Governors of Queensland

Date: 1859
Location: Queensland, Australia
Surnames/tags: Queensland governors

Contents 1 Background 2 Government House 3 Governors of Queensland 4 Sources 5 See also

Background

Badge of the Governor of Queensland

On 10th December 1859, Letters Patent issued by Queen Victoria were read to an elated audience, proclaiming Queensland to be a new colony, separate from New South Wales. Sir George Bowen was 'sworn in' as the first governor by Judge Alfred Lutwyche. From that day forward, Queenslanders were in charge of their own affairs. Queen Victoria assented to the creation of a new and separate colony to be called Queen’s Land on 6th June 1859, a day that continues to be celebrated as Queensland Day. The Governor of Queensland is the symbolic head of state of Queensland and represents centuries of constitutional tradition. Since 1859, Governors of Queensland have upheld a fundamental principle—that all people from all walks of life belong to the same community, a parliamentary democracy where government is conducted according to law. The highest purpose of governors is to see to that.

Government House

Gardens Point

The Bowens, Sir George being Queensland's first governor, arrived in Brisbane in December 1859 before accommodation had a chance to be arranged. Initially the family lived in Adelaide House, on Ann Street (now the Deanery of St John's Anglican Cathedral).^[1] The first Government House was built at Gardens Point, at the southern end of George Street, next to Parliament House, with the family moving-in in 1862. There had been some controversy regards its construction as Brisbane had then not been decided upon as the colonial capital. The gardens are now part of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens and the house is part of the Queensland University of Technology on that site. There were rooms for 'dancing, drinking of claret, sherry, tea and coffee, the playing of the card game whist, and the drawing room'. In 1909, by the standards of the times, the house was perceived as being too small for the governor's residence, especially as it lacked a ballroom deemed essential for entertaining.

Fernberg House, Paddington, Queensland

The house was donated to the University of Queensland, being established at Gadens Point, ^[2] and Fernberg House, about four kilometres west of the CBD, was purchased by the Queensland Government and has been Government House Queensland since. The fifteen hectares (37 acres) site is bounded by Fernberg Road, Kaye Street, Baroona Road and Murruba Street, and comprise the main house, ancillary administration, staff and maintenance buildings, and formal gardens, surrounded by native bushland. The principal rooms, in the lower level, of the house are the formal reception, governor's study, investiture room, billiard room, dining room and the kitchen, with the upper level housing the private bedrooms of the governor and several guest bedrooms.^[3]

Governors of Queensland

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: The Deanery, Brisbane; accessed 19 Sep 2019
2. ↑ Wikipedia: Old Government House, Queensland; accessed 19 Sep 2019
3. ↑ Government House Queensland website; accessed 19 Sep 2019

See also

• Government House website; accessed 19 Sep 2019.

