The governor of the Punjab was head of the British administration in the province of the Punjab. In 1849 the East India Company defeated the Sikh Empire and annexed the Punjab region. The governor-general of India, Lord Dalhousie, implemented a three-member Board of Administration to govern the province.[1] The Board of Administration was abolished in 1853 and replaced by the office of chief commissioner.[2] Following the liquidation of the East India Company and the transfer of its assets to the British Crown, the office of lieutenant-governor was instituted in 1859. This lasted until it was replaced by the office of governor in the aftermath of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms.
In 1947, the British Raj came to an end and India was partitioned and Pakistan was created. The Punjab was partitioned into West Punjab and East Punjab, with the former joining Pakistan and the latter India. In Pakistan, the first governor of West Punjab was Sir Francis Mudie. In 1955, West Punjab was dissolved, and became Punjab province. In 1966, East Punjab was divided into the present-day Indian states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
| Name (birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Board of Administration | ||||||
| 1 | Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (1806–1857) | 1 Apr 1849 | 17 January 1853 |
| ||
| Chief Commissioners | ||||||
| 1 | John Laird Mair Lawrence (1811–1879) | 18 January 1853 | 31 Dec 1858 |
| ||
| Lieutenant-Governors | ||||||
| 1 | Sir John Laird Mair Lawrence, Bt (1811–1879) | 1 Jan 1859 | 25 Feb 1859 |
| ||
| 2 | Sir Robert Montgomery (1809–1887) | 25 Feb 1859 | 10 Jan 1865 |
| ||
| 3 | Sir Donald Friell McLeod (1810–1872) | 10 Jan 1865 | 1 Jun 1870 |
| ||
| 4 | Sir Henry Marion Durand (1812–1871) | 1 Jun 1870 | 20 Jan 1871 | |||
| 5 | Sir Robert Henry Davies (1824–1902) | 20 Jan 1871 | 2 Apr 1877 |
| ||
| 6 | Sir Robert Eyles Egerton (1827–1912) | 2 Apr 1877 | 3 Apr 1882 | |||
| 7 | Sir Charles Umpherston Aitchinson (1832–1896) | 3 Apr 1882 | 2 Apr 1887 |
| ||
| 8 | Sir James Broadwood Lyall (1838–1916) | 2 Apr 1887 | 5 Mar 1892 |
| ||
| 9 | Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick (1837–1920) | 5 Mar 1892 | 6 Mar 1897 |
| ||
| 10 | Sir William Mackworth Young (1840–1924) | 6 Mar 1897 | 6 Mar 1902 |
| ||
| 11 | Sir Charles Montgomery Rivaz (1845–1926) | 6 Mar 1902 | 6 Mar 1907 |
| ||
| 12 | Sir Denzil Charles Jelf Ibbetson (1847–1908) | 6 Mar 1907 | 26 May 1907 | |||
| – | Thomas Gordon Walker (1849–1917) | 26 May 1907 | 12 Aug 1907 |
| ||
| 12 | Sir Denzil Charles Jelf Ibbetson (1847–1908) | 12 Aug 1907 | 22 Jan 1908 |
| ||
| – | Thomas Gordon Walker (1849–1917) | 22 Jan 1908 | 25 May 1908 |
| ||
| 13 | Sir Louis William Dane (1856–1946) | 25 May 1908 | 28 Apr 1911 |
| ||
| – | James McCrone Douie (1854–1935) | 28 Apr 1911 | 4 Aug 1911 |
| ||
| 13 | Sir Louis William Dane (1856–1946) | 4 Aug 1911 | 26 May 1913 |
| ||
| 14 | Sir Michael Francis O'Dwyer (1864–1940) | 26 May 1913 | 26 May 1919 | |||
| 15 | Sir Edward Douglas Maclagan (1864–1952) | 26 May 1919 | 3 Jan 1921 | |||
| Governors | ||||||
| 1 | Sir Edward Douglas Maclagan (1864–1952) | 3 Jan 1921 | 31 May 1924 |
| ||
| 2 | Sir William Malcolm Hailey (1872–1969) | 31 May 1924 | 9 Aug 1928 |
| ||
| 3 | Sir Geoffrey Fitzhervey de Montmorency (1876–1955) | 9 Aug 1928 | 19 Jul 1932 |
| ||
| – | Sikandar Hayat Khan (1892–1942) | 19 Jul 1932 | 19 Oct 1932 |
| ||
| 3 | Sir Geoffrey Fitzhervey de Montmorency (1876–1955) | 19 Oct 1932 | 12 Apr 1933 | |||
| 4 | Sir Herbert William Emerson (1881–1962) | 12 Apr 1933 | 1 Feb 1934 | |||
| – | Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan (1892–1942) | 15 Feb 1934 | 9 Jun 1934 |
| ||
| 4 | Sir Herbert William Emerson (1881–1962) | 9 Jun 1934 | 4 Apr 1938 | |||
| 5 | Sir Henry Duffield Craik, Bt (1876–1955) | 4 Apr 1938 | 7 Apr 1941 | |||
| 6 | Sir Bertrand James Glancy (1882–1953) | 7 Apr 1941 | 8 Apr 1946 | |||
| 7 | Sir Evan Meredith Jenkins (1896–1985) | 8 Apr 1946 | 15 Aug 1947 |
| ||