The following is alist of the governors and lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia. Though the present day office of thelieutenant governor in Nova Scotia came into being only upon the province's entry intoCanadian Confederation in 1867, the post is a continuation from the first governorship ofNova Scotia in 1710. For much of the time, the full title of the post was Governor of Nova Scotia andPlacentia (Placentia, Newfoundland). Before the British occupation of Nova Scotia, the province was governed by FrenchGovernors of Acadia. From 1784 to 1829Cape Breton Island was a separate colony with a vice regal post.
| # | Image | Name | Governor from | Governor until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governors underAnne(1710–1714): | ||||
| 1. |  | Samuel Vetch | 1710 | 1712 |
| 2. |  | Francis Nicholson | 1712 | → |
| Governors underGeorge I(1714–1727): | ||||
| 2. | | Francis Nicholson (continued) | ← | 1715 |
| 3. | | Samuel Vetch (second appointment) | 1715 | → |
 | Thomas Caulfeild (acting governor) | 1715 | 1717 | |
| 3. | | Samuel Vetch (cont.) | ← | 1717 |
| 4. |  | Richard Philipps | 1717 | → |
| John Doucett (acting governor) | 1717 | 1725 | |
| Lawrence Armstrong (acting governor) | 1725 | → | |
| Governors underGeorge II(1727–1760): | ||||
| Lawrence Armstrong (continued) | ← | 1739 | |
| Alexander Cosby (acting governor) | 1739 | 1740 | |
 | Paul Mascarene (acting governor) | 1740 | 1749 | |
| 4. | | Richard Philipps (continued) | ← | 1749 |
| 5. |  | Edward Cornwallis | 1749 | 1752 |
| 6. | | Peregrine Hopson | 1752 | → |
 | Charles Lawrence (acting governor) | 1753 | 1755 | |
| 6. | | Peregrine Hopson (continued) | ← | 1755 |
| 7. | | Charles Lawrence (ordinary governor) | 1756 | 1760 |
| 8. |  | Lt. Gov. Jonathan Belcher (For Gov.Henry Ellis)[1] | 1760 | → |
| Governors underGeorge III(1760–1786): | ||||
| 8. | | Lt. Gov. Jonathan Belcher (continued) (For Gov.Henry Ellis)[1] | ← | 1763 |
| 9. |  | Montague Wilmot | 1763 | 1766 |
| 10. |  | Lord William Campbell | 1766 | → |
 | Benjamin Green (acting governor) | 1766 | ||
 | Michael Francklin (acting governor) | 1766 | ||
| 10. | | Lord William Campbell (continued) | ← | → |
| Michael Francklin (acting governor, second time) | 1767 | 1768 | |
| 10. | | Lord William Campbell (continued) | ← | → |
| Benjamin Green (acting governor, second time) | 1771 | 1772 | |
| Michael Francklin (acting governor, third time) | 1772 | ||
| 10. | | Lord William Campbell (continued) | → | 1773 |
| 11. |  | Francis Legge | 1773 | 1776 |
| 12. |  | Mariot Arbuthnot | 1776 | 1778 |
| 13. | | Sir Richard Hughes, 2nd Baronet | 1778 | 1781 |
| 14. |  | SirAndrew Snape Hamond | 1781 | 1782 |
| 15. |  | John Parr | 1782 | 1783 |
| 16. |  | Edmund Fanning | 1783 | 1786 |
| # | Image | Name | Governor from | Governor until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governors underGeorge III(1784–1820): | ||||
| 1. |  | Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres | 1784 | 1787 |
| 2. |  | William Macarmick | 1787 | 1815 |
| 3. | | David Mathews (acting) | 1795 | 1798 |
| 4. |  | James Ogilvie[2] (acting) | 1798 | 1799 |
| 5. | | John Murray (acting) | 1799 | 1801 |
| 6. | | John Despard (acting) | 1800 | 1807 |
| 7. | | Nicholas Nepean (acting) | 1807 | 1812 |
| 8. | | Hugh Swayne (acting) | 1813 | 1816 |
| 9. |  | George Robert Ainslie | 1815 | 1820 |
| # | Image | Name | Governor from | Governor until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governors underGeorge III(1786–1820): | ||||
| 15. | | John Parr | 1786 | 1791 |
| 17. |  | Richard Bulkeley | 1791 | 1792 |
| 18. |  | SirJohn Wentworth | 1792 | 1808 |
| 19. |  | SirGeorge Prevost, 1st Baronet | 1808 | → |
 | Alexander Croke (acting governor) | 1811 | ||
| 19. | | Sir George Prevost, 1st Baronet (continued) | ← | 1811 |
| 20. |  | SirJohn Coape Sherbrooke | 1811 | 1816 |
| 21. |  | George Stracey Smyth | 1816 | |
| 22. |  | George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie | 1816 | → |
| Governors underGeorge IV(1820–1830): | ||||
| 22. | | Earl of Dalhousie (continued) | ← | 1820 |
| 23. |  | SirJames Kempt | 1820 | → |
| Thomas Nickleson Jeffery (acting governor) | 1828 | ||
| 23. | | Sir James Kempt(continued) | ← | 1828 |
| 24. |  | SirPeregrine Maitland | 1828 | → |
