List of governors of the Danish West Indies

This article lists the governors of the Danish West Indies (Danish: Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands, a Danish colony in the Caribbean encompassing the territory of the present-day United States Virgin Islands.

Governor-General of the Danish West Indies
Danish: Generalguvernør for Dansk Vestindien
Longest in office
Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten
1827 – July 1848
ResidenceGovernment House (Christiansted)
NominatorPrime Minister of Denmark
AppointerMonarch of Denmark
PrecursorNone
Formation1756
First holderChristian Leberecht von Prøck
Final holderHenri Konow (acting)
Abolished31 March 1917
SuccessionGovernor of the United States Virgin Islands
Map of the Danish West Indies, in Danish language.
Satellite image of the U.S. Virgin Islands, taken by NASA's satellite Landsat 7.
A 1976 political map of U.S. and British Virgin Islands, produced by the CIA.
Map of Spanish (green), U.S. (red) and British (blue) Virgin Islands.

Governors of St. Thomas

St. Thomas was claimed by Denmark–Norway in 1665.

TermPortraitIncumbentNotes
6 May 1665 — 12 June 1666Erik Nielson Smit, Governor
c. 1666Kjeld Jensen Slagelse, Governor
25 May 1672 — 4 July 1680Jørgen Iversen Dyppel, Governor
4 July 1680 — November 1682Nicolai Esmit, Governor
November 1680 — 7 May 1684Adolph Esmit, Governor

Governors of St. Thomas & St. John

St. John (St. Jan) was claimed by Danish West India Company in 1683, which was disputed by the British until 1718.

TermPortraitIncumbentNotes
7 May 1684 — 27 February 1686Gabriel Milan, Governor
27 February 1686 — 29 June 1686Mikkel Mikkelsen, interim Governor
29 June 1686 — March 1687Christopher Heins, Governor
March 1687 — October 1688Adolph Esmit, interim GovernorSecond term
October 1688 — October 1689Christopher Heins, GovernorSecond term
October 1689 — 17 September 1692Johan Lorensen, Governor
17 September 1692 — 7 April 1693Frans de la Vigne, Governor
7 April 1693 — 19 February 1702Johan Lorensen, GovernorSecond term
19 February 1702 — 8 February 1706Claus Hansen, Governor
8 February 1706 — 21 December 1708Joachim Melchior von Holten, Governor
21 December 1708 — 1710Diderich Mogensen, interim Governor
1710 — 8 August 1716Mikkel Knudsen Crone, Governor
8 August 1716 — April 1724Erich Bredal, GovernorDuring his term St. John was occupied.
April 1724 — May 1727Friderich Moth, Governor
May 1727 — 21 February 1733Hendrich von Suhm, Governor
21 February 1733 — 21 February 1736Phillip Gardelin, GovernorDuring his term there was a slave rebellion.
21 February 1736 — 13 April 1744Friderich Moth, GovernorSecond term. Also governor of St. Croix (see below).
1740 — 1744Jacob Schönemann, Governor
13 April 1744 — 25 April 1747Christian von Schweder, Governor
25 April 1747 — 1758Christian Suhm, Governor

Governors of St. Croix

St. Croix was bought from French West India Company in 1733.

TermPortraitIncumbentNotes
8 January 1735 — 15 May 1747Friderich Moth, Governor
24 February 1736 — 16 April 1744Gregers Høg Nissen, Chief ad interim
16 April 1744 — 15 May 1747Paul Lindemark, Chief ad interim
15 May 1747 — December 1751Jens Hansen, Governor
December 1751 — 1758Peter Clausen, GovernorLater Governor-General (see below).

In 1754, the Danish West Indies were sold by Danish West India Company to King Frederick V, becoming royal Danish colonies. Hereafter, St. Croix was governed by the Governors-General of the Danish West Indies.

