This article lists the colonial governors of Cameroon . It encompasses the period when the country was under colonial rule of the German Empire (as Kamerun), military occupation of the territory by the Allies of World War I (during the Kamerun campaign of the African theatre), as well as the period when it was a Class B League of Nations mandate and a United Nation trust territory, under the administration of France (as French Cameroon) and the United Kingdom (as British Cameroon) respectively.
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
| Tenure | Portrait | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 July 1884 to 19 July 1884 |  | Gustav Nachtigal , Kommissar | Commissioner |
| 19 July 1884 to 1 April 1885 | Maximilian Buchner , acting Kommissar | acting Commissioner | |
| 1 April 1885 to 4 July 1885 |  | Eduard von Knorr , acting Kommissar | acting Commissioner |
| 4 July 1885 to 14 February 1891 |  | Julius von Soden , Governor | |
| 13 May 1887 to 4 October 1887 |  | Jesko von Puttkamer , acting Governor | Acting for Soden, 1st time |
| 4 October 1887 to 17 January 1888 |  | Eugen von Zimmerer , acting Governor | Acting for Soden, 1st time |
| 26 December 1889 to 17 April 1890 | Acting for Soden, 2nd time | ||
| 17 April 1890 to 3 August 1890 | Markus Graf von Pfeil , acting Governor | Acting for Soden | |
| 3 August 1890 to 14 August 1890 | Kurz, acting Governor | Acting for Soden | |
| 14 August 1890 to 2 December 1890 | | Jesko von Puttkamer , acting Governor | Acting for Soden, 2nd time |
| 2 December 1890 to 15 April 1891 | Heinrich Leist , acting Governor | Acting for Soden to 14 February 1891, 1st time | |
| 15 April 1891 to 13 August 1895 | | Eugen von Zimmerer , Governor | |
| 7 August 1891 to 5 January 1892 |  | Bruno von Schuckmann , acting Governor | Acting for Zimmerer |
| 27 June 1893 to 24 February 1894 | Heinrich Leist , acting Governor | Acting for Zimmerer, 2nd time | |
| 31 December 1894 to 27 March 1895 | | Jesko von Puttkamer , acting Governor | Acting for Zimmerer, 3rd time |
| 27 March 1895 to 4 May 1895 | von Lucke, acting Governor | Acting for Zimmerer | |
| 13 August 1895 to 9 May 1907 | | Jesko von Puttkamer , Governor | |
| 27 October 1895 to 10 September 1897 |  | Theodor Seitz , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer, 1st time |
| 12 January 1898 to 13 October 1898 | Acting for Puttkamer, 2nd time | ||
| 17 January 1900 to 31 July 1900 |  | August Köhler , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer |
| 1 August 1900 to 6 September 1900 | Emil Diehl , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer | |
| 6 September 1900 to 15 November 1900 | Oltwig von Kamptz , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer | |
| 3 February 1902 to 3 October 1902 | Albert Plehn , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer | |
| 9 May 1904 to 8 November 1904 |  | Karl Ebermaier , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer |
| 9 November 1904 to 31 January 1905 |  | Otto Gleim , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer, 1st time |
| January 1906 to November 1906 | Franz Ludwig Wilhelm Müller , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer | |
| November 1906 to 9 May 1907 | | Otto Gleim , acting Governor | Acting for Puttkamer, 2nd time |
| 9 May 1907 to 27 August 1910 | | Theodor Seitz , Governor | |
| 10 February 1909 to October 1909 | Wilhelm Peter Hansen , acting Governor | Acting for Seitz, 1st time | |
| 28 August 1910 to 29 January 1912 | | Otto Gleim , Governor | |
| August 1910 to September 1910 | Theodor Steinhausen , acting Governor | Acting for Gleim | |
| September 1910 to 25 October 1910 | Wilhelm Peter Hansen , acting Governor | Acting for Gleim, 2nd time | |
| October 1911 to 29 January 1912 | Acting for Gleim, 3rd time | ||
| 29 January 1912 to 4 March 1916 | | Karl Ebermaier , Governor | |
| 9 October 1913 to 1914 | August Full , acting Governor | Acting for Ebermaier | |
| (26 September 1914) | Occupation by Great Britain and France begins | ||
| 4 March 1916 | Germany surrenders territory to occupying powers | ||
| Tenure | Portrait | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 August 1914 to 7 April 1916 |  | Joseph Gaudérique Aymerich , Military Commander | Military Commander of French Cameroon | |
| 7 April 1916 to 8 October 1916 | Joseph Gaudérique Aymerich , Administrator | Administrator of French Cameroon | ||
| 8 October 1916 to 6 March 1919 | Lucien Louis Fourneau , Administrator | Administrator of French Cameroon | ||
| 6 March 1919 to 28 June 1919 |  | Jules Carde , Commissioner | Commissioner of French Cameroon | |
