| Status: | Abolished |
| Post: | Governor-General of Barbados |
| Flag: | Flag of the Governor-General of Barbados.svg |
| Flagsize: | 160px |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of the governor-general |
| Flagborder: | yes |
| Insignia: | Coat of arms of Barbados (3).svg |
| Insigniasize: | 100px |
| Insigniacaption: | Coat of arms of Barbados |
| Style: | His/Her Excellency |
| Residence: | Government House, Barbados |
| Appointer: | Monarch of Barbados |
| Formation: | 30 November 1966 |
| Abolished: | 30 November 2021 |
| First: | John Montague Stow |
| Last: | Sandra Mason |
| Salary: | 220,998 BBD annually[1] |
The governor-general of Barbados was the representative of the Barbadian monarch from independence in 1966 until the establishment of a republic in 2021. Under the government's Table of Precedence for Barbados, the governor-general of Barbados was regarded as being the most important of all personnel of the Barbados government.[2]
The office was established by Chapter IV of the 1966 Constitution of Barbados.[3] The governor-general was appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister of Barbados.[4] [5] The governor-general exercised the monarch's executive powers and gave assent to bills in the monarch's name, promulgating them as laws.[6] The powers of the monarch and the governor-general were limited, and they, in most instances, exercised authority on the advice of the prime minister or other persons or bodies within Barbados.[7]
The office of the governor-general was established when Barbados gained independence in 1966. Since then, Barbados had 8 governors-general. On 30 November 2021, Barbados became a republic and the office of governor-general was abolished.
The Barbadian monarch, on the advice of her Barbadian prime minister, appointed a governor-general to be her representative in Barbados.[8] [9] Both the monarch and the governor-general held much power in the country, though it was rarely used unilaterally; it was usually only used in such a way in emergencies and in some cases war.[10]
The governor-general represented the monarch on ceremonial occasions such as the State Opening of Parliament and the presentation of honours and military parades. Under the constitution, the governor-general was given authority to act in some matters; for example, in appointing and disciplining officers of the civil service,[11] granting "any person convicted of any offence against the laws of Barbados a pardon",[12] and in proroguing parliament. However, in only a few cases was the governor-general empowered to act entirely on his/her own discretion, often requiring the countersignature of the prime minister to exercise their powers.
The governor-general of Barbados also chaired the Privy Council of Barbados.
Following is a list of people who served as governor-general of Barbados from independence in 1966 to the establishment of a republic in 2021.
Symbols
Died in office.
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | John Montague Stow (1911–1997) | 30 November 1966 | 18 May 1967 | 169 days | Elizabeth II (1966–2021) | |
| 2 | Arleigh Winston Scott (1900–1976) | 18 May 1967 | 9 August 1976 | 9 years,82 days | ||
| – | William Douglas (1921–2003) | 9 August 1976 | 17 November 1976 | 100 days | ||
| 3 | Deighton Lisle Ward (1909–1984) | 17 November 1976 | 9 January 1984 | 7 years,53 days | ||
| – | William Randolph Douglas (1921–2003) | 10 January 1984 | 24 February 1984 | 45 days | ||
| 4 | Hugh Springer (1913–1994) | 24 February 1984 | 6 June 1990 | 6 years,104 days | ||
| 5 | Nita Barrow (1916–1995) | 6 June 1990 | 19 December 1995 | 5 years,195 days | ||
| – | Denys Williams (1929–2014) | 19 December 1995 | 1 June 1996 | 165 days | ||
| 6 | Clifford Husbands (1926–2017) | 1 June 1996 | 31 October 2011 | 15 years,151 days | ||
| – | Elliott Belgrave (b. 1931) | 1 November 2011 | 30 May 2012 | 211 days | ||
| – | Sandra Mason (b. 1949) | 30 May 2012 | 1 June 2012 | 2 days | ||
| 7 | Elliott Belgrave (b. 1931) | 1 June 2012 | 30 June 2017 | 5 years,29 days | ||
| – | Philip Greaves (b. 1931) | 1 July 2017 | 8 January 2018 | 191 days | ||
| 8 | Sandra Mason (b. 1949) | 8 January 2018 | 30 November 2021 | |||
Colors = id:official value:gray(0.65) legend: Official id:acting value:dullyellow legend: Acting id:gray1 value:gray(0.85) id:gray2 value:gray(0.95)
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyyPeriod = from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/2022TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1966ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1966
Legend = columns:1 left:205 top:35 columnwidth:75
BarData= bar:Stow bar:Scott bar:Douglas(acting) bar:Ward bar:Douglas(acting)2 bar:Springer bar:Barrow bar:Williams bar:Husbands bar:Belgrave(acting) bar:Mason(acting) bar:Belgrave bar:Greaves(acting) bar:Mason
PlotData= width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
bar:Stow from: 30/11/1966 till: 18/05/1967 color:official text:"John Stow" fontsize:10 bar:Scott from: 18/05/1967 till: 09/08/1976 color:official text:"Winston Scott" fontsize:10 bar:Douglas(acting) from: 09/08/1976 till: 17/11/1976 color:acting text:"William Douglas" fontsize:10 bar:Ward from: 17/11/1976 till: 09/01/1984 color:official text:"Deighton Ward" fontsize:10 bar:Douglas(acting)2 from: 10/01/1984 till: 24/02/1984 color:acting text:"William Douglas" fontsize:10 bar:Springer from: 24/02/1984 till: 06/06/1990 color:official text:"Hugh Springer" fontsize:10 bar:Barrow from: 06/06/1990 till: 19/12/1995 color:official text:"Nita Barrow" fontsize:10 bar:Williams from: 19/12/1995 till: 01/06/1996 color:acting text:"Denys Williams" fontsize:10 bar:Husbands from: 01/06/1996 till: 31/10/2011 color:official text:"Clifford Husbands" fontsize:10 bar:Belgrave(acting) from: 01/11/2011 till: 30/05/2012 color:acting text:"Elliot Belgrave" fontsize:10 bar:Mason(acting) from: 30/05/2012 till: 01/06/2012 color:acting text:"Sandra Mason" fontsize:10 bar:Belgrave from: 01/06/2012 till: 30/06/2017 color:official text:"Elliot Belgrave" fontsize:10 bar:Greaves(acting) from: 01/07/2017 till: 08/01/2018 color:acting text:"Philip Greaves" fontsize:10 bar:Mason from: 08/01/2018 till: 30/11/2021 color:official text:"Sandra Mason" fontsize:10
According to the First Schedule section of the 1966 Constitution of Barbados, the official oath of office for the governor-general of Barbados was as follows:
See main article: Republicanism in Barbados. In September 2020, the government of Barbados announced that it planned to abolish the Barbadian monarchy and the position of the governor-general, and the Queen of Barbados to be replaced with a ceremonial president, akin to that of the president of Trinidad and Tobago.[13] Incumbent governor-general Sandra Mason was elected president on 20 October 2021 and took office on 30 November 2021.