List of governors of the Danish West Indies

Governor-General of the Danish West Indies
Danish: Generalguvernør for Dansk Vestindien
Flag of Denmark / Denmark–Norway (until 1814)
Longest in office
Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten
14 July 1827 – 6 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.

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.

Governors of St. Thomas

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

Portrait Incumbent Term Notes
1 Erik Nielson Smit 6 May 1665 – 12 June 1666
2 Kjeld Jensen Slagelse c. 1666
3 Jørgen Iversen Dyppel 25 May 1672 – 4 July 1680
4 Nicolai Esmit 4 July 1680 – November 1682
5 Adolph Esmit November 1680 – 7 May 1684

Governors of St. Thomas and St. John

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

Portrait Incumbent Term Notes
1 Gabriel Milan 7 May 1684 – 27 February 1686
2 Mikkel Mikkelsen (interim) 27 February 1686 – 29 June 1686
3 Christopher Heins 29 June 1686 – March 1687
4 Adolph Esmit (interim) March 1687 – October 1688 Second term
5 Christopher Heins October 1688 – October 1689 Second term
6 Johan Lorensen October 1689 – 17 September 1692
7 Frans de la Vigne 17 September 1692 – 7 April 1693
8 Johan Lorensen 7 April 1693 – 19 February 1702 Second term
9 Claus Hansen 19 February 1702 – 8 February 1706
10 Joachim Melchior von Holten 8 February 1706 – 21 December 1708
11 Diderich Mogensen 21 December 1708 – 1710
12 Mikkel Knudsen Crone 1710 – 8 August 1716
13 Erik Bredal 8 August 1716 – April 1724 During his term St. John was occupied.
14 Friderich Moth April 1724 – May 1727
15 Henrich von Suhm May 1727 – 21 February 1733
16 Phillip Gardelin [da; no] 21 February 1733 – 21 February 1736 During his term there was a slave rebellion.
17 Friderich Moth 21 February 1736 – 13 April 1744 Second term. Also governor of St. Croix (see below).
18 Jacob Schönemann 1740 – 1744
19 Christian von Schweder 13 April 1744 – 25 April 1747
20 Christian Suhm 25 April 1747 – 1758
21 Harrien Felschauer 1758 – 1760
22 Johan Georg von John 1760 – April 1764
23 Ditlev Wilhelm Wildthagen April 1764 – November 1764
24 Peter Gynthelberg November 1764 – 1765
25 Ulrich Wilhelm de Roepstorff 1765 – 1766 Later Governor-General (see below).
26 Jens Nielsen Kragh 1766 – 1773
27 Thomas de Malleville 1773 – 1796 Later Governor-General (see below).
28 Balthazar Frederik Mühlenfels 1796 – 1800 Later Governor-General (see below).
29 Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten [da; de; no] 1800 – March 1801
30 John Clayton Cowell 31 March 1801 – 27 March 1802 British occupation.
31 Willum von Rømeling 27 March 1802 – 1803
32 Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten 1803 – December 1807 Second term
33 Fitzroy J. Grafton McLean December 1807 – 20 November 1815 British occupation.
34 Christian Ludvig von Holten 20 November 1815 – 1818
35 Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten 1818 – 1820 Later Governor-General (see below).
36 Christian Ludvig von Holten |valign=top|February 1820 – March 1820 Second term
37 Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten April 1820 – July 1820 Second term
38 Carl Gottlieb Fleischer 1820 – 1822
39 Carl Wilhelm Jessen 1822 – 1823
40 Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten 1823 – 1826 Third term
41 Johannes Søbøtker 1826 – 1829
42 Frederik Ludvig Christian Pentz Rosenørn [de] 1829 – 1830
43 Lewin Jürgen Rohde
Acting 		1830-1830
44 Frederik Ludvig Christian Pentz Rosenørn 1830 - 1831
45 Lewin Jürgen Rohde
Acting 		1831 - 1832
46 Frederik Ludvig Christian Pentz Rosenørn 1832 – 1834
47 Frederik Oxholm 1834 – 1836
48 Johannes Søbøtker 1836 – 1848 Second term
49 Hans Henrik Berg 1848
50 Frederik Oxholm 1848 – 1852 Second term
51 Hans Henrik Berg 1853 – 1862 Second term

Governors of St. Croix

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

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office
Term start Term end Time in office
1 Frederik Moth
(1694–1746) 		16 November 1733 20 February 1736 2 years, 96 days
– Gregers Høg Nissen
(1709–1772)
Acting 		24 February 1736 16 April 1744 8 years, 52 days
– Paul Lindemark Jørgensen
Acting 		16 April 1744 15 May 1747 3 years, 29 days
2 Jens Hansen [da]
(1719–1758) 		15 May 1747 22 December 1751 4 years, 221 days
3 Peter Clausen [da]
(1721–1784) 		22 December 1751 6 August 1755 3 years, 227 days

