empire in the West, and in the East the breakdown of order with the Persian and Arab invasions of the seventh century. At that stage a new kind governor emerged, the
Strategos a role leading the
themes which replaced provinces at this point, and involving a return to the amalgamation of civil and military office which had been the practice under the Republic and the early Empire.
Legacy
While the Roman administration in the West was largely destroyed in the barbarian invasions, its model was remembered, and would again be very influential through two particular vehicles: Roman law and the Christian Church.
Holy Roman/ Habsburg Empires and successor states
★
Reichskommissar
Turkish rule
In the Ottoman empire, various
Pashas (generals) administered a province of the Great Sultan's vast empire, with specific titles (such as Mutessaryf; Vali =
Wali was often maintained or even revived in oriental
successor states; cfr. Beilerbei (rendered as Governor-general, as he is appointed above several provinces under individual governors) and
Dey)
British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations
In the
British Empire a governor was originally an official appointed by the British
monarch (or in fact the cabinet) to oversee one of his
colonies and was the (sometimes notional) head of the colonial administration. A governor's power could diminish as the colony gained more responsible government vested in such institutions as an
Executive Council to help with the colony's administration, and in a further stage of self-government, a
Legislative Councils and/or
Assemblies, in which the Governor often had a role.
Today crown colonies of the United Kingdom continue to be administered by a governor, who holds varying degrees of power. Because of the different
constitutional histories of the former colonies of the
United Kingdom, the term "Governor" now refers to officials with differing amounts of power.
Administrators,
Commissioners and
High Commissioners exercise similar powers to Governors. (Note: such High Commissioners are not to be confused with the High Commissioners who are the equivalent of
Ambassadors between Commonwealth states).
Frequently the name '
Government House' is given to Governors' residences.
:The term can also be used in a more generic sense, especially for compound titles which include it:
Governor-General and
Lieutenant-Governor.
Vice-Regal Governors
United Kingdom overseas territories
In the United Kingdom's remaining
overseas territories the governor is normally a direct appointee of the British Government and plays an active role in governing and lawmaking (though usually with the advice of elected local representatives). The Governor's chief responsibility is for the Defence and External Affairs of the colony.
In some minor overseas territories, instead of a Governor, there is an
Administrator or
Commissioner, or the job is ex officio done by a
High Commissioner.
Australia
''Main article:
Governors of the Australian states''
In
Australia, each state has a Governor as its formal representative of the Queen as head of the state government. It is not a political office but a ceremonial office. Each State Governor is appointed by the
Queen of Australia on the advice of the
Premier who is the political chief executive of the state government (until
1986, they were appointed by the
Queen of the United Kingdom on the advice of the British Government). State Governors have emergency reserve powers but these are rarely used. The
Territories of Australia other than the ACT have
Administrators instead of governors, who are appointed formally by the Governor-General. The Governor-General is the representative of and appointed by the
Queen of Australia at a federal level on the advice of the
Prime Minister of Australia.
As with the Governor-Generals of Australia and other Commonwealth Realms, State Governors usually exercise their power only on the advice of a government minister.
When the office of the Governor-General is vacant, or the occupant is unable to discharge their duties, by convention the most senior state Governor acts as Administrator of the Commonwealth. If this is not practicable, a
justice of the
High Court is appointed as Administrator instead.
The difference in terminology between the Australian state Governors and the Canadian provincial
Lieutenant-Governors is significant. In the Australian case, the Governor is representative of and appointed by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the Premier. In the Canadian case, the Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the
Governor General on the advice of the
Prime Minister of Canada.
See also:
Hong Kong
''See
Governor of Hong Kong.''
New Zealand
The
Governor-General of New Zealand is always Governor of the
Ross Dependency, an Antarctic sector which is claimed by the
Realm of New Zealand.
Northern Ireland
There was a position of
Governor of Northern Ireland from 1922 until the suspension of
Stormont in 1973.
