Governor

''A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. See Governor (device).'' A governor is an official who heads the government of a colony, state or other sub-national state unit. Most countries in the world have some sort of official known as a governor, though in some countries, the heads of the states, provinces and regions may have a different title. This is particularly common in Europe, with titles such as ''President of the Regional council'' in France and ''minister-president'' in Germany. Other countries using different titles for sub-national units include Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium. There can also be non-political governors: governors who simply ''govern'' an institution, such as a corporation or a bank. For example, in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth of Nations countries there are prison governors ("warden" in the United States), school governors and bank governors. == Etymology== The English word "governor" derives from the Latin word "gubernātor" (from which the adjective "gubernatorial" is taken; itself derived from the Greek ''kybernetes'' helmsman). ==Pre-Roman empires== Although a strictly legal organization of provinces (See also that article), administrated by governors, would be the work of the Romans, the term governor is a convenient generic description for its precursors in Antiquity. Nearly all would ultimately be replaced by Roman 'standardized' provicnial government. === Egypt === *In Pharaonic times, the governors (of each of dozens of provinces in the Upper- and Lower - kingdoms, named nomos, by their very names often stating a cultic particularity) are usually known by the greek word Nomarch, though the (semitic) authentical word was ... *The whole (or most) of Egypt was repeatedly reduced to the status of province of a larger empire under foreign conquerors, notably under an Achaemenid satrap (see below). ===Mesopotamia and beyond=== Assyria, a ruthless conqueror of a large empire, ... * shaknu * bel pihati ===Pre- & hellenistic satraps=== * Media and Achaemenid Persian Empire introduced the satrapy, probably inspired by the Assyrian / Babylonian examples * Alexander the Great and equally Greco-Macedonian diadoch kingdoms, mainly Seleucids (greater Syria) and Lagids ('Ptolemees' in hellenistic Egypt) * in later Persia, again under Iranian dynasties : ** Parthia ** the Sassanid dynasty dispensed with the office after Shapur I (who had still 7 of them), replacing them with petty vassal rulers, known as ''shahdar''s ==Roman empires and legacy== ===In ancient Rome=== In Rome there was no title gubernator; the closest equivalent was the late latin Praeses Provinciae- was any official charged with the administration of a Roman province. The main functions of a Roman governor were to collect taxes, supervise government expenditure, command the local military forces, and administer Roman law. However, there have been various models, e.g. combining general civilian administration with military authority (to support defense) or rather separating the two (facilitating imperial control and preventing insubordination). Often, a governor would have served as a consul or a praetor (top magistrate in Rome) before being dispatched with the corresponding title Proconsul or Propraetor, but this was not always the case – less important provinces might be governed by a prefect (a title predating the emergence of Rome as a mediterranean power beyond its Italic pensinula). Since the principate (there never was a legal end of the Republic) alongside the above-mentioned type of 'senatorial' provinces, the (often new, generally neighbouring ennemies) 'imperial' provinces were governed by a Legatus nominated by and under direct control of the Roman Emperor. A special case was Egypt, a rich 'private' domain and politically crucial granery, were the princeps almost inherited the theocratic status of a Pharao when Octavian militarily crushed Cleopatra and his triumvirate-rival Marc Anthony - the crown was represented there, more autocratically, by a governor ''sui generis'', styled Praefectus Augustalis (the very word evokes a religious cult of the Emperor). Under the dominate, provinces were more numerous (sme new, most resultying from splits or even more complex reorgnizations) there was a panoplia of new gubernatorial titles, such as Moderator provinciae and Procurator provincae (in minor priovinces, such as Palestine). Much autority was diverted to two nex types of imperial representatives : the Comes and the Dux. Since Emperor Diocletian tried to establish his tetrarchy (a model with two senior emperors, in East and West, Augustus, each assisted by a junior, styled Caesar; the number of emperors would soon be reduced to one or two again) there were two administrative levels above the governors, of which there were ever more as