Secretary of State for the Colonies

The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire.

The colonial secretary never had responsibility for the provinces and princely states of India, which had its own secretary of state.

From 1768 until 1966, the secretary of state was supported by an under-secretary of state for the colonies (at times an under-secretary of state for war and the colonies), and latterly by a minister of state.

History

Colonial responsibilities were previously held jointly by the lords of trade and plantations (board) and the secretary of state for the Southern Department, who was responsible for Ireland, the American colonies, and relations with the Catholic and Muslim states of Europe, as well as being jointly responsible for domestic affairs with the Secretary of State for the Northern Department.

Colonial Secretary 1768–1782

The Colonial Secretary position was first created in 1768 to deal with the increasingly troublesome North American colonies, following passage of the Townsend Acts. Joint responsibility between the secretary and board first continued at this time, but subsequent diminution of the board's status led it to became an adjunct to the new secretary's department.

Following the loss of the American colonies, both the board and the short-lived secretaryship were dismissed by the king on 2 May 1782; both were abolished later by the Civil List and Secret Service Money Act 1782 (22 Geo. 3, c 82). Following this, colonial duties were given to the Home Secretary, then Lord Sydney.

1782–1854

Responsibility for the Colonies in the years between 1782 and 1854 included:

• Home Secretary 1782–1801
• Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1801–1854
• Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1854

Following the Treaty of Paris 1783, a new board, named the Committee of Council on Trade and Plantations (later known as 'the First Committee') was established under William Pitt the Younger, by an Order in Council in 1784. In 1794, a new office was created for Henry Dundas – the secretary of state for war, which now took responsibility for the Colonies. The office was renamed the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in 1801.

1854–present

In 1854, military reforms led to the colonial and military responsibilities of this secretary of state being split into two separate offices, with Sir George Grey becoming the first secretary of state for the colonies under the new arrangement.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Britain gained control over a number of territories with the status of "protectorate". The ministerial responsibility for these territories was initially held by the Foreign Secretary.

File:1944-12-30 Secretary-of-State for the Colonies Oliver Stanley & Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps at Imperial Fortress of Bermuda.jpg

Oliver Stanley inspects the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps at the Imperial Fortress of Bermuda, 30th December, 1944.

By the early years of the twentieth century the responsibility for each of the protectorate territories had been transferred to the colonial secretary as well. The League of Nations mandated territories acquired as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 became a further responsibility of the Colonial Office in the aftermath of the First World War.

In 1925, part of the Colonial Office was separated out as the Dominions Office, with its own secretary of state. The new office was responsible for dealing with the Dominions together with a small number of other territories (most notably Southern Rhodesia).

In the twenty years following the end of the Second World War, much of the British Empire was dismantled as its various territories gained independence. In consequence, the Colonial Office was merged in 1966 with the Commonwealth Relations Office (which until 1947 had been the Dominions Office) to form the Commonwealth Office, while ministerial responsibility was transferred to the secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs (previously known as the secretary of state for Commonwealth relations). In 1968, the Commonwealth Office was subsumed into the Foreign Office, which was renamed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

List of secretaries of state for the colonies

Secretaries of State for the Colonies (1768–1782)

Sometimes referred to as Secretary of State for the American Colonies.

Secretary of State for the Colonies

Secretary			Term of office		Ministry	Monarch (Reign)
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1stMarquessOfDownshire.jpg	Wills Hill 1st Earl of Hillsborough	27 February 1768	27 August 1772	Template:Party shading/Whigs |   Grafton	George III File:Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg (1760–1820)
rowspan=4 Template:Party shading/Tories | North
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:William Legge, Second Earl of Dartmouth, by Nathaniel Hone I, 1777, from the Hood Museum of Art - P.960.100.jpg	William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth	27 August 1772	10 November 1775
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:MarshGeorge1800George Germain.jpg	Lord George Germain MP for East Grinstead	10 November 1775	February 1782
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Welbore Ellis.jpg	Welbore Ellis MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis	February 1782	8 March 1782

Office abolished in 1782 after the loss of the American Colonies.

