Governor of the Cayman Islands

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Governor of the Cayman Islands
Coat of arms of the Cayman Islands
Standard of the governor of the Cayman Islands
Incumbent
Jane Owen
since 21 April 2023
StyleHer Excellency
Member ofForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office
ResidenceGovernment House,
Cayman Islands
AppointerMonarch of the United Kingdom
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1750
First holderWilliam Cartwright
DeputyDeputy Governor of The Cayman Islands Franz Maderson
WebsiteOffice of the Governor

The governor of the Cayman Islands is the representative of the British monarch in the United Kingdom's overseas territory of the Cayman Islands. The governor, a civil servant who has in modern times typically been a British subject normally resident in the United Kingdom, is appointed by the monarch from the staff of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the de facto head of state, and is responsible for appointing the premier, who is the leader of the party with a majority of seats in the Legislature.

The governorship has been held by Jane Owen since April 2023.[1]

The governor has her own flag, the Union Flag defaced with the territory's coat of arms. The official residence of the governor is the Government House in Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman.

History[edit]

Until 1962, the Cayman Islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica. When Jamaica gained independence, the islands were split and became a separate Crown colony. An administrator was appointed to the islands in 1959. After 1971, the British government appointed a governor. In 2013 Helen Kilpatrick became the Cayman Islands' first female governor. In 2023, Jane Owen became the second female governor.

List of chief magistrates of the Cayman Islands[edit]

  • William Cartwright (1750–1776)
  • William Bodden (1776–1823)
  • James Coe the Elder (1823–1829)
  • John Drayton (1829–1842)
  • James Coe the Younger (1842–1855)
  • William Eden (1855–1879)
  • William Bodden Webster (1879–1888)
  • Edmund Parsons (1888–1907)

List of commissioners of the Cayman Islands[edit]

  • Frederick Shedden Sanguinetti (1898–1906)
  • George Stephenson Hirst (1907–1912)
  • Arthur C Robinson (1912–1919)
  • Hugh Houston Hutchings (1919–1929)
  • Captain G. H. Frith (1929–1931)
  • Ernest Arthur Weston (1931–1934)
  • Allan Wolsey Cardinall, CMG (later Sir Allan) (1934–1940)
  • Albert C. Panton Snr, MBE (acting) (1940–1941)
  • John Perry Jones (1941–1946)
  • Ivor Otterbein Smith (later CMG, OBE) (1946–1952)
  • Andrew Morris Gerrard, CMG (1952–1956)
  • Alan Hillard Donald (1956 – 4 July 1959)

List of administrators of the Cayman Islands[edit]

List of governors of the Cayman Islands[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jane Owen - GOV.UK". gov.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Wing Commander Jack Rose (obituary)". The Daily Telegraph. 2009-11-10.
  3. ^ a b Levy, Jewel (2019-01-03). "First Cayman Islands governor turns 100". Cayman Compass. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  4. ^ Helen Kilpatrick sworn in as new governor Archived 2014-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, Cayman NetNews, September 6, 2013
  5. ^ "Cayman says farewell to Governor". Cayman Times. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Change of Governor of the Cayman Islands". Press release. Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 26 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Change of Governor of the Cayman Islands". Press release. Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 19 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Change of Governor of the Cayman Islands: Jane Owen".

External links[edit]