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

Governor-generals of the Danish West Indies

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office
Term start Term end Time in office
Governor-general
1 Christian Leberecht von Prøck
(1718–1780) 		6 August 1755 7 August 1766 11 years, 1 day
2 Peter Clausen [da]
(1721–1784) 		7 August 1766 4 May 1770 3 years, 270 days
3 Frederik Christian Moth
(1730–1808) 		4 May 1770 1 March 1772 1 year, 302 days
4 Ulrich Wilhelm de Roepstorff
(1729–1821) 		1 March 1772 31 July 1773 1 year, 152 days
– Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann
(1743–1793)
Acting 		31 July 1773 27 October 1773 88 days
(2) Peter Clausen [da]
(1721–1784) 		27 October 1773 24 June 1784 † 10 years, 329 days
5 Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann
(1743–1793) 		25 June 1784 31 December 1787 3 years, 189 days
6 Ernst Frederik Walterstorff
(1755–1820) 		31 December 1787 25 July 1794 6 years, 206 days
7 Wilhelm Anton Lindemann [da]
(1739–1801) 		25 July 1794 8 May 1796 1 year, 288 days
8 Thomas de Malleville
(1739–1798) 		8 May 1796 26 October 1798 2 years, 171 days
(7) Wilhelm Anton Lindemann [da]
(1739–1801) 		26 October 1798 31 March 1801 2 years, 156 days
(6) Ernst Frederik Walterstorff
(1755–1820) 		16 February 1802 16 February 1803 1 year, 0 days
9 Balthazar Frederik Mühlenfels
(?–1807) 		16 February 1803 22 March 1807 4 years, 34 days
10 Hans Christopher Lillienskjøld
(1762–1837) 		22 March 1807 25 December 1807[a] 278 days
British occupation
– Henry Bowyer 25 December 1807 1 April 1815 7 years, 97 days
End of British occupation
11 Peter Lotharius Oxholm
(1753–1827) 		1 April 1815 1 May 1816 1 year, 30 days
– Johan Henrik von Stabel
(1774–1831)
Acting 		1 May 1816 1 July 1816 61 days
12 Adrian Benjamin Bentzon
(1777–1827) 		1 July 1816 26 June 1819 2 years, 360 days
– Johan Henrik von Stabel
(1774–1831)
Acting 		26 June 1819 16 October 1820 1 year, 112 days
13 Carl Adolph Rothe
(1767–1834) 		16 October 1820 5 July 1822 1 year, 262 days
14 Johan Frederik Bardenfleth
(1772–1833) 		5 July 1822 14 July 1827 5 years, 9 days
15 Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten[b]
(1784–1854) 		14 July 1827 6 July 1848 20 years, 358 days
– Frederik Oxholm
(1801–1871)
Acting 		6 July 1848 27 November 1848 144 days
Government Commissioner
16 Peder Hansen [da]
(1798–1880) 		27 November 1848 24 June 1851 2 years, 209 days
Governor
17 Hans Ditmar Frederik Feddersen
(1805–1863) 		24 June 1851 27 April 1855 3 years, 307 days
18 Johan Frederik Schlegel
(1817–1896) 		27 April 1855 31 May 1860 5 years, 34 days
19 Vilhelm Ludvig Birch [da]
(1817–1896) 		31 May 1860 25 February 1871 10 years, 270 days
– John Christmas
(1799–1873)
Acting 		26 February 1871 30 June 1871 124 days
– Frantz Bille [da]
(1832–1918)
Acting 		30 June 1871 1 July 1872 1 year, 1 day
– Johan August Stakeman
(1805–1891)
Acting 		1 July 1872 24 September 1872 85 days
20 Janus August Garde
(1823–1893) 		25 September 1872 23 March 1881 8 years, 179 days
21 Christian Henrik Arendrup
(1837–1913) 		15 April 1881 22 December 1893 12 years, 251 days
22 Carl Emil Hedemann
(1852–1929) 		22 December 1893 17 April 1903 9 years, 116 days
23 Herman August Jürs
(1838–1918) 		17 April 1903 21 January 1904 279 days
24 Frederik Theodor Martin Mortensen Nordlien 22 January 1904 2 April 1905 1 year, 70 days
25 Christian Cold
(1863–1934) 		27 April 1905 21 February 1908 4 years, 25 days
26 Peter Carl Limpricht [da]
(1838–1912) 		21 February 1908 4 August 1911 3 years, 164 days
27 Christian Helweg-Larsen [da]
(1860–1934) 		7 November 1911 3 October 1916 5 years, 60 days
– Henri Konow
(1862–1939)
Acting 		3 October 1916 31 March 1917 179 days

The Danish West Indies were sold by Denmark to the United States on 12 December 1916. The administration was officially turned over on 31 March 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

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Notes

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  1. ^ Deposed in the Invasion of the Danish West Indies (1807).
  2. ^ During his tenure Johannes Søbøtker served as acting Governor-General: 24 April 1831 – 18 July 1832, 22 March 1834 – 28 January 1835

References

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  • "Commandants and Governors". The Danish West-Indies. Danish National Archives. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  • "De Vestindiske Øer - oversigt over guvernører" (in Danish). 25 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2020.

Bibliography

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  • Waldemar Westergaard, The Danish West Indies under Company Rule (1671 – 1754) (MacMillan, New York, 1917)
  • World Statesmen. Retrieved 6 April 2006
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