Elsewhere in the Commonwealth
India
In
India each state has a ceremonial Governor appointed by the President of India. These Governors are different to the Governors which controlled the British-controlled portions of the Indian Empire (as opposed to the princely states) prior to 1949. See
Governors of India for more information.
Malaysia
In
Malaysia the four non-monarchical states -
Penang,
Malacca, and the two on Borneo:
Sabah and
Sarawak- each have a ceremonial Governor styled ''
Yang di-Pertua Negeri'', appointed by the federal King
Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, with a seat but no vote in the federal ''majlis Raja-raja'' (council of rulers). These states have a separate head of government which is the
Chief Minister or ''Ketua Menteri''.
All other states have royalty as head of state, no governor: a
raja in Perlis, a
Yang di-pertuan besar (elected from local rulers) in Negeri Sembilan, or a
Sultan in the states of Selangor, Pahang, Johore, Perak, Kelantan and Kedah.
Nigeria
In
Nigeria (once a colony governed by a single British Governor before independence), the leaders of the regions, which in 1967 were divided into states, have been known as governors since 1954. Following a military coup in November 1993, President
Sani Abacha suspended all the governors, and appointed administrators. When democracy was restored in 1999, the office of governor was revived and new governors were elected.
The president of Nigeria can suspend state governors in a state of emergency and replace them with administrators. They are elected by popular vote.
Papua New Guinea
In
Papua New Guinea, the leaders of the provinces have been known as governors since August 1995. Previously they had been known as premiers.
Sri Lanka
The provinces of
Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon, a colony governed by a single British Governor before independence) are led by governors, as representatives of the
President. These Governors are different to the
Governor of Ceylon who controlled the
British Ceylon prior to 1948.
Russia and former Soviet Union
A special case was the Chinese Eastern Railroad Zone, which was governed as a
concession granted by
Imperial China to the Russian 'Chinese Eastern Railroad Society' (in Russian ''Obshchestvo Kitayskoy Vostochnoy Zheleznoy Dorogi''; established in
17 December 1896 in
St. Petersburg, later moved to
Vladivostok), which built 1,481 km of tracks (Tarskaya - Hilar - Harbin - Nikolsk-Ussuriski;
3 November 1901 traffic opened) and established on
16 May 1898 the new capital city,
Harbin; in August 1898, the defense for Chinese Eastern Railroad (CER) across
Manchuria was assumed by Russia (first under Priamur governor).
On
1 July 1903 the Chinese Eastern Railroad opened and given under authority of itw own CER Administration (Russian: ''Upravleniye KVZhD''), vested in the Directors of the Chinese Eastern Railroad, with the additional quality of Governors of the Chinese Eastern Railroad Zone (in Harbin; as such being
12 August 1903 -
1 July 1905 subordinated to the imperial Viceroyalty of the Far East, see
Lüshunkou). The post continued to function despite various political changes until after
World War II.
Currently, some of the
administrative divisions of Russia are headed by governors, while others are headed by Presidents or heads of administration. From 1991 to 2005 they were elected by popular vote, but since 2005 they have been appointed by the federal president and confirmed by the province's legislature.
Other Colonial empires
★ Other European naval powers than the UK with colonies in Asia, Africa and other areas, which sometimes chartered companies to rule the colonies instead, gave or still give some, but not always all, of the top representatives of (or rather in) their colonies the title of governor.
See:
★
Danish colonial empire
★
Dutch colonial empire
★
French colonial empire
★
German colonial empire etc.
★
Italian empire
★
Portuguese empire
★
Spanish empire
★
Swedish colonial empire
The same goes for the Empire of Japan and the USA.
Other modern Asian countries
Japan
In
Japan,
[1] the title refers to the highest ranking executive of a
Prefectural Government. The Governor is elected by a direct vote from the people and had a fixed term of four years. He / she can be subjected by a recall referendum. In case of death, disability, resignation, a government official known as Vice Governor would replace as Governor or acting Governor.
