A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region , in some cases, such as governors-general , as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a governor may be either appointed or elected, and the governor's powers can vary significantly, depending on the public laws in place locally. The adjective pertaining to a governor is gubernatorial , from the Latin root gubernare . In a federated state , the governor may serve as head of state and head of government for their regional polity, while still operating under the laws of the federation, which has its own head of state for the entire federation.
63-459: A governor is an official, usually acting as the executive of a non-sovereign level of government. Governor may also refer to: Governor Though the legal and administrative framework of provinces, each administered by a governor, was created by the Romans , the term governor has been a convenient term for historians to describe similar systems in antiquity . Indeed, many regions of
126-475: A prefect (later procurator ), usually a man of equestrian rank, to act as his deputy in a subregion of the larger province: the infamous character of Pontius Pilate in the Christian Gospels was a governor of this sort. A special case was Egypt, a rich 'private' domain and vital granary, where the emperor almost inherited the theocratic status of a pharaoh. The emperor was represented there by
189-412: A 'principal elder brother' or 'prince's elder son' in the pre-Ottoman period. According to etymologist Sevan Nişanyan , the word is derived from Turkish beşe ( بچّه 'boy, prince'), which is cognate with Persian bačče ( بچّه ). Some earlier Turkish lexicographers, such as Ahmed Vefik Paşa and Mehmed Salahi, argued it was most likely derived from Turkish başa or Turkish beşe ,
252-654: A Pasha, such as the Pasha or Bashaw of Tripoli . Ottoman and Egyptian authorities conferred the title upon both Muslims and Christians without distinction. They also frequently gave it to foreigners in the service of the Ottoman Empire, or of the Egyptian Khedivate (later Sultanate , and Kingdom in turn), e.g. Hobart Pasha . In an Egyptian context, the Abaza Family is known as "the family of
315-432: A governor sui generis styled praefectus augustalis , a title evoking the religious cult of the emperor . Emperors Diocletian (see Tetrarchy ) and Constantine in the third and fourth centuries AD carried out a root and branch reorganisation of the administration with two main features: The prestigious governorships of Africa and Asia remained with the title proconsul, and the special right to refer matters directly to
378-426: A governor is appointed for each state, but after the 7th Constitutional Amendment, of 1956, one governor can be appointed for more than one state. In Indonesia , the title gubernur refers to the highest-ranking executive of a provincial government. The governor and the vice governor are elected by a direct vote from the people as a couple, so the governor is responsible to the provincial residents. The governor has
441-463: A number of new territories; officially his style was republican: Princeps civitatis ), divided the provinces into two categories; the traditionally prestigious governorships remained as before (in what have become known as "senatorial" provinces), while in a range of others, he retained the formal governorship himself, delegating the actual task of administration to appointees (usually with the title legatus Augusti ). The legatus sometimes would appoint
504-478: A regional vice governor who replaces the regional governor if the latter vacates the position. Bangsamoro , its replacement, has the wa'lī (Arabic for "governor") as its head of the region and is elected by parliament for a six-year term. The provincial councils of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka are headed by governors, as representatives of the president . Prior to 1948, in Ceylon (former name for Sri Lanka),
567-447: A separate court system, the governor only had legislative power in colonies that lacked a Legislative Council or Legislative Assembly . The executive powers vested in the governor varied as well; while many colonies had an Executive Council to help with the colony's administration, these ranged from presidential cabinet-like bodies that only served as consultative forums without collective executive powers or functions of their own while
630-469: A term of five years to work in office and can be re-elected for another single period. In case of death, disability, or resignation, the vice governor would stand in as acting governor for some time before being inaugurated as the permanent governor. The elected governor is inaugurated by the president , or by the Indonesian minister of home affairs on behalf of the president. In addition, the governor
693-633: Is always the governor of the Ross Dependency , an Antarctic sector which is claimed by the Realm of New Zealand . Within the United Kingdom itself, there was a position of Governor of Northern Ireland from 1922 until the suspension of the devolved Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1973. From the 16th century until 1995, there was a governor of the Isle of Wight , part of England . Since
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#1732779996104756-653: Is an official title in German for certain political offices equivalent to a governor. It has historical uses, both administrative and colonial, and is now used in federal Austria and in South Tyrol , a majority German-speaking province of Italy adjacent to Tyrol . During the Ancien Régime in France , the representative of the king in his provinces and cities was the gouverneur . Royal officers were chosen from
