List of colonial governors of Burma

The colonial governors of Burma were the colonial administrators responsible for the territory of British Burma, an area equivalent to modern-day Myanmar.

Governor of Burma
Standard of the Governor, 1939–1948
Longest serving Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler 28 October 1915–22 September 1917 21 December 1922–20 December 1927
Style	His Excellency
Residence	Government House, Rangoon
Appointer	Monarch of the United Kingdom
Formation	31 January 1862
First holder	Arthur Purves Phayre
Final holder	Sir Hubert Rance
Abolished	4 January 1948
Succession	President of Myanmar

Burma (Upper {orange} and Lower {pink}), 1886.

As a result of the Second Anglo-Burmese War, Burma was initially set up as a province of British India. Following the Government of India Act 1935 it was made a separate crown colony within the British Empire. Following invasion by the Empire of Japan during World War II, it was controlled by a Japanese military governor. After the Japanese were expelled, it was under a Allied military commander, then a civilian governor until independence.

List

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

  acting

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
British Burma
Chief commissioner
1		Arthur Purves Phayre (1812–1885)	31 January 1862	16 February 1867	5 years, 16 days
2		Albert Fytche (1820–1892)	16 February 1867	18 April 1871	4 years, 61 days
3		Ashley Eden (1831–1887)	18 April 1871	14 April 1875	3 years, 361 days
4		Augustus Rivers Thompson (1829–1890)	14 April 1875	30 April 1877	2 years, 16 days
			30 April 1877	30 March 1878	334 days
5		Charles Umpherston Aitchison (1832–1896)	30 March 1878	2 July 1880	2 years, 94 days
6		Charles Bernard (1837–1901)	2 July 1880	4 April 1882	1 year, 276 days
			4 April 1882	2 March 1883	332 days
7		Sir Charles Crosthwaite (1835–1915)	2 March 1883	28 February 1884	363 days
			28 February 1884	25 September 1886	2 years, 209 days
(6)		Charles Bernard (1837–1901)	25 September 1886	12 March 1887	168 days
(7)		Sir Charles Crosthwaite (1835–1915)	12 March 1887	10 December 1890	3 years, 273 days
8		Alexander Mackenzie (1842–1902)	10 December 1890	3 April 1895	4 years, 114 days
9		Frederick William Richards Fryer (1845–1922)	3 April 1895	1 May 1897	2 years, 28 days
Lieutenant governor
1		Frederick William Richards Fryer (1845–1922)	1 May 1897	4 April 1903	5 years, 338 days
2		Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (1853–1940)	4 April 1903	9 May 1905	2 years, 35 days
3		Sir Herbert Thirkell White (1855–1931)	9 May 1905	19 May 1910	5 years, 10 days
4		Sir Harvey Adamson (1854–1941)	19 May 1910	28 October 1915	5 years, 162 days
–		Sir George Shaw (1858–1931) Acting	15 May 1913	1 November 1913	170 days
5		Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler (1869–1938)	28 October 1915	22 September 1917	1 year, 329 days
–		Walter Francis Rice (1871–1941) Acting	22 September 1917	15 February 1918	146 days
6		Sir Reginald Craddock (1864–1937)	15 February 1918	21 December 1922	4 years, 309 days
5		Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler (1869–1938)	21 December 1922	2 January 1923	12 days
Governor
1		Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler (1869–1938)	2 January 1923	20 December 1927	4 years, 352 days
2		Sir Charles Alexander Innes (1874–1959)	20 December 1927	20 December 1932	5 years
3		Sir Hugh Landsdowne Stephenson (1871–1941)	20 December 1932	8 May 1936	3 years, 140 days
4		Sir Archibald Douglas Cochrane (1885–1958)	8 May 1936	6 May 1941	4 years, 363 days
5		Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith (1899–1977)	6 May 1941	31 August 1946	5 years, 117 days
Japanese Occupation of British Burma
Military commander
1		Lieutenant general Shōjirō Iida (1888–1980)	20 April 1942	18 March 1943	332 days
2		General Masakazu Kawabe (1886–1965)	18 March 1943	30 August 1944	165 days
3		General Heitarō Kimura (1888–1948)	30 August 1944	15 August 1945	1 year, 350 days
Allied military administration
Military governor
1		Actg. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten (1900–1979)	1 January 1944	October 1945	1 year, 9 months
2		Major general Sir Hubert Rance (1898–1974)	October 1945	31 August 1946	10 months
British Burma
Governor
1		Sir Hubert Rance (1898–1974)	31 August 1946	4 January 1948	1 year, 126 days

See also

• Myanmar portal

• President of Myanmar
  • List of presidents of Myanmar
• Vice-President of Myanmar
• Prime Minister of Myanmar
  • List of premiers of British Burma
  • List of prime ministers of Myanmar
• Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar
• State Counsellor of Myanmar
• Chairman of the State Administration Council