provinces got split : *the vicarius in charge of a so-called diocese (about a dozen) * the praefectus praetorio (no longer commander of the imperial guard, but continuing the bureaus of the four tetrarchs), two per empire after the final split into eastern (later Byzantine) and western empire. ===split and Byzantium === As the Roman legions no longer remained the invincible military champions, indeed were largely replaced by less disciplined mercenaries, the whole regime changed its geer from adminustration under the pax Romana to a struggle for self-preservation, fighting off the now often stronger challengers on the borders. New types of governors were introduced * Exarch * in the theme ?Strategos ===Legacy=== While the Roman administration itself was generally wiped out by barbarian heirs, its model was preserved and would again be very influential trough two main channels : Roman law (or rarther the Byzantine version in amended collections, long partially confused with the original legislation of (western) Rome proper) and the (catholic and later orthodox) church, having modelled its organisation on the imperium romanum. ===Carolingian and other christian European heirs=== ==British Empire and Commonwealth== In the British Empire a governor was originally an official appointed by the British monarch to oversee one of his crown colony. Generally of the gubernatorial offices established under the British, the structure comprised three levels:— *Governor-General (usually in charge of a group of colonies and now also independent, sovereign Commonwealth Realms); *Governor (in charge of a colony); and *Lieutenant-Governor (in charge of a sub-colonial unit, usually styled a "province"). *(Note: ''colony'' in this sense means any separate jurisdiction inside the British Empire) In the first two cases the Governor (or Governor-General) represents the authority of the Monarch. Lieutenant-Governors represent the authority of his superior (a Governor or Governor-General). There existed, and still currently exist Administrator of the Governments, Commissioners and High Commissioners who exercised similar powers. A Governor would usually have an Executive Council to help with the colony's administration. Governors could also, in addition, have Legislative Councils and/or Legislative Assembly underneath them. Today crown colonies of the United Kingdom continue to be administered by a governor, who holds varying degrees of power. Worldwide, there are 16 Governor-General who represent the authority of the British Monarch in the (sovereign) Commonwealth Realms. Because of the different constitutional histories of the various former colonies of the United Kingdom, the name now refers to officials with differing amounts of power. Especially after Commonwealth nations became independent of the United Kingdom, the presence of the word "Governor" does not guarantee that the said Governor is the "typical British–style" Governor; examples include: *Sri Lanka, once a colony governed by a single British Governor before independence, now has many "governors" controlling sub-national units *Nigeria, also a colony once governed by a single British Governor before independence, now has many "governors" controlling sub-national provinces Governors (of all ranks) are usually housed in a building called 'Government House'. Governors used to also have a standard flag pattern (a Union Flag with the colonial seal or coat of arms in the centre). Governors-General still have a standard pattern flag, a blue flag with the royal crest (lion and crown) with the name of the jurisdiction on a scroll underneath. See also: *Governor of Hong Kong ===Australia=== ''Main article: Governors of the Australian states'' In Australia, each state has a Governor as its formal representative of the Queen and Premiers of the Australian states as head of the state government. State Governors are appointed by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the Premier and play a largely ceremonial role. State Governors have emergency reserve powers but these are rarely used. The Australian States and Territories of Australia have Administrator of the Government instead of governors, who are appointed formally by the Governor-General. The Commonwealth Governor-General is Australia's de facto head of state representing the Queen in Canberra appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, the head of the Federal Government. The difference in terminology between the Australian state Governors and the Canadian provincial Lieutenant Governors is significant. In the Australian case, the Governor nominally derives power directly from the monarch and is in practice nominated by the Premier of a state. In the Canadian case, the Lieutenant Governor nominally is appointed by the Governor-General and in practice is named by the federal Prime Minister. See also:

