Ever since the Dutch made the discovery of Mauritius, the island nation has been governed by a number of different governors. As a result of the fact that Mauritius was ruled by three primary nationalities prior to its independence in 1968, namely the United Kingdom, France, and Holland, we had governors from these countries to administer the island in terms of economic development, as well as law regulations and other matters. The legislative body of Mauritius voted in 1991 to make the transition to a republican form of government, and on March 12, 1992, the country officially went through the transition. After the monarchy was abolished, the final Governor General of Mauritius was appointed.
The Dutch Governors
In the late 1590s, the Dutch were the ones who made the discovery of Mauritius. At that time, Wybrant Warwijck was serving as the governor of the Dutch government. After only a short period of time, the Dutch left the island in the same year, and they did not return until 1638, when they intended to settle the island in general. They governed until the year 1658, after which they left once more and remained absent until the year 1664. Finally, in the year 1710, they departed for good. The Dutch East India Company was in charge of the administration of the island from the years 1638 until 1710. The following is a list of the governors of the Netherlands during the years 1598 to 1710:
| Governor Name | Years Of Governorship |
|---|---|
| Wybrant Warwijck | 1598-1598 |
| Cornelis Simonszoon Gooyer | 1638-1639 |
| Adriaan van der Stel | 1639-1645 |
| Jacob van der Meersch | 1645-1648 |
| Reinier Por | 1648-1653 |
| Joost van der Woutbeek | 1653-1654 |
| Maximiliaan de Jongh | 1654-1656 |
| Abraham Evertszoon | 1656-1658 |
| Jacobus van Nieuwlant | 1664-1665 |
| Georg Frederick Wreede | 1665-1667 |
| Jan van Laar | 1667-1668 |
| Dirk Janszoon Smient | 1668-1669 |
| Georg Frederick Wreede | 1669-1672 |
| Swen Felleson | 1672-1672 |
| Philip Col | 1672-1673 |
| Hubert Hugo | 1673-1677 |
| Isaac Johannes Lamotius | 1677-1692 |
| Roelof Deodati | 1672-1703 |
| Abraham Momber van de Velde | 1703-1710 |
The French Governors
Following the complete withdrawal of the Dutch from Mauritius in the year 1710, remained uninhabited until the arrival of the French in the latter year. Only a few maroon slaves were left wandering the whole island by the Dutch. There were a few pirate ships and other navigators that made their way to the island, but the entire island was not administered by a single authority. In the year 1715, Guillaume Dufresne d’Arsel was the one who successfully obtained possession of the island. Despite this, the French did not take control of the region until 1721, when the French Indies Company did so. From 1721 to 1810, Mauritius was governed by a succession of French governors, all of whom are listed below.
| Governor Name | Years Of Governorship |
|---|---|
| Julien Duronguët le Toullec | 1721-1722 (Acting) |
| Denis, chevalier de Nyon Duval de Hauville (Acting between 1722-1725) Jacques Gast d’Hauterive (Acting between 1722-1722) | 1722-1725 |
| Denis de Brousse | 1725-1729 |
| Pierre Benoît Dumas | 1729-1729 |
| Nicolas de Maupin | 1729-1735 |
| Mahé de La Bourdonnais Didier de Saint-Martin (Acting between 1740-1741, 1741-1742, 1746-1746) | 1735-1746 |
| Pierre Félix Barthélemy David | 1746-1753 |
| Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier | 1753-1755 |
| René Magon de la Villebague | 1755-1759 |
| Antoine Marie Desforges-Boucher | 1759-1767 |
| Jean-Daniel Dumas | 1767-1768 |
| Jean Guillaume Steinauer | 1768-1769 (Acting) |
| François Julien du Dresnay | 1769-1772 |
| Charles-Henri-Louis d’Arsac de Ternay | 1772-1776 |
| Antoine de Guiran, chevalier de La Brillanne Joseph Murinais, comte de Saint-Maurice (Acting between 1779-1779) | 1776-1779 |
| François, vicomte de Souillac Camille Charles Leclerc (Acting between 1785-1785) François de Fleury (Acting between 1785-1785) | 1779-1787 |
| Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux | 1787-1789 |
| Thomas Conway Dominique Prosper de Chermont (Acting between 1790-1790) | 1789-1790 |
| David Charpentier de Cossigny | 1790-1792 (Acting) |
| Anne Joseph Hippolyte de Maurès, Comte de Malartic | 1792-1800 |
| François Louis Magallon de la Morlière | 1800-1803 |
| Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen | 1803-1810 |
The British Governors
In the year 1810, the British acquired control of the island! There was a furious combat that took place between the British and the French, which is commonly referred to as the Battle of Grand-Port. However, they were unsuccessful! Following that, they returned once more from the north in order to seize control of the island. The second effort was less violent, and the French, who had suffered significant losses in terms of both their military and their arsenal, were able to hand over the island to the British with relative ease. There were a number of governors who ruled Mauritius between the years 1810 and 1968, which is the time period before the island obtained its freedom. The following governors can be consulted:
| Governor Name | Years Of Governorship |