No.	Photo	Name	Birth-place	Spouse	Years as Governor	No. years	Notes
1		Sir George Bowen GCMG	Taughboyne, County Donegal, Ireland	Lady Bowen, Contessa Diamantina di Roma	1859-1868	8yrs 1mth	encouraged exploration and establishment of a volunteer military force
2		Colonel Samuel Blackall	Dublin, Ireland	widowered twice previously	1868-1871	2yrs 4mths	encouraged agricultural improvements; died in office
3		Sir George Phipps GCB GCMG, 2nd Marquess of Normanby	Yorkshire, England	Lady (Laura) Phipps, Marchioness of Normanby	1871-1874	3yrs 3mths	colonial administrator of solid, business-like habits and who understood the complexities of constitutional practice
4		Colonel Sir William Cairns KCMG	Belfast, Ireland	unmarried	1875-1877	2yrs 2mths	showed a keen interest in education and welcomed botanical and agricultural research
5		Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy GCMG CB	Cultra, County Down, Ireland	widowered	1877-1883	5yrs 10mths	died enroute home to UK
6		Sir Anthony Musgrave GCMG	St John’s, Antigua	Lady (Jeanie) Musgrave	1883-1888	4yrs 11mths	responding to the colony's premier 'annexing' south-eastern New Guinea; died in office
7		Field Marshal Sir Henry Norman GCB GCMG CIE	Finsbury, Middlesex, England	Lady (Alice) Norman	1889-1895	6yrs 7mths	mandate to cut government expenditure
8		Lord Charles Cochrane-Baillie GCMG GCIE, 2nd Baron Lamington	Finsbury, Middlesex, England	Lady (Mary) Cochrane-Baillie, Baroness Lamington	1895-1901	5yrs 8mths	worked with the premier to ensure that the role of the governor would not diminish after federation
9		Lieutenant General Sir Herbert Chermside GCMG CB	Wilton, Wiltshire, England	Lady (Geraldine) Chermside	1901-1904	2yrs 7mths	with Qld in the grip of drought and economic recession he dropped 15% of his salary
10		Sir Frederic Thesiger GCSI GCMG GCIE GBE PC, 1st Viscount Chelmsford	Belgrave, London, England	Lady (Frances) Thesiger	1905-1909	3yrs 6mths	term was dominated by conflict between the two Houses and the emergence of three evenly-divided parties
11		Doctor Sir William MacGregor GCMG CB AM	Towie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland	Lady (Mary) MacGregor	1909-1914	4yrs 7mths	development of the University of Queensland and Royal Geographical Society of Queensland
12		Major Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams GCMG CB	Jamesbrook, County Cork, Ireland	Lady (Elsie) Goold-Adams	1915-1920	4yrs 11mths	led the way in determining that the landing at Gallipoli should be celebrated on 25th April each year; died en route to UK
13		Lieutenant Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan GCMG PC	Paddington, London, England	-	1920-1925	4yrs 9mths	abolition of Legislative Council by Labor government
14		Lieutenant General Sir John Goodwin KCB KCMG DSO	Kandy, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)	Lady (Lilian) Goodwin	1927-1932	4yrs 9mths	took particular interest in wild-life preservation, the health of Europeans in the tropics, and eye disease
15		LT COL Sir Leslie Wilson GCSI GCMG GCIE DSO	Kensington, Middlesex, England	Lady (Winifred) Wilson	1932-1946	13yrs 10mths	term extended due to Second World War
16		Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack KCMG KCVO KBE CB DSO	Kangaroo Point, Queensland	Lady (Sybil) Lavarack	1946-1957	11yrs 2mths	impressed with his soldierly sense of duty, friendly accessibility and desire to be of service to all people
17		Colonel Sir Henry Abel Smith KCMG KStJ KCVO DSO	St George Hanover Square, London, England	Lady (May) Abel Smith	1958-1966	8yrs	travelled extensively throughout the State andd took avid interest in all people
18		Justice Sir Alan Mansfield KCMG KCVO	Gumdale, Queensland	Lady (Beryl) Mansfield	1966-1972	6yrs	as Chief Justice of Qld had been acting governor on several occasions
19		Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG KCVO KBE KStJ CB	Menzies, Western Australia	Lady (Patricia) Hannah	1972-1977	5yrs	experienced no-nonsense administrator ... flexibility of mind and ability to mix with people
20		Commodore Sir James Ramsay KCMG KCVO CBE DSC	Hobart, Tasmania	Lady (Janet) Ramsay	1977-1985	8yrs 3mths	encouraged others and had the admirable qualities of a first-class naval officer
21		Sir Walter Campbell AC QC	Burringbar, New South Wales	Lady (Georgina) Campbell	1985-1992	7yrs	tenure was one of controversy caused by the governing National Party
22		The Honourable Leneen Forde AC DStJ	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada	Angus McDonald	1992-1997	5yrs	advancing the social and economic welfare of Queenslanders, in particular the advancement of women
23		Major General Peter Arnison AC CVO	Lismore, New South Wales	Barbara Arnison	1997-2003	6yrs	-
24		Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO	Brisbane, Queensland	Michael Bryce AM AE	2003-2008	5yrs	later appointed 25th Governor General of Australia
25		The Honourable Penelope Wensley AC DStJ	Toowoomba, Queensland	Stuart McCosker	2008-2014	6yrs	-
26		The Honourable Paul de Jersey AC KStJ QC	Brisbane, Queensland	Kaye de Jersey	2014-2021	7yrs	previously Chief Justice of QLD
27		The Honourable Doctor Jeannette Young PSM MBA MBBS	Sydney, New South Wales	Professor Graeme Nimmo	2021-	continuing	previously the longest-serving Chief Medical Officer of QLD