*Governor of New South Wales *Governor of Queensland *Governor of South Australia *Governor of Tasmania *Governor of Victoria *Governor of Western Australia

*List of Governors of New South Wales *List of Governors of Queensland *List of Governors of South Australia *List of Governors of Tasmania *List of Governors of Victoria *List of Governors of Western Australia

===India=== In India each state has a ceremonial Governor appointed by the President of India. These Governors are different to the Governors which controlled the British-controlled portions of the Indian Empire (as opposed to the princely states) prior to 1949. ===Malaysia=== In Malaysia the states of Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak each have a ceremonial Governor ''Yang di-Pertua Negeri'' appointed by the King Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. These states have a separate head of government which is the Chief Minister or Menteri Besar. Other states have royalty such as the state of Selangor, Pahang, Johore, Perak, Kelantan and Kedah. ===Nigeria=== In Nigeria, the leaders of the regions, which in 1967 were divided into states, have been known as governors since 1954. Following a military coup in November 1993, President Sani Abacha suspended all the governors, and appointed administrators. When democracy was restored in 1999, the office of governor was revived and new governors were elected. The president of Nigeria can suspend state governors in a state of emergency and replace them with administrators. They are elected by popular vote. ===Northern Ireland=== There was a position of Governor of Northern Ireland from 1922 until the suspension of Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1973. ===Papua New Guinea=== In Papua New Guinea, the leaders of the provinces have been known as governors since August 1995. Previously they had been known as premiers. ===Sri Lanka=== The provinces of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) are led by governors. ===United Kingdom overseas territories=== In the United Kingdom's remaining crown colony 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). In some minor overseas territories there is instead of a Governor an Administrator of the Government or Commissioner. ==People's Republic of China== In the People's Republic of China, the title "Governor" (省长) refers to the highest ranking executive of a Province of China Government. The Governor is usually placed second in the provincial power hierarchy, below the Provincial CPC Secretary (省委书记), who serves as the highest ranking Party official in the Province. A Governor can be also used when referring to a County of China Governor (县长). ==United States== In the United States, the title ''governor'' refers to the chief executive of each U.S. state, not subordinate to the federal authorities but the political and ceremonial head of the 'sovereign' state. The governor may also assume additional roles, such as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States National Guard forces (when not federalized) as well as the final legal judicial appellate authority for most criminal sentences involving capital punishment. In all states, the governor is directly elected and has considerable practical powers, though this is moderated by the state legislature and in some cases by other elected executive officials. They can veto state bills, though this can be overturned by only a 3/5 vote (unlike the 2/3 vote needed for a federal bill). Also, if there is a sudden vacancy of one of the state's Congressmen, that state's governor appoints someone to replace them until a special election can be held. In colonial America, the governor was the representative of the monarch who exercised executive power, many colonies originally elected their governors, but in the years leading up to the American Revolution, the king began to to appoint them directly. During the American Revolutionary War, the royal governors were expelled, but the name was retained to denote the new elected official. See: List of United States Governors for past and present governors. *Lieutenant Governor *List of American Samoa Governors *List of Guam Governors *List of Northern Mariana Islands Governors *List of Puerto Rico Governors *List of U.S. Virgin Islands Governors ==Mexico== The elected heads of Mexico's 31 States of Mexico are styled "governors" ''(gobernadores)'', closely following the U.S. model. See: List of Mexican state governors. ==South America== Many of the South American republics (such as Chile, Brazil, Argentina) have provinces or states run by elected governors, with offices similar in nature to U.S. state governors. ==Other countries== Other countries with colonies in Asia, Africa and other areas, such as Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands give some, but not always all, of the top representatives of (or rather in) their colonies the title of governor. Currently, the counties of Sweden, the provinces of China and Finland, the states of Indonesia and some of the administrative divisions of Russia are among the areas which have leaders with the title of governor. In the Netherlands, the government-appointed heads of the provinces were known as ''Gouverneur'' from 1814 until 1850, when their title was changed to ''King's'' (or ''Queen's'') ''Commissioner''. In Belgium, the title of ''Gouverneur'' is used, in both the French language and Dutch languages. There are presently 10 provinces, each with its own governor; the national capital, Brussels, does not belong to any, constituting a region (along with Flanders and Wallonia), with its own ''minister-president''. See also: *Governor of Macau *Governor-General of Finland *Governor-General of the Irish Free State *Over-Governor of Stockholm *List of Governors General of Sweden *List of County Governors of Sweden *Governor of Hong Kong ==Modern equivalents== As a GENERIC term, Governor is used for various 'equivalent' officers governing part of a state or empire, rendering other official titles such as : *colonial High Commissioner (not the Ambassadors exchanged within the Commonwealth) *Reichskommissar And this also applies to non-western and/or antique cultures, such as : *in the Ottoman empire, various Pashas (generals) administered a province of the Great Sultan's vaste empire, with specific titles (such as Mutessaryf; Vali = Wali was often maintained or even revived in oriental successor states; cfr. Beilerbei (rendered as Governor-general, as he is appointed above several provinces under individual governors) and Dey) ==Furthermore, the word has other meanings== - as an administrator and/or supervisor (individually or collectively, see Board of Governors) in the socio-economic spheres of life. *List of governors of national banks of Serbia and Yugoslavia ==See also== *Governor-general *Lieutenant governor Positions of authority Titles

Governor

==Disambig Page Here?== I wound up here while looking for a mechanical Governor (device) I would have created a disambig page, but there are way too many links to here to edit manually. Is there an easier way to update all those pages? User:Spalding 13:12, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC) :It's probably preferable to add "see also Governor (device)" at the top instead of the bottom of the page. -- User:Docu :: I agree, so I added it but the latest edit removed the one at the top. I hadn't seen the one at the bottom that was there all along, probably because it was at the bottom, where it doesn't belong according the the Wikipedia:disambiguation article. User:Spalding 01:08, Oct 25, 2004 (UTC) :::Moved to top. User:Spalding 03:24, Apr 29, 2005 (UTC) ==NPOV issue== "See also Civilian Administrator of Iraq" is inappropriate, coming after a list of governors of US states and territories, unless expanded to cover post-war American administrators in nations such as Germany or Japan. Iraq is not, regardless of what one might think about motives for the war, an American state, colony, territory, or possession.

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