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This title was also in use in the Imperial Russia for some time, see the Guberniya article.
frame John Buchan was Governor General of Canada from 1935 to 1940. The uniform worn here was the customary ceremonial dress for Commonwealth Governors General until recently.
Today the title Governor-General is used in those member countries of the Commonwealth of which Queen Elizabeth II remains the titular head of state or sovereign
In its modern usage, the term Governor-General originated in those self-governing Dominions of the British Empire, such as Canada and AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count, which were federationsA federation is a state comprised of a number of self-governing regions (often themselves referred to as states or provinces) united by a central federal government. In a federation the self-governing status of the component states is constitutionally ent of British coloniesColonialism is a system in which a state claims sovereignty over territory and people outside its own boundaries, often to facilitate economic domination over their resources, labor, and often markets. The term also refers to a set of beliefs used to legi. Since each of these individual colonies already had a GovernorA governor is an official who heads the government of a colony, state or other sub-national state unit. Most countries in the world have some sort of official known as a governor, though in some countries, the heads of the states, provinces and regions ma, the Queen's representative to the federated Dominion was given the superior title Governor-General.
In these countries, now known as Commonwealth realms, the Governor-General acts as the Queen's representative, performing all the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a head of state. Except in rare cases, the Governor-General only acts in accordance with constitutional conventionAlternative meaning: Constitutional Convention A Constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is followed by the institutions of a state. In some states, notably those Commonwealth of Nations states which follow the We and upon the advice of the Prime MinisterAlternate meaning: Prime Minister (band #A prime minister is the leading member of the cabinet of the top level government in a parliamentary system of government of a country, alternatively #A prime minister is an official in a presidential system or sem. In principle, the Queen could overrule the Governor-General, but this has not happened in modern times.
The Governor-General retains all the reserve powers that the Queen exercises in the United Kingdom. This was shown most clearly in 1975Events January January 1 Watergate scandal: John N. Mitchell, H. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up and are sentenced to 30 months to 8 years in jail on February 21 January 5 The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, i, when the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, dismissed the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, despite the fact that Whitlam retained the confidence of the lower house of the Parliament, and commissioned a new Prime Minister who had given an undertaking that he would seek an immediate dissolution of parliament.
Until the 1920s, the Governor-General also acted as the representative of the British Government in each Dominion. The Governor-General could be instructed by the Colonial Secretary on the exercise of some of his functions and duties, such as the use or withholding of the Royal Assent from legislation. In 1927, implementing a decision of a Commonwealth Conference, this role was abolished, and relations with the United Kingdom were placed in the hands of a high commissioner.
Today the following countries have Governors-General: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Solomon Islands.
In Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, the Governors-General were originally British, and were appointed on the advice of the British Government. They were considered to be not only the personal representative of the monarch, but also representing British interests in general and the interests of the British Government in particular. In 1929, however, the Australian Prime Minister James Scullin established the right of a Dominion Prime Minister to advise the monarch directly on the appointment of a Governor-General, by insisting that his choice (Sir Isaac Isaacs, an Australian) prevail over the recommendation of the British government. The convention was gradually established throughout the Commonwealth that the Governor-General is a citizen of the country concerned, and is appointed on the advice of the government of that country, with no input from the the British government. The interests of Britain and her government are now solely represented by the British High Commissioner to the country in question.
The Governor-General is usually a person with a distinguished record of public service, more often than not a former politician. The Governor-General is formally appointed by the Queen, following the specific request of the Prime Minister of the country concerned. Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are the only realms that elect their Governors General in some form. The Governor-General of Papua New Guinea is selected by a parliamentary vote, as is the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands.
(Main article: Administrator of the Government) Different realms have different arrangements governing who acts in place of the Governor-General following his or her death, resignation, or incapacity.
Most Commonwealth countries that originally had Governors-General are now republics, with the head of state being a President. Some are parliamentary republics, like India, where the presidency is a ceremonial post, like the that of the Queen. In others, like South Africa, the presidency is an executive post, as in the United States. Australia held a referendum on becoming a parliamentary republic in 1999, but this was rejected on various grounds, including that the President would not be directly elected, but instead chosen by Parliament. Barbados and Jamaica have also announced plans to become republics, in each case with a ceremonial President replacing the Queen as head of state, as Trinidad and Tobago did in 1976.
Traditionally, the Governor-General's official attire was the Windsor uniform or other ceremonial military dress, but this practice been abandoned in most jurisdictions in modern times.
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