A
governor (from French
gouverneur) is a
governing official, usually the
executive (at least nominally, to
different degrees also politically and administratively) of a
non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the
head of state. In
federations, a governor may be the title of each
appointed or elected
politician who
governs a
constituent state.
In some
countries the heads of the constitutive states, provinces,
communities and regions may be titled Governor, although
this is less common in parliamentary systems such as in some
European nations and many of their former colonies, which use
titles such as President of the Regional Council in
France
and Minister-President in Germany
, where in
some states there are governorates ( ) as sub-state administrative
regions. Other countries using different titles for
sub-national units include Spain
and Switzerland
.
The title also lies, historically, to executive officials acting as
representatives of a
chartered
company which has been granted exercise of sovereignty in a
colonial area, such as the British
HEIC or the
Dutch
VOC. These companies
operate as a major state within a state with its own armed
forces.
There can also be non-political governors: high ranking officials
in private or similar
governance such as
commercial and non-profit management, styled governor(s), who
simply
govern an institution, such as a
corporation or a
bank.
For
example, in the United
Kingdom
and other Commonwealth countries there are
prison governors ("warden" in the United States
), school governors
and bank governors.
The adjective pertaining to a governor is
gubernatorial,
from the Latin root
gubernare.
Pre-Roman empires
Though the legal and administrative framework of
provinces, each administrated by a governor, was
created by the
Romans, the term
governor has been a convenient term for historians to use
in describing similar systems in
antiquity. Indeed, many regions of the
pre-Roman antiquity were ultimately replaced by Roman
'standardized' provincial governments after their conquest by Rome.
Egypt
- In Pharaonic times, the governors of each of dozens of
provinces in the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt (called "nomes" by the Greeks, and whose names often
alluded to local patterns of religious worship) are usually known
by the Greek word Nomarch.
- The whole (or most) of Egypt was repeatedly reduced to the
status of province of a larger empire under foreign conquerors,
notably under an Achaemenid satrap (see
below).
Pre- and Hellenistic satraps
- Media and Achaemenid Persia introduced the satrapy, probably
inspired by the Assyrian / Babylonian examples
- Alexander the Great and
equally Hellenistic diadoch kingdoms, mainly
Seleucids (greater Syria) and Lagids ('Ptolemies' in Hellenistic Egypt)
- in
later Persia
, again under
Iranian dynasties:
- Parthia
- the Sassanid dynasty dispensed with the
office after Shapur I (who had still 7 of them), replacing them
with petty vassal rulers, known as shahdars
In ancient Rome
From the creation of the earliest Roman subject provinces a
governor was appointed each year to administer each of them. The
core function of a Roman governor was as a
magistrate or judge, and the management of
taxation and public spending in their area.
Under the Republic and the early Empire, however, a governor also
commanded military forces in his province. Republican governors
were all men who had served in senior magistracies (the
consulate or
praetorship) in
Rome in the previous year, and carried related titles as governor
(
proconsul or
propraetor). The first Emperor,
Octavianus Augustus (who acquired or settled a number of new
territories; officially his style was republican:
Princeps civitatis), divided the
provinces into two categories; the traditionally prestigious
governorships remained as before (in what have become known as
"senatorial" provinces), while in a range of others he retained the
formal governorships himself, delegating the actual task of
administration to appointees (usually with the title
legatus
Augusti). The
legatus sometimes would appoint a
prefect (later
procurator), usually a man of
equestrian rank, to act as his deputy in
a subregion of the larger province: the infamous character of
Pontius Pilate in the Christian
Gospels was a governor of this sort.
A special case was Egypt, a rich 'private' domain and vital
granary, where the Emperor almost inherited the theocratic status
of a Pharaoh. The Emperor was represented there by a governor
sui generis styled
Praefectus Augustalis (the
very title evokes the religious cult of the Emperor).
