Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
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Royal arms of His Majesty's Government | |
29 June 1895–16 September 1903 | |
Privy Council | |
Reports to | Prime Minister |
Nominator | Prime Minister |
Appointer | The King (on the advice of the Prime Minister) |
Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
Formation |
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First holder |
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Final holder |
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Abolished |
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Superseded by | Foreign Secretary |
Deputy | Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies |
The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the
The colonial secretary never had responsibility for the
.From 1768 until 1966, the secretary of state was supported by an under-secretary of state for the colonies (at times an under-secretary of state for war and the colonies), and latterly by a minister of state.
History
Colonial responsibilities were previously held jointly by the lords of trade and plantations (board) and the secretary of state for the Southern Department,[1] who was responsible for
Colonial Secretary 1768-1782
The Colonial Secretary position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increasingly troublesome
Following the loss of the American colonies, both the board and the short-lived secretaryship were dismissed by the king on 2 May 1782; both were abolished later by the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 (22 Geo. 3, c 82).[4] Following this, colonial duties were given to the
1782-1854
Responsibility for the Colonies in the years between 1782 and 1854 included:
- Home Secretary 1782–1801
- Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1801–1854
- Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1854
Following the
1854-Present
In 1854, military reforms led to the colonial and military responsibilities of this secretary of state being split into two separate offices, with Sir George Grey becoming the first secretary of state for the colonies under the new arrangement.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Britain gained control over a number of territories with the status of "protectorate". The ministerial responsibility for these territories was initially held by the Foreign Secretary.
By the early years of the twentieth century the responsibility for each of the protectorate territories had been transferred to the colonial secretary as well. The
In 1925, part of the
In the twenty years following the end of the
List of secretaries of state for the colonies
Secretaries of State for the Colonies (1768–1782)
Sometimes referred to as Secretary of State for the American Colonies.
Secretary | Term of office | Ministry | Monarch (Reign) | |||
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Wills Hill 1st Earl of Hillsborough |
27 February 1768 |
27 August 1772 |
Grafton |
(1760–1820) | ||
North | ||||||
William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth |
27 August 1772 |
10 November 1775 | ||||
Lord George Germain MP for East Grinstead |
10 November 1775 |
February 1782 | ||||
Welbore Ellis MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis |
February 1782 |
8 March 1782 |
Office abolished in 1782 after the loss of the American Colonies.[6]
Secretaries of State for the Colonies (1854–1966)
Responsibility for the colonies held by:
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs 1966–1968
- Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs1968–present
Following the
- Notes
- ^ MP for Strand until 1918; thereafter MP for Westminster St George's.
Secretaries from the Colonies
A few title holders were born in colonies under their portfolio and some beyond:
- Bonar Law – born in pre-Canada colony of New Brunswick and later moved to the United Kingdom
- Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin – born in Canada during his father's, James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, term as Governor General of Canada and a British appointee
- Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner – born in Grand Duchy of Hesse (now in Germany) to Charles Milner (who had English roots from his father)
- British Indiato an English father serving in India
See also
References
- ^ American and West Indian colonies before 1782, National Archives
- ^ Thomson, Mark A. (1932). The Secretaries of State: 1681–1782. London: Frank Cass. p. 2.
- ^ a b Records of the Board of Trade and of successor and related bodies, Department code BT, The National Archives
- ^ Council of trade and plantations 1696–1782, in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 3, Officials of the Boards of Trade 1660–1870, pp. 28–37. University of London, London, 1974.
- ^ Chris Cook and John Stevenson, British Historical Facts 1830–1900 (Macmillan Press 1980) 29.
- ^ E.B. Fryde and others, Handbook of British Chronology (3rd edn, Cambridge University Press 1986) 125.