| 28 June 1919 | Formal division into French and British Cameroons | |||
| Tenure | Portrait | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| French-occupied territory | |||
| 7 April 1916 to 8 October 1916 | | Joseph Gaudérique Aymerich , Administrator | |
| 8 October 1916 to 6 March 1919 | Lucien Louis Fourneau , Administrator | ||
| 6 March 1919 to 20 July 1922 | | Jules Carde , Commissioner | Acting to 7 December 1919 |
| French Cameroons ( League of Nations mandate ) | |||
| 20 July 1922 to March 1923 | | Jules Carde , Commissioner | |
| September 1920 to June 1921 | Paul Auguste François Bonnecarrère , acting Commissioner | Acting for Carde | |
| March 1923 to 29 April 1923 | Albéric Auguste Fournier , acting Commissioner | ||
| 29 April 1923 to 31 August 1932 | Théodore Paul Marchand , Commissioner | 1st time | |
| 27 December 1924 to 11 May 1925 | Ernest Augustin Bleu , acting Commissioner | Acting for Marchand, 1st time | |
| 2 March 1926 to 31 October 1926 | Acting for Marchand, 2nd time | ||
| 26 April 1929 to 26 October 1929 | Acting for Marchand, 3rd time | ||
| 19 June 1931 to 6 February 1932 | Acting for Marchand, 4th time | ||
| 31 August 1932 to 7 July 1934 | Paul Auguste François Bonnecarrère , Commissioner | Acting to 22 September 1932 | |
| 7 July 1934 to 1936 | Jules Vincent Repiquet , Commissioner | ||
| 1936 to January 1937 | Gaston Camille Guibet , acting Commissioner | ||
| January 1937 to 16 November 1938 | Pierre François Boisson , Commissioner | ||
| 7 October 1937 to 9 March 1938 | Pierre Émile Aubert , acting Commissioner | Acting for Boisson | |
| 16 November 1938 to 27 August 1940 | Richard Edmond Maurice Édouard Brunot , Commissioner | ||
| 27 August 1940 to 20 November 1940 |  | Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque , Governor | |
| 20 November 1940 to 20 July 1943 | Pierre Charles Albert Cournarie , Governor | ||
| 20 July 1943 to 15 November 1944 | Hubert Eugène Paul Carras , Governor | ||
| 15 November 1944 to 16 January 1946 | Henri Pierre Nicolas , Governor | ||
| 16 January 1946 to 16 March 1946 | Adrien Émile Amédée Léger , acting Governor | ||
| 16 March 1946 to 13 December 1946 | Robert Delavignette , High Commissioner | ||
| French Cameroons ( United Nations trust territory ) | |||
| 13 December 1946 to 25 March 1947 | Robert Delavignette , High Commissioner | ||
| 25 March 1947 to April 1947 | Robert Casimir , acting High Commissioner | 1st time | |
| April 1947 to 7 July 1949 | René Hoffherr , High Commissioner | ||
| 7 July 1949 to 10 January 1950 | Robert Casimir , acting High Commissioner | 2nd time | |
| 10 January 1950 to 2 December 1954 | Jean Louis Marie André Soucadoux , High Commissioner | ||
| 2 December 1954 to 17 April 1956 | Roland Joanes Louis Pré , High Commissioner | ||
| 17 April 1956 to 29 January 1958 |  | Pierre Messmer , High Commissioner | |
| 29 January 1958 to 19 February 1958 | Jean Paul Ramadier , High Commissioner | ||
| 19 February 1958 to 1 January 1960 | Xavier Antoine Torre , High Commissioner | ||
| 1 January 1960 | Independence as Republic of Cameroon | ||
| Tenure | Portrait | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| British-occupied territory | |||
| 1916 | Kenneth V. Elphinstone , Resident | ||
| 1916 to 1917 | E. C. Duff , Resident | ||
| 1917 to 1919 | P. V. Young , Resident | ||
| 1919 | W. G. Ambrose , Resident | ||
| 1919 | John C. Maxwell, Resident | ||
| 1919 to 20 July 1920 | Sir John H. Davidson , Resident | ||
| British Cameroons ( League of Nations mandate ) | |||
| 20 July 1920 to 1921? | Sir John H. Davidson , Resident | ||
| 1921 to 1925 | Fitz Herbert Ruxton , Senior Resident | ||
| 1925 | William Edgar Hunt , acting District Officer | ||
| 1925 to 1928 | Edward John Arnett , Senior Resident | 1st time | |
| 1928 to 1929 | H. J. Aveling , acting Resident | ||
| 1929 to 1932 | Edward John Arnett , Resident | 2nd time | |
| 1932 to 1933 | Frederick Bernard Carr , District Officer | ||
| 1933 | George Hugo Findlay , Senior Resident | ||
| 1933 to 1935 | John Wynne Corrie Rutherfoord , Resident | ||
| 1935 to 1938 | O. W. Firth , Senior Resident | ||
| 1938 to 1939 | Ludlow Sealy-King , acting Resident | 1st time | |
| 1939 to 1942 | Arthur Evelyn Francis Murray , Senior Resident | ||
| 1942 to 1943 | Ludlow Sealy-King , Resident | 2nd time | |
| 1943 to 194? | James Macrae Simpson , Resident | ||
| 194? to 25 February 1945 | Percy Graham Harris , Resident | ||
| 20 March 1945 to 10 October 1945 | Alfred Leeming , Senior District Officer | ||
| 1945 | Reuben John Hook , acting Resident | ||
