List of heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago

This is a list of the heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago, from the independence of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 to the present day.

From 1962 to 1976, the head of state under the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 was the queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen was viceregally represented in Trinidad and Tobago by a governor-general. Trinidad and Tobago became a republic under the Constitution of 1976 and the monarch and governor-general were replaced by a ceremonial president.

Monarchy (1962–1976)

The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.

No.	Portrait	Monarch (Birth–Death)	Reign			Royal house	Prime minister
			Reign start	Reign end	Duration
1		Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)	31 August 1962	1 August 1976	13 years, 336 days	Windsor	Williams

Governor-general

The governor-general was the representative of the monarch in Trinidad and Tobago and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The governor-general was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the governor-general was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago, without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy, the chief justice served as officer administering the government under a dormant commission.

No.	Portrait	Governor-General (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Prime minister	Monarch
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Sir Solomon Hochoy (1905–1983)	31 August 1962	15 September 1972	10 years, 15 days	Williams	Elizabeth II
2		Sir Ellis Clarke (1917–2010)	15 September 1972	1 August 1976	3 years, 321 days

Republic (1976–present)

Under the 1976 Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the president replaced the monarch as head of state. The president was elected by Parliament for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy, the President of the Senate served as acting president.

Status

  Denotes acting President

No.	Portrait	President (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of office			Prime minister(s)
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Sir Ellis Clarke (1917–2010)	1976 1982	1 August 1976	24 September 1976	10 years, 230 days	Williams Chambers Robinson
				24 September 1976	19 March 1987
2		Noor Hassanali (1918–2006)	1987 1992	20 March 1987	17 March 1997	9 years, 362 days	Robinson Manning Panday
3		A. N. R. Robinson (1926–2014)	1997	18 March 1997	16 March 2003	5 years, 363 days	Panday Manning
4		George Maxwell Richards (1931–2018)	2003 2008	17 March 2003	18 March 2013	10 years, 1 day	Manning Persad-Bissessar
5		Anthony Carmona (born 1953)	2013	18 March 2013	19 March 2018	5 years, 1 day	Persad-Bissessar Rowley
6		Paula-Mae Weekes (born 1958)	2018	19 March 2018	20 March 2023	5 years, 1 day	Rowley
7		Christine Kangaloo (born 1961)	2023	20 March 2023[1]	Incumbent	2 years, 136 days	Rowley Young Persad-Bissessar

Standards

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  Royal standard
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  Governor-general's standard
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  Presidential standard