The island of Tasmania - called Van Diemen's Land until 1856 - was annexed to the
British colony of New South Wales in 1803, for fear that the French might seize it.
It served as a settlement for deported British convicts from 1808 to 1853.
Tasmania became a separate British colony in 1825 and was granted internal autonomy
in 1855.
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BRITISH ADMINISTRATORS
Lieutenant Governor
1847 - 1855 Sir William Thomas Denison 1804 - 1871
Governors
1855 - 1861 Sir Henry Edward Fox Young 1803 - 1870
1861 - 1868 Col. Thomas Gore Browne 1807 - 1887
1868 - 1869 LtCol. William C. Trevor*
1869 - 1874 Charles Du Cane
1874 - 1875 Sir Francis Smith*
1875 - 1880 Frederick Aloysius Weld 1823 - 1891
1880 Sir Francis Smith* (2x)
1880 - 1881 Sir Henry Lefroy* 1817 - 1890
1881 - 1886 Maj. Sir George Cumine Strahan 1838 - 1887
1886 William Robert Giblin* 1840 - 1887
1886 - 1887 Sir William Lambert Dobson* 1833 - 1898
1887 - 1892 Sir Robert George Crookshank Hamilton 1836 - 1895
1892 - 1893 Sir William Lambert Dobson* (2x)
1893 - 1900 Jenico William Joseph Preston,
Viscount Gormanston 1837 - 1907
1900 - 1901 Sir John Stockell Dodds* 1848 - 1914
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MINISTERS
Premiers
1856 - 1857 William Thomas Napier Champ 1808 - 1892
1857 Thomas George Gregson 1798 - 1874
1857 William Pritchett Weston 1804 - 1888
1857 - 1860 Francis Smith 1819 - 1909
1860 - 1861 William Pritchett Weston (2x)
1861 - 1863 Thomas Daniel Chapman 1815 - 1884
1863 - 1866 James Whyte 1820 - 1882
1866 - 1869 Sir Richard Dry 1815 - 1869
1869 - 1872 James Milne Wilson 1812 - 1880
1872 - 1873 Frederick Maitland Innes 1816 - 1882
1873 - 1876 Alfred Kennerley 1810 - 1897
1876 - 1877 Thomas Reibey 1821 - 1912
1877 - 1878 Philip Oakley Fysh 1835 - 1919
1878 William Robert Giblin s.a.
1878 - 1879 William Lodewyk Crowther 1817 - 1885
1879 - 1884 William Robert Giblin (2x)
1884 - 1886 Adyc Douglas 1813 - 1906
1886 - 1887 James Wilson Agnew 1818 - 1901
1887 - 1892 Philip Oakley Fysh (2x)
1892 - 1894 Henry Dobson 1841 - 1918
1894 - 1899 Sir Edward Nicholas Coventry Braddon 1829 - 1904
1899 - 1901 Neil Elliott Lewis 1850 - 1935
AUSTRALIAN STATE OF TASMANIA
In 1901 Tasmania became a founding member state of the Commonwealth of Australia.(1)
(1) For the islands attached to Tasmania see here
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ROYAL REPRESENTATIVES
Governors
1901 Sir John Stockell Dodds* s.a.
1901 - 1904 Capt. Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock 1844 - 1908
1904 - 1909 Sir John Stockell Dodds* (2x)
1909 - 1913 MajGen. Sir Henry Barron 1847 - 1921
1913 Sir John Stockell Dodds* (3x)
1913 - 1917 Sir William Grey Ellison Macartney 1852 - 1924
1917 Sir Herbert Nicholls* 1868 - 1940
1917 - 1920 Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate
Newdegate 1862 - 1936
1920 Sir Herbert Nicholls* (2x)
1920 - 1922 Sir William Lamond Allardyce 1861 - 1930
1922 - 1924 Sir Herbert Nicholls* (3x)
1924 - 1930 Sir James O'Grady 1866 - 1934
1930 - 1933 Sir Herbert Nicholls* (4x)
1933 - 1945 Sir Ernest Clark 1864 - 1951
1945 Sir John Demetrius Morris* 1902 - 1956
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MINISTERS
Premiers
1901 - 1903 Neil Elliott Lewis s.a.