819-657: Is appointed by the Australian monarch on the advice of the premier , who is the political chief executive of the state government (until 1986, state governors were appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the British government). State governors have emergency reserve powers but these are rarely used. The territories of Australia other than the ACT have administrators instead of governors, who are appointed formally by
882-424: Is for the defence and external affairs of the colony. In some minor overseas territories, instead of a governor, there is an administrator or commissioner , or the position is held ex officio by a High Commissioner . In Australia , each state has the governor as its formal representative of the sovereign, as head of the state government. It is not a political office but a ceremonial one. Each state governor
945-575: Is sometimes translated into English as governorate. Thus its respective head, in German : Regierungspräsident , is also translated as governor. Ioannis Kapodistrias was the first (and, with the exception of the short tenure of his younger brother Augustinos Kapodistrias , the only) head of state of Greece to bear the title of governor. In the People's Republic of China , the title Governor ( Chinese : 省长 ; pinyin : shěngzhǎng ) refers to
1008-492: Is the representative of the central government in the province and is responsible to the president. The governor's authority is regulated within Law ( Indonesian : Undang-undang ) No. 32/2004 and Governmental Ordinance ( Indonesian : Peraturan Pemerintah ) No. 19/2010. Principally, the governor has the tasks and the authorities to lead governmental services in the province, based upon the policies that have been made together with
1071-401: Is the representative of the federal in their province and is the ceremonial head of the province whereas the chief minister is the head of the provincial government. The governor exercises powers similar to the president's, in their respective province. In Papua New Guinea , the leaders of the provinces have been known as governors since August 1995. Previously they were called premiers. In
1134-460: The firman ( patent of nobility ) issued by the Sultan carrying the tughra (imperial seal). The title did not bestow rank or title to the wife nor was any religious leader elevated to the title. In contrast to western nobility titles, where the title normally is added before the given name, Ottoman titles followed the given name. In contacts with foreign emissaries and representatives, holders of
1197-631: The Ketua Menteri or chief minister . The four Yang di-Pertua Negeri are members of the Conference of Rulers ; however, they cannot participate in the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, discussions related to the privileges of the Malay rulers and matters concerning the observance of Islam. In Pakistan , each of the four provinces has a governor who is appointed by the president . The governor
1260-636: The Osman Dynasty in Constantinople (now Istanbul ), and sought to style his Egyptian realm as a successor sultanate to the Ottoman Empire. As such, he bore the title of Pasha , in addition to the official title of Wāli , and the self-declared title of Khedive . His successors to the Egyptian and Sudanese throne , Ibrahim , Abbas , Sa'id , and Isma'il also inherited these titles, with Pasha , and Wāli ceasing to be used in 1867, when
1323-537: The Ottoman Sultan , Abdülaziz officially recognised Isma'il as Khedive. The title Pasha appears originally to have applied exclusively to military commanders and only high ranking family of the sultans, but subsequently it could distinguish any high official, and also unofficial persons whom the court desired to honour. It was also part of the official style of the Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral of
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#17327799961041386-524: The Philippines , the title Governor ( Gobernador or Punong Lalawigan in Filipino) refers to the highest-ranking executive of a province . The governor is elected by a direct vote from the people and has a fixed term of three years. A governor can serve only up to a maximum of three consecutive terms. He may however be suspended by either the ombudsman or the president , through the secretary of
1449-1137: The Russian Empire , the governorate ( guberniya ) and governorate-general were the main units of territorial and administrative subdivision since the reforms of Peter the Great . These were governed by a governor and governor-general respectively. A special case was the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone, which was governed as a concession granted by Imperial China to the Russian 'Chinese Eastern Railway Society' (in Russian Obshchestvo Kitayskoy Vostochnoy Zheleznoy Dorogi ; established on 17 December 1896 in St. Petersburg , later moved to Vladivostok ), which built 1,481 km of tracks (Tarskaya – Hilar – Harbin – Nikolsk-Ussuriski; 3 November 1901 traffic opened) and established on 16 May 1898
1512-653: The early Empire ). This system survived with few significant changes until the collapse of the empire in the West, and in the East, the breakdown of order with the Persian and Arab invasions of the seventh century. At that stage, a new kind of governor emerged, the Strategos . It was a role leading the themes which replaced provinces at this point, involving a return to the amalgamation of civil and military office which had been
1575-469: The governor of Ceylon was the head of the British colony . Pasha Pasha ( Ottoman Turkish : پاشا ; Turkish : paşa ; Arabic : باشا , romanized : basha ) was a high rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors , generals , dignitaries , and others. Pasha was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of Egypt and it
