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List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands

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Mayor of Pitcairn
Coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands
Incumbent
Simon Young
since 1 January 2023
StyleMayor (Domestically)
Member ofIsland Council
SeatAdamstown
AppointerGovernor of Pitcairn (de jure)
Popular vote (de facto)
Term length3 years; renewable
Formation7 December 1999
(current office of the Mayor)
First holderFletcher Christian (as Leader)
Steve Christian (as Mayor)
DeputyKevin Young
Politics of the Pitcairn Islands
Monarchy
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Related topics

The Pitcairn Islands, a group of islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, are the last remaining British Overseas Territory in Oceania. Settled by mutineers from the Bounty in 1790, the island was effectively sovereign until 1898, when it was annexed by the United Kingdom and placed under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fiji. When Fiji became independent in 1970, Pitcairn Island was placed under the authority of the British high commissioner (ambassador) to New Zealand. In practice, partly due to its isolation, Pitcairn has effectively had internal self-government throughout this period. From 1790 to 1829, the local head of government was known simply as the leader. They had a president from 1832 to 1838, and a magistrate from that time until 1999, except for an eleven-year gap from 1893 to 1904, when the chief official was the president of the Council. In 1999, the magistrate's non-judicial functions were transferred to the new office of mayor.

Local heads of government (1790–present)

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Pitcairn Islands Pitcairn Islands United Kingdom
No. Name
(Birth–Death) 		Title Portrait Tenure Notes Governor of Pitcairn Monarch
From Until
1 Fletcher Christian
(1764–1793) 		Leader 23 January 1790 3 October 1793 N/A N/A
2 Edward "Ned" Young
(1762–1800) 		3 October 1793 25 December 1800
3 John "Jack" Adams
(1767–1829) 		25 December 1800 5 March 1829
– Vacant[a] 5 March 1829 October 1832
4 Joshua Hill
(1773–1844?) 		President October 1832 1838
5 Edward Quintal
(1800–1841) 		Magistrate 1838 1839
Victoria
6 Arthur Quintal I
(1795–1872) 		1840 1841
7 Fletcher Christian II
(1812–1852) 		1842 1842
8 Matthew McCoy
(1819–1853) 		1843 1843 1st term
9 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1844 1844 1st term
10 Arthur Quintal II
(1816–1902) 		1845 1846 1st term
11 Charles Christian II
(1818–1886) 		1847 1847
12 George Adams
(1804–1873) 		1848 1848
13 Simon Young
(1823–1893) 		1849 1849
14 Arthur Quintal II
(1816–1902) 		1850 1850 2nd term
15 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1851 1851 2nd term
16 Abraham Blatchly Quintal
(1827–1910) 		1852 1852
17 Matthew McCoy
(1819–1853) 		1853 1853 2nd term
18 Arthur Quintal II
(1816–1902) 		1854 1854 3rd term
19 George Martin Frederick Young
(1822–1909) 		1855 3 May 1856
– Vacant due to relocation to Norfolk Island 1856 1864
20 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		Magistrate 1864 1864 3rd term
21 Moses Young
(1829–1909) 		1865 1866 1st term
22 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1867 1867 4th term
23 Robert Pitcairn Buffett
(1830–1916) 		1868 1868
24 Moses Young
(1829–1909) 		1869 1869 2nd term
25 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		1870 1872 1st term
26 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1873 1874 5th term
27 Moses Young
(1829–1909) 		1875 1875 3rd term
28 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1876 1877 6th term
29 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		1878 1879 2nd term
30 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1880 1880 7th term
31 Moses Young
(1829–1909) 		1881 1881 4th term
32 Thursday October Christian II
(1820–1911) 		1882 1882 8th term
33 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		1883 1883 3rd term
34 Benjamin Stanley Young
(1851–1934) 		1884 1885 1st term
35 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		1886 1889 4th term
36 Charles Carleton Vieder Young
(1850–1941) 		1890 1891
37 Benjamin Stanley Young
(1851–1934) 		1892 1892 2nd term
38 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		President of the Council 1893 1896 5th term
39 William Alfred Young
(1863–1911) 		1897 1897 1st term
40 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		1897 1903 6th term

