Historical country records

Botswana historical timeline

Botswana

Date or term	Officeholder or event	Category
1884	British protectorate (Bechuanaland)	Leaders
1 Sep 1885	area south of the Molopo River becomes a crown colony	Leaders
30 Sep 1966	independence (Republic of Botswana)	Leaders
1884 - Jan 1885	John Mackenzie	Resident
23 Jan 1885 - Sep 1885	Sir Charles Warren	Special commissioner
Sep 1885 - Nov 1895	Sidney Shippard (from Jun 1887, Sir Sidney Shippard) (b. 1837 - d. 1902)	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
19 Nov 1895 - 1897	Francis James Newton	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
21 Dec 1897 - 1900	Hamilton John Goold-Adams	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
Jan 1901 - 1906	Sir Ralph Champneys Williams	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1906 - 1916	Francis William Panzera	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1916 - 1917	Edward Charles Frederick Garraway	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1917 - 1923	James Comyn MacGregor	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1923 - 1927	Jules Ellenberger	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1928 - 1930	Rowland Mortimer Daniel	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1930 - 1937	Charles Fernand Rey	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1937 - 1942	Charles Noble Arden-Clarke	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1942 - 1946	Aubrey Denzil Forsyth-Thompson	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1946 - 1950	Anthony Sillery	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1950 - 1953	Edward Betham Beetham	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1953 - 1955	William Forbes Mackenzie	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1955 - 1959	Martin Osterfield Wray	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1959 - 1963	John Redcliffe Maud	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1963 - 1965	Peter Fawcus (from 1964, Sir Peter Fawcus) (b. 1915 - d. 2003)	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
1965 - 30 Sep 1966	Hugh Selby Norman-Walker Norman-Walker) (b. 1916 - d. 1985)	Resident commissioners (from 3 Oct 1963, commissioners)
30 Sep 1966 - 13 Jul 1980	Sir Seretse Khama	Presidents
13 Jul 1980 - 31 Mar 1998	Quett Masire (from 1991, Sir Ketumile Masire) (b. 1925)	Presidents
1 Apr 1998 - 31 Mar 2008	Festus Mogae	Presidents
1 Apr 2008 -	Ian Khama	Presidents
3 Mar 1965 - 30 Sep 1966	Seretse Khama (from 23 Sep 1966, Sir Seretse Khama) (s.a.)	Prime minister

High Commission Territories

Date or term	Officeholder or event	Category
27 Jan 1847 - 6 Mar 1901	the governors of the Cape Colony	High commissioners for Southern Africa
5 May 1897 - 1 Apr 1905	Alfred Milner, Viscount Milner	High commissioners for Southern Africa
2 Apr 1905 - 31 May 1910	William Waldegrave Palmer, Earl of Selborne (b. 1859 - d. 1942)	High commissioners for Southern Africa
31 May 1910 - 11 Dec 1923	the governors-general of South Africa	High commissioners for Southern Africa
11 Dec 1923 - 21 Jan 1924	Sir Rudolf Bentinck (acting)	High commissioners for Southern Africa
21 Jan 1924 - 6 Apr 1931	the governors-general of South Africa	High commissioners for Southern Africa
6 Apr 1931 - 6 Jan 1935	Sir Herbert Stanley	High commissioners for Southern Africa
7 Jan 1935 - 3 Jan 1940	Sir William Clark	High commissioners for Southern Africa
3 Jan 1940 - 24 May 1941	Sir Walter Huggard (1st time)	High commissioners for Southern Africa
24 May 1941 - 13 May 1944	William Ormsby-Gore, Baron Harlech	High commissioners for Southern Africa
13 May 1944 - 23 Jun 1944	Harold Eddey Priestman (acting)	High commissioners for Southern Africa
23 Jun 1944 - 27 Oct 1944	Sir Walter Huggard (2nd time)	High commissioners for Southern Africa
27 Oct 1944 - 1 Oct 1951	Sir Evelyn Baring	High commissioners for Southern Africa
2 Oct 1951 - 2 Feb 1955	Sir John Le Rougetel	High commissioners for Southern Africa
4 Mar 1955 - Dec 1958	Sir Percivale Liesching	High commissioners for Southern Africa
15 Jan 1959 - 1963	Sir John Maud	High commissioners for Southern Africa
1963 - 31 Jul 1964	Sir Hugh Southern Stephenson	High commissioners for Southern Africa