List of governors of the Danish West Indies
Governor-General of the Danish West Indies | |
---|---|
Danish: Generalguvernør for Dansk Vestindien | |
Residence | Government House (Christiansted) |
Nominator | Prime Minister of Denmark |
Appointer | Monarch of Denmark |
Precursor | None |
Formation | 1756 |
First holder | Christian Leberecht von Prøck |
Final holder | Henri Konow (acting) |
Abolished | 31 March 1917 |
Succession | Governor of the United States Virgin Islands |
This article lists the governors of the Danish West Indies (Danish: Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands, a Danish colony in the Caribbean encompassing the territory of the present-day United States Virgin Islands.
Governors of St. Thomas[]
St. Thomas was claimed by Denmark–Norway in 1665.
Portrait | Incumbent | Term | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | , Governor | 6 May 1665 – 12 June 1666 | ||
2 | , Governor | c. 1666 | ||
3 | Jørgen Iversen Dyppel, Governor | 25 May 1672 – 4 July 1680 | ||
4 | Nicolai Esmit, Governor | 4 July 1680 – November 1682 | ||
5 | Adolph Esmit, Governor | November 1680 – 7 May 1684 |
Governors of St. Thomas and St. John[]
St. John (St. Jan) was claimed by Danish West India Company in 1683, which was disputed by the British until 1718.
Portrait | Incumbent | Term | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gabriel Milan, | 7 May 1684 – 27 February 1686 | ||
2 | Mikkel Mikkelsen, (interim) | 27 February 1686 – 29 June 1686 | ||
3 | Christopher Heins, | 29 June 1686 – March 1687 | ||
4 | Adolph Esmit (interim) | March 1687 – October 1688 | Second term | |
5 | Christopher Heins | October 1688 – October 1689 | Second term | |
6 | Johan Lorensen | October 1689 – 17 September 1692 | ||
7 | 17 September 1692 – 7 April 1693 | |||
8 | Johan Lorensen | 7 April 1693 – 19 February 1702 | Second term | |
9 | Claus Hansen | 19 February 1702 – 8 February 1706 | ||
10 | 8 February 1706 – 21 December 1708 | |||
11 | 21 December 1708 – 1710 | |||
12 | 1710 – 8 August 1716 | |||
13 | Erich Bredal | 8 August 1716 – April 1724 | During his term St. John was occupied. | |
14 | Friderich Moth | April 1724 – May 1727 | ||
15 | May 1727 – 21 February 1733 | |||
16 | 21 February 1733 – 21 February 1736 | During his term there was a slave rebellion. | ||
17 | Friderich Moth | 21 February 1736 – 13 April 1744 | Second term. Also governor of St. Croix (see below). | |
18 | 1740 – 1744 | |||
19 | 13 April 1744 – 25 April 1747 | |||
20 | 25 April 1747 – 1758 | |||
21 | 1758 – 1760 | |||
22 | 1760 – April 1764 | |||
23 | April 1764 – November 1764 | |||
24 | November 1764 – 1765 | |||
25 | 1765 – 1766 | Later Governor-General (see below). | ||
26 | 1766 – 1773 | |||
27 | 1773 – 1796 | Later Governor-General (see below). | ||
28 | 1796 – 1800 | Later Governor-General (see below). | ||
29 | 1800 – March 1801 | |||
30 | 31 March 1801 – 27 March 1802 | British occupation. | ||
31 | 27 March 1802 – 1803 | |||
32 | Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten | 1803 – December 1807 | Second term | |
33 | Fitzroy J. Grafton McLean | December 1807 – 20 November 1815 | British occupation. | |
34 | 20 November 1815 – 1818 | |||
35 | Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten | 1818 – 1820 | Later Governor-General (see below). | |
36 | Christian Ludvig von Holten | February 1820 – March 1820 | Second term | |
37 | Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten | April 1820 – July 1820 | Second term | |
38 | 1820 – 1822 | |||
39 | Carl Wilhelm Jessen | 1822 – 1823 | ||
40 | Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten | 1823 – 1826 | Third term | |
41 | Johannes Søbøtker | 1826 – 1829 | ||
42 | 1829 – 1834 | |||
43 | 1834 – 1836 | |||
44 | Johannes Søbøtker | 1836 – 1848 | Second term | |
45 | Hans Henrik Berg | 1848 | ||
46 | Frederik von Oxholm | 1848 – 1852 | Second term | |
47 | Hans Henrik Berg | 1853 – 1862 | Second term |
Governors of St. Croix[]
St. Croix was bought from French West India Company in 1733.
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Term start | Term end | Time in office | |||
1 | Frederik Moth (1694–1746) |
16 November 1733 | 20 February 1736 | 2 years, 96 days | |
– | (1709–1772) Acting |
24 February 1736 | 16 April 1744 | 8 years, 52 days | |
– | Paul Lindemark Jørgensen Acting |
16 April 1744 | 15 May 1747 | 3 years, 29 days | |
2 | (1719–1758) |
15 May 1747 | 22 December 1751 | 4 years, 221 days | |
3 | (1721–1784) |
22 December 1751 | 6 August 1755 | 3 years, 227 days |
In 1754, the Danish West Indies were sold by Danish West India Company to King Frederick V, becoming royal Danish colonies. Hereafter, St. Croix was governed by the Governors-General of the Danish West Indies.