1638-504: The governor-general . The governor-general is the representative of and appointed by the king of Australia sovereign at a federal level on the advice of the prime minister of Australia . As with the governors-general of Australia and other Commonwealth realms, state governors usually exercise their power only on the advice of a government minister. In Canada , there are governors at the federal and provincial levels of government who, within their jurisdictions, act as representatives of
1701-422: The king of Canada , who is Canada's head of state. The federal governor is the governor general of Canada , and the governor of each province is the lieutenant governor . The governor general is appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister of Canada , whereas the lieutenant governors are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. The role of the governor general and of
1764-687: The 18th century the role of provincial governors was greatly curtailed. Until 1933, the term Landeshauptmann (state governor) was used in Prussia for the head of government of a province , In the modern-day states of Germany, the counterpart to Landeshauptmann is the Ministerpräsident (minister-president). In the present German states of Baden-Württemberg , Bavaria , Hesse , and North Rhine-Westphalia there are – and earlier in more German states there were – sub-state administrative regions called in German : Regierungsbezirk , which
1827-694: The Chinese Eastern Railway Zone (in Harbin; as such being August 12, 1903 – July 1, 1905 subordinated to the imperial Viceroyalty of the Far East, see Lüshunkou ). The post continued to function despite various political changes until after World War II . Some of the administrative subdivisions of Russia are headed by governors, while others are headed by presidents or heads of administration. From 1991 to 2005, they were elected by popular vote and from 2005 to 2012, they were appointed by
1890-557: The Ottoman fleet). Pashas ranked above Beys and Aghas , but below Khedives and Viziers . Three grades of Pasha existed, distinguished by the number of horse tails (three, two, and one respectively; a symbol of Turco-Mongol tradition) or peacock tails that the bearers were entitled to display on their standard as a symbol of military authority when on campaign. Only the sultan himself was entitled to four tails, as sovereign commander in chief . The following military ranks entitled
1953-705: The case may be. During both the Spanish and American colonial periods , as well as during the Japanese occupation of World War II , the chief executive of the Philippines was the governor-general of the Philippines . The highest ranking executive of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was called regional governor . The regional governor is elected every three years, separately from
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2016-597: The colonial period of Hong Kong , the governor was the representative of the sovereign from 1843, which was the year that the authorities and duties of the post were officially defined by the Hong Kong Letters Patent and the Royal Instructions , until the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC government in 1997. Each governor was appointed by the monarch and possessed significant powers such as
2079-479: The current governors. In Malaysia , each of the four non-monarchical states ( Penang , Malacca , Sabah and Sarawak ) has a ceremonial governor styled Yang di-Pertua Negeri , appointed to a renewable four-year term by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong , the federal King of Malaysia , on the advice of the prime minister after consulting the state governments. Each of these states has a separate head of government called
2142-623: The emperor; the praefectus augustalis in Alexandria and the comes Orientis in Antioch also retained special titles. Otherwise, the governors of provinces had various titles, some known as consularis , some as corrector , while others as praeses . Apart from Egypt and the East ( Oriens – viz greater Syria), each diocese was directed by a governor known as a vicarius . The prefectures were directed by praefecti praetorio (greatly transformed in their functions from their role in
2205-511: The federal president and confirmed by the province's legislature. After the debate, conducted by State Duma in April 2012, the direct elections of governors were expected to be restored. A Landeshauptmann ( German for "state captain" or "state governor", literally 'country headman'; plural Landeshauptleute or Landeshauptmänner as in Styria till 1861; Landeshauptfrau is the female form)
2268-685: The governor had an independent decision-making capacity, to fully-fledged parliamentary ministries whose decisions the governor was required to formally execute. Today, crown colonies of the United Kingdom continue to be administered by governors who hold varying degrees of power. Because of the different constitutional histories of the former colonies of the United Kingdom , the term governor now refers to officials with differing amounts of power. Administrators , commissioners and high commissioners exercise similar powers to governors. (Note: such high commissioners are not to be confused with
2331-455: The high commissioners who are the equivalent of ambassadors between Commonwealth states). Frequently the name 'Government House' is given to governors' residences. In the United Kingdom's remaining overseas territories , the governor is normally a direct appointee of the British government and plays an active role in governing and lawmaking (though usually with the advice of elected local representatives). The governor's chief responsibility