|---|---|
| Sir Robert Farquhar Henry Warde (Acting between 1811-1811) Gage John Hall (Acting between 1817-1818) Sir John Dalrymple (Acting between 1818-1819) Sir Ralph Darling (Acting between 1819-1820) | 1810-1823 |
| Sir Ralph Darling | 1823-1823 |
| Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole | 1823-1828 |
| Sir Charles Colville | 1828-1833 |
| Sir William Nicolay | 1833-1840 |
| James Power | 1840-1840 (Acting) |
| Sir Lionel Smith | 1840-1842 |
| William Staveley | 1842-1842 (Acting) |
| Sir William Maynard Gomm | 1842-1849 |
| Thomas Blanchard | 1849-1849 (Acting) |
| Sir George William Anderson | 1849-1850 |
| William Sutherland | 1850-1851 (Acting) |
| Sir James Macaulay Higginson William Sutherland (Acting between 1854-1855) Charles Murray Hay (Acting between 1855-1855) | 1851-1857 |
| Sir William Stevenson | 1857-1863 |
| Montague Cholmeley Johnstone | 1863-1863 (Acting) |
| Sir Henry Barkly | 1863-1870 |
| Edward Selby Smyth | 1870-1871 |
| Sir Arthur Charles Hamilton-Gordon Edward Selby Smyth (Acting between 1870-1871) Edward Norton (Acting between 1871-1872, 1873-1873) | 1871-1874 |
| Edward Norton | 1874-1874 (Acting) |
| Sir Arthur Purves Phayre | 1874-1878 |
| Sir Frederick Napier Broome | 1878-1879 (Acting) |
| Sir George Ferguson Bowen | 1879-1880 |
| Sir Frederick Napier Broome | 1880-1883 |
| Sir Charles Bruce | 1883-1883 (Acting) |
| Sir John Pope Hennessy Henry Nicholas Duverger-Beyts (Acting between 1884-1884, 1886-1886) Sir Hercules George Robert Robinson (Acting between 1886-1886) William Hanbury Hawley (Acting between 1887-1887) Sir Francis Fleming (Acting between 1887-1888) Thomas Erskine Arthur Hall (Acting between 1888-1888) | 1883-1889 (Suspended 1886-1887) |
| Sir Francis Fleming | 1889-1889 (Acting) |
| Thomas Erskine Arthur Hall | 1889-1889 (Acting) |
| Sir Charles Cameron Lees | 1889-1892 |
| Sir Hubert Edward Henry Jerningham | 1892-1892 (Acting) |
| Sir Hubert Edward Henry Jerningham Charles Anthony King-Harman (Acting between 1894-1894, 1896-1896) | 1892-1897 |
| Charles Anthony King-Harman | 1897-1897 |
| Sir Charles Bruce Sir Graham John Bower (Action between 1900-1901) | 1897-1903 |
| Sir Graham John Bower | 1903-1904 |
| Sir Charles Cavendish Boyle Sir Graham John Bower (Acting betwwen 1906-1906, 1908-1909) | 1904-1911 |
| George Smith | 1911-1911 (Acting) |
| Sir John Robert Chancellor Sir John Middleton (Acting between 1914-1914, 1916-1916) | 1911-1916 |
| Sir Henry Hesketh Joudou Bell Sir John Middleton (Acting between 1919-1919, 1921-1921, 1922-1923) | 1916-1924 |
| Sir Edward Allan Grannum | 1924-1925 (Acting) |
| Sir Herbert James Read Sir Edward Allan Grannum (Acting between 1926-1926, 1927-1928) | 1925-1929 |
| Sir Edward Allan Grannum | 1929-1930 (Acting) |
| Sir Wilfrid Edward Francis Jackson Edward Walter Evans (Acting between 1932-1933, 1934-1934, 1936-1936) | 1930-1937 |
| Edward Walter Evans | 1937-1937 (Acting) |
| Sir Bede Edward Hugh Clifford Sydney Moody (Acting between 1940-1940) | 1937-1942 |
| Sydney Moody | 1942-1942 (Acting) |
| Sir Donald Mackenzie-Kennedy Sydney Moody (Acting between 1945-1946, 1947-1948) | 1942-1948 |
| Sir James Dundas Harford | 1948-1949 (Acting) |
| Sir Hilary Blood Sir James Dundas Harford (Acting between 1950-1950, 1952-1952) | 1949-1954 |
| Robert Newton | 1954-1954 (Acting) |
| Sir Robert Scott Robert Newton (Acting between 1956-1957) | 1954-1959 |
| Robert Newton | 1959-1959 (Acting) |
| Sir Colville Montgomery Deverell Thomas Douglas Vickers (Acting between 1961-1961) | 1959-1962 |
| Thomas Douglas Vickers | 1962-1962 (Acting) |
| Sir John Shaw Rennie Thomas Douglas Vickers (Ating between 1964-1964, 1966-1966) | 1962-1968 |
The Mauritian Governor-Generals
In spite of the fact that Mauritius attained its independence from the British in 1968, the British Monarchy continues to be represented on the island. Due to the fact that Mauritius became a Republic on March 12, 1992, the Governor-Generals continued to carry out their duties until the year 1992.
| Governor Name | Years Of Governorship |
|---|---|
| Sir John Rennie | 1968-1968 |
| Sir Leonard Williams | 1968-1972 |
| Sir Raman Osman | 1972-1973 (Acting) |
| Sir Raman Osman | 1973-1977 |
| Sir Henry Garrioch | 1977-1978 (Acting) |
| Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay | 1978-1979 (Acting) |
| Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay | 1979-1983 |
| Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam | 1983-1985 |
| Sir Cassam Moollan | 1985-1986 (Acting) |
| Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo | 1986-1992 |
The Aftermath… President!
Following the establishment of the Republic of Mauritius on March 12, 1992, the position of Governor was eliminated and the President was appointed to take its place. The first President of Mauritius was Sir Veeramy Ringadoo, who served in that capacity. In conclusion, this history article provides a list of all the governors who ruled Mauritius during the Dutch, French, British, and post-independence eras.
Author & References
Author: Ali J | Date Published: March 5, 2025 | Last Updated: NA
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