High Commissioner for the Western Pacific

The High Commissioner for the Western Pacific was the chief executive officer of the British Western Pacific Territories, a British colonial entity, which existed from 1877 through 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]

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 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 Japanese occupation. From 1 January 1953 to 1976, when the office was abolished, the Governor of the Solomon Islands doubled as High Commissioner. They administered from Suva and Honiara, respectively.

List of High Commissioners for the Western Pacific (1877–1976)

#	Incumbent	Portrait	Tenure		Monarch	Concurrent office
			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.

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.