Emperors Diocletian (see
Tetrarchy) and
Constantine in the third and fourth centuries AD carried out a root
and branch reorganisation of the administration with two main
features:
- Provinces were divided up and became much more numerous (Italy
itself, before the 'colonizing homeland', was brought into the
system for the first time); they were then grouped into dioceses,
and the dioceses in turn into four praetorian prefectures
(originally each under a residing co-emperor);
- Military responsibilities were removed from governors and given
to new officials called comes rei
militaris (the committal title was also granted to many court
and civilian administrative positions) or dux, later also Magister militum.
The prestige governorships of Africa and Asia remained with the
title proconsul, and the special right to refer matters directly to
the Emperor; the
Praefectus Augustalis in Alexandria and
the
Comes Orientis in Antioch also retained special
titles. Otherwise the governors of provinces had various titles
without obvious logic, some known as
consularis, some as
corrector, some as praeses. Apart from Egypt
and the East (
Oriens -
viz greater Syria), each
diocese was directed by a governor known as a
vicarius.
The prefectures were directed by
praefecti praetorio (a
role transformed from a very different one in the early
Empire).
Byzantium
This system survived with few significant changes until the
collapse of the empire in the West, and in the East the breakdown
of order with the Persian and Arab invasions of the seventh
century. At that stage a new kind of governor emerged, the
Strategos a role leading the
themes which replaced provinces at this point, and
involving a return to the amalgamation of civil and military office
which had been the practice under the Republic and the early
Empire.
Legacy
While the Roman administration in the West was largely destroyed in
the barbarian invasions, its model was remembered, and would again
be very influential through two particular vehicles: Roman law and
the Christian Church.
Holy Roman/ Habsburg Empires and successor states
Turkish rule
In the Ottoman empire, all
Pashas (generals)
administered a province of the Great Sultan's vast empire, with
specific titles (such as Mutessaryf; Vali =
Wali was often maintained or even revived in oriental
successor states; cfr. Beilerbei
(rendered as Governor-general, as he is appointed above several
provinces under individual governors) and
Dey)
British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations
In the
British Empire a governor was
originally an official appointed by the British
monarch (or in fact the cabinet) to oversee one of
his
colonies and was the (sometimes
notional) head of the colonial administration. A governor's power
could diminish as the colony gained more responsible government
vested in such institutions as an
Executive Council
to help with the colony's administration, and in a further stage of
self-government,
Legislative
Councils and/or
Assemblies,
in which the Governor often had a role.
Today crown colonies of the United Kingdom continue to be
administered by a governor, who holds varying degrees of power.
Because of
the different constitutional histories
of the former colonies of the United Kingdom, the term "Governor" now refers to officials with
differing amounts of power.
Administrator,
Commissioners and
High Commissioners exercise similar powers
to Governors. (Note: such High Commissioners are not to be confused
with the High Commissioners who are the equivalent of
Ambassadors between Commonwealth states).
Frequently the name '
Government
House' is given to Governors' residences.
- The term can also be used in a more generic sense, especially
for compound titles which include it: Governor-General and Lieutenant-Governor.
Vice-Regal Governors
United Kingdom overseas territories
In the United Kingdom's remaining
overseas
territories the governor is normally a direct appointee of the
British Government and plays an active role in governing and
lawmaking (though usually with the advice of elected local
representatives). The Governor's chief responsibility is for the
Defence and External Affairs of the colony.
In some minor overseas territories, instead of a Governor, there is
an
Administrator or
Commissioner, or the job is ex officio
done by a
High Commissioner.
Australia
In
Australia, each state has the governor
as its formal representative of the Queen as head of the state
government. It is not a political office but a ceremonial office.
Each state governor is appointed by the
Queen of Australia on the advice of the
Premier who is the political chief executive
of the state government (until 1986, they were appointed by the
Queen of the United
Kingdom on the advice of the British Government). State
Governors have emergency reserve powers but these are rarely used.
The
Territories
of Australia other than the ACT have
Administrators instead of
governors, who are appointed formally by the
Governor-General. The Governor-General is
the representative of and appointed by the
Queen of Australia at a federal level on
the advice of the
Prime
Minister of Australia.
As with the
Governors-General of Australia
and other Commonwealth Realms, State Governors usually exercise
their power only on the advice of a government minister.