2394-638: The highest nobility , and provincial and city governors (oversight of provinces and cities was frequently combined) were predominantly military positions in charge of defense and policing. Provincial governors – also called " lieutenant generals " – also had the ability to convoke provincial parlements , provincial estates and municipal bodies. The title "gouverneur" first appeared under Charles VI . The ordinance of Blois of 1579 reduced their number to 12, but an ordinance of 1779 increased their number to 39 (18 first-class governors, 21 second-class governors). Although in principle, they were
2457-407: The highest ranking executive of a prefectural government. The governor was elected by a direct vote from the people and had a fixed term of four years. There is no restriction on the number of terms a person may serve as governor. The governor holds considerable power within the prefecture, including the ability to veto ordinances that have been passed by the prefecture assembly, as well as control of
2520-418: The highest ranking executive of a provincial government. The governor is usually placed second in the provincial power hierarchy, below the secretary of the provincial Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee (省委书记), who serves as the highest ranking party official in the province. Governors are elected by the provincial congresses and approved by the provincial party chief. All governors are not locals in
2583-516: The holder to the style Pasha (lower ranks were styled Bey or merely Effendi ): If a Pasha governed a provincial territory , it could be called a pashaluk after his military title, besides the administrative term for the type of jurisdiction, e.g. eyalet , vilayet/walayah . Both beylerbeys (governors-general) and valis/wālis (the most common type of Governor) were entitled to the style of Pasha (typically with two tails). The word pashalik designated any province or other jurisdiction of
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2646-455: The interior and local government . He may be removed by the president if found guilty of an administrative case or a criminal act during his tenure. He may be subjected to a recall vote , but unlike a referendum, the voters elect the governor of their choice. In case of death, disability, resignation, forced removal, or suspension, the vice governor , elected separately in the same election for governor, succeeds as governor, or acting governor, as
2709-452: The king's representatives and their charges could be revoked at the king's will, some governors had installed themselves and their heirs as a provincial dynasty. The governors were at the height of their power from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century, but their role in provincial unrest during the civil wars led Cardinal Richelieu to create the more tractable positions of intendants of finance, policing and justice, and in
2772-459: The latter meaning 'elder brother' and being a title given to some Ottoman provincial officials and janissaries . As first used in western Europe, the title appeared in writing with an initial b . The English forms bashaw , bassaw , bucha , etc., general in the 16th and 17th century, derive through the medieval Latin and Italian word bassa . Due to the Ottoman presence in the Arab world ,
2835-454: The lieutenant governors in Canada is largely ceremonial, although they do retain the authority to exercise reserve powers in exceptional circumstances. Each of the three territories is headed by a commissioner appointed by the federal Cabinet . Unlike provincial lieutenant governors , they are not representatives of the sovereign but rather are representatives of the federal government. In
2898-598: The new capital city, Harbin ; in August 1898, the defense for Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) across northeast China was assumed by Russia (first under Priamur governor). On July 1, 1903, the Chinese Eastern Railway was opened and given authority of its own CER Administration (Russian: Upravleniye KVZhD ), vested in the Directors of the Chinese Eastern Railway, with the additional quality of Governors of
2961-529: The pashas" for having produced the largest number of nobles holding this title under the Muhammad Ali dynasty and was noted in Egyptian media in 2014 as one of the main "families that rule Egypt" to this day, and as "deeply rooted in Egyptian society and… in the history of the country." As an honorific, the title pasha was an aristocratic title and could be hereditary or non-hereditary, stipulated in
3024-703: The power of appointing lawmakers in the legislative council , the power to grant land, the power of veto over bills and motions , the power of pardon , etc. At the same time, the governor was also the head of the colonial cabinet , the chairman of the Executive Council , the president of the Legislative Council (until 1993), as well as the commander-in-chief of the British Forces in Hong Kong . The governor-general of New Zealand
3087-685: The practice under the Republic and the early Empire. While the Roman administration in the West was largely destroyed in the barbarian invasions, its model was remembered; this model became very influential through two particular vehicles: Roman law and the Christian Church. In the Ottoman Empire, all pashas (generals) administered a province of the Great Sultan's vast empire, with specific titles (such as Mutessaryf; Vali or Wāli which
3150-504: The pre-Roman antiquity were ultimately replaced by Roman 'standardized' provincial governments after their conquest by Rome. Plato used the metaphor of turning the Ship of State with a rudder; the Latin word for rudder is gubernaculum . From the creation of the earliest Roman subject provinces, a governor was appointed each year to administer each of them. The core function of a Roman governor
