List of colonial governors of Suriname

Flag of the Governor of Suriname (1966–1975)

This is a list of colonial governors of Suriname, a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Suriname was first colonized by the British, and captured by the Dutch in 1667, who governed it as Surinam until 1954. The country of Suriname achieved independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 25 November 1975.

List of governors[]

Italics indicate de facto continuation of office

Tenure	Portrait	Incumbent	Notes
English Suzerainty
English colony
1650 to 1654		Anthony Rowse, Governor
1654 to 27 February 1667		William Byam, Governor
Dutch Suzerainty
Dutch colony
27 February 1667 to 18 October 1667		Maurits de Rama, Governor
18 October 1667 to 3 November 1667		John Harman, Governor
3 November 1667 to 1 February 1668		Samuel Barry, Governor
1668 to 18 June 1669		Abraham Crijnssen, acting Governor
1669 to 1671		Philip Julius Lichtenberg, Governor
1671 to 1677		, acting Governor
1677		, acting Governor
1677 to 1678		, Governor
1678 to April 1680		, Governor
1680		, acting Governor
1680 to 1683		, acting Governor
1683 to 19 July 1688		Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck, Governor
1688 to 1689		, acting Governor
1689 to 1696		Johan van Scharphuizen, Governor
14 May 1696 to 2 March 1707		Paulus van der Veen, Governor
2 March 1707 to 27 September 1707		, Governor
27 September 1707 to 19 January 1710		, acting Governor	1st time
19 January 1710 to 28 July 1715		, Governor
28 July 1715 to 22 January 1716		, acting Governor	2nd time
22 January 1716 to 4 October 1717		, Governor
4 October 1717 to 2 March 1718		, acting Governor	3rd time
2 March 1718 to 4 September 1721		, Governor
4 September 1721 to 1 March 1722		, acting Governor	4th time
1 March 1722 to 17 September 1727		Hendrik Temminck, Governor-General
17 September 1727 to 9 November 1728		, acting Governor-General	5th time
9 November 1728 to 26 January 1734		, Governor-General
26 January 1734 to 11 December 1734		, acting Governor-General	1st time
11 December 1734 to 26 January 1735		, Governor-General
26 January 1735 to 4 March 1735		, acting Governor-General	2nd time
4 March 1735 to 22 December 1735	Council
22 December 1735 to 11 August 1737		, Governor-General
11 August 1737 to 15 October 1742		, Governor-General
15 October 1742 to 23 April 1751		Jan Jacob Mauricius, Governor-General
23 April 1751 to 7 September 1752		, acting Governor-General
7 September 1752 to 22 October 1754		, acting Governor-General	1st time
22 October 1754 to 24 August 1756		, Governor-General
24 August 1756 to 21 January 1757		, acting Governor-General	1st time
21 January 1757 to 22 November 1768		, Governor-General	Acting to 20 September 1757, 2nd time
22 November 1768 to 27 February 1779		, Governor-General	Acting to 8 March 1770, 2nd time
27 February 1779 to 23 September 1783		, Governor-General
23 September 1783 to 24 December 1784		, acting Governor-General
24 December 1784 to 15 June 1790		Jan Gerhard Wichers, Governor-General
15 June 1790 to 20 August 1799		Juriaan François Friderici, Governor-General	Acting to 24 August 1792
British Occupation
20 August 1799 to 4 December 1802		Juriaan François Friderici, Governor-General
Dutch Suzerainty
4 December 1802 to 9 December 1803		, acting Governor-General
9 December 1803 to 9 May 1804		, Commissioner-General
British Occupation
9 May 1804 to 15 April 1805		Sir Charles Green, Governor-General
15 April 1805 to 27 September 1808		, Lieutenant Governor
27 September 1808 to 4 May 1809		, acting Governor-General
4 May 1809 to 8 November 1811		Charles Ferdinand Bentinck, Chief Commissioner
8 November 1811 to 27 February 1816		, acting Governor-General
Dutch Suzerainty
27 February 1816 to 18 July 1816		Willem Benjamin van Panhuys, Governor-General
18 July 1816 to 1 April 1822		Cornelis Reinhard Vaillant, Governor-General
1 April 1822 to 12 October 1827		Abraham de Veer, Governor-General
12 October 1827 to 1 August 1828		Johannes van den Bosch, Commissioner-General
United with Curaçao and Dependencies as Dutch Caribbean
