Agent-general


An Agent-General is the representative in cities abroad of the government of a Canadian province or an Australian state and, historically, also of a British colony in Jamaica, Nigeria, Canada, Malta, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand and subsequently, of a Nigerian region. Australia's and Canada's federal governments are represented by high commissions, as are all Commonwealth national governments today.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, a growing number of British colonies appointed agents in Great Britain and Ireland and occasionally elsewhere in Europe to promote immigration to the colonies. Eventually, agents-general were appointed by some colonies to represent their commercial, legal, and diplomatic interests in Britain and to the British government and Whitehall. They were appointed, and their expenses and salaries provided, by the governments of the colonies they represented.
Starting in 1886, Quebec and the federal Canadian government also appointed agents-general to Paris. The first, Hector Fabre, was dispatched by the province of Quebec but was asked by the federal government to represent all of Canada. He and his successor, Philippe Roy, continued to represent both Quebec City and Ottawa in France until 1912 when the federal government asked Roy to resign his Quebec position to avoid conflicts of interest. Canadian provinces have also appointed agents-general to other countries and major cities.
Following a military coup in Nigeria in 1966, the federal system was abolished, and the posts of the agents-general of Nigerian regions in London were subsumed in the Nigerian High Commission.
By the 1990s, some Australian state governments regarded the office of their agent-general in London as a costly anachronism, even for promoting tourism and investment, and have since been closed and subsumed into the High Commission of [Australia, London|Australian High Commission]. The majority of Australian states continue to have agents-general in London, but operate from Australia House rather than maintain separate premises.
Many Canadian provinces similarly are no longer represented by an agent-general, although Quebec continues to have a Government Office in London and in several other cities around the world. Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba have representatives who work out of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC.

Diplomatic and legal status

Status in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Agents-General of Australia and Canada are granted the same Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities held under international law by virtue of the, this privilege is granted under, these privileges including the right to freedom from arrest and exemption of duties and taxes. Agents-General of other countries are not afforded these privileges.

Status in Australian and international law

Under international Agents-general have no diplomatic or legal status, privileges or immunities under international but may be granted the privilege of a Diplomatic Passport by some originating countries during their commission.

Australia

In the Australian colonies and Province of South Australia, prior to each achieving responsible government, each was represented in the United Kingdom by the Colonial Agent. The position was appointed by the British Secretary of State for the Colonies to work within the Office of the Crown Agents for the Colonies; each colony was represented by the same Agent, Edward Barnard, who was not appointed or paid by the colonies.
Growing dissatisfaction among colonial governments led, following each colony and province achieving responsible government, to the appointment of individual Agents-General appointed by the relevant colonial government to represent their interest to the Crown and Empire.
South Australia was the first Australian colonial government to appoint an Agent-General, with Gregory Seale Walters taking the post in January 1859. Most Australian states continue to maintain Agents-General in London.

Agents-general for South Australia

Agents-general for New South Wales

Agents-general for Queensland

Agents-general for Tasmania

Agents-general for Canada

;to the United Kingdom
;to France
As it was difficult to compete with larger provinces like Ontario and Quebec, the province of Manitoba decided to leave trade promotion to the federal government and accordingly recalled their agent-general in 1965 without appointing a replacement.

