The Governor of the Cayman Islands is the representative of the

British monarch The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

's overseas territory of the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

. The Governor, a civil servant who has in modern times typically been a British subject normally resident in the United Kingdom, is appointed by the monarch from the staff of the

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

on the advice of the

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

. The role of the Governor is to act as the de facto

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

, and is responsible for appointing the

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, who is the leader of the party with a majority of seats in the Legislature. The Governorship is held by

Martyn Roper Martyn Keith Roper (born 8 June 1965) is a British diplomat and civil servant who has been Governor of the Cayman Islands since 29 October 2018. Roper was the British Ambassador to Algeria from 2010 to 2014. He was appointed OBE in 2013 "fo ...

since October 2018. The Governor has his own flag, the

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

defaced with the territory's coat of arms. The

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the Governor is Government House in Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman.

History

Until 1962, the Cayman Islands were administered as a dependency of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

. When Jamaica gained independence, the Islands were split and became a separate Crown colony. An Administrator was appointed to the Islands from 1959. After 1971, the British Government appointed a Governor.

List of chief magistrates of the Cayman Islands

* William Cartwright (1750–1776) * William Bodden (1776–1823) * James Coe the Elder (1823–1829) * John Drayton (1829–1842) * James Coe the Younger (1842–1855) * William Eden (1855–1879) * William Bodden Webster (1879–1888) * Edmund Parsons (1888–1907)

List of commissioners of the Cayman Islands

* Frederick Shedden Sanguinetti (1898–1906) * George Stephenson Hirst (1907–1912) * Arthur C Robinson (1912–1919) * Hugh Houston Hutchings (1919–1929) * Captain G. H. Frith (1929–1931) * Ernest Arthur Weston (1931–1934) * Allan Wolsey Cardinall, CMG (later Sir Allan) (1934–1940) * Albert C. Panton Snr, MBE (acting) (1940–1941) * John Perry Jones (1941–1946) * Ivor Otterbein Smith (later CMG, OBE) (1946–1952) * Andrew Morris Gerrard, CMG (1952–1956) * Alan Hillard Donald (1956 – 4 July 1959)

List of administrators of the Cayman Islands

* Wing Commander Jack Rose CMG, MBE, DFC (1960–1964) * John Alfred Cumber CMG, MBE, TD (1964–1968) * Athelstan Charles Ethelwulf Long (1968 – August 22, 1971)

List of governors of the Cayman Islands

* Athelstan Charles Ethelwulf Long (22 August 1971 – 1972) * Kenneth Roy Crook (1972–1974) * Thomas Russell (1974–1981) * George Peter Lloyd (1982 – 10 June 1987) * Alan James Scott (June 10, 1987 – September 14, 1992) * Michael Edward John Gore (14 September 1992 – 16 October 1995) *

John Wynne Owen John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(16 October 1995 – 5 May 1999) * Peter Smith (5 May 1999 – 9 May 2002) *

Bruce Dinwiddy Bruce Harry Dinwiddy, CMG (1 February 1946 – 1 April 2021) was the governor of the Cayman Islands from May 2002 to October 2005. Born in Epsom, he worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 1973 to 2005. Before becoming a ...

(19 May 2002 – 28 October 2005) * Stuart Jack (23 November 2005 – 2 December 2009) * Duncan Taylor (15 January 2010 – 7 August 2013) *

Helen Kilpatrick Helen Marjorie Kilpatrick (born 9 October 1958) is a British civil servant. She was Governor of the Cayman Islands between 2013 and 2018. Career Kilpatrick was educated at King's College, Cambridge. She began her career in local government ...

(6 September 2013 – 5 March 2018) *

Anwar Choudhury Anwar Bakht Choudhury ( bn, আনোয়ার বখত চৌধুরী; born 15 June 1959) is a British diplomat of Bangladeshi origin. He was Governor of the Cayman Islands until he was recalled in June 2018 after less than three month ...

(26 March 2018 – October 2018) *

(October 2018 – present)

References

External links

Cayman Islands Government
{{Cayman Islands topics Politics of the Cayman Islands