High Commissioner for the Western Pacific explained

Post:High Commissioner
Body:British Western Pacific Territories
Style:His Excellency The Right Honourable
Residence:Suva, Fiji (1877-1952)
Honiara, British Solomon Islands (1953-1976)
Appointer:King/Queen of the United Kingdom
Formation:13 August 1877
First:The Rt Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
Last:The Rt Hon. Sir Donald Luddington
Abolished:2 January 1976

The high commissioner for the Western Pacific was the chief executive officer of the British Western Pacific Territories, a British colonial entity, which existed from 1877 until 1976. Numerous colonial possessions were attached to the Territories at different times, the most durable constituent colonies being Fiji (1877—1952) and the Solomon Islands (1893—1976).[1]

The office of high commissioner never existed independently, but was always filled ex officio by the Governor of one of the constitutive British islands colonies. The high commissioners were concurrently Governor of Fiji from 1877 to the end of 1952, although the office was suspended from 1942 through 1945, with most of the islands under British military rule and others, namely the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands and Phoenix Islands, under Japanese occupation. From 1 January 1953 to 1976, when the office was abolished, the governor of the Solomon Islands doubled as high commissioner. On 1 January 1972, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were taken off with their own governor. On 2 January 1976 after nearly all had been given separate statehood, the office of high commissioner and the entity of the Pacific Territories were abolished.

They administered from Suva and Honiara, respectively.

List of high commissioners for the Western Pacific (1877–1976)

IncumbentPortraitTenureMonarchConcurrent office
Took officeLeft office
align=center colspan=8High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
1.Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon13 August 18771880VictoriaGovernor of Fiji
2.Sir William Des Vœux20 December 188021 January 1885VictoriaGovernor of Fiji
John Bates Thurston
Acting
21 January 18851 January 1887VictoriaGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
3.Sir Charles Mitchell1 January 1887February 1888VictoriaGovernor of Fiji
4.Sir John Bates ThurstonFebruary 18887 February 1897VictoriaGovernor of Fiji
5.Sir George T. M. O'BrienMarch 18971901VictoriaGovernor of Fiji
Sir William Allardyce
Acting
190110 September 1902Edward VIIGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
6.Sir Henry Jackson10 September 190211 October 1904Edward VIIGovernor of Fiji
7.Sir Everard im Thurn11 October 19041910Edward VIIGovernor of Fiji
Sir Charles Major
Acting
191021 February 1911Edward VII
George V
Governor of Fiji
(acting)
8.Sir Francis May21 February 191125 July 1912George VGovernor of Fiji
9.Sir Ernest Sweet-Escott25 July 191210 October 1918George VGovernor of Fiji
Sir Eyre Hutson
Acting for Sweet-Escott
19151916George VGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
10.Cecil Hunter-Rodwell10 October 191825 April 1925George VGovernor of Fiji
Sir Eyre Hutson
Acting for Hunter-Rodwell
19191919George VGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
11.Sir Eyre Hutson25 April 192522 November 1929George VGovernor of Fiji
12.Sir Arthur Fletcher22 November 1929May 1936George V
Edward VIII
Governor of Fiji
Sir Cecil Barton
Acting
May 1936November 1936Edward VIIIGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
13.Sir Arthur Richards28 November 1936August 1938Edward VIII
George VI
Governor of Fiji
Sir Cecil Barton
Acting
August 1938September 1938George VIGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
14.Sir Harry Luke16 September 19381942George VIGovernor of Fiji
Office suspended19421945
15.Sir Alexander Grantham194521 March 1947George VIGovernor of Fiji
Sir John Nicoll
Acting
21 March 19478 October 1947George VIGovernor of Fiji
(acting)
16.Sir Brian Freeston8 October 19473 July 1952George VI
Elizabeth II
Governor of Fiji
17.Sir Robert Stanley3 July 1952July 1955Elizabeth IIGovernor of the Solomon Islands
(From 1 January 1953)
18.Sir John Gutch19554 March 1961Elizabeth IIGovernor of the Solomon Islands
19.Sir David Trench4 March 196116 June 1964Elizabeth IIGovernor of the Solomon Islands
20.Sir Robert Sidney Foster16 June 19646 March 1969Elizabeth IIGovernor of the Solomon Islands
21.Sir Michael Gass6 March 19691973Elizabeth IIGovernor of the Solomon Islands
22.Sir Donald Luddington10 October 19732 January 1976Elizabeth IIGovernor of the Solomon Islands

Sources and external links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lawrence . David Russell . The Naturalist and his "Beautiful Islands": Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific. October 2014. ANU Press . 9781925022032.