Canada
In
Canada
, the federal governor is the Governor General of Canada and
the vice-regals of each province is the Lieutenant-Governor. The
Governor General is appointed by the
Queen of Canada, who is head of state, on
the advice of the Prime Minister, whereas the vice-regals are
appointed by the
Governor
General of Canada with advice by the Prime Minister.
As for the three territories, they are headed by a
Commissioner and are appointed by the Prime
Minister. Unlike provincial lieutenant governor, they are not
vice-regals nor appointed by the
Governor General.
New Zealand
The
Governor-General of
New Zealand is always Governor of the
Ross Dependency, an Antarctic sector which
is claimed by the
Realm of New
Zealand.
Northern Ireland
There was a position of
Governor of Northern Ireland
from 1922 until the suspension of
Stormont in 1973.
Elsewhere in the Commonwealth
India
In
India
each state has a ceremonial Governor appointed by
the President of India. These Governors are different from
the Governors who controlled the British-controlled portions of the
Indian Empire (as opposed to the princely states) prior to 1947.
See
Governors of India &
Indian Governors for more
information.He is the head of the state.Generally,one Governor is
appointed for each state,but after the 7th Constitutional
Amendment,1956,a Governor can be appointed for more than one
state
Malaysia
In
Malaysia
the four non-monarchical states -Penang
, Malacca
, and the two
on Borneo: Sabah
and Sarawak
- each have a
ceremonial Governor styled Yang di-Pertua Negeri, appointed
by the federal King Yang
di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, with a seat but no vote in the
federal majlis Raja-raja (council of rulers). These
states have a separate head of government who is the
Chief Minister or
Ketua
Menteri.
All other states have royalty as head of state, no governor: a
raja in Perlis, a
Yang di-pertuan besar (elected from
local rulers) in Negeri Sembilan, or a
Sultan
in the states of Selangor, Pahang, Johore, Perak, Kelantan,
Terengganu and Kedah. These states have a separate head of
government who is the Chief Executive or Menteri Besar, literally
in Malay "Big Minister".
Nigeria
In
Nigeria
(once a
colony governed by a single British Governor before independence),
the leaders of the regions, which in 1967 were divided into states,
have been known as governors since 1954. Following a
military coup in November 1993, President
Sani Abacha suspended all the governors, and
appointed administrators. When democracy was restored in 1999, the
office of governor was revived and new governors were elected.The
president of Nigeria can suspend state governors in a state of
emergency and replace them with administrators. They are elected by
popular vote.
Pakistan
In
Pakistan
, each of the four provinces has a Governor who is
appointed by the President.The
governor is the representative of the president in their province
and isthe ceremonial head of the province whereas the
chief minister is the head of the
provincial government.The governor exercises powers similar to the
president's, in their province respectively.
Papua New Guinea
In
Papua New
Guinea
, the leaders of the provinces have been known as
governors since August 1995. Previously they had been known
as premiers.
Sri Lanka
The
provincial councils of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka
are headed by a governor, as representatives of the
President. Prior to
1948, when Ceylon as Sri Lanka was known back then, the
Governor of Ceylon was head of the
British Colony
Russia and former Soviet Union
In the
Russian
Empire
, Governorate (Guberniya)
and Governorate-General were the main units of territorial and
administrative subdivision since the reforms of Peter the Great. These were governed
by a Governor and
Governor-General
respectively.
A special
case was the Chinese Eastern
Railroad Zone, which was governed as a concession granted by Imperial China to the Russian 'Chinese
Eastern Railroad Society' (in Russian Obshchestvo Kitayskoy
Vostochnoy Zheleznoy Dorogi; established in 17 December 1896
in St.
Petersburg
, later moved
to Vladivostok
), which built 1,481 km of tracks (Tarskaya - Hilar
- Harbin - Nikolsk-Ussuriski; 3 November 1901 traffic opened) and
established on 16 May 1898 the new capital city, Harbin
; in August
1898, the defense for Chinese Eastern Railroad (CER) across
Manchuria was assumed by Russia (first
under Priamur governor).
