This is a list of colonial governors and other senior administrators of Gabon during the period of French rule. It includes the commanders of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa from 1839, the commandants-particular of Gabon from 1843, and subsequent senior colonial officials after the territory's incorporation into French Congo in 1886 and French Equatorial Africa in 1910. Following the establishment of the autonomous Gabonese Republic in 1958, French authority was represented by a high commissioner until Gabon became independent on 17 August 1960.
List (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
TenureIncumbentNotes1839 to 1844Louis Édouard Bouët, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa1st Term1844 to 1845Louis Édouard Bouët-Willaumez, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1845 to 1848Jean-Baptiste Montagniés de la Roque, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1848 to 1848Auguste Baudin, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa1st Term 1848 to 1850Louis Édouard Bouët-Willaumez, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa2nd Term1850 to 1851Charles Pénaud, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa1851 to 1854Auguste Baudin, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa2nd TermColony of Gorée and Dependencies1854 to March 1856Jérôme Félix Monléon, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of AfricaMarch 1856 to 1859Auguste Léopold Protet, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1859 to 1861Auguste Bosse, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of AfricaNaval Division centred at Gabon; Gorée incorporated into Senegal1861 to 1863Octave François Charles, baron Didelot, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa1863 to 1866André Émile Léon Laffon de Ladébat, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1866 to 1868Alphonse Jean René, vicomte Fleuriot de Langle, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1868 to 1869Alexandre François Dauriac, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1869 to 1870Victor Auguste, baron Duperré, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1870 to 1872Siméon Bourgeois, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1872 to 1874Antoine Louis Le Couriault du Quilio, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1874 to 1875Charles Henri Jules Panon du Hazier, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1875 to 1877Amédée Louis Ribourt, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1877 to 1879François Hippolyte Allemand, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1879 to 1881Bernard Ernest Mottez, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1881 to 24 January 1883Richild, baron Grivel, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa 1884 to 1886Jules Marie Armand Cavelier de Cuverville, Commandant of the Naval Division of the Western Coasts of Africa1886Incorporated into French Congo
See below for continuation 1886 to 17 August 1960
TenureIncumbentNotesFrench Suzerainty1843 to 1844Antoine Devoisins, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1844 to 1844Joseph Marie Millet, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1844 to 1846André Brisset, Commandant-Particular of Gabon1st Term 1846 to 1846Méquet, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1846 to 1846Clément Grosjean, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1846 to 1847Jean Carrilès, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1847 to 1848André Brisset, Commandant-Particular of Gabon2nd Term 25 March 1848 to 1848Alphonse Alexandre Sourdeaux, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 3 August 1848 to 1848Eugène Jean Antoine Desperles, Commandant-Particular of GabonDecember 1848 to 1849Étienne Charles Deschanel, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 10 August 1849 to 1850Jean-Auguste Martin, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 15 December 1850 to 1853Alexis Édouard Vignon, Commandant-Particular of Gabon1st Term 1853 to 1854Théophile Quillet, Commandant-Particular of GabonColony of Gorée and Dependencies1854 to 1857Théophile Quillet, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1857 to 1859Alexis Édouard Vignon, Commandant-Particular of Gabon2nd Term 1859 to 1860Pierre Alexandre Mailhetard, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 4 August 1860 to 1861César Charles Joseph Pradier, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1861 to 1863Paul Claude Nicolas Brue, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1863 to 1866Charles Ferdinand