High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

High Commissioner of British Western Pacific Territories

High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

Style| His Excellency The Right Honourable
Residence| Suva, Fiji (1877-1952)
Honiara, British Solomon Islands (1953-1976)
Appointer| King/Queen of the United Kingdom
Formation| 13 August 1877
First holder| The Rt Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
Final holder| The Rt Hon. Sir Donald Luddington
Abolished| 2 January 1976

The high commissioner for the Western Pacific was the chief executive officer of the British Western Pacific Territories, a United Kingdom colonial entity, which existed from 1877 until 1976. Numerous colonial possessions were attached to the Territories at different times, the most durable constituent colonies being Fiji (1877 — 1952) and the Solomon Islands (1893 — 1976).[1]

The office of high commissioner never existed independently, but was always filled ex officio by the Governor of one of the constitutive British islands colonies. The high commissioners were concurrently Governor of Fiji from 1877 to the end of 1952, although the office was suspended from 1942 through 1945, with most of the islands under British military rule and others, namely the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands and Phoenix Islands, under Japan ese occupation. From 1 January 1953 to 1976, when the office was abolished, the governor of the Solomon Islands doubled as high commissioner. On 1 January 1972, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were taken off with their own governor. On 2 January 1976 after nearly all had been given separate statehood, the office of high commissioner and the entity of the Pacific Territories were abolished.

They administered from Suva and Honiara, respectively.

## List of high commissioners for the Western Pacific (1877–1976)

#  | Incumbent  | Portrait  | Tenure  | Monarch  | Concurrent office

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Took office  | Left office
High Commissioner for the Western Pacific
1\.  | Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon  |  | 13 August 1877  | 1880  | Victoria  | Governor of Fiji
2\.  | Sir William Des Vœux  |  | 20 December 1880  | 21 January 1885  | Victoria  | Governor of Fiji
| John Bates Thurston
Acting |  | 21 January 1885  | 1 January 1887  | Victoria  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
3\.  | Sir Charles Mitchell  |  | 1 January 1887  | February 1888  | Victoria  | Governor of Fiji
4\.  | Sir John Bates Thurston  |  | February 1888  | 7 February 1897  | Victoria  | Governor of Fiji
5\.  | Sir George T. M. O'Brien  |  | March 1897  | 1901  | Victoria  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir William Allardyce
Acting |  | 1901  | 10 September 1902  | Edward VII  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
6\.  | Sir Henry Jackson  |  | 10 September 1902  | 11 October 1904  | Edward VII  | Governor of Fiji
7\.  | Sir Everard im Thurn  |  | 11 October 1904  | 1910  | Edward VII  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir Charles Major
Acting |  | 1910  | 21 February 1911  | Edward VII
George V  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
8\.  | Sir Francis May  |  | 21 February 1911  | 25 July 1912  | George V  | Governor of Fiji
9\.  | Sir Ernest Sweet-Escott  |  | 25 July 1912  | 10 October 1918  | George V  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir Eyre Hutson
Acting for Sweet-Escott |  | 1915  | 1916  | George V  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
10\.  | Cecil Hunter-Rodwell  |  | 10 October 1918  | 25 April 1925  | George V  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir Eyre Hutson
Acting for Hunter-Rodwell |  | 1919  | 1919  | George V  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
11\.  | Sir Eyre Hutson  |  | 25 April 1925  | 22 November 1929  | George V  | Governor of Fiji
12\.  | Sir Arthur Fletcher  |  | 22 November 1929  | May 1936  | George V
Edward VIII  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir Cecil Barton
Acting |  | May 1936  | November 1936  | Edward VIII  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
13\.  | Sir Arthur Richards  |  | 28 November 1936  | August 1938  | Edward VIII
George VI  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir Cecil Barton
Acting |  | August 1938  | September 1938  | George VI  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
14\.  | Sir Harry Luke  |  | 16 September 1938  | 1942  | George VI  | Governor of Fiji
| Office suspended |  | 1942  | 1945  |
15\.  | Sir Alexander Grantham  |  | 1945  | 21 March 1947  | George VI  | Governor of Fiji
| Sir John Nicoll
Acting |  | 21 March 1947  | 8 October 1947  | George VI  | Governor of Fiji
(acting)
16\.  | Sir Brian Freeston  |  | 8 October 1947  | 3 July 1952  | George VI
Elizabeth II  | Governor of Fiji
17\.  | Sir Robert Stanley  |  | 3 July 1952  | July 1955  | Elizabeth II  | Governor of the Solomon Islands
(From 1 January 1953)
18\.  | Sir John Gutch  |  | 1955  | 4 March 1961  | Elizabeth II  | Governor of the Solomon Islands
19\.  | Sir David Trench  |  | 4 March 1961  | 16 June 1964  | Elizabeth II  | Governor of the Solomon Islands
20\.  | Sir Robert Sidney Foster  |  | 16 June 1964  | 6 March 1969  | Elizabeth II  | Governor of the Solomon Islands
21\.  | Sir Michael Gass  |  | 6 March 1969  | 1973  | Elizabeth II  | Governor of the Solomon Islands
22\.  | Sir Donald Luddington  |  | 10 October 1973  | 2 January 1976  | Elizabeth II  | Governor of the Solomon Islands

## References

1. ↑ Lawrence, David Russell (October 2014). The Naturalist and his "Beautiful Islands": Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific. ANU Press. ISBN 9781925022032. https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/naturalist-and-his-beautiful-islands.

## Sources and external links

* WorldStatesmen
* Deryck Scarr, Fragments of Empire. A History of the Western Pacific High Commission. 1877-1914, Canberra: Australian National University Press & London: C. Hurst & Co., 1967.
* McIntyre, William David. "Disraeli's colonial policy: The creation of the Western Pacific High Commission, 1874–1877." Historical Studies: Australia and New Zealand Volume 9, Issue 35 (1960): 279-294.

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