On 1 July
1903, the Chinese Eastern Railroad was opened and given authority
of its own CER Administration (Russian: Upravleniye
KVZhD), vested in the Directors of the Chinese Eastern
Railroad, with the additional quality of Governors of the Chinese
Eastern Railroad Zone (in Harbin; as such being 12 August 1903 - 1
July 1905 subordinated to the imperial Viceroyalty of the Far East,
see Lüshunkou
). The post continued to function despite
various political changes until after
World
War II.
Currently, some of the
administrative divisions of Russia
are headed by governors, while others are headed by Presidents or
heads of administration. From 1991 to 2005 they were elected by
popular vote, but since 2005 they have been appointed by the
federal president and confirmed by the province's
legislature.
Other modern Asian countries
Japan
In
Japan
, the title refers to the highest ranking executive
of a Prefectural
Government. The Governor is elected by a direct vote from
the people and had a fixed term of four years. He / she can be
subjected to a recall referendum. In case of death, disability, or
resignation, a government official known as Vice Governor would
stand in as Governor or acting Governor.
See
List of governors of
Japan for a list of the current governors.
People's Republic of China
In the
People's
Republic of China
, the title "Governor" (省长) refers to the highest
ranking executive of a Provincial
Government. The Governor is usually placed second in the
provincial power hierarchy, below the
Secretary of the provincial
Communist Party of China (CPC)
committee (省委书记), who serves as the highest ranking Party official
in the Province. A Governor can be also used when referring to a
County Governor (县长).
Philippines
In the
Republic of
the Philippines
, the title "Governor" refers to the highest ranking
executive of a Provincial
Government. The Governor is elected by a direct vote from
the people and had a fixed term of three years. An incumbent
Governor can only serve only up to three consecutive terms. He may
however be suspended by either the Ombudsman or President (through
the Secretary of Interior and Local Government). He may be removed
by the President if he was found guilty of an administrative case
or a criminal act during his incumbency. He can be subjected by a
recall vote, but unlike a referendum, people would elect the
governor of their choice. If in case of death, disability,
resignation, forced removal or suspension, a government official
known as Vice Governor would replace as Governor or acting
Governor.
In the
Autonomous
Region on Muslim Mindanao, a Regional Governor and Regional
Vice Governor is elected by a block vote similar to the United
States President.
Other Colonial empires
- Other European naval powers than the UK with colonies in Asia,
Africa and other areas, which sometimes chartered companies to rule
the colonies instead, gave or still give some, but not always all,
of the top representatives of (or rather in) their colonies the
title of governor.
See:
Other modern countries in North America
United States
In the
United
States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory
, not directly subordinate to the federal
authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the
state.
In colonial America, when the governor was the representative of
the monarch who exercised executive power, many colonies originally
indirectly elected their governors (that is, through assemblies and
legislatures), but in the years leading up to the
American Revolutionary War,
the Crown began to appoint them directly.
During the American Revolution, all royal governors were expelled
(except one; see
Jonathan
Trumbull) but the name was retained to denote the new elected
official.
Before achieving statehood, many of the fifty states were
territories. Administered
by the federal government, they had governors who were appointed by
the
President and
confirmed by the
Senate rather
than elected by the resident population.
Mexico
In the
United
Mexican States
, governor refers to the elected chief and
head of each of the the
nation's
thirty one Free and
Sovereign States, and their official title in Spanish is Gobernador.
Mexican governors are directly elected by the citizens of each
state for six-year terms.
Other modern countries in South America
Many of
the South American republics (such as
Chile
and Argentina
) have provinces or states run by elected governors,
with offices similar in nature to U.S. state
governors.
Brazil
Until the
1930
Revolution, the heads of the Brazilian
Provinces then
States were styled Presidents
(
presidentes), later governors (
governadores) and
intervators (
interventores, appointed by the federal
government) and finally in 1945 only governors.
Other European countries and empires
Austria
A
Landeshauptmann (German for "state captain", literally
'country headman'; plural Landeshauptleute or
Landeshauptmänner as in Styria
till 1861;
Landeshauptfrau is the female form) is an official title
in German for certain political offices equivalent to a
Governor. It has historical uses, both administrative
and colonial, and is presently used in federal Austria
and a majority German-speaking province of
Italy.