Eugène Baur, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1866 to 1867Joseph Henri Brunet-Millet, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1867 to 1868Théophile Aube, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1868 to 1869Frédéric Amable Bourgarel, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1869 to 1871Hippolyte Adrien Bourgin, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1871 to 1873Gustave Aristide Léopold Garraud, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1873 to 1875Charles Henri Jules Panon du Hazier, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1875 to 1876Félix Ambroise Clément, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1876 to 1879Paul-Michel-Frédéric Caudière, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1879 to 1880Augustin Ernest Dumont, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1880 to 1881Jules Émile Hanet-Cléry, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1881 to 1883Émile Masson, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1883 to 1885Jean Joseph Cornut-Gentille, Commandant-Particular of Gabon 1885 to 1886Georges Émile Pradier, Commandant-Particular of GabonIncorporated into French Congo 29 June 1886 to 12 March 1889Noël Ballay, Lieutenant Governor 12 March 1889 to 1 June 1894Charles de Chavannes, Lieutenant Governor 1 June 1894 to 22 January 1899Albert Dolisie, Lieutenant Governor 1 May 1899 to 1902Émile Gentil, Lieutenant Governor 21 January 1904 to 19 April 1905Louis Auguste Bertrand Ormières, Lieutenant Governor 19 April 1905 to 5 August 1905Paul Cousturier, acting Lieutenant Governor 5 August 1905 to 27 April 1906Alfred Fourneau, acting Lieutenant Governor 27 April 1906 to 23 April 1907Charles Henri Adrien Noufflard, acting Lieutenant Governor 23 April 1907 to 26 April 1907Alfred Martineau, Lieutenant Governor 26 April 1907 to 20 January 1909Édouard Émile Léon Telle, acting Lieutenant Governor 20 January 1909 to 10 February 1909Frédéric Claude Weber, acting Lieutenant Governor 10 February 1909 to 9 November 1909Charles Amédée Rognon, acting Lieutenant Governor 9 November 1909 to 15 January 1910Léon Félix Richaud, acting Lieutenant GovernorIncorporated into French Equatorial Africa15 January 1910 to June 1911Léon Félix Richaud, acting Lieutenant GovernorJune 1911 to 21 February 1912Georges Poulet, Lieutenant Governor 21 February 1912 to 18 April 1914Paul Pierre Adam, acting Lieutenant Governor 18 April 1914 to 1 June 1917Joseph Guyon, Lieutenant Governor 1 June 1917 to 12 June 1918Georges Thomann, acting Lieutenant Governor 12 June 1918 to 30 June 1919Maurice Pierre Lapalud, Lieutenant Governor 30 June 1919 to 13 April 1920Jean Henri Marchand, acting Lieutenant Governor13 April 1920 to 29 May 1922Jean Henri Marchand, Lieutenant Governor 29 May 1922 to 15 June 1923Edmond Émilien Cadier, acting Lieutenant Governor 15 June 1923 to 29 July 1924Louis Nicolas Marie Cercus, acting Lieutenant Governor 29 July 1924 to 19 June 1931Marie Joseph Jules Pierre Bernard, Lieutenant Governor 19 June 1931 to November 1931Louis Vingarassamy, acting Lieutenant GovernorNovember 1931 to 26 September 1934Louis Bonvin, Lieutenant Governor26 September 1934 to 24 October 1936Louis Bonvin, Administrator-Superior24 October 1936 to 11 September 1937Louis Bonvin, Governor-Delegate 11 September 1937 to 29 August 1938Georges Parisot, Governor-Delegate 29 August 1938 to 2 November 1939Georges Pierre Masson, acting Governor-Delegate2 November 1939 to 14 November 1940Georges Pierre Masson, Governor-Delegate 14 November 1940 to 15 March 1941André Parant, acting Governor-Delegate 26 March 1941 to 30 May 1942Victor Valentin Smith, Governor 30 May 1942 to 26 August 1943Charles André Maurice Assier de Pompignan, Governor 26 August 1943 to 19 November 1944Paul Vuillaume, Governor 19 November 1944 to 28 March 1946Numa Sadoul, acting Governor1st Term 28 March 1946 to 31 December 1947Roland Pré, Governor 31 December 1947 to 6 April 1949Numa Sadoul, Governor2nd Term 6 April 1949 to 4 January 1950Pierre François Pelieu, acting Governor4 January 1950 to 19 October 1951Pierre François Pelieu, Governor 19 October 1951 to 25 April 1952Charles Hanin, acting Governor 25 April 1952 to 29 January 1958Yves Digo, Governor 29 January 1958 to 28 November 1958Louis Sanmarco, Governorautonomous Gabonese Republic28 November 1958 to July 1959Louis Sanmarco, High CommissionerJuly 1959 to 17 August 1960Jean Risterucci, High Commissioner17 August 1960Independence as Republic of Gabon
For continuation after independence, see: Heads of State of Gabon
See also Gabon Heads of State of Gabon Lists of incumbents
References