| Governor-General of the Union of South Africa | |
|---|---|
| Goewerneur-generaal van die Unie van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans) Goeverneur-generaal van de Unie van Zuid-Afrika (Dutch) | |
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| Viceregal | |
| Style | HisExcellency |
| Status | Abolished |
| Residence | Government House |
| Appointer | Monarch of South Africa |
| Constituting instrument | South Africa Act 1909 |
| Formation | 31 May 1910 |
| First holder | Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone |
| Final holder | Charles Robberts Swart |
| Abolished | 31 May 1961 |
Thegovernor-general of the Union of South Africa (Afrikaans:Goewerneur-generaal van Unie van Suid-Afrika;Dutch:Goeverneur-generaal van de Unie van Zuid-Afrika[a]) was the highest state official in theUnion of South Africa between 1910 and 1961. The Union of South Africa was founded as a self-governingDominion of theBritish Empire in 1910 and the office of governor-general was established as the representative of themonarch of South Africa. Fifty-one years later, the country declared itself a republic and the office of governor-general was abolished.[1]
Some of the first holders of the post were members of theBritish royal family includingPrince Arthur of Connaught between 1920 and 1924, andAlexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, who served between 1924 and 1931, before becoming thegovernor general of Canada. As in other Dominions, this would change, and from 1943 onward only South Africans (in fact, onlyAfrikaners) held the office.
The office was established by theSouth Africa Act 1909. Until theBalfour Declaration of 1926 the governor-general was the representative of the British government in South Africa and was appointed by theColonial Office in London. After the declaration and theStatute of Westminster 1931 the governor-general was appointed by the monarch on the advice of the South African government. Although the governor-general was nominally the country's chief executive, in practice he was bound by convention to act on the advice of theprime minister and thecabinet of South Africa.
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The following is a list of people who served as governor-general of South Africa from independence in 1910 to the establishment of a republic in 1961.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 |  | Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone (1854–1930) | 31 May 1910 | 8 September 1914 | 4 years, 100 days | George V (r. 1910–1936) |
| 2 |  | Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton (1853–1934) | 8 September 1914 | 17 November 1920 | 6 years, 70 days | |
| 3 |  | Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883–1938) | 17 November 1920 | 21 January 1924 | 3 years, 65 days | |
| 4 |  | Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (1874–1957) | 21 January 1924 | 26 January 1931 | 7 years, 5 days | |
| 5 |  | George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon (1877–1955) | 26 January 1931 | 5 April 1937 | 6 years, 69 days | |
| Edward VIII (r. 1936) | ||||||
| George VI (r. 1936–1952) | ||||||
| 6 |  | SirPatrick Duncan[2] (1870–1943) | 5 April 1937 | 17 July 1943 | 6 years, 103 days | |
| 7 |  | Gideon Brand van Zyl (1873–1956) | 1 January 1946 | 1 January 1951 | 5 years | |
| 8 |  | Ernest George Jansen (1881–1959) | 1 January 1951 | 25 November 1959 | 8 years, 328 days | |
| Elizabeth II (r. 1952–1961) | ||||||
| 9 |  | Charles Robberts Swart (1894–1982) | 11 December 1959 | 30 April 1961 | 1 year, 140 days | |
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