3213-408: The prefecture's budget and the power to dissolve the prefecture assembly. The governor can be subjected to a recall referendum. A total of one to four vice governors are appointed by the governor with the approval of the assembly. In the case of the governor's death, disability, or resignation, a vice governor would stand in as governor or acting governor. See List of governors of Japan for a list of
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#17327799961043276-606: The provinces which they govern. The title can be also used while referring to a county governor (县长). In India , each state has a ceremonial governor appointed by the president of India . These governors are different from the governors who controlled the British-controlled portions of the Indian Empire (as opposed to the princely states) prior to 1947. A governor is the head of a state in India. Generally,
3339-413: The provincial parliament. The governor is not the superordinate of regents or mayors , but only guides supervises, and coordinates the works of city/municipal and regency governments. In other parts, municipal and regency governments have the right to manage each governance affairs based on the autonomy principle and assistantship duties. In Japan , the title Governor ( 知事 , chiji ) refers to
3402-540: The reign of Henry VIII , the monarch has borne the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England . European powers other than the United Kingdom, with colonies in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, gave their top representatives in their colonies the title of governor. Those representatives could be from chartered companies that ruled the colonies. In some of these colonies, there are still officials called governors. See: In
3465-621: The root of the Persian word shah , شاه . According to Oxford Dictionaries, the Turkish word from which it was borrowed was formed as a result of the combination of the Pahlavi words pati- 'lord', and shah ( 𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠 ). According to Josef W. Meri and Jere L. Bacharach , the word is "more than likely derived from the Persian Padishah " ( پادشاه ). The same view is held by Nicholas Ostler , who mentions that
3528-621: The title pasha came into Ottoman usage right after the reign of Osman I (d. 1324), though it had been used before the Ottomans by some Anatolian Turkish rulers of the same era. Old Turkish had no fixed distinction between /b/ and /p/, and the word was spelled başa still in the 15th century. According to Online Etymology Dictionary , the Turkish pasha or basha was itself from Turkish baş / bash ( باش 'head, chief'), itself from Old Persian pati- ('master', from Proto-Indo-European * poti ) and
3591-529: The title ( Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈbæːʃæ] ) came to be used in Egypt, which was conquered by the Ottomans in 1517. The rise to power in Egypt in 1805 by Muhammad Ali , an Albanian military commander, effectively established Egypt as a de facto independent state , however, it still owed technical fealty to the Ottoman Sultan. Moreover, Muhammad Ali harboured ambitions of supplanting
3654-545: The title Pasha were often referred to as "Your Excellency". The sons of a Pasha were styled Pashazada or Pashazade . In modern Egyptian and (to a lesser extent) Levantine Arabic , it is used as an honorific closer to "Sir" than "Lord", especially by older people. Among Egyptians born since the Revolution of 1952 and the abolition of aristocratic titles, it is considered a highly formal way of addressing one's male peers. The Republican Turkish authorities abolished
3717-690: The title became used frequently in Arabic , though pronounced basha due to the absence of the /p/ sound in Arabic. Within the Ottoman Empire , the Sultan had the right to bestow the title of Pasha . Lucy Mary Jane Garnett wrote in the 1904 work Turkish Life in Town and Country that it was the sole "Turkish title which carries with it any definite rank and precedence". It was through this custom that
3780-411: The word was formed as a shortening of the Persian word padishah . Jean Deny also attributed its origin to padishah , while repeating a suggestion by Gerhard Doerfer that it was influenced by Turkic baskak ( bāsqāq ), meaning 'agent, tax collector'. Some theories have posited a Turkish or Turkic origin of the word, claiming it derived from başağa ( bāş āghā ), which denoted
3843-499: Was also used in Morocco in the 20th century, where it denoted a regional official or governor of a district. The English word pasha comes from Turkish pasha ( pāşā ; also basha ( bāşā )). The Oxford English Dictionary attributes the origin of the English borrowing to the mid-17th century. The etymology of the Turkish word itself has been a matter of debate. Contrary to titles like emir ( amīr ) and bey ( beg ), which were established in usage much earlier,
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#17327799961043906-485: Was as a magistrate or judge, and the management of taxation and the public spending in their area. Under the Republic and the early Empire, however, a governor also commanded military forces in his province. Republican governors were all men who had served in senior magistracies (the consulate or praetorship ) in Rome in the previous year, and carried related titles as governor ( proconsul or propraetor ). The first emperor, Octavianus Augustus (who acquired or settled
3969-522: Was often maintained and revived in the oriental successor states ; Beilerbei (rendered as governor-general , as he is appointed above several provinces under individual governors) and Dey ) In the British Empire , a governor was originally an official appointed by the British monarch (or the cabinet) to oversee a crown colony and was the (sometimes notional) head of the colonial administration. The governors' powers varied from colony to colony, depending on its constitutional setup; while all colonies had
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