1903 - 1904 William Bispham Propsting 1861 - 1937
1904 - 1909 John William Evans 1855 - 1943
1909 Sir Neil Elliott Lewis (2x)
1909 John Earle 1865 - 1932
1909 - 1912 Sir Neil Elliott Lewis (3x)
1912 - 1914 Albert Edgar Solomon 1876 - 1914
1914 - 1916 John Earle (2x)
1916 - 1922 Sir Walter Henry Lee 1874 - 1963
1922 - 1923 John Blyth Hayes 1868 - 1956
1923 Sir Walter Henry Lee (2x)
1923 - 1928 Joseph Aloysius Lyons 1879 - 1939
1928 - 1934 John Cameron McPhee 1878 - 1952
1934 Sir Walter Henry Lee (3x)
1934 - 1939 Albert George Ogilvie 1891 - 1939
1939 Edmund Dwyer-Gray 1870 - 1945
1939 - 1947 Robert Cosgrove 1884 - 1969
The uninhabited island of Macquarie (so named after Governor Macquarie of New South
Wales) and its outlying islands (Bishop, Clerk Islands, ...) were formally annexed
to the British Colony of New South Wales in 1810.
For the next 20 years it then became a major sealing zone, but afterwards it was
only occasionally visited.
By 1874 sealing was revived, now mainly by New Zealanders.
The most important among them was Joseph Hatch (1837 - 1928), who leased the island
from the Tasmanian government from 1902 to 1920. (2)
In this period Macquarie was also reached by several scientific expeditions. The
most important of these was the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which established
the first scientific bases on the island in 1911. After the end of the expedition
in 1913, part of the work was continued by the Australian Meteorological Bureau
until 1915 when its staff was withdrawn. In 1920 Hatch was forced to give up his
activities and - except for some new scientific expedition - the island now largely
remained untouched until 1948
It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1933.
Commander of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
1911 - 1914 Douglas Mawson 1882 - 1958
Officers in charge of the Macquarie Island Meteorological Station(3)
1911 - 1913 George Ainsworth
1913 - 1914 Harold Power 1... - 1914
1914 - 1915 ... Tullock
(2) Macquarie had been transferred from New South Wales to Tasmania in
1890.
In this period it was also briefly claimed by New Zealand.
(3) subordinated to the Australian Meteorological Bureau
Director
1908 - 1931 Henry Ambrose Hunt 1866 - 1946
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MINOR TASMANIAN ISLANDS
The Furneaux Islands (so named after the man who first sighted them in 1773) were
annexed by the British in 1803, becoming first part of New South Wales and later of
Tasmania.
The major island was Flinders Island. Together with the other islands (Cape Barren
Island, Clarke Island, ...) it was at first a major sealing centre until ca 1830.
Later the Tasmanian government leased the islands to individuals, surviving on
grazing and mutton birding. (4)
The island was formally opened up for settlement in 1888 and in 1908 it became a
municipality of Tasmania.
(4) From 1833 to 1847 Flinders Island also served as a reserve for the last
Tasmanian Aboriginals.
As to Cap Barren Island it was declared an Aboriginal Reserve for the mixed
population in 1881/1912.
King Island (so named after Governor King of New South Wales) was sighted by British
seamen in 1797. Together with some minor islands and rocks (Harbinger Rock, New Year
Isles, ...) it was annexed to New South Wales in 1803, later becoming part of the
colony of Tasmania.
In the course of the following years the government leased the island either to
individual persons or to companies, looking for seals or timber or trying to start
agricultural exploitation.
The island was formally opened up for settlement in 1888 and in 1908 it became a
municipality of Tasmania.
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