People's Republic of China
In the
People's Republic of China, the title "Governor" (省长) refers to the highest ranking executive of a
Provincial Government. The Governor is usually placed second in the provincial power hierarchy, below the
Secretary of the provincial
Communist Party of China (CPC) committee (省委书记), who serves as the highest ranking Party official in the Province. A Governor can be also used when referring to a
County Governor (县长).
Philippines
In the
Republic of the Philippines, the title "Governor" refers to the highest ranking executive of a
Provincial Government. The Governor is elected by a direct vote from the people and had a fixed term of three years. An incumbent Governor can only serve only up to three consecutive terms. He may however be suspended by either the Ombudsman or President (through the Secretary of Interior and Local Government). He may be removed by the President if he was found guilty of an administrative case or a criminal act during his incumbency. He can be subjected by a recall vote, but unlike a referendum, people would elect the governor of their choice. If in case of death, disablility, resignation, forced removal or suspension, a government official known as Vice Governor would replace as Governor or acting Governor.
In the
Autonomous Region on Muslim Mindanao, a Regional Governor and Regional Vice Governor is elected by a block vote similar to the United States President.
Other modern countries in North America
United States
In the
United States, the title ''governor'' refers to the
chief executive of each
state, not directly subordinate to the federal authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the state. The governor may also assume additional roles, such as the
Commander-in-Chief of the
National Guard (when not federalized), and the ability to
commute or
pardon a
criminal sentence. U.S. Governors serve four-year terms except those in
New Hampshire and
Vermont, who serve two-year terms.
In all states, the governor is directly elected, and in most cases has considerable practical powers (notable exceptions with very weak governorships include
Texas), though this may be moderated by the
state legislature and in some cases by other elected executive officials. They can
veto state bills. In some cases legislatures can override a gubernatorial veto by a two-thirds vote, in others by three-fifths. In
Tennessee and
Kentucky, the governor's veto can be overridden by a
simple majority vote, making it virtually useless, though they both have a
line-item veto. The
Governor of North Carolina had no veto power until a
1996 referendum. In most states, whenever there is a sudden vacancy of one of the state's
U.S. Senate seats, that state's governor appoints someone to fill the vacancy until a
special election is held, although the governors of
Oregon,
Massachusetts and
Alaska no longer have this power.
A state governor may give an annual
State of the State Address in order to satisfy a constitutional stipulation that a governor must report annually, or in older constitutions described as being "from time to time," on the state or condition of a U.S. state. Governors of states may also perform ceremonial roles, such as greeting dignitaries or attending the
state fair. The governor may also have an
official residence.
In colonial America, when the governor was the representative of the monarch who exercised executive power, many colonies originally elected their governors, but in the years leading up to the
American Revolutionary War, the king began to appoint them directly. During the American Revolution, all royal governors were expelled (except one, see
Jonathan Trumbull), but the name was retained to denote the new elected official.
Mexico
In the
United Mexican States, ''governor'' refers to the elected chief and head of each of the
the nation's thirty one
Free and Sovereign States, and their official title in
Spanish is ''
Gobernador''. Mexican governors are
directly elected by the citizens of each state for six-year terms.
See:
List of Mexican state governors
Other modern countries in South America
Many of the
South American republics (such as
Chile and
Argentina) have provinces or states run by elected governors, with offices similar in nature to U.S. state governors.
Brazil
Until the
1930 Revolution, the heads of the Brazilian
Provinces then
States were styled Presidents (''presidentes''), later governors (''governadores'') and intervators (''interventores'', appointed by the federal government) and finally in
1945 only governors.
Other European countries and empires
Benelux monarchies
★ In
the Netherlands, the government-appointed heads of the provinces were known as ''Gouverneur'' from
1814 until
1850, when their title was changed to ''King's'' (or ''Queen's'') ''Commissioner''. In the southern province of
Limburg, however, the commissioner is still informally called Governor.
