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British Colonialism and the Governor-General was Governor General Of Canada from 1935 to 1940. The uniform worn here was the customary ceremonial dress for Commonwealth Governors General until recently.]] The term Governor-General is most likely to be used in the context of the former British Empire or a former British colony that is now a Commonwealth Realm - most Commonwealth countries are republics. Governors-General notionally hold the prerogative powers of the monarch they are representing, and also hold the executive power of the country to which he is assigned. This means that the Governor-General has the power to certify or veto law ( Royal Assent ), and is also the head of the armed forces in his territory. History shows many examples of governors-general using their prerogative and executive powers but nowadays it is rare to see these powers being used unilaterally, in line with modern constitutional convention. The monarch can overrule a governor-general—in the past this was cumbersome due to the often large distances from London. In modern times overruling a governor-general can be impractical or impermissible due to local conditions or sensitivities (as demonstrated in the Australian Constitutional Crisis Of 1975 ) . Because of the Governor-General's control of the military in the territory, the post was as much a military appoitment as a civil one. Indeed, right up until modern times, the Governor-General's official attire was the Court Dress , Windsor Uniform or other military uniform, but this practice been abandoned in most countries in modern times. In some colonies, the title of the royal representative was never Governor-General. The King's representative in New Zealand , for instance, was simply titled Governor (earlier, even Lieutenant governor, still lower in rank) until after the country became a dominion. Modern Times In former British Colonies Today in former colonies which are still Commonwealth Realm s, the Governor-General acts strictly under the instruction of the national Prime Minister, most often in accordance with the Westminster System . In particular, see the history of the Governor-General Of Australia . The Governor-General is still the local representative of the Sovereign as head of state and performs the same duties as they did historically, though their role is almost purely ceremonial. A rare and controversial exception occurred in 1975 , when the Governor-General Of Australia , Sir John Kerr , Dismissed The Prime Minister , Gough Whitlam . The Governor-General is usually a person with a distinguished record of public service, often a retired politician, judge or military commander; but some countries have also appointed prominent figures from Sport , Academia , the clergy, philanthrophy or the news media to the office. The Governor-General is formally appointed by the Monarch, following the specific request of the Prime Minister of the country concerned. Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are the only realms that elect their Governors-General in some form: selection by a parliamentary vote. In former colonies no longer part of the Commonwealth, the Governor-General and British monarch have been replaced by an elected (sometimes non-executive) head of state. See the article on Commonwealth Realm s for a list of current and former members. Commonwealth usages Today the title Governor-General is used in countries which recognise the British Sovereign, currently Queen Elizabeth II , as the Head Of State , or Monarch , excluding the United Kingdom. In its modern usage, the term "Governor-General" originated in those British Colonies which became self-governing " Dominions ," as they were at one time styled, of the British Empire ; (examples are Australia , Canada and New Zealand ). With the exception of New Zealand , each of these federated colonies' previously constituent colonies already had a Governor , and the Crown's representative to the federated "Dominion" was therefore given the superior title Governor-General. New Zealand was granted Dominion status in 1907, but as it never was a federal state there was no pressing need to change the gubernatorial title. Finally on 28 June 1917 the Earl Of Liverpool was appointed the first Governor-''General'' of New Zealand. Another non-federal state, Newfoundland , was a dominion for 16 years with the Queen's representative retaining the title of Governor throughout this time. Since the 1950's, the title Governor-General was given to all representatives of the Sovereign in independent Commonwealth realms. In these cases, the former colonial Governor was "upgraded" (sometimes for the same incumbent) to the title of Governor-General upon independence as the nature of the office became a universal 'constitutional Figurehead ' position, no longer a symbol of colonial rule. In these countries, now known as Commonwealth Realms , the Governor-General acts as the Monarch's representative, performing all the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a Head of state. The Governor-General may exercise almost all the Reserve Power s of the Monarch. Except in rare cases, the Governor-General only acts in accordance with Constitutional Convention and upon the Advice of the Prime Minister . A rare and controversial case of a Governor General independently exercising his authority occurred in 1975 , when the Governor-General Of Australia , Sir John Kerr , dismissed