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CURRENT USES Today, the title Governor-General is used in the Commonwealth Realm s (those Commonwealth countries which share the same Monarch , currently Queen Elizabeth II , as their Head Of State ), 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 Kings's representative retaining the title of Governor throughout this time. Since the 1950s, the title Governor-General was given to all representatives of the Sovereign in independent Commonwealth Realms. In these cases, the former colonial Governor was promoted (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 the Governor-General acts as the Monarch's representative, performing most of the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a Head of state. 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.]] Until the 1920s , Governors-General were British, appointed on the advice of the British Government, acted as agents of the British Government in each Dominion, as well as being representatives of the monarch. As such they notionally held the prerogative powers of the monarch, and also held the executive power of the country to which they were assigned. 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; history shows many examples of Governors-General using their prerogative and executive powers. The monarch could overrule any Governor-General, though this was cumbersome due to the often large distances from London. The Governor-General was also the head of the armed forces in his or her territory. Because of the Governor-General's control of the military in the territory, the post was as much a military appointment as a civil one. Indeed, until the late 20th century, the Governor-General's official attire was the Court Dress , Windsor Uniform or other military uniform. 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, as in Canadian provinces, still lower in rank) until after the country became a Dominion . MODERN COMMONWEALTH In Commonwealth Realms Following the Imperial Conference , and subsequent issuing of the Balfour Declaration in 1926 , the role and responsibilities of the Governor-General began to shift, reflecting the increased independence of the Dominions. As the Sovereign came to be regarded as Monarch of each Realm separately, and advised only by the ministers of each country in regard to said country's national affairs (as opposed to a singular British Monarch over all the Dominions, advised only by the Imperial Parliament), so too did the Governor-General become a direct representative of the national monarch only, who no longer answered to the British Government. These concepts were entrenched in legislation with the enactment of the ''Statute Of Westminster'' in 1931 , and governmental relations with the United Kingdom were placed in the hands of a British High Commissioner in each country. Today in former colonies which are now Commonwealth Realm s, 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 national Prime Minister . 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. Rare and controversial exceptions occurred in 1926 , when Canadian Governor General Lord Byng refused Prime Minister Mackenzie King's request for a dissolution of parliament, and in 1975 , when the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr , Dismissed The Prime Minister , Gough Whitlam . 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. In principle, the crown could overrule a Governor-General, but this has not happened in modern times. 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, philanthropy or the news media to the office. The Governor-General is formally appointed by the Monarch, generally 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. 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 Éamon 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 ). In former colonies which are now Commonwealth Republic s, the Governor-General and Monarch have been replaced by an elected (sometimes non-executive) head of state. Appointment First Governor-General of the Irish Free State]] Until the 1920s, the Governors-General were British, and appointed on the advice of the British Government. Following the changes to the structure of the Commonwealth in the late 1920s , 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 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. Over the decades since 1931, and as each former Dominion has patriated its constitution from the UK, the convention has become law — no government of any Realm can advise the Monarch on any matters pertaining to another Realm, including the appointment of a Governor-General; today a country's Governor-General is appointed by the Sovereign based only on the advice of the prime minister of the country concerned. Commonwealth countries with Governors General ''Clicking on the country above will take you the relevant Governor-General article.''
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 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. The current governments of Barbados and Jamaica have announced plans to hold referendums on becoming republics, in each case with a non-executive 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 referendums would approve the changes. 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 Belgian French The equivalent word in French is ''gouverneur général'', used in the following colonies:
Furthermore, in Napoleonic Europe successive French Governors-general were appointed by Napoleon I in:
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
Portuguese The equivalent word in Portuguese is ''Governador-Geral'', but this style was only used in a few major colonies, other colonies lower titles, mainly ''Governador'' (Governor) or Captain-major , prevailed
U.S.
OTHER WESTERN USAGES
ASIAN COUNTERPARTS
SEE ALSO
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