Benelux monarchies
- In
the
Netherlands
, the
government-appointed heads of the provinces were known as
Gouverneur from 1814 until 1850, when their title was
changed to King's (or Queen's)
Commissioner. In the southern province of Limburg
, however, the commissioner is still informally
called Governor.
- In
the Dutch crown's Caribbean Overseas territories, the style
Governor is still used (alongside the political head of government)
in the Netherlands
Antilles
as well as since 1986 on the neighbouring island of
Aruba
(separated from the former)
- In
Belgium
, each of the ten provinces has a Governor,
appointed by the regional government. He represents not only
the regional but also the federal government in the province. He
controls the local governments and is responsible for law and
order, security and emergency action. The national capital
of Brussels
, which is not part of a province, also has a
governor with nearly the same competences.
France
During the
Ancien Régime in
France, the representative of the king in his
provinces and cities was the
"
gouverneur". Royal officers chosen from the
highest
nobility, provincial and
city governors (oversight of provinces and cities was frequently
combined) were predominantly military positions in charge of
defense and policing. Provincial governors also called "lieutenants
généraux" also had the ability of convoking provincial
parlements, provincial estates and municipal
bodies. The title "gouverneur" first appeared under
Charles VI. The ordinance of Blois of
1579 reduced their number to 12, but an ordinance of 1779 increased
their number to 39 (18 first-class governors, 21 second-class
governors). Although in principle they were the king's
representatives and their charges could be revoked at the king's
will, some governors had installed themselves and their heirs as a
provincial dynasty. The governors were at the height of their power
from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century, but
their role in provincial unrest during the civil wars led
Cardinal Richelieu to create the more
tractable positions of
intendants of
finance, policing and justice, and in the 18th century the role of
provincial governors was greatly curtailed.
Germany
In
today's German states of Baden-Württemberg
, Bavaria
, Hesse
, and
North
Rhine-Westphalia
there are - and earlier in more German states there
were - sub-state administrative regions called in , which is
sometimes translated into English as governorate. Thus its
respective head, in , is also translated as governor. Since in
analogy to the US terminology the heads of the German states are -
besides the translation of their German appellation as
Minister-President ( ) - also translated
as governors, using the term governor in both cases is ambiguous
and somewhat confusing.
Italy
- The essentially maritime empire of the Venetian republic,
comprising Terra Firma, other Adriatic (mainly Istria and Dalmatia)
and further Mediterranean (mainly Greek) possessions, used
different styles, such as (castelleno e) provveditore (generale) or
baile.
- In today's Italy, the official name of a head of a Regione (the Italian subnational entity) is
Presidente della Giunta regionale (President of the
regional executive council), but since 2000, when a constitutional
reform decided the direct election of the president by the people,
it has been usual to call him governatore (governor).
Papal and Vatican particularity
- In the various Italian provinces (former principalities and
city-states) that became amalgamated as the Papal States, the Holy
See exerted temporal power via its Legate and Delegates,
including some Cardinals
- Also
in Avignon
and the surrounding southern French Comtat Venaissin, the home of the Popes
during their 'Babylonian exile', and retained centuries after, but
never incorporated into the Papal States
, Legates and
Vice-legates were appointed.
- The
sovereign modern remnant of the formerly large Papal States, the
tiny Vatican City State, is now a mere enclave in Rome, the capital
of Italian
Republic
. As it is too small to have further
administrative territorial divisions, it is the equivalent of a
Prime Minister, Governor and Mayor all roled in to one post, styled
the Governor of Vatican
City.
Other modern African countries
Modern equivalents
As a generic term, Governor is used for various 'equivalent'
officers governing part of a state or empire, rendering other
official titles such as:
And this also applies to non-western and/or antique cultures
Other meanings of the word
The word
governor can also refer to an administrator
and/or supervisor (individually or collectively, see
Board of Governors); the Governor of a
national bank often holds ministerial rank.
See also
References
- The Mavens' Word of the Day
- 地方自治法
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