| Governors underWilliam IV(1830–1837): | ||||
| 24. | | Sir Peregrine Maitland (continued) | ← | → |
| Thomas Nickleson Jeffery (acting governor, second time) | 1834 | ||
| 24. | | Sir Peregrine Maitland (continued) | ← | 1834 |
| 25. |  | SirColin Campbell | 1834 | → |
| Governors underQueen Victoria(1837–1867): | ||||
| 25. | | Sir Colin Campbell (continued) | ← | 1840 |
| 26. |  | Lucius Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland | 1840 | → |
| SirJeremiah Dickson (acting governor) | 1846 | ||
| 26. | | Viscount Falkland (continued) | ← | 1846 |
| 27. |  | SirJohn Harvey | 1846 | → |
| John Bazalgette (acting governor) | 1851 | ||
| 27. | | Sir John Harvey (continued) | ← | 1852 |
| 28. |  | SirJohn Gaspard Le Marchant | 1852 | 1858 |
| 29. |  | George Phipps, Earl of Mulgrave | 1858 | 1863 |
| 30. | _02.jpg) | Charles Hastings Doyle | 1863 | 1864 |
| 31. |  | SirRichard Graves MacDonnell | 1864 | 1865 |
| 30. | | Charles Hastings Doyle (second time) | 1865 | |
| 32. |  | Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet, of Kars | 1865 | 1867 |
| # | Image | Name | Governor from | Governor until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governors underQueen Victoria(1867–1901): | ||||
| 32. | | Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet (continued) | 1867 | 1867 |
| 30. | | Charles Hastings Doyle (third time) | 1867 | 1873 |
| 33. |  | Joseph Howe | 1873 | |
| 34. |  | SirAdams George Archibald | 1873 | 1883 |
| 35. |  | Matthew Henry Richey | 1883 | 1888 |
| 36. |  | Archibald McLelan | 1888 | 1890 |
| Admin. |  | SirJames McDonald | 1890 | |
| 37. |  | Malachy Bowes Daly | 1890 | 1900 |
| 38. |  | Alfred Gilpin Jones | 1900 | → |
| Governors underEdward VII(1901–1910): | ||||
| 38. | | Alfred Gilpin Jones (continued) | ← | 1906 |
| Admin. | | Robert Linton Weatherbe | 1906 | |
| 39. |  | Duncan Cameron Fraser | 1906 | → |
| Governors underGeorge V(1910–1936): | ||||
| 39. | | Duncan Cameron Fraser (continued) | ← | 1910 |
| Admin. | | SirCharles James Townshend | 1910 | |
| 40. |  | James Drummond McGregor | 1910 | 1915 |
| 41. |  | David MacKeen | 1915 | 1916 |
| Admin. | | Wallace Nesbit Graham | 1916 | |
| 42. |  | MacCallum Grant | 1916 | 1925 |
| 43. |  | James Robson Douglas | 1925 | |
| 44. |  | James Cranswick Tory | 1925 | 1930 |
| 45. | | Frank Stanfield | 1930 | 1931 |
| Admin. | .png) | SirJoseph Andrew Chisholm | 1931 | |
| 46. | | Walter Harold Covert | 1931 | → |
| Governors underEdward VIII(1936): | ||||
| 46. | | Walter Harold Covert (continued) | ← | → |
| Governors underGeorge VI(1936–1952): | ||||
| 46. | | Walter Harold Covert (continued) | ← | 1937 |
| 47. | | Robert Irwin | 1937 | 1940 |
| 48. | | Frederick Francis Mathers | 1940 | 1942 |
| 49. | | Henry Ernest Kendall | 1942 | 1947 |
| 50. |  | John Alexander Douglas McCurdy | 1947 | → |
| Governors underElizabeth II(1952–2022): | ||||
| 50. | | John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (continued) | ← | 1952 |
| 51. | | Alistair Fraser | 1952 | 1958 |
| 52. |  | Edward Chester Plow | 1958 | 1963 |
| 53. | | Henry Poole MacKeen | 1963 | 1968 |
| 54. | | Victor de Bedia Oland | 1968 | 1973 |
| 55. | | Clarence Gosse | 1973 | 1978 |
| 56. | | John Elvin Shaffner | 1978 | 1984 |
| 57 | | Alan Abraham | 1984 | 1989 |
| 58. | | Lloyd Crouse | 1989 | 1994 |
| 59. | | James Kinley | 1994 | 2000 |
| 60. | | Myra Freeman | 2000 | 2006 |
| 61. | | Mayann Francis | 2006 | 2012 |
| 62. |  | John James Grant | 2012 | 2017 |
| 63. | .jpg) | Arthur Joseph LeBlanc | 2017 | → |
| Governors underCharles III(2022–present): | ||||
| 63. | | Arthur Joseph LeBlanc (continued) | ← | 2024 |
| 64. |  | Michael Savage | 2024 | Incumbent |
| Governors at Annapolis Royal (1710–1749) | |
|---|---|
| Governors at Halifax (1749–1786) | |
| Lieutenant governors of Cape Breton Island (1784–1820) | |
| Lieutenant governors of Nova Scotia before responsible government (1786–1848) | |
| Lieutenant governors between responsible government and Confederation (1848–1867) | |
| Post-Confederation (1867–present) | |
Lieutenant governors who served in the absence of governors are listed in parentheses. Acting administrators are listed initalics.  Nova Scotia portal | |
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