List of colonial governors of Madagascar

In 1882, the French Third Republic established a protectorate over the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar, with the consent of the United Kingdom. The French position on the island was solidified by the First Madagascar expedition (May 1883 to December 1885, the first phase of the Franco-Hova Wars). The protectorate lasted until 1897, when the French abolished the monarchy and turned the island into a colony, following the Second Madagascar expedition (December 1894 to September 1895, the second and last phase of the Franco-Hova Wars). Afterwards, Madagascar remained under the French colonial rule until 1958, when the autonomous Malagasy Republic was established. The Republic gained full independence in 1960.

List of rulers of French Madagascar[]

Malagasy Protectorate (1882–1897)[]

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes	Picture
28 April 1886 to March 1888	Charles Le Myre de Vilers, Plenipotentiary	1st term
March 1888 to 12 December 1889	Paul Augustin Jean Larrouy, Resident-General	1st term
12 December 1889 to 11 October 1891	Maurice Bompard, Resident-General
11 October 1891 to October 1892	, Acting Resident-General
October 1892 to 8 September 1894	Paul Augustin Jean Larrouy, Resident-General	2nd term
October 1894	, Acting Resident-General
14 October 1894 to 1 December 1895	Charles Le Myre de Vilers, Plenipotentiary	2nd time
September 1894 to 21 February 1895	, Acting Resident-General	Acting for de Vilers
February 1895 to 1 December 1895	, Acting Resident-General	Acting for de Vilers
1 December 1895 to 28 September 1896	Hippolyte Laroche, Resident-General
28 September 1896 to 31 July 1897	Joseph Gallieni, Resident-General

Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies (1897–1958)[]

Tenure	Incumbent	Notes	Picture
6 August 1896 to 11 May 1905	Joseph Gallieni, Military Governor (6 Aug. 1896 to 31 Jul. 1897) then Governor-General (31 Jul. 1897 to 11 May 1905)
11 May 1905 to 1 January 1906	, Acting Governor-General
1 January 1906 to 13 December 1909	Victor Augagneur, Governor-General
13 December 1909 to 16 January 1910	, Acting Governor-General	1st term
16 January 1910 to 31 October 1910	, Acting Governor-General
31 October 1910 to 5 August 1914	, Governor-General
5 August 1914 to 24 July 1917	, Governor-General	2nd term; acting to 14 October 1914
24 July 1917 to 1 August 1918	Martial Henri Merlin, Governor-General
1 August 1918 to 12 July 1919	, Governor-General
12 July 1919 to 22 June 1920	, Acting Governor-General
22 June 1920 to 13 March 1923	, Governor-General	3rd term
13 March 1923 to 20 February 1924	, Acting Governor-General
20 February 1924 to 30 January 1929	, Governor-General
30 January 1929 to 1 May 1930	, Acting Governor-General
1 May 1930 to 22 April 1939	, Governor-General	1st term
22 April 1939 to 10 June 1939	, Acting Governor-General
10 June 1939 to 30 July 1940	Jules Marcel de Coppet, Governor-General	1st term
30 July 1940 to 11 April 1941	, Governor-General	2nd term
11 April 1941 to 30 September 1942	Armand Léon Annet, Governor-General
5 May 1942 to 11 October 1942	Robert Grice Sturges, Commander	British occupation
11 October 1942 to 1945	Gerald Russell Smallwood, Commander	British occupation
25 September 1942 to 7 January 1943	, Occupied Territories Administrator	British occupation
30 September 1942 to 7 January 1943	, Acting Governor-General
7 January 1943 to 3 May 1943	Paul Louis Victor Marie Legentilhomme, High Commissioner of Free French Possessions in the Indian Ocean
3 May 1943 to 27 March 1946	, Governor-General
27 March 1946 to 19 May 1946	, Acting Governor-General
19 May 1946 to 23 December 1947	Jules Marcel de Coppet, High Commissioner	2nd term
February 1948 to 3 February 1950	, High Commissioner
3 February 1950 to October 1954	, High Commissioner
October 1954 to 1 May 1959	, High Commissioner

See also[]

• History of Madagascar
• Merina Kingdom
  • List of Imerina monarchs
• Malagasy Protectorate
• French Madagascar
• Franco-Hova Wars
• French colonial empire

Sources[]

• http://www.rulers.org/rulm1.html#madagascar
• African States and Rulers, John Stewart, McFarland
• Heads of State and Government, 2nd Edition, John V da Graca, MacMillan Press (2000)