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The Pitcairn Island Government[History of Government & Laws]
Pitcairn Island, the smallest British protectorate in the world, is governed from the United Kingdom by an appointed Governor whose offices are in Wellington, New Zealand. A Commissioner for the island who handles most on-going, practical matters for Pitcairn is located in Auckland, New Zealand.
On Pitcairn Island there is the Island Council which meets with the island’s Mayor in charge. Under ideal circumstances the Council is in complete charge of governing the island locally. In the last two years, though, there has arisen some tension between the Island Council, representing the Pitcairn people, and the Governor as failures have occurred in seeking the Council’s views on matters that importantly affect Pitcairn’s present and future.
According to the government-published Guide to Pitcairn, “The Council has authority to enact laws of the nature of by-laws which must be notified to the Governor, in whom resides the power of revocation and alteration. In practice, it is rarely that the Council exercises its legislative functions without consulting the Governor before hand and, when it does, alteration is usually confined to textual amendment to make the meaning and intention of the rules legally exact.”
In point of fact, Pitcairn’s Governor has in 2003 issued a flurry of ordinances, regulations, orders, and rules, some of which have been put into effect without counsel with the Pitcairn Island Council. This governance without full consultation has resulted in an exacerbation of tension, the Pitcairn people feeling that their culture and remote island conditions need to be carefully factored into any law or regulation that affects them.
The requirements for voting on Pitcairn Island are three years’ residence and eighteen years of age. Candidates for office must have minimum periods of residence on the island. The electoral role is prepared by the Island Secretary in November of each year. Elections are held annually some time during the first two weeks in December.
Pitcairn Island is held by the United Kingdom to have come under the jurisdiction of the British High Commission for the Western Pacific in 1898, and in 1952 the Pitcairn Island Order in Council transferred the responsibility for administration to the person of the Governor of Fiji, following separation of the offices of Governor and High Commissioner. When Fiji gained independence in 1971 the administration was transferred to Auckland within the jurisdiction of the British High Commissioner to New Zealand who conjointly holds office as Governor of Pitcairn.
---Herbert Ford, Pitcairn Islands Study Center
British High Commissioners for the Western Pacific
(Locally represented by the British Consuls in Tahiti who occasionally
visited Pitcairn Island.)
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1894-1908
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Robert Teesdale Simons
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1908-1909
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Alphonse J. Du Temple, Vice Consul
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1909-1911
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Arthur Langford Shotto Rowley
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1912-1920
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H. A. Richards
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The British-appointed Governors of Pitcairn Island since 1970 have included:
1970 - 1973 | Sir Arthur Norman Galsworthy, (born 1916) | 1973 - 1975 | Sir David Aubrey Scott, (born 1919) | 1976 - 1980 | Sir Harold Smedley, (born 1920) | 1980 - 1984 | Sir Richard Stratton, (born 1924, died 1988) | 1984 - 1987 | Terence Daniel O’Leary, (born 1928) | 1987 - Sep. 1990 | Robin Byatt, (born 1930) | Sep 1990 - 1994 | David Moss, (born 1938) | Aug 1994 - Feb 1998 | Robert John Alston, (born 1938) | Apr 1998 - 2001 | Martin Williams, (born 1941) |
| Dec 2001 - April 2006 |
Richard Fell, (born 1948)
Read more about Richard Fell. |
April 2006- |
George Duncan Raukawa Fergusson (Born 1955)
Read more about George Fergusson |
Island Officers
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Chief Magistrates
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1870-1872
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James Russell McCoy
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1873-1874
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Thursday October Christian II
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1875
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Moses Young
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1876-1877
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Thursday October Christian II
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1878-1879
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James Russell McCoy
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1880
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Thursday October Christian II
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1881
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Moses Young
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1882
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Thursday October Christian II
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1883
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James Russell McCoy
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1884-1885
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Benjamin Stanley Young
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1886-1889
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James Russell McCoy
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1890-1891
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Charles Carleton Vieder Young
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1892
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Benjamin Stanley Young
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Presidents of the Council
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1893-1896
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James Russell McCoy
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1897
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William Alfred Young
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1898-1904
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James Russell McCoy
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1904
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William Alfred Young
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Chief Magistrates
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1904-1906
