Overview of the heads of state of The Bahamas
This is a list of the heads of state of The Bahamas , from the independence of The Bahamas in 1973 to the present day.
From 1973 the head of state under the Bahamas Independence Act 1973 is the Monarch of The Bahamas , currently King Charles III , who is also the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms . The King is represented in The Bahamas by a Governor-General .
Monarch (1973–present)
The succession to the throne is the same as the succession to the British throne .
Governor-General
The Governor-General is the representative of the Monarch in the Bahamas and exercises most of the powers of the Monarch. The Governor-General is appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the Monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931 , the Governor-General is appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of the Bahamas without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government .
Symbols
Denotes Acting Governors-General
No.
Portrait
Name(Birth–Death)
Term of office
Monarch
Took office
Left office
Time in office
1
Sir John Paul (1916–2004)
10 July 1973
31 July 1973
21 days
Elizabeth II
2
Sir Milo Butler (1906–1979)
1 August 1973
22 January 1979[†]
5 years, 174 days
Elizabeth II
–
Doris Sands Johnson (1921–1983) Acting Governor-General
22 January 1979
22 January 1979
0 days
Elizabeth II
–
Sir Gerald Cash (1917–2003) Acting Governor-General
22 January 1979
23 September 1979
244 days
Elizabeth II
3
Sir Gerald Cash (1917–2003)
23 September 1979
25 June 1988
8 years, 276 days
Elizabeth II
–
Sir Henry Milton Taylor (1903–1994) Acting Governor-General
26 June 1988
28 February 1991
2 years, 247 days
Elizabeth II
4
Sir Henry Milton Taylor (1903–1994)
28 February 1991
1 January 1992
307 days
Elizabeth II
5
Sir Clifford Darling (1922–2011)
2 January 1992
2 January 1995
3 years, 0 days
Elizabeth II
6
Sir Orville Turnquest (b. 1929)
3 January 1995
13 November 2001
6 years, 314 days
Elizabeth II
–
Dame Ivy Dumont (b. 1930) Acting Governor-General
13 November 2001
1 January 2002
49 days
Elizabeth II
7
Dame Ivy Dumont (b. 1930)
1 January 2002
30 November 2005
3 years, 333 days
Elizabeth II
–
Paul Adderley (1928–2012) Acting Governor-General
1 December 2005
1 February 2006
62 days
Elizabeth II
8
Arthur Dion Hanna (1928–2021)
1 February 2006
14 April 2010
4 years, 72 days
Elizabeth II
9
Sir Arthur Foulkes (b. 1928)
14 April 2010
8 July 2014
4 years, 85 days
Elizabeth II
10
Dame Marguerite Pindling (b. 1932)
8 July 2014
28 June 2019
4 years, 355 days
Elizabeth II
11
Sir Cornelius A. Smith (b. 1937)
28 June 2019
Incumbent
5 years, 158 days
Elizabeth II Charles III
Standards
References
External links