the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam . In principle, the crown could overrule a Governor-General, but this has not happened in modern times. Appointment First Governor-General of the Irish Free State]] Until the 1920s, the Governors-General were British, appointed on the advice of the British Government, and acted as the representative of the British Government in each Dominion. The Governor-General could be instructed by the Colonial Secretary on the exercise of some of his functions and duties, such as the use or withholding of the Royal Assent from legislation. In 1931 , as a result of discussions at the 1926 Commonwealth Conference and the resulting Balfour Declaration , the Statute Of Westminster was enacted and this aspect of the role was abolished. The Governor-General became the direct representative of the country's Sovereign only, and governmental relations with the United Kingdom were placed in the hands of a British High Commissioner in each country. Also, in 1929 , the Australian Prime Minister James Scullin established the right of a Dominion Prime Minister to advise the Monarch directly on the appointment of a Governor-General, by insisting that his choice (Sir Isaac Isaacs , an Australian) prevail over the recommendation of the British government. The convention was gradually established throughout the Commonwealth that the Governor-General (or Governor General) is a citizen of the country concerned, and is appointed on the advice of the government of that country, with no input from the British government. The first Governor-General of India was Lord Mountbatten , who had been the last Viceroy ; the second (and last) Governor-General was Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari ; thereafter the post was replaced with the largely equivalent post of non-executive President under the 1950 Indian Constitution. Commonwealth Countries with Governors-General ''Clicking on the country above will take you the relevant Governor-General article.''
Most Commonwealth countries that are now Republic s, with the President as Head Of State , were originally Commonwealth realms, with Governors-General. Some became parliamentary republics, like India , where the presidency is a ceremonial post, similar that of the British monarch, while others, like Ghana , adopted a presidential system like the United States . Australia held a Referendum on becoming a parliamentary Republic in 1999 , but this was rejected, partly due to disagreements over whether the President should be chosen by Parliament , as was proposed, or by popular vote. The current governments of Barbados and Jamaica have announced plans to hold referenda on becoming republics, in each case with a ceremonial President replacing the Queen as Head Of State , as occurred in Trinidad And Tobago in 1976 . It is not known whether these plans will proceed, however, nor whether the referenda would approve the changes. Traditionally, the Governor-General's official attire was the Court Dress , Windsor Uniform or other military uniform, but this practice been abandoned in most jurisdictions in modern times. In South Africa , the Governors-General of the Union nominated by the Afrikaner Nationalist government chose not to wear the uniform. Most Governors-General continue to wear ceremonial Medal s on their clothing during special occasions, however. The Governor-General's official residence is usually called Government House. The Governor-General Of The Irish Free State resided in the then Viceregal Lodge in Phoenix Park , Dublin , but the government of Eamon De Valera sought to downgrade the office, and the last Governor-General, Domhnall Ua Buachalla , did not reside there. The office was abolished in 1936 . In most Commonwealth realms, the flag of the Governor-General has been the standard pattern of a blue flag with the Royal Crest (lion standing on a crown) above a scroll with the name of the jurisdiction. In Canada , however, this was replaced with a lion (with a crown) clasping a maple leaf. In the Solomon Islands , the scroll is replaced with a two-headed frigate bird motif, while in Fiji , the former Governor-General's flag featured a Whale 's tooth. Governors-General are accorded the style of ''His/Her Excellency ''. This style is also extended to their spouses, whether female or male (for an example of the latter case, see Jean-Daniel Lafond ). Former British colonies The title has been used in many British colonial entities that either no longer exist or are now independent countries. in the Americas
in Asia
in Africa
Former Commonwealth realms In Africa
Zambia and the Seychelles became republics within the Commonwealth on independence. In the Americas
In Asia
In Europe
Cyprus became a republic on independence. In Oceania
Other Colonial and similar usages French The equivalent word in French is ''gouverneur général''
Netherlands From 1691 to 1948 the Dutch appointed a Gouverneur-generaal ('Governor-General') to govern the Netherlands East Indies , now Indonesia . While in the Caribbean, various other titles were used, Curaçao had three Governors-General between 1816 and 1820 :
Spanish
U.S.
Other Western usages
Asian counterparts
See also
Sources and references (incomplete) #Note|definition}} "Governor General" definition on Dictionar.com (retrieved February 14th, 2006) #Note|bpletter17nov1975}} Letter from the Queen's Private Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia of 17 November 1975 , at ''The Whitlam Dismissal'', retrieved February 15, 2006. |