Governor-generals of the Danish West Indies[]
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Term start | Term end | Time in office | |||
Governor-general | |||||
1 | Christian Leberecht von Prøck (1718–1780) |
6 August 1755 | 7 August 1766 | 11 years, 1 day | |
2 | (1721–1784) |
7 August 1766 | 4 May 1770 | 3 years, 270 days | |
3 | Frederik Christian Moth (1730–1808) |
4 May 1770 | 1 March 1772 | 1 year, 302 days | |
4 | (1729–1821) |
1 March 1772 | 31 July 1773 | 1 year, 152 days | |
– | (1729–1821) Acting |
31 July 1773 | 27 October 1773 | 88 days | |
(2) | (1721–1784) |
27 October 1773 | 24 June 1784 † | 10 years, 329 days | |
5 | (1729–1821) |
25 June 1784 | 31 December 1787 | 3 years, 189 days | |
6 | Ernst Frederik Walterstorff (1755–1820) |
31 December 1787 | 25 July 1794 | 6 years, 206 days | |
7 | (1739–1801) |
25 July 1794 | 8 May 1796 | 1 year, 288 days | |
8 | (1739–1798) |
8 May 1796 | 26 October 1798 | 2 years, 171 days | |
(7) | (1739–1801) |
26 October 1798 | 31 March 1801 | 2 years, 156 days | |
(6) | Ernst Frederik Walterstorff (1755–1820) |
16 February 1802 | 16 February 1803 | 1 year, 0 days | |
9 | (?–1807) |
16 February 1803 | 22 March 1807 | 4 years, 34 days | |
10 | (1762–1837) |
22 March 1807 | 25 December 1807[a] | 278 days | |
British occupation | |||||
– | 25 December 1807 | 1 April 1815 | 7 years, 97 days | ||
End of British occupation | |||||
11 | Peter Lotharius Oxholm (1753–1827) |
1 April 1815 | 1 May 1816 | 1 year, 30 days | |
– | (1774–1831) Acting |
1 May 1816 | 1 July 1816 | 61 days | |
12 | Adrian Benjamin Bentzon (1777–1827) |
1 July 1816 | 26 June 1819 | 2 years, 360 days | |
– | (1774–1831) Acting |
26 June 1819 | 16 October 1820 | 1 year, 112 days | |
13 | Carl Adolph Rothe (1767–1834) |
16 October 1820 | 5 July 1822 | 1 year, 262 days | |
14 | (1772–1833) |
5 July 1822 | 14 July 1827 | 5 years, 9 days | |
15 | Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten[b] (1784–1854) |
14 July 1827 | 6 July 1848 | 20 years, 358 days | |
– | (1801–1871) Acting |
6 July 1848 | 27 November 1848 | 144 days | |
Government Commissioner | |||||
16 | (1798–1880) |
27 November 1848 | 24 June 1851 | 2 years, 209 days | |
Governor | |||||
17 | (1805–1863) |
24 June 1851 | 27 April 1855 | 3 years, 307 days | |
18 | Johan Frederik Schlegel (1817–1896) |
27 April 1855 | 31 May 1860 | 5 years, 34 days | |
19 | (1817–1896) |
31 May 1860 | 25 February 1871 | 10 years, 270 days | |
– | (1799–1873) Acting |
26 February 1871 | 30 June 1871 | 124 days | |
– | (1832–1918) Acting |
30 June 1871 | 1 July 1872 | 1 year, 1 day | |
– | (1805–1891) Acting |
1 July 1872 | 24 September 1872 | 85 days | |
20 | Janus August Garde (1823–1893) |
25 September 1872 | 23 March 1881 | 8 years, 179 days | |
21 | Christian Henrik Arendrup (1837–1913) |
15 April 1881 | 22 December 1893 | 12 years, 251 days | |
22 | (1852–1929) |
22 December 1893 | 17 April 1903 | 9 years, 116 days | |
23 | (1838–1918) |
17 April 1903 | 21 January 1904 | 279 days | |
24 | 22 January 1904 | 2 April 1905 | 1 year, 70 days | ||
25 | (1863–1934) |
27 April 1905 | 21 February 1908 | 4 years, 25 days | |
26 | (1838–1912) |
21 February 1908 | 4 August 1911 | 3 years, 164 days | |
27 | (1860–1934) |
7 November 1911 | 3 October 1916 | 5 years, 60 days | |
– | Henri Konow (1862–1939) Acting |
3 October 1916 | 31 March 1917 | 179 days |
The Danish West Indies were sold by Denmark to the United States on December 12, 1916. The administration was officially turned over on March 31, 1917, and the first US governor was Navy Captain Edwin Taylor Pollock. For governors of the territory after the establishment of the US administration, see List of governors of the United States Virgin Islands.
See also[]
- History of the United States Virgin Islands
- Danish colonization of the Americas
- 1868 Danish West Indies status referendum
- 1916 Danish West Indies status referendum
- 1916 Danish West Indian Islands sale referendum
- Treaty of the Danish West Indies
- Transfer Day
Notes[]
- ^ Deposed in the Invasion of the Danish West Indies (1807).
- ^ During his tenure Johannes Søbøtker served as acting Governor-General: 24 April 1831 – 18 July 1832, 22 March 1834 – 28 January 1835
References[]
- "Commandants and Governors". The Danish West-Indies. Danish National Archives. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "De Vestindiske Øer - oversigt over guvernører" (in Danish). 25 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
Bibliography[]
- Waldemar Westergaard, The Danish West Indies under Company Rule (1671 – 1754) (MacMillan, New York, 1917)
- World Statesmen. Retrieved April 6, 2006
- Governors of the Danish West Indies
- Lists of governors
- Lists of office-holders in Denmark
- United States Virgin Islands-related lists