Agents-general for New Brunswick

; to the United Kingdom
  • Southworth
  • Richard Reid Died in office
  • Brigadier-General Manley R. Sims
  • G. C. Creelman
  • William C. Noxon
  • vacant
  • James S. P. Armstrong
  • Allan Rowan-Legg
  • Ward Cornell
  • W. Ross DeGeer
  • Thomas Leonard Wells
  • Robert Nixon
  • Taylor Shields
  • Sophia Arvanitis
;to Asia-Pacific
  • Tim Armstrong
;to South East Asia
  • Bernard Derible
;to France
;to Japan
;to New York City
;to Chicago
  • Earl Provost
;to Dallas
uses the title agent-general or delegate-general. In 1936, legislation was passed by the government of Maurice Duplessis closing all Quebec government offices abroad. The government of Adélard Godbout repealed the legislation and opened an office in New York City in 1940. When Duplessis returned to power in 1944, his government retained the New York City office and its agent-general but opened no others. In the early 1960s, the government of Jean Lesage began to open additional offices abroad appointing in Paris, London, Rome and Milan and subsequent governments opened offices in Chicago, Boston, Lafayette, Dallas and Los Angeles, Munich and Berlin, Brussels, Atlanta, Washington, Mexico City and Tokyo, Beijing and Santiago, Shanghai and Barcelona, Mumbai, São Paulo and Moscow. In 1971, the title of agent-general was officially changed to delegate-general although previous title is still often used, particularly for the government's representative to London.
, the Government of Quebec has 35 offices abroad, including 9 delegates-general.
; to the United Kingdom
;
;to France
  • Hector Fabre
  • Philippe Roy
  • vacant
  • Charles Lussier
  • Jean Chapdelaine
  • François Cloutier
  • Jean Deschamps
  • Yves Michaud
  • Louise Beaudoin
  • Claude Pug
  • Jean-Louis Roy
  • Marcel Bergeron
  • André Dufour
  • Claude Pug
  • Marcel Masse
  • Michel Lucier
  • Clément Duhaime
  • Wilfrid-Guy Licari
  • Michel Robitaille
; to Belgium
; to Germany
  • Claude Trudelle
; to Japan
  • Claire Deronzier
; to Mexico
; to the United States
Source: Historic Jamaica.
  • 1664–1666: Sir James Modyford
  • 1682–?: Sir Charles Lyttelton
  • William Beeston
  • 1688: Ralph Knight
  • Gilbert Heathcote
  • 1693–1704: Bartholomew Gracedieu
  • 1714: P. Marsh
  • 1725: Alexander Stephenson
  • 1725–1726: Edward Charlton
  • 1728–1733: Charles de la Foy
  • 1733: John Gregory
  • 1733–1757: John Sharpe
  • 1757–1762: Lovell Stanhope
  • 1764–1795: Stephen Fuller
  • 1795–1803: Robert Sewell
  • 1803–1812: Edmund Pusey Lyon
  • 1812–1831: George Hibbert
  • 1831–1845: William Burge
  • 1845 ''Office abolished''

    Malta

With the granting of responsible self-government to Malta in 1921, a proposal of the government of Lord Strickland to appoint an agent-general to "encourage the migration of Maltese to the Northern Territory and north-west Australia" was presented to the parliament. Strickland, who was Governor of Western Australia suggested former Colonial Secretary and Agent-General of Western Australia in London, Sir James Connolly. The position was discontinued with the suspension of the constitution in November 1933 and was replaced by a Trade Commissioner, who was in turn replaced by a Commissioner-General in 1947.
Agents-GeneralYearsNotes
Sir James Connolly30 January 1929 – 23 December 1932
Constantine John Colombos 23 December 1932 – 2 November 1933

South Africa

Prior to the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the four constituent British colonies of southern Africa all sent agents-general to London, coinciding with the establishment of responsible self-government in each colony.

Agent-general for the Orange River Colony

The Orange River Colony sent an agent-general from 1908 until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Brounger was a former director of the Orange Free State Railways.
Agents-GeneralYearsNotes
Richard Ernest BroungerAugust 1908 – 31 May 1910

Agent-general for the Transvaal Colony

The Transvaal Colony sent an agent-general from the establishment of responsible self-government in 1907 until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Solomon then served as the first South African High Commissioner in London from 1910 to 1913.
Agents-GeneralYearsNotes
Sir Richard Solomon3 May 1907 – 31 May 1910

Agents-general for the Cape Colony

The Cape Colony sent separate agents-general until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
Agents-GeneralYearsNotes
Sir Charles MillsOctober 1882 – 31 March 1895
Sir David Tennant1896 – 31 December 1901
Sir Thomas Ekins Fuller1 January 1902 – 31 December 1907
Sir Somerset Richard French1 January 1908 – 31 May 1910

Agents-general for Natal

The Colony of Natal sent separate agents-general until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
Agents-GeneralYearsNotes
Sir Walter PeaceDecember 1893 – 28 January 1904
Sir William Arbuckle1 November 1904 – November 1909
Robert C. Russell November 1909 – 31 May 1910

New Zealand

After 1905 the position of Agent-General was replaced by that of High Commissioner, with the final Agent-General becoming the first High Commissioner.
Agents-GeneralYearsNotes
Isaac Featherston1871 – 19 June 1876
W. Tyrone Power 1876
Sir Julius Vogel1876–1880
Sir Dillon Bell1880–1891
Sir Westby Perceval1891–1895
William Pember Reeves1895–1905

Nigerian regions

The First Nigerian agents-general to the United Kingdom were appointed in December 1959 and include:
  • Northern Region: Alhaji Sa'adu Alanamu
  • Eastern Region: Jonah Chinyere Achara
  • Western Region: Chief Akitoye Emmanuel Coker
The last Nigerian agents-General in London were:
  • Northern Region: Baba Gana
  • Eastern Region: A. Ekukinam-Bassey
  • Western Region: Prince Delphus Adebayo Odubanjo
  • Mid-West Region: Josiah A.P. Oki