| 1945 to 1946 | Frank B. Bridges , Resident | ||
| 14 February 1946 to 13 December 1946 | Neil Mackenzie , Senior District Officer | ||
| British Cameroons ( United Nations trust territory ) | |||
| 13 December 1946 to 4 August 1949 | Neil Mackenzie , Senior District Officer | ||
| 25 August 1949 to 31 December 1949 | Doyle Arthur Fitzroy Shute , Senior Resident | ||
| 1949 to 1 October 1954 | Edward John Gibbons , Special Resident | ||
| 1 October 1954 | Autonomous territory within Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria | ||
| 1 October 1954 to 1956 | Edward John Gibbons , Commissioner | ||
| 1956 to 1 October 1961 |  | John Osbaldiston Field , Commissioner | |
| 1 June 1961 | Northern British Cameroons incorporated into Federation of Nigeria | ||
| 1 October 1961 | Southern British Cameroons incorporated into Republic of Cameroon | ||
For continuation after independence, see: List of presidents of Cameroon
At the crossroads of West Africa and Central Africa, the territory of what is now Cameroon has seen human habitation since some time in the Middle Paleolithic, likely no later than 130,000 years ago. The earliest discovered archaeological evidence of humans dates from around 30,000 years ago at Shum Laka. The Bamenda highlands in western Cameroon near the border with Nigeria are the most likely origin for the Bantu peoples, whose language and culture came to dominate most of central and southern Africa between 1000 BCE and 1000 CE.
These are lists of incumbents, including heads of states or of subnational entities.
The history of Togo can be traced to archaeological finds which indicate that ancient local tribes were able to produce pottery and process tin. During the period from the 11th century to the 16th century, the Ewé, the Mina, the Gun, and various other tribes entered the region. Most of them settled in coastal areas.. The Portuguese arrived in the late 15th century, followed by other European powers. Until the 19th century, the coastal region was a major slave trade centre, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast".
British Cameroon or the British Cameroons was a British mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states of Nigeria, while the Southern Cameroons forms part of the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon.
Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo was a Cameroonian politician who was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. Ahidjo played a major role in Cameroon's independence from France as well as reuniting the French and English-speaking parts of the country. During Ahidjo's time in office, he established a centralized political system. Ahidjo established a single-party state under the Cameroon National Union (CNU) in 1966. In 1972, Ahidjo abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state.
The decolonisation of Africa took place in the mid-to-late 1950s to 1975 during the Cold War, with radical government changes on the continent as colonial governments made the transition to independent states. The process was often marred with violence, political turmoil, widespread unrest, and organised revolts in both northern and sub-Saharan countries including the Algerian War in French Algeria, the Angolan War of Independence in Portuguese Angola, the Congo Crisis in the Belgian Congo, the Mau Mau Uprising in British Kenya, the Zanzibar Revolution in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, and the Nigerian Civil War in the secessionist state of Biafra.
French Togoland was a French colonial League of Nations mandate from 1916 to 1960 in French West Africa. In 1960 it became the independent Togolese Republic, and the present day nation of Togo.
The Mandara Kingdom was an African kingdom in the Mandara Mountains of what is today Cameroon. The Mandara people are descended from the kingdom's inhabitants.
Emmanuel Mbela Lifafa Endeley was a Cameroonian politician who led Southern Cameroonian representatives out of the Eastern Nigerian House of Assembly in Enugu and negotiated the creation of the autonomous region of Southern Cameroons in 1954.
French Cameroon or French Cameroons was a French mandate territory in Central Africa. It now forms part of the independent country of Cameroon.
Augustine Ngom Jua was the prime minister of the state of West Cameroon in the Federal Republic of Cameroon from 13 May 1965 to 11 January 1968.
The Anglophone problem, as it is commonly referred to in Cameroon, is a socio-political issue rooted in Cameroon's colonial legacies from the Germans, British, and the French.