Edward VII
41 William Alfred Young
(1863–1911) 		1904 1904 2nd term
42 James Russell McCoy
(1845–1924) 		Magistrate 1905 1906 7th term
43 Arthur Herbert Young
(1873–1943) 		1907 1907 1st term
44 William Alfred Young
(1863–1911) 		1908 1908 3rd term
45 Matthew Edmond McCoy
(1868–1929) 		1909 1909
46 Gerard Bromley Robert Christian
(1870–1919) 		1910 1919

George V
47 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1920 1920 1st term
48 Frederick Martin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1921 1921 1st term
49 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1922 1922 2nd term
50 Edgar Allen Christian
(1879–1960) 		1923 1924 1st term
51 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1925 1925 3rd term
52 Richard Edgar Christian
(1882–1940) 		1926 1929 1st term
53 Arthur Herbert Young
(1873–1943) 		1930 1931 2nd term
54 Edgar Allen Christian
(1879–1960) 		1932 1932 2nd term
55 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1933 1934 4th term
56 Richard Edgar Christian
(1882–1940) 		1935 1938 2nd term

Edward VIII

George VI
57 Arthur Herbert Young
(1873–1943) 		1939 1939 3rd term
58 Richard Edgar Christian
(1882–1940) 		1940 1940 3rd term
59 Andrew Clarence David Young
(1899–1988) 		1940 1940
60 Arthur Herbert Young
(1873–1943) 		1941 1941 4th term
61 Frederick Martin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1942 1943 2nd term
62 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1944 1945 5th term
63 Norris Henry Young
(1887–1974) 		1945 1948
64 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1949 1949 6th term
65 Warren Clive Christian
(1914–2003) 		1950 1951 1st term
66 John Lorenzo Christian
(1895–1984) 		1952 1954 1st term

Elizabeth II
67 Charles Richard Parkin Christian
(1883–1971) 		1955 1957 7th term
68 Warren Clive Christian
(1914–2003) 		1958 1959 2nd term
69 John Lorenzo Christian
(1895–1984) 		1959 1966 2nd term
70 Pervis Ferris Young
(1928–2003) 		1967 December 1975
Sir Arthur Norman Galsworthy
Sir David Aubrey Scott
71 Ivan Christian
(1919–1991) 		December 1975 December 1984 Sir Harold Smedley
Richard Stratton
72 Brian Young
(born 1954) 		December 1984 1 January 1991 Terence Daniel O'Leary
Robin Byatt
David Moss
73 Jay Warren
(born 1956) 		1 January 1991 7 December 1999 1st term
Robert John Alston
Martin Williams
74 Steve Christian
(born 1951) 		Mayor 7 December 1999 8 November 2004 [b]
Richard Fell
75 Brenda Christian
(born 1953) 		Acting Mayor 8 November 2004 15 December 2004
76 Jay Warren
(born 1956) 		Mayor 1 January 2005 31 December 2007 2nd term

George Fergusson
77 Mike Warren
(born 1964) 		1 January 2008 31 December 2013
Mike Cherrett

Victoria "Vicki" Treadell
78 Shawn Christian
(born 1975) 		1 January 2014 31 December 2019

Jonathan Sinclair

Robin Shackell

Laura Clarke
79 Charlene Warren-Peu
(born 1979) 		1 January 2020 31 December 2022

Iona Thomas

Charles III
80 Simon Young 1 January 2023 Incumbent
Sources: Pitcairn Island Civil Recorder (1864–1964)[2]
  1. ^ The death of John Adams led to a constitutional crisis. An important leader was Thursday October Christian, the first son of Fletcher Christian and the first child born on the island. In the ensuing period, the islanders tried to relocate to Tahiti, until the arrival of Joshua Hill.
  2. ^ Dismissed from office by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office following his four rape convictions.

Colonial governors (1898–present)

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See separate articles:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Minutes of the Regular council Meeting held at the Pulau school" (PDF). PITCAIRN ISLAND COUNCIL. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  2. ^ Pitcairn Island Civil Recorder
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