Secretaries of State for the Colonies (1854–1966)

Secretary of State for the Colonies			Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch (Reign)
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Sir George Grey, 2nd Bt.jpg	Sir George Grey, Bt. MP for Morpeth	12 June 1854	8 February 1855	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig)	Victoria File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg (1837–1901)
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea.jpg	Sidney Herbert MP for South Wiltshire	8 February 1855	23 February 1855	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	rowspan=4 Template:Party shading/Whigs | Palmerston I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord john russell.jpg	Lord John Russell MP for City of London	23 February 1855	21 July 1855	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:WilliamMolesworth.jpg	Sir William Molesworth, Bt. MP for Southwark	21 July 1855	21 November 1855	Template:Party shading/Radicals | Radical
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Henry Labouchere, Baron Taunton by William Menzies Tweedie.jpg	Henry Labouchere MP for Taunton	21 November 1855	21 February 1858	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby 2.jpg	Edward Stanley Lord Stanley MP for King's Lynn	26 February 1858	5 June 1858	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Derby–Disraeli II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton by Henry William Pickersgill.jpg	Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton MP for Hertfordshire	5 June 1858	11 June 1859	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:5thDukeOfNewcastle.jpg	Henry Pelham-Clinton 5th Duke of Newcastle (1811–1864)	18 June 1859	7 April 1864	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Palmerston II
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1stViscountCardwell.jpg	Edward Cardwell MP for Oxford	7 April 1864	26 June 1866	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Russell II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:4th Earl of Carnarvon.jpg	Henry Herbert 4th Earl of Carnarvon (1831–1890)	6 July 1866	8 March 1867	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Derby–Disraeli III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.jpg	Richard Temple-Grenville 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1823–1889)	8 March 1867	1 December 1868	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Second Earl Granville.jpg	Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville (1815–1891)	9 December 1868	6 July 1870	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1st Earl of Kimberley 1868.jpg	John Wodehouse 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826–1902)	6 July 1870	17 February 1874	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:4th Earl of Carnarvon.jpg	Henry Herbert 4th Earl of Carnarvon	21 February 1874	4 February 1878	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Disraeli II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks-Beach (1st Earl).jpg	Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt. MP for Gloucestershire East	4 February 1878	21 April 1880	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1st Earl of Kimberley 1868.jpg	John Wodehouse 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826–1902)	21 April 1880	16 December 1882	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby 2.jpg	Edward Stanley 15th Earl of Derby (1826–1893)	16 December 1882	9 June 1885	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Frederick Arthur Stanley.jpg	Frederick Stanley MP for Blackpool	24 June 1885	28 January 1886	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Salisbury I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Second Earl Granville.jpg	Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville (1815–1891)	6 February 1886	20 July 1886	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Edward Stanope.jpg	Edward Stanhope MP for Horncastle	3 August 1886	14 January 1887	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) rowspan=2 | Salisbury II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford.png	Henry Holland 1st Baron Knutsford	14 January 1887	11 August 1892	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:George Robinson 1st Marquess of Ripon.jpg	George Robinson 1st Marquess of Ripon (1827–1909)	18 August 1892	21 June 1895	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone IV
Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Rosebery
rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Joseph Chamberlain in colour.jpg	Joseph Chamberlain MP for Birmingham West	29 June 1895	16 September 1903	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Liberal Unionist | Liberal Unionist	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.)
Edward VII File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg (1901–1910)
					rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Balfour (Con.–Lib.U.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Alfred Lyttelton.jpg	Alfred Lyttelton MP for Warwick and Leamington	11 October 1903	4 December 1905	Template:Party shading/Liberal Unionist | Liberal Unionist
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Picture of Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin.jpg	Victor Bruce 9th Earl of Elgin (1849–1917)	10 December 1905	12 April 1908	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Campbell-Bannerman
	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Portrait of Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe.jpg	Robert Crewe-Milnes 1st Marquess of Crewe (1858–1945)	12 April 1908	3 November 1910	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Asquith (I–III)
George V File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg (1910–1936)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lewis Viscount Harcourt by Solomon J Solomon.jpg	Lewis Vernon Harcourt MP for Rossendale	3 November 1910	25 May 1915	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:A. Bonar Law LCCN2014715818 (cropped).jpg	Bonar Law MP for Bootle	25 May 1915	10 December 1916	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–Lab.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Long .jpg	Walter Long MP for Westminster St George's (1854–1924)	10 December 1916	10 January 1919	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Lloyd George (I & II) (Lib.–Con.–Lab.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Milner.jpg	Alfred Milner 1st Viscount Milner (1854–1925)	10 January 1919	13 February 1921	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Churchill 1904 Q 42037.jpg	Winston Churchill MP for Dundee	13 February 1921	19 October 1922	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:GG Duke of Devonshire.jpg	Victor Cavendish 9th Duke of Devonshire (1868–1938)	24 October 1922	22 January 1924	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Law
