Governors of Tasmania

Infobox vice-regal
state = Tasmania
shield = Shield-Tasmania.png incumbent = Peter Underwood
his/her = His
appointed_by = Elizabeth II
first_governor = Sir Henry Fox Young
date = January 8, 1855

The Governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as the Governor-General of Australia does at the national level.

In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of Tasmania. Nevertheless, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier.

See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor.

The official residence of the Governor is Government House located at the Queens Domain.

Two internationally famous Governors of Tasmania were Captain Sir John Franklin (the British mariner who would later die trying to find the North West Passage), and former UNSCOM weapons inspector Richard Butler.

Divided in two

Between 1804 and 1813, Van Diemen's Land was divided along the 42nd parallel, and governed separately. [http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/governor/pastgovs.html] [http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?dID=69]

Lieutenant-Governors in the south:
*Colonel David Collins, 1804-1810
*Edward Lord, March-July 1810
*Captain J. Murray, 1810-1812

Lieutenant-Governor in the north:
*William Paterson 1804-1808

Commandants in the north:
*John Brabyn, 1808-1810
*Major G.A. Gordon, 1810-1812
*Captain J. Ritchie, June 1812

Lieutenant-Governors

:"The colony was called Van Diemen's Land until 1856".

*Colonel Thomas Davey, 1813-1817
*Colonel William Sorell, 1817-1824
*Colonel George Arthur, 1824-1836
*Captain Sir John Franklin, 1837-1843
*Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, 1843-1846
*Sir William Denison, 1847-1855

Governors

# Sir Henry Fox Young 1855-1861
# Colonel Thomas Browne, 1862-1868
# Charles Du Cane, 1868-1874
# Frederick Weld, 1875-1880
# Major Sir George Strahan, 1881-1886
# Sir Robert Hamilton 1887-1892
# Jenico Preston, 14th Viscount Gormanston 1893-1900
# Captain Sir Arthur Havelock, 1901-1904
# Sir Gerald Strickland, 1904-1909
# Major-General Sir Harry Barron, 1909-1913
# Sir William Ellison-Macartney, 1913-1917
# Sir Francis Newdegate, 1917-1920
# Sir William Allardyce, 1920-1922
# Sir James O'Grady, 1924-1930
# Sir Ernest Clark, 1933-1945
# Admiral Sir Hugh Binney, 1945-1951
# The Rt Hon. Sir Ronald Cross, 1951-1958
# Thomas Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan, 1959-1963
# Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Gairdner, 1963-1968
# Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan, 1968-1973
# The Hon. Sir Stanley Burbury, 1973-1982
# Sir James Plimsoll, 1982-1987
# General Sir Phillip Bennett, 1987-1995
# The Hon. Sir Guy Green, 1995-2003
# Richard Butler 2003-2004
# The Hon. William Cox 2004-08
# The Hon. Peter Underwood 2008-present

Living former governors

As of April 2008, four former governors are alive, the oldest being Sir Phillip Bennett (1987–95, born 1928). The most recent governor to die was Sir Stanley Burbury (1973–82), on April 24 1995. The most recently-serving governor to die was Sir James Plimsoll (1982–87), on May 8 1987.

References

* [http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/governor/pastgovs.html Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Tasmania]
* [http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/DataSheets/Governors_Table.htm Parliamentary Library - Governors of Tasmania]