This article lists the colonial governors of the Marshall Islands, from the establishment of the German colonial presence during the 1885 Carolines Question[1] [2] [3] (as part of German New Guinea), through the American capture of the islands during World War II, until the official establishment of the autonomous Government of the Marshall Islands in 1979 (within the American-administered TTPI).
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
| Tenure | width=60px | Portrait | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kommissar (1885–1886) | ||||
| 1885 to 1886 | ||||
| Kaiserlicher Kommissare (Imperial commissioners, 1886–1894) | ||||
| 1886 to 5 October 1887 | ||||
| 5 October 1887 to 29 March 1889 | Franz Leopold Sonnenschein | Acting to 14 April 1888 | ||
| 29 March 1889 to 14 April 1890 | Eugen Brandeis | First time, acting | ||
| 14 April 1890 to February 1892 | ||||
| February 1892 to 1893 | Eugen Brandeis | Second time, acting | ||
| 1893 to 1894 | Ernst Schmidt-Dargitz | |||
| Landeshauptleute (State captains, 1894–1914) | ||||
| 11 May 1894 to March 1898 | ||||
| 24 March 1898 to 18 January 1906 | Eugen Brandeis | Acting to 22 February 1900 | ||
| 18 March 1902 to 1903 | Waldemar von Bunsen | Acting for Brandeis | ||
| 1903 | Konrad Geppert | Acting for Brandeis | ||
| 18 January 1906 to May 1906 | Ludwig Kaiser | Acting | ||
| 1 April 1906 to 3 October 1914 | the Governors of German New Guinea | |||
| Bezirksamtleute (District magistrates, 1906–1911) | ||||
| 1906 to 30 April 1907 | Victor Berg | |||
| 1907 | Joseph Siegwanz | Acting | ||
| 1908 to November 1909 | Wilhelm Stuckhardt | |||
| November 1909 to 1910 | Erich Berghausen | Interim | ||
| 1910 to 1911 | Georg Merz | |||
| Stationsleiter (Station chief, 1911–1914) | ||||
| 1911 to 3 October 1914 | Georg Merz | Deported by the Japanese on 31 May 1915 | ||
| Commanders of IJN South Seas Squadrons (1914) | ||||
| 3 October 1914 to 28 December 1914 | Yamaya Tanin | In occupation of central and eastern Caroline Islands and Marshall Islands | ||
| 7 October 1914 to 28 December 1914 | Matsumura Tatsuo | |||
| Governors (1914–1944) | ||||
| 28 December 1914 to 2 February 1944 | the Governors of the South Seas Mandate | |||
| Commanders of the IJN 6th Fleet Forces Service (1941–1944) | ||||
| 15 January 1941 to 1 February 1942 | Sukeyoshi Yatsushirō | |||
| 5 February 1942 to 29 November 1943 | Kōsō Abe | |||
| 29 November 1943 to 25 January 1944 | Monzo Akiyama | Killed in the Battle of Kwajalein | ||
| USN Military Governors (1944–1947) | ||||
| February 1944 to 18 July 1947 | the Commanders Naval Forces Marianas | |||
| Marshall Islands District Administrators (Distad, 1947–1979) | ||||
| September 1947 to September 1948 | Chester E. Herrick | |||
| December 1948 to December 1949 | Edward F. Ferguson | |||
| March 1950 to September 1950 | Roland W. Kenney | |||
| December 1950 to June 1951 | Frank W. Avila | |||
| 1951 to 1954 | Donald W. Gilfillan | |||
| 1954 to 1960 | Maynard Neas | |||
| 1960 to 1961 | William E. Finale | |||
| 27 May 1961 to 1965 | Peter Tali Coleman | |||
| 15 October 1965 to 1969 | Dwight Heine | The first Micronesian to hold the office[4] | ||
| 1969 to 1970 | Robert D. Law | |||
| 1970 to 1979 | Oscar DeBrum | |||
On 1 May 1979, Marshall Islands achieved autonomy within the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). For a list of heads of state after autonomy, see President of the Marshall Islands.