	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Baldwin I
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:James Henry Thomas circa 1920.jpg	James Henry Thomas MP for Derby	22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | MacDonald I
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Leopold Amery MP.png	Leo Amery MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook	6 November 1924	4 June 1929	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Baldwin II
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Sidney Webb 01.jpg	Sidney Webb 1st Baron Passfield (1859–1947)	7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | MacDonald II
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:James Henry Thomas circa 1920.jpg	James Henry Thomas MP for Derby	25 August 1931	5 November 1931	Template:Party shading/National Labour | National Labour	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National I (N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Swinton.jpg	Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon	5 November 1931	7 June 1935	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National II (N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Malcolmmacdonald.jpg	Malcolm MacDonald MP for Bassetlaw	7 June 1935	22 November 1935	Template:Party shading/National Labour | National Labour	rowspan=5 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National III (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:James Henry Thomas circa 1920.jpg	James Henry Thomas MP for Derby	22 November 1935	22 May 1936	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/National Labour | National Labour
Edward VIII File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg (1936)
	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech.jpg	William Ormsby-Gore MP for Stafford	28 May 1936	16 May 1938	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
George VI File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg (1936–1952)
	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National IV (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Malcolmmacdonald.jpg	Malcolm MacDonald MP for Ross and Cromarty	16 May 1938	12 May 1940	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/National Labour | National Labour
	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Chamberlain War (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:George Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd.png	George Lloyd 1st Baron Lloyd (1879–1941)	12 May 1940	4 February 1941	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=4 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill War (All parties)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne.png	Walter Guinness 1st Baron Moyne (1880–1944)	8 February 1941	22 February 1942	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury.jpg	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Viscount Cranborne MP for South Dorset	22 February 1942	22 November 1942	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	rowspan =2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Oliver Stanley.png	Oliver Stanley MP for Westmorland	22 November 1942	26 July 1945	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill Caretaker (Con.–N.Lib.)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall.png	George Henry Hall MP for Aberdare	3 August 1945	4 October 1946	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Labour | Attlee (I & II)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:No image.svg	Arthur Creech Jones MP for Shipley	4 October 1946	28 February 1950	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:No image.svg	Jim Griffiths MP for Llanelli	28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Oliver Lyttelton Visc Chandos.jpg	Oliver Lyttelton MP for Aldershot	28 October 1951	28 July 1954	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Churchill III
Elizabeth II File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (St Edward's Crown).svg (1952–2022)
	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lennox-Boyd.jpg	Alan Lennox-Boyd MP for Mid Bedfordshire	28 July 1954	14 October 1959	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Eden
	rowspan=4 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Macmillan (I & II)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-166-17 Macleod crop.jpg	Iain Macleod MP for Enfield West	14 October 1959	9 October 1961	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |		Reginald Maudling MP for Barnet	9 October 1961	13 July 1962	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Duncan Sandys 1975.png	Duncan Sandys MP for Streatham	13 July 1962	16 October 1964	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Douglas-Home
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Anthony Greenwood.jpg	Anthony Greenwood MP for Rossendale	18 October 1964	23 December 1965	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Labour | Wilson (I & II)
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Longford 4 Allan Warren.jpg	Frank Pakenham 7th Earl of Longford (1905–2001)	23 December 1965	6 April 1966	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:No image.svg	Frederick Lee MP for Newton	6 April 1966	1 August 1966	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour

Responsibility for the colonies held by:

• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs 1966–1968
• Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 1968–present

Following the British Nationality Act 1981, the term "colony" ceased to be used; Britain's rule over Hong Kong, the last significant colony, ceased in 1997. Britain retains certain overseas territories.

Notes

Secretaries from the Colonies

A few title holders were born in colonies under their portfolio and some beyond:

• Bonar Law – born in pre-Canada colony of New Brunswick and later moved to the United Kingdom
• Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin – born in Canada during his father's, James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, term as Governor General of Canada and a British appointee
• Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner – born in Grand Duchy of Hesse (now in Germany) to Charles Milner (who had English roots from his father)
• Leo Amery – born in British India to an English father serving in India

See also

• Colonial Land and Emigration Commission