Governors of the royal colonies
TermPortraitIncumbentNotes
1756 — 1766Christian Leberecht von Prøck, Governor-General of St. Thomas & St. JohnFrom 1758 also Governor-General of St. Croix.
1758 — 1760Harrien Felschauer, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1760 — April 1764Johan Georg von John, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
April 1764 — November 1764Ditlev Wilhelm Wildthagen, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
November 1764 — 1765Peter Gynthelberg, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1765 — 1766Ulrich Wilhelm de Roepstorff, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnLater Governor-General (see below).
1766 — 1771Peter Clausen, Governor-General
1766 — 1773Jens Nielsen Kragh, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1770 — 1772Frederick Moth, Governor-General
1772 — 1773Ulrich Wilhelm de Roepstorff, Governor-General
July 1773 — October 1773Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann, Governor-General
1773 — 1796Thomas de Malleville, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnLater Governor-General (see below).
October 1773 — 1784Peter Clausen, Governor-GeneralSecond term
1784 — 1787Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann, Governor-GeneralSecond term
1787 — 1794Ernst Frederik von Walterstorff, Governor-General
1794 — 1796Wilhelm Anton Lindemann, Governor-General
1796 — 1799Thomas de Malleville, Governor-General
1796 — 1800Balthazar Frederik Mühlenfels, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnLater Governor-General (see below).
1799 — 31 March 1801Wilhelm Anton Lindemann, Governor-GeneralSecond term
1800 — March 1801Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
31 March 1801 — 27 March 1802John Clayton Cowell, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnBritish occupation.
16 February 1802 — 27 October 1802Ernst Frederik von Walterstorff, Governor-GeneralSecond term
27 October 1802 — 1807Balthazar Frederik Mühlenfels, Governor-General
27 March 1802 — 1803Willum von Rømeling, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1803 — December 1807Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnSecond term
March 1807 — December 1807Hans Christopher Lillienskjøld, Governor-GeneralDeposed in the Invasion of the Danish West Indies (1807).
December 1807 — 1808Henry Bowyer, Governor-GeneralCommander-in-Chief of the British Army in the Windward and Leeward Islands, who accepted the surrender of the Danish Virgin Islands; died on the islands in August 1808.
December 1807 — 20 November 1815Fitzroy J. Grafton McLean, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnBritish occupation.
1815 — 1816Peter Lotharius Oxholm, Governor-General
20 November 1815 — 1818Christian Ludvig von Holten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
May 1816 — July 1816Johan Henrik von Stabel, Governor-General
1816 — 1820Adrian Benjamin Bentzon, Governor-General
1818 — 1820Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnLater Governor-General (see below).
1820 — 1822Carl Adolph Rothe, Governor-General
February 1820 — March 1820Christian Ludvig von Holten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnSecond term
April 1820 — July 1820Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnSecond term
1820 — 1822Carl Gottlieb Fleischer, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1822 — 1827Johan Frederik Bardenfleth, Governor-General
1822 — 1823Carl Wilhelm Jessen, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1823 — 1826Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnThird term
1826 — 1829Johannes Søbøtker, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1827 — July 1848Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor-GeneralDuring his term slavery was abolished in the Danish West Indies, on 3 July 1848.[1][2][3][4]
1829 — 1834Frederik Ludvig Christian Pentz Rosenørn, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1834 — 1836Frederik von Oxholm, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
1836 — 1848Johannes Søbøtker, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnSecond term
July 1848 — November 1848Frederik von Oxholm, acting Governor-General
1848Hans Henrik Berg, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John
November 1848 — 1851Peder Hansen, Government Commissioner
1848 — 1852Frederik von Oxholm, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnSecond term
1851 — 1855Hans Ditmar Frederik Feddersen, Governor-General
1853 — 1862Hans Henrik Berg, Governor of St. Thomas & St. JohnSecond term
27 April 1855 — 31 May 1861Johan Frederik Schlegel, Governor-General
31 May 1861 — 25 February 1871Vilhelm Ludvig Birch, Governor-General
26 February 1871 — 30 June 1871John Christmas, Governor-General
30 June 1871 — 1 July 1872Frantz Bille, acting Governor-General
1 July 1872 — 24 September 1872Johan August Stakeman, acting Governor-General
25 September 1872 — 23 March 1881Janus August Garde, Governor-GeneralDuring his term the 1878 St. Croix labor riot occurred.[5]
15 April 1881 — 22 December 1893Christian Henrik Arendrup, Governor-General
22 December 1893 — 17 April 1903Carl Emil Hedemann, Governor-General
17 April 1903 — 21 January 1904Herman August Jürs, Governor-General
22 January 1904 — 2 April 1905Frederik Theodor Martin Mortensen Nordlien, Governor-General
27 April 1905 — 21 February 1908Christian Magdalus Thestrup Cold, Governor-General
21 February 1908 — 4 August 1911Peter Carl Limpricht, Governor-General
7 November 1911 — 3 October 1916Lars Christian Helweg-Larsen, Governor-General
3 October 1916 — 31 March 1917Henri Konow, acting Governor-General

The Danish West Indies were sold by Denmark to the United States on December 12, 1916. The administration was officially turned over on March 31, 1917, and the first US governor was Navy Captain Edwin Taylor Pollock. For governors of the territory after the establishment of the US administration, see List of governors of the United States Virgin Islands.

See also

References
  1. "Encyclopedia Britannica - USVI". Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  2. "Monuments and sites in St. Croix". The slave ship Fredenborg: An information project. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Archived from the original on 29 December 2005.
  3. Robert William Fogel and Stanley L. Engerman. Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery, 1995. Pages 33–34.
  4. Cobb, Thomas Read Rootes. An Inquiry Into the Law of Negro Slavery in the United States of America: To which is Prefixed An Historical Sketch of Slavery, 1858. Page cxcii.
  5. Taylor, Charles Edwin (1888). Leaflets from the Danish West Indies: descriptive of the social, political and commercial condition of these islands. London.

Bibliography
  • Waldemar Westergaard, The Danish West Indies under Company Rule (1671 – 1754) (MacMillan, New York, 1917)
  • World Statesmen, accessed April 6, 2006
  • The Danish West-Indies, accessed April 17, 2020
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