Chief Secretary of Victoria

The Chief Secretary was a minister within the Executive Council of Victoria responsible for a various areas.^[1]

Chief Secretary of Victoria
Victorian coat of arms
Flag of Victoria
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Parliament Executive council
Reports to	Premier
Nominator	Premier
Appointer	Governor on the recommendation of the premier
Term length	At the governor's pleasure
Inaugural holder	William Haines
Formation	1855
Final holder	Lindsay Thompson
Abolished	1980

The position was abolished in 1980.

Ministers

Order	Minister	Party affiliation		Ministerial title	Term start	Term end	Time in office	Notes
	William Haines MP	Independent		Chief Secretary	28 November 1855	11 March 1857	1 year, 103 days	[2]
	John O'Shanassy MP				11 March 1857	29 April 1857	49 days	[3]
	William Haines MP				29 April 1857	10 March 1858	315 days	[4]
	John O'Shanassy MP				10 March 1858	27 October 1859	1 year, 231 days	[5]
	William Nicholson MP				27 October 1859	26 November 1860	1 year, 30 days	[6]
	Richard Heales MP				26 November 1860	14 November 1861	353 days	[7]
	John O'Shanassy MP				14 November 1861	27 June 1863	1 year, 225 days	[8]
	James McCulloch MP				27 June 1863	6 May 1868	4 years, 314 days	[9]
	Charles Sladen MLC				6 May 1868	11 July 1868	66 days	[10]
	James McCulloch MP				11 July 1868	20 September 1869	1 year, 71 days	[11]
	John A Macpherson MP				20 September 1869	9 April 1870	201 days	[12]
	James McCulloch MP				9 April 1870	19 June 1871	1 year, 71 days	[13]
	Charles Gavan Duffy MP				19 June 1871	10 June 1872	357 days	[14]
	James G Francis MP				10 June 1872	31 July 1874	2 years, 51 days	[15]
	Graham Berry MP				10 August 1875	20 October 1875	71 days	[16]
	John A Macpherson MP				20 October 1875	21 May 1877	1 year, 213 days	[17]
	Graham Berry MP				21 May 1877	5 March 1880	2 years, 289 days	[18]
	Robert Ramsay MP				5 March 1880	3 August 1880	151 days	[19]
	Graham Berry MP				3 August 1880	9 July 1881	340 days	[20]
	James M Grant MP				9 July 1881	8 March 1883	1 year, 242 days	[21]
	Graham Berry MP				8 March 1883	16 February 1886	2 years, 345 days	[22]
	Alfred Deakin MP				18 February 1886	5 November 1890	4 years, 260 days	[23]
	George D Langridge MP				5 November 1890	24 March 1891	139 days	[24]
	John M Davies MLC				24 March 1891	11 April 1891	18 days	[24]
	Allan McLean MP				11 April 1891	23 January 1893	1 year, 287 days	[24][25]
	James Patterson MP				23 January 1893	27 September 1894	1 year, 247 days	[26]
	Alexander Peacock MP				27 September 1894	5 December 1899	5 years, 69 days	[27]
	Allan McLean MP				5 December 1899	19 November 1900	349 days	[28]
	Alexander Peacock MP				19 November 1900	12 February 1901	85 days	[29]
	William Trenwith MP				4 June 1901	10 June 1902	1 year, 6 days	[30]
	John Murray MP		Reform		10 June 1902	19 February 1904	1 year, 254 days	[31][32]
	Samuel Gillott MP				19 February 1904	4 December 1906	2 years, 288 days	[32]
	John Mackey MP				11 December 1906	4 January 1907	24 days
	Thomas Langdon MP				4 January 1907	22 February 1907	49 days
	Alexander Peacock MP				22 February 1907	20 October 1908	1 year, 241 days
	John Mackey MP				31 October 1908	8 January 1909	69 days
	John Murray MP		Commonwealth Liberal		8 January 1909	9 December 1913	4 years, 335 days	[33][34]
	George Prendergast MP		Labor		9 December 1913	22 December 1913	13 days	[35]
	John Murray MP		Commonwealth Liberal		22 December 1913	9 November 1915	1 year, 322 days	[36][37]
	Donald McLeod MP				9 November 1915	29 November 1917	2 years, 20 days	[37]
	John Bowser MP		Nationalist		29 November 1917	7 July 1919	1 year, 220 days	[38][39]
	Matthew Baird MP				7 July 1919	7 September 1923	4 years, 62 days	[39]
	Stanley Argyle MP				7 September 1923	18 July 1924	315 days	[39][40]
	Thomas Tunnecliffe MP		Labor		18 July 1924	18 November 1924	123 days	[41]
	Stanley Argyle MP		Nationalist		18 November 1924	20 May 1927	2 years, 183 days	[42]
	George Prendergast MP		Labor		20 May 1927	22 November 1928	1 year, 186 days	[43]
	Stanley Argyle MP		Nationalist		22 November 1928	12 December 1929	1 year, 20 days	[44]
	Thomas Tunnecliffe MP		Labor		12 December 1929	19 May 1932	2 years, 159 days	[45]
	Ian Macfarlan MP		United Australia Party		19 May 1932	2 April 1935	2 years, 318 days	[46]
	Murray Bourchier MP		United Country		2 April 1935	22 June 1936	1 year, 81 days	[47]
	Henry Bailey MP		United Country		22 June 1936	14 September 1943	7 years, 84 days	[47]
	Herbert Cremean MP		Labor		14 September 1943	18 September 1943	4 days	[48]
	Herbert Hyland MP		United Country		18 September 1943	2 October 1945	2 years, 14 days	[49]
	Thomas Maltby MP		Liberal		2 October 1945	21 November 1945	50 days	[50]
	Bill Slater MP		Labor		21 November 1945	20 November 1947	1 year, 364 days	[51]
	Keith Dodgshun MP		United Country		20 November 1947	3 December 1948	1 year, 13 days	[52]
	Wilfrid Kent Hughes MP		Liberal		3 December 1948	8 December 1948	5 days
	William Leggatt MP		Liberal		8 December 1948	19 June 1950	1 year, 193 days
	Trevor Oldham MP		Liberal		19 June 1950	27 June 1950	8 days
	Keith Dodgshun MP		Country		27 June 1950	28 October 1952	2 years, 123 days	[53]
	Alexander Dennett MP		Electoral Reform League		28 October 1952	31 October 1952	3 days	[54]
	Keith Dodgshun MP		Country		31 October 1952	17 December 1952	47 days	[55][56]
	Bill Galvin MP		Labor		17 December 1952	7 June 1955	2 years, 172 days	[57]
	Arthur Rylah MP		Liberal Country Party		7 June 1955	5 March 1971	15 years, 271 days	[58]
	George Reid MP			5 March 1971	29 April 1971	55 days
	Rupert Hamer MLC			29 April 1971	23 August 1972	1 year, 116 days
	Edward Meagher MP		Liberal	23 August 1972	30 May 1973	280 days	[59]
	John Rossiter MP			30 May 1973	31 March 1976	2 years, 306 days
	Pat Dickie MLC			31 March 1976	16 August 1978	2 years, 138 days
	Joe Rafferty MP			18 August 1978	4 April 1979	229 days
	Haddon Storey MLC			4 April 1979	16 May 1979	42 days
	Lindsay Thompson MP			16 May 1979	3 September 1980	1 year, 110 days