List of Governors of the Danish West Indies

Being a list of governors of the former Danish colony, the Danish West Indies.

Governors of St. Thomas

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

• Erik Nielson Smit, Governor of St. Thomas (May 6, 1665 – June 12, 1666)
• Kjeld Jensen Slagelse, Governor of St. Thomas (c. 1666)

• Jørgen Iversen Dyppel, Governor of St. Thomas (May 25, 1672 - July 4, 1680)
• Nicolai Esmit, Governor of St. Thomas (July 4, 1680 - November, 1682)
• Adolph Esmit, Governor of St. Thomas (November, 1682 - May 7, 1684)

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.

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

Governors of St. Croix

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

• Friderich Moth, Governor of St. Croix (January 8, 1735 - May 15, 1747)
• Gregers Høg Nissen, Chief ad interim of St. Croix (February 24, 1736 - April 16, 1744)
• Paul Lindemark, Chief ad interim of St. Croix (April 16, 1744 - May 15, 1747)
• Jens Hansen, Governor of St. Croix (May 15, 1747 - December, 1751)
• Peter Clausen, Governor of St. Croix (December, 1751 - 1758)

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

Governors of the royal colonies

• Christian Leberecht von Prøck, Governor-General of St. Thomas & St. John l (1756 - 1766), from 1758 also St. Croix.
  • Harrien Felschauer, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John (1758 - 1760)
  • Johan Georg von John, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John (1760 - April, 1764)
  • Ditlev Wilhelm Wildthagen, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John (April, 1764 - November, 1764)
  • Peter Gynthelberg, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John (November, 1764 - 1765)
  • Ulrich Wilhelm Roepstorff, Governor of St. Thomas & St. John (1765 - 1766)
• Peter Clausen, Governor-General (1766 - 1771)
  • Jens Nielsen Kragh, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1766 - 1773)
• Frederik Moth, Governor-General (1770 - 1772)
• Ulrich Wilhelm von Roepstorff, Governor-General (1772 - 1773)
• Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann, Governor-General (July, 1773 - October, 1773)
  • Thomas de Malleville, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1773 - 1796) - later Governor-General (see below)
• Peter Clausen, Governor-General (October, 1773 - 1784)
• Henrik Ludvig Ernst von Schimmelmann, Governor-General, second reign (1784 - 1787)
• Ernst Frederik von Walterstorff, Governor-General (1787 - 1794)
• Wilhelm Anton Lindemann, Governor-General (1794 - 1796)
• Thomas de Malleville, Governor-General (1796 - 1799)
  • Balthazar Frederik Mühlenfels, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1796 - 1800)
• Wilhelm Anton Lindemann, Governor-General, second reign (1799 - March 31, 1801)
  • Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1800 - March, 1801)
  • John Clayton Cowell, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (March 31, 1801 - March 27, 1802) - British occupation
• Ernst Frederik von Walterstorff, Governor-General, second reign (February 16, 1802 - October 27, 1802)
• Baltharzar Frederik Mühlenfels, Governor-General (October 27, 1802 - 1807)
  • Willum von Rømeling, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (March 27, 1802 - 1803)
  • Casimir Wilhelm von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, second reign (1803 - December, 1807)
• Hans Christopher Lillienskjøld, Governor-General (March, 1807 - December, 1807)
• Henry Bowyer, Governor-General (December, 1807 - 1808)
  • Governor McLean, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (December, 1807 - November 20, 1815) - British occupation
• Peter Lotharius von Oxholm, Governor-General (1815 - 1816)
  • Christian Ludvig von Holten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (November 20, 1815 - 1818)
• Johan Henrik von Stabel, Governor-General (May, 1816 - July, 1816)
• Adrian Benjamin Bentzon, Governor-General (1816 - 1820)
  • Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1818 - 1820), later Governor-General (see below)
• Carl Adolph Rothe, Governor-General (1820 - 1822)
  • Christian Ludvig von Holten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, second reign (February, 1920 - March, 1820)
  • Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, second reign (April, 1820 - July, 1820)
  • Carl Gottlieb Fleischer, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1820 - 1822)
• Johan Frederik Bardenfleth, Governor-General (1822 - 1827)
  • Carl Wilhelm Jessen, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1822 - 1823)
  • Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, third reign (1823 - 1826)
  • Johannes Söbötker, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1826 - 1829)
• Peter Carl Frederik von Scholten, Governor-General (1827 - July, 1848)
  • Frederik Ludvig Christian Pentz Rosenørn, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1829 - 1834)
  • Frederik von Oxholm, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1834 - 1836)
  • Johannes Söbötker, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, second reign (1836 - 1848)
• Frederik von Oxholm (acting), Governor-General (July, 1848 - November, 1848)
  • Hans Hendrik Berg, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John (1848)
• Peder Hansen, Government Commissioner (November, 1848 - 1851)
  • Frederik von Oxholm, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, second reign (1848 - 1852)
• Hans Ditmar Frederik Feddersen, Governor-General (1851 - 1855)
  • Hans Hendrik Berg, Governor of St. Thomas, St. John, second reign (1853 - 1862)
• Johan Frederik Schlegel, Governor-General (1855 - 1861)
• Vilhelm Ludvig Birch, Governor-General (1861 - 1871)
• John Christmas, Governor-General (February, 1871 - June, 1871)
• Frantz Ernst Bille, acting Governor-General (June, 1871 - July, 1872)
• Johan August Stakeman, acting Governor-General (July, 1872 - September, 1872)
• Janus August Garde, Governor-General (September, 1872 - 1881)
• Christian Henrik Arendrup, Governor-General (1881 - 1893)
• Carl Emil Hedemann, Governor-General (1893 - 1903)
• Herman August Jürs, Governor-General (1903 - 1904)
• Frederik Theodor Martin Mortensen Nordlien, Governor-General (1904 -1905)
• Christian Magdalus Thestrup Cold, Governor-General (1905 - 1908)
• Peter Carl Limpricht, Governor-General (1908 - 1911)
• Lars Christian Helweg-Larsen, Governor-General (1911 - October 3, 1916)
• Henri Konow, acting Governor-General (October 3, 1916 - March 31, 1917)

The Danish West Indies was sold by the Danish state to the United States of America on December 12, 1916. The administration was officially turned over on March 31, 1917, and the first US governor was Edwin Taylor Pollock, see List of United States Virgin Islands Governors.

Bibliography

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