The Governor of Saint Helena is the representative of the monarch in Saint Helena, a constituent part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The current governor of Saint Helena has been Nigel Phillips since 13 August 2022.
The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state and commander-in-chief of Saint Helena. The governor's responsibilities include internal security, external affairs, the administration of justice, finance, shipping and employment, as well as disciplinary action in respect of any public officer. The governor appoints the Chief Minister of Saint Helena and four other members of the Executive Council; the officeholder, with some exceptions, is bound to seek and act in accordance with their advice.
The governor is based on Saint Helena and appointed by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The governor also appoints three members to Saint Helena's Executive Council (the balance being popularly elected)
The governor's flag in Saint Helena is the Union Flag defaced with the territory's coat of arms. The official residence, Plantation House, is located near the capital Jamestown. The Governor's Office is located within The Castle, along with the office of the chief secretary of Saint Helena, who runs the day-to-day administrative part of the government.
Prior to 2009, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha were dependencies of Saint Helena and therefore directly represented by the Governor of Saint Helena. The St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009 made Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha equal constituent parts of the territory. Each constituent part has its own government; however, the constitution order states that the Governor of Saint Helena is ex officio also the Governor of Ascension and the Governor of Tristan da Cunha.
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Acting governor and the governor's deputy
Under the St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009, an acting governor is appointed when the office of governor is vacant or the governor is unable to fulfill his or her duties long term. The acting governor is appointed by the King.
If the governor is off the island for a short time (including visits to Ascension or Tristan da Cunha) or is ill for a short period, the governor may appoint anyone on St Helena to be deputy. The deputy must follow any instructions issued by the governor. It is current practice to appoint an acting governor when the governor is away from the island of Saint Helena, even if visiting either Ascension Island or Tristan da Cunha.
In recent years the chief secretary (or the attorney general) has taken on this temporary role in the governor's absence, the most recent times being in January 2011 when the governor travelled to Tristan da Cunha and the chief secretary became deputy governor and then later in 2011 when Kenneth Baddon, the attorney general, became deputy governor.
List of governors of Saint Helena
East India Company governors
The territory was governed by the East India Company from its initial colonization in 1659 to the end of company rule in 1834.
Capt. John Dutton 1659–1660
Capt. Robert Stringer 1660–1669
Capt. Richard Coney 1669–1672
Capt. Anthony Beal 1672–73
Dutch East India Company interregnum – January to May 1673
Capt. Richard Keigwin 1673–1674 (interim)
Capt. Gregory Field 1674–1678
Maj. John Blackmore 1678–1690
Capt. Joshua Johnson 1690–1693 – assassinated, whilst Governor, on the island
Capt. Richard Keling 1693–1697
Capt. Stephen Poirier 1697–1707
Capt. John Roberts 1708–1711
Capt. Benjamin Boucher 1711–1713
Capt. Isaac Pike 1713–1718
Edward Johnson 1718–1722
Capt. John Smith 1722–1726
Edward Byfield 1727–1731
Capt. Isaac Pyke - 1731–1738
John Goodwin - 1738–1741
Capt. Robert Jenkins - 1741–1742
British Crown governors
Following on from St Helena becoming a crown colony in 1834, the first governor was appointed in 1836.
1836 – Major General George Middlemore
1842 – Colonel Hamelin Trelawny
1846 – Major General Sir Patrick Ross
1851 – Colonel Sir Thomas Gore Browne
1856 – Sir Edward Drummond-Hay
1863 – Admiral Sir Charles Elliot
1870 – Vice Admiral Charles George Edward Patey
1873 – Hudson Ralph Janisch
1884 – Lieutenant-Colonel Grant Blunt, RE (acting)
1887 – William Grey-Wilson (acting)
1889 – R. L. Antrobus (acting)
1890 – William Grey-Wilson
1897 – Robert Armitage Sterndale
1902 – Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Galway
1912 – Major Sir Harry Cordeaux
1920 – Colonel Robert Peel
1925 – Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Iremonger (Acting Governor)
1925 – Sir Charles Harper
1932 – Sir Spencer Davis