Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory
| Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory | |
 Standard of the commissioner | |
 | |
| Appointer | Charles III as King of the United Kingdom |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Inaugural holder | Edwin Porter Arrowsmith Merrick Baker-Bates First Commissioner |
| Deputy | Jane Rumble Deputy Commissioner |
The Commissioner for the British Antarctic Territory, is the head of government of the British Antarctic Territory, a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. The commissioner is appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
History
[edit]Prior to 1962, the area was a part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies and as such was administered by the Governor of the Falkland Islands.[1] The British Antarctic Territory was established as a separate British overseas territory in 1962.[2] From 1962 to 1990, the Governor of the Falkland Islands also held the office of high commissioner for the territory. In 1990, administration of the BAT was transferred to a separate commissioner based in London. Since 1998, the commissioner of the BAT has also served as Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
List of high commissioners and commissioners
[edit]High commissioners (1962-1990)
[edit]During this time also served as the Governor of the Falkland Islands
- Edwin Porter Arrowsmith (1962–1964)
- Cosmo Dugal Patrick Thomas Haskard (1964–1970)
- Ernest Gordon Lewis (1971–1975)
- Neville Arthur Irwin French (1975–1977)
- James Roland Walter Parker (1977–1980)
- Rex Masterman Hunt (1980–1985)
- Gordon Wesley Jewkes (1985–1988)
- William H. Fullerton (1988–1990)
Commissioners (1990-present)
[edit]These are non-resident and based in London. Since 1998, has also served as Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
- Merrick Baker-Bates (1990–1992)
- P. Newton (1992–1995)
- Anthony Longrigg (1995–1997)
- John White (1997–2001)
- Alan Huckle (2001–2004)
- Tony Crombie (2004–2006)
- Leigh Turner (2006–2008)
- Colin Roberts (2008–2012)
- Peter Hayes (2012–2016)
- John Kittmer (2016–2017)
- Ben Merrick (2017–2021)
- Paul Candler (2021–present)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "History of the Territory". British Antarctic Territory. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "About the Territory". British Antarctic Territory. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
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