List of Gold Coast Governors from 1843 till Independence

One of the significant feature of the Crown colony  was the Governor.

The Governor was a person appointed by the Secretary of Colony through the Monarch to manage  the political administration  of a colony during colonial rule

Gold coast saw a numerous and outstanding Governors who worked tirelessly to promote the British culture in the Colony.

The Governor normally appointed by the Secretary of the state colony

He act as the chairman of the executive and legislative assembly of the colonial government.He had veto power to be a dictator because all laws are formulated by him without any interference from any executive member.

He is responsible for appointment, discipline and dismissal of public services as well as monitoring lands controlled by the legislation.

This article is aimed at identifying all Colonial Governors of Gold from 1843 till Independence in 1975

GOVERNOR      PERIOD 

R M Worsely Hill  1843-1845

James Kelley  1845-1846

William Winniet  1846-1849

James Coleman  1849-1850

William Winniet  1850 his second time

James Bannerman  1850-1851

Stephen John Hill  1851-1854

Henry Connor       1854-1857

Sir Benjamin Chilley Campbell 1857-1858

Edward B.Andrews  1860-1862

William A. Ross.         1862

Richard Pine           1862-1865

Rokeby Jones         1865 acting

W.E. Mockler          1865 acting

Edward Conran 1865-1867

Herbert Taylor Ussher  1867-1872

John Pope Henese   1872-1872

Charles Spencer Salmon  1873-1873

Joseph Worsely     1873-1874

James Maxwell   1874-1874

Charles Lees.     1874-1874

George Straham   1874-1876

Stanford Feeling  1876-1978

Herbert Taylor 1879-1880

William Brandford Griffith 1880-1881

Samuel Rowe    1881-1884

W.A. G. Young    1885-1895

William Brandford Griffith  1885-1895 second time

William Edward Maxwell  1895-1897

Frederick Mitchell Hodgson  1897-1900

W Low –    1900

Herbert Bryan   1900-acting

John Pickeequill Rodger   1904-1910

Herbert Bryan   1910 acting

Hugh Charles Clifford  1912-1919

Alexander Ransford Slater  1919 acting

Fredick Gordon Guggisberg  1919-1927

James Crawford Maxwell  1927 acting

Alexander Ransford Northcote  1932 acting

Sir Thomas Shentons   1932-1934

Geoffrey Northcote   1934 acting

Arnold Wienholt Hodson  1934-1941

George Ernest 1941-1942

Allan Cuthbert Maxwell Burns 1942-1947

Sir Gerald Creasy   1948-1949

Sir Robert Scott  1945-1949

Rattary Orde Mangin   1949 acting

Sir Charles Noble Arden Clarke 1949-1957

Among the above Governors listed, Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg whose tenure of office lasted for eight years is regarded the best Governor whose administration can not be compared to any of the Governors.

He payed his dues well by establishing hospital, School facilities and introduction of Elective principles in his Constitution to empower Indigenous Gold Coasters to have a portion in the executive and legislative council.

Governor representing the British Monach perform numerous of duties as directed by the High Command.

Their functions includes

He exercised veto power as well as reserved powers. The Governor was therefore not bound to to accept deliberation of the council but he could reject them.

He was responsible for running day to day affairs of the colony, he does that by formulating and implementing law and order to ensure peaceful co-existence among the people and government officials.

With the powers invested in Colonial Governors, it decrease the value and powers of traditional leaders since they working under them

The chiefs were serving as the mouthpiece of the Colonial Governors until independence in 1957.