Governor of South Australia

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Governor of South Australia
Badge of the Governor of South Australia.svg
Badge of the Governor
Incumbent
Hieu Van Le

since 1 September 2014
Viceroy
Style His Excellency
Residence Government House, Adelaide
Appointer Australian monarch
Term length At His/Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation 28 December 1836
First holder Captain John Hindmarsh
Website Office of the Governor
Standard of the Governor of South Australia
Standard of the Governor 1904–1975
Standard of the Governor 1870–1876

The Governor of South Australia is the representative in the Australian state of South Australia of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level. The Governor's official residence is Government House, in Adelaide, the state's capital.

In accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system of parliamentary government, the Governor nearly always acts solely on the advice of the head of the elected government, the Premier of South Australia. Nevertheless, the Governor retains the reserve powers of the Crown, and has the right to dismiss the Premier. The Westminster system is a form of constitutional monarchy.

The first Australian-born Governor of South Australia was Major-General Sir James Harrison (appointed 1968), and most subsequent governors have been Australian-born. The first South Australian-born governor was Sir Mark Oliphant (appointed 1971).

The current governor is Hieu Van Le.[1] The term of the previous governor, Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, expired on 7 August 2014.[2]

As from June 2014, the Queen, upon the recommendation of the Premier, accorded all current, future and living former Governors the title 'The Honourable' for life.[3]

List of Governors of South Australia[edit]

The first six Governors of South Australia oversaw governance from proclamation in 1836 until self-government and an elected Parliament of South Australia was enacted in the year prior to the inaugural 1857 election.

# Image Governor From To
1 Governor John Hindmarsh.jpg Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH[4] 28 December 1836 16 July 1838
2 George Gawler.jpg Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler KH[4] 17 October 1838 15 May 1841
3 GeorgeEdwardGrey02.jpg Sir George Grey KCB[4] 15 May 1841 25 October 1845
4 Frederick Robe.jpg Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Holt Robe[4] 25 October 1845 2 August 1848
5 Sir Henry Young.jpg Sir Henry Fox Young KCMG[4] 2 August 1848 20 December 1854
6 Richard Graves MacDonnell.jpg Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell KCMG CB[4] 8 June 1855 4 March 1862
7 DominickDaly.jpg Sir Dominick Daly[4] 4 March 1862 19 February 1868
8 Sir James Fergusson.jpg The Rt Hon. Sir James Fergusson Bt[4] 16 February 1869 18 April 1873
9 AnthonyMusgrave.jpg Sir Anthony Musgrave KCMG[4] 9 June 1873 29 January 1877
10 William Jervois.jpg Lieutenant-General Sir William Jervois GCMG CB[4] 2 October 1877 9 January 1883
11 Williamrobinson.jpg Sir William Robinson GCMG[4] 19 February 1883 5 March 1889
12 Algernon Keith-Falconer.jpg The Rt Hon. Earl of Kintore GCMG[4] 11 April 1889 10 April 1895
13 ThomasFowellBuxton.jpg Sir Thomas Buxton Bt GCMG[4] 29 October 1895 29 March 1899
14 Ac.tennyson.jpg The Rt Hon. Lord Tennyson GCMG[4] 10 April 1899 17 July 1902
15 GeorgeLeHunte.jpg Sir George Le Hunte KCMG[4] 1 July 1903 18 February 1909
16 Day Bosanquet.jpg Admiral Sir Day Bosanquet GCVO KCB[4] 18 February 1909 22 March 1914
17 Henry Galway.jpg Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Galway KCMG DSO[4] 18 April 1914 30 April 1920
18 William Weigall.jpg Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Archibald Weigall KCMG[4] 9 June 1920 30 May 1922
19 Tom Bridges.jpg Lieutenant-General Sir Tom Bridges KCB KCMG DSO[4] 4 December 1922 4 December 1927
20 Lordgowrie.jpg Brigadier-General the Rt Hon. Earl of Gowrie VC KCMG CB DSO[4] 14 May 1928 26 April 1934
21 Winston Dugan.jpg Major-General Lord Dugan KCMG CB DSO[4] 28 July 1934 23 February 1939
22 Malcolm Barclay-Harvey.jpg Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey KCMG[4] 12 August 1939 26 April 1944
23 Norrie Chifley Playford.jpg Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Norrie KCMG CB DSO MC[4] 19 December 1944 19 June 1952
24 Robert George .jpg Air Vice-Marshal Sir Robert George KCMG KCVO KBE CB MC[4] 23 February 1953 7 March 1960
25 Edric Bastyan.jpg Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Bastyan KCMG KCVO KBE CB[4] 4 April 1961 1 June 1968
26 Badge of the Governor of South Australia.svg Major-General Sir James Harrison KCMG CB CBE[4] 4 December 1968 16 September 1971
27 Sir Mark Oliphant.jpg Professor Sir Mark Oliphant AC KBE[4] 1 December 1971 30 November 1976
28 Douglas nicholls.jpg Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls KCVO OBE[4] 1 December 1976 30 April 1977
29 Badge of the Governor of South Australia.svg Reverend Sir Keith Seaman KCVO OBE[4] 1 September 1977 28 March 1982
30 Badge of the Governor of South Australia.svg Lieutenant-General Sir Donald Dunstan AC KBE CB[4] 23 April 1982 5 February 1991
31 Dame roma mitchell.jpg The Hon. Dame Roma Mitchell AC DBE CVO QC[4] 6 February 1991 21 July 1996
32 Badge of the Governor of South Australia.svg Sir Eric Neal AC CVO[4] 22 July 1996 3 November 2001
33 Marjorie Jackson.jpg Mrs. Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC CVO MBE[4] 3 November 2001 31 July 2007
34 Kevin Scarce in 2008.jpg Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC[5] 8 August 2007 7 August 2014
35 Badge of the Governor of South Australia.svg Hieu Van Le AO[1] 1 September 2014 present