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James Russell McCoy
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1907
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Arthur Herbert Young
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1908
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William Alfred Young
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1909
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Matthew Edmund McCoy
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1910-1919
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Gerard Bromley Robert Christian
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1920
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Charles R. Parkin Christian
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1921
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Fred Christian
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1922
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Charles R. Parkin Christian
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1923-1924
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Edgar Allen Christian
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1925
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Charles R. Parkin Christian
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1926-1929
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Edgar Allen Christian
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1930-1931
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Arthur Herbert Young
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1932
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Edgar Allen Christian
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1933-1934
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Charles R. Parkin Christian
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1935-1939
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Edgar Allen Christian
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1940
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Andrew Clarence David Young
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1941
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Frederick Martin Christian
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1942
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Charles R. Parkin Christian
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1943
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Frederick Martin Christian
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1944
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Charles R. Parkin Christian
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1945-1948
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Norris Henry Young
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The Island Officers of Pitcairn Island since 1970 have been:
Years | Magistrate | Chair of Internal Comm. | Councilors | 1970 | Pervis Ferris Young | Len Brown | Christie Warren, Henry Young |
1971 | Pervis Ferris Young | Cairn Christian | Christie Warren, Gifford Christian |
1972 | Pervis Ferris Young | Cairn Christian | Gifford Christian, Ivan Christian |
1973 | Pervis Ferris Young | Henry Young | Gifford Christian, Iaan Christian, Oscar Clark |
1974 | Pervis Ferris Young | Ivan Christian | Thelma Brown, Carol Christian |
1975 | Pervis Ferris Young | Ivan Christian | Thelma Brown, Carol Christian |
1976 | Ivan Christian | Brian Young | Thelma Brown, Steve Christian, Oscar Clark, Floss Young |
1977 | Ivan Christian | Brian Young | Thelma Brown, Floss Young |
1978 | Ivan Christian | Brian Young | Thelma Brown, Carol Christian |
1979 | Ivan Christian | Charles Christian | Thelma Brown, Dobrey Christian |
1980 | Ivan Christian | Charles Christian | Thelma Brown, Dobrey Christian |
1981 | Ivan Christian | Charles Christian | Thelma Brown, Lloyd Christian, Warren Christian, Carol Warren |
1982 | Ivan Christian | Charles Christian | Thelma Brown, Steve Christian, Jay Warren, Vula Young |
1983 | Ivan Christian | Charles Christian | Thelma Brown, Vula Young |
1984 | Brian Young | Charles Christian | Thelma Brown, Vula Young |
1985 | Brian Young | Jay Warren & Steve Christian | Thelma Brown, Meralda Warren | 1986 | Brian Young | Jay Warren | Carol Warren & Meralda Warren | 1987 | Brian Young | Jay Warren | Thelma Brown & Carol Warren | 1988 | Brian Young | Jay Warren | Carol Warren & Vula Young | 1989 | Brian Young | Jay Warren | Carol Warren & Meralda Warren | 1990 | Brian Young | Jay Warren | Nola Warren & Betty Christian | 1991 | Jay Warren | Steve Christian | Carol Warren, Meralda Warren, Kari Young, Dave Brown | 1992 | Jay Warren | Steve Christian | Clarice Brown, David Brown, Meralda Warren, Kari Young | 1993 | Jay Warren | Dave Brown | Brian Young, Meralda Warren, Carol Warren, Betty Christian | 1994 | Jay Warren | Steve Christian | Clarice Brown, Dave Brown, Trent Christian, Pawl Warren | 1995 | Jay Warren | Steve Christian | Clarice Brown, Dave Brown, Pawl Warren, Carol Warren | 1996 | Jay Warren | Randall Christian | Clarice Brown, Lea Brown, Pawl Warren, Charles Christian | 1997 | Jay Warren | Randall Christian | Thomas Christian, Clarice Brown, Lea Brown, Michael Warren | 1998 | Jay Warren | Steve Christian | Meralda Warren, Lea Brown, Pawl Warren, Carol Warren | 1999 | Jay Warren | Steve Christian | Lea Brown, Michael Warren, Thomas Christian, Dave Brown | Years | Mayor | Chair of Internal Comm. | Councilors | 2000 | Steve Christian | Jay Warren | Brenda Christian, Michael Warren, Thomas Christian, Meralda Warren | 2001 | Steve Christian | Dave Brown | Tom Christian, Meralda Warren, Brenda Christian, Nola Warren | 2002 | Steve Christian | Jay Warren | Tom Christian, Lea Brown, Nola Warren, Brenda Christian | 2003 | Steve Christian | Randy Christian | Tom Christian, Meralda Warren, Lea Brown, Carol Warren | 2004 | Steve Christian | Randy Christian | Lea Brown, Brenda Christian, Thomas Christian, Carol Warren |
| 2005 |
Jay Warren |
Mike Warren |
Meralda Warren, Olive Christian, Carol Warren, Lea Brown |
| 2006 |
Jay Warren |
Mike Warren |
Meralda Warren, Olive Christian, Carol Warren, Lea Brown |
Postmasters of Pitcairn Island have included:
- Roy Clark
- Oscar Clark
- Reynold Warren
- Dennis Christian
- Brian Young
- Mavis Warren
- Dennis Christian (since 1988).
Police Officers of Pitcairn Island have included:
- Floyd McCoy
- Vernon Young
- Kay brown (1984)
- Ron Christian (1991)
- Meralda Warren (1996 to April 2001)
- Brenda Christian (since May 2001).
From Guide to Pitcairn, 1999 Edition. Used by permission.
List of Island Officers from 1970 to 2000 provided by Pitcairner Betty Christian.
List of Island Officers since 2000 provided by Pitcairner Mike Warren.
[History of Government & Laws]
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