1 August 1828 to 19 December 1831		Paulus Roelof Cantz'laar, Governor-General
19 December 1831 to 5 June 1838		, Governor-General	Acting to 6 May 1832
5 June 1838 to 16 July 1839		, acting Governor-General	1st time
16 July 1839 to 31 March 1842		, Governor-General
31 March 1842 to 15 November 1842		, acting Governor-General	2nd time
15 November 1842 to 16 July 1845		Burchard Joan Elias, Governor-General
16 July 1845 to 13 October 1845		, acting Governor-General	3rd time
13 October 1845 to 27 January 1848		, Governor-General
Separate colony
27 January 1848 to 1 March 1852		, Governor-General
1 March 1852 to 14 June 1852		, acting Governor-General	4th time
14 June 1852 to 22 June 1852		, acting Governor-General
22 June 1852 to 25 August 1855		, Governor-General
25 August 1855 to 11 August 1859		, Governor-General
11 August 1859 to 29 June 1867		, Governor-General
29 June 1867 to 1 August 1873		Willem Hendrik Johan van Idsinga, Governor-General
1 August 1873 to 1 November 1882		, Governor-General
1 November 1882 to 30 July 1885		Johannes Herbert August Willem van Heerdt tot Eversberg, Governor-General
30 July 1885 to 18 July 1888		Hendrik Jan Smidt, Governor-General
18 July 1888 to 30 January 1889		, acting Governor-General	1st time
30 January 1889 to 27 June 1891		Maurits Adriaan de Savornin Lohman, Governor-General
27 June 1891 to 12 May 1896		Titus Anthony Jacob van Asch van Wijck, Governor-General
12 May 1896 to 4 October 1902		, Governor-General	2nd time
4 October 1902 to 12 September 1905		Cornelis Lely, Governor-General
12 September 1905 to 18 November 1905		, acting Governor-General
18 November 1905 to 28 February 1908		Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg, Governor-General
28 February 1908 to 10 August 1908		, acting Governor-General	1st time
10 August 1908 to 30 June 1911		Dirk Fock, Governor-General
30 June 1911 to 14 July 1911		, Governor-General
14 July 1911 to 17 October 1911		, acting Governor-General	2nd time
17 October 1911 to 25 November 1916		, Governor-General
25 November 1916 to 25 November 1919		, Governor-General	1st time
25 November 1919 to 15 July 1920		, Governor-General	1st time
15 July 1920 to 16 December 1920		, Governor-General	2nd time
16 December 1920 to 23 May 1921		, Governor-General	2nd time
23 May 1921 to 21 May 1924		Aarnoud van Heemstra, Governor-General	1st time
21 May 1924 to 18 September 1924		, Governor-General	3rd time
18 September 1924 to 21 February 1925		, Governor-General
21 February 1925 to 1 April 1928		Aarnoud van Heemstra, Governor-General	2nd time
1 April 1928 to 16 August 1933		Abraham Arnold Lodewijk Rutgers, Governor-General
16 August 1933 to 3 January 1944		Johannes Coenraad Kielstra, Governor-General
16 August 1935 to 12 April 1936		Johannes Cornelis Brons, acting Governor-General	Acting for Kielstra, 1st time
September 1938 to January 1939		Johannes Cornelis Brons, acting Governor-General	Acting for Kielstra, 2nd time
3 January 1944 to 2 August 1948		Johannes Cornelis Brons, Governor-General	3rd time
2 August 1948 to 2 December 1949		Willem Huender, Governor-General
2 December 1949 to 15 December 1954		Jan Klaasesz, Governor-General
Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; end of colonial status
15 December 1954 to 11 February 1956		Jan Klaasesz, Governor-General
11 February 1956 to 18 March 1963		Jan van Tilburg, Governor-General
19 March 1963 to 22 August 1964		Archibald Currie, Governor-General	Acting to 1 May 1963
22 August 1964 to 26 February 1965		François Haverschmidt, acting Governor-General
26 February 1965 to 12 August 1968		Henry Lucien de Vries, Governor-General
12 August 1968 to 25 November 1975		Johan Ferrier, Governor-General
25 November 1975	Independence as Republic of Suriname

See also[]

• Suriname
  • Politics of Suriname
  • President of Suriname
  • Vice President of Suriname
  • List of prime ministers of Suriname
  • List of deputy prime ministers of Suriname
• Lists of office-holders

External links[]

• Media related to Governors of Suriname at Wikimedia Commons
• World Statesmen - Suriname