★ In the Dutch crown's Caribbean Overseas territories, the style Governor is still used (alongside the political head of government) in the
Netherlands Antilles as well as since 1986 on the neighbouring island of
Aruba (separated from the former)
★ In
Belgium, each of the ten provinces has a Governor, appointed by the regional government. He represents the central and regional governments in the province. He controls the local governments and is responsible for law and order, security and emergency action. The national capital of
Brussels, who is not part of a province, also has a governor with nearly the same competences.
France
During the
Ancien Régime in France, the representative of the king in his
provinces and cities was the "'gouverneur'". Royal officers chosen from the highest
nobility, provincial and city governors (oversight of provinces and cities was frequently combined) were predominantly military positions in charge of defense and policing. Provincial governors — also called "lieutenants généraux" — also had the ability of convoking provincial
parlements, provincial estates and municipal bodies. The title "gouverneur" first appeared under
Charles VI. The ordinance of Blois of
1579 reduced their number to 12, but an ordinance of 1779 increased their number to 39 (18 first-class governors, 21 second-class governors). Although in principal they were the king's representatives and their charges could be revoked at the king's will, some governors had installed themselves and their heirs as a provincial dynasty. The governors were at the height of their power from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century, but their role in provincial unrest during the civil wars lead
Cardinal Richelieu to create the more tractable positions of
intendants of finance, policing and justice, and in the 18th century the role of provincial governers was greatly curtailed.
Italy
★ The essentially maritime empire of the Venetian republic, comprising Terra Ferma, other Adriatic (mainly Istria and Dalmatia) and further Mediterranean (mainly Greek) possessions, used different gubernatorial styles, such as ''(castelleno e)
provveditore (generale), baile''
★ In today's Italy, the official name of a head of a
Regione (the Italian subnational entity) is ''Presidente della Giunta regionale'' (President of the regional executive council), but from
2000, when a constitutional reform decided the direct election of the president by the people, it's usual to call him ''governatore'' (governor).
Papal & Vatican particularity
★ In the various Italian provinces (former principalities and city-states) that became amalgamated as the Papal States, the Holy See exerced temporal power via its
Legates and
Delegates, including some Cardinals
★ Also in
Avignon and the surrounding southern French
Comté Venaissin, the home of the Popes during their 'Babylonian exile', and retained centuries after, but never incorporated into the
Papal States, Legates and
Vice-legates were appointed
★ The sovereign modern remnant of the formerly large Papal States, the tiny Vatican City State, is now a mere enclave in Rome, the capital of
Italian Republic. As it is too small to have further administrative territorial divisions, it is the equivalent of a Prime Minister, Governor and Mayor all roled in to one post, styled the
Governor of Vatican City.
Nordic states
★ The Danish word is ''Guvernør''
★ Currently, the ''län'' (counties) of
Sweden (see
★
Over-Governor of Stockholm,
Governors-General of Sweden,
List of County Governors of Sweden)
★ the provinces of
Finland have leaders with the title of
★ governor.
Other modern African countries
Modern equivalents
As a GENERIC term, Governor is used for various 'equivalent' officers governing part of a state or empire, rendering other official titles such as:
★ colonial
High Commissioner (not the Ambassadors exchanged within the Commonwealth)
And this also applies to non-western and/or antique cultures
Other meanings of the word
The word ''governor'' can also refer to an administrator and/or supervisor (individually or collectively, see
Board of Governors) in the 'socio-economic spheres' of life; the single Governor of a national emission bank often holds ministerial rank.
★
Governor of the Bank of Canada
★
Governor of the
National Bank of Romania
★
List of governors of national banks of Serbia and Yugoslavia
★
Federal Reserve Board of Governors
See also
★
Governor-general
★
Governor-in-chief
★
Lieutenant governor
★
Deputy Governor
★
Administrator of the Government
★
Minister-president
★
Viceroy
★
Governor of Macau
★
Bey
★
Governor-General of Finland
★
Governor-General of the Irish Free State
★
Governor of the Straits Settlements
★
Governor of Hong Kong
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