Administrators (acting governors)[edit]

These people administered the government in the absence of the official governor.[4]

Administrator Term
George Milner Stephen 1838
Boyle Travers Finniss 1854-55
Lt.-Col. Francis Gilbert Hamley 1868-69
Major James Harwood Rocke 1870
Hon. Sir Richard Davies Hanson, Chief Justice 1872-73
Sir William Wellington Cairns, K.C.M.G 1877
Hon. Samuel James Way, Chief Justice, Lt.-Gov. 1877 to 1915 (on 65 separate occasions)
Hon. James Penn Boucaut, Judge of Supreme Court 1885, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1891, 1897
Hon. William Henry Bundey, Judge of Supreme Court 1888
Hon. Sir George John Robert Murray, Chief Justice, Lt.-Gov. 1916–24, 1926–42 (on 103 separate occasions)
Hon. Thomas Slaney Poole, Judge of Supreme Court 1925 (on 2 occasions)
Hon. Sir Herbert Angas Parsons, Judge of Supreme Court 1935 to 1942 (on 6 separate occasions)
Hon. Sir John Mellis Napier, Chief Justice, Lt.-Gov. 1942 to 1973 (on 179 separate occasions)
Hon. Sir Herbert Mayo, Judge of Supreme Court 1946 to 1965 (on 25 separate occasions)
Hon. Sir Geoffrey Sandford Reed, Judge of Supreme Court 1951 to 1957 (on 5 separate occasions)
Hon. John Jefferson Bray, Chief Justice 1968 to 1973 (on 8 separate occasions)
Hon. David Stirling Hogarth, Judge of Supreme Court 1971
Sir Walter Russell Crocker, Lt.-Gov. 1973 to 1982 (on 29 separate occasions)
Hon. Sir Condor Laucke, Lt.-Gov. 1982 to 1992 (on 43 separate occasions)
Hon. Leonard James King, A.C., Chief Justice 1987
Hon. Dr. Basil Stuart Hetzel, Lt.-Gov. 1992 to 2000 (on 32 separate occasions)
Hon. John Jeremy Doyle, Chief Justice 1999- (on 10 separate occasions)
Hon. Bruno Krumins, Lt.-Gov. 2000- (on 60 separate occasions)
Hon. John William Perry, Judge of Supreme Court 2002
Hieu Van Le, Lt.-Gov. 2014

Living former governors[edit]

Three former governors are alive, the oldest being Sir Eric Neal (1996–2001, born 1924). The latest-serving former governor to die was Dame Roma Mitchell (1991–1996), on 5 March 2000. The most recent death of a former governor was that of Sir Keith Seaman (1977-1982), on 30 June 2013.

Name Term as governor Date of birth
Sir Eric Neal 1996–2001 (1924-06-03) 3 June 1924 (age 92)
Marjorie Jackson-Nelson 2001–2007 (1931-09-13) 13 September 1931 (age 84)
Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce 2007–2014 (1952-05-04) 4 May 1952 (age 64)

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]