List of heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago

This is a list of the heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago from the independence of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 to the present day.

From 1962 to 1976 the head of state under the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 was the Queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth II, who was also the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen was represented in Trinidad and Tobago by a Governor-General. Trinidad and Tobago became a republic under the Constitution of 1976 and the monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial President.

Monarch (1962–1976)

The succession to the throne was the same as the succession to the British throne.

Queen			Reign			Royal House	Prime Minister(s)
#	Portrait	Name	Start	End	Duration
1		Elizabeth II (1926–)	31 August 1962	1 August 1976	13 years, 336 days	[[House of Windsor]|Windsor]	Williams

Governors-General

The Governor-General was the representative of the monarch in Trinidad and Tobago and exercised most of the powers of the monarch. The Governor-General was appointed for an indefinite term, serving at the pleasure of the monarch. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster 1931, the Governor-General was appointed solely on the advice of the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago without the involvement of the British government. In the event of a vacancy the Chief Justice served as Officer Administering the Government.

Status

  Denotes Chief Justice acting as Officer Administering the Government

Governor-General			Term of office			Monarch	Prime Minister
#	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Duration
1		Sir Solomon Hochoy (1905–1983)	31 August 1962	15 September 1972	10 years, 15 days	Elizabeth II	Williams
2		Sir Ellis Clarke (1917–2010)	15 September 1972	1 August 1976	3 years, 321 days	Elizabeth II	Williams

President of Trinidad and Tobago

Under the 1976 Constitution, the constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The President was elected by Parliament for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the Senate served as Acting President.

Status

  Denotes President of the Senate acting as President

President			Term of office			Political party (at time of election)	Prime Minister(s)
#	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Duration
1		Sir Ellis Clarke (1917–2010)	1 August 1976	13 March 1987	10 years, 224 days	Independent	Williams Chambers Robinson
		Michael J. Williams (1929–)	13 March 1987	18 March 1987	5 days	Independent	Robinson
2		Noor Hassanali (1918–2006)	18 March 1987	17 March 1997	9 years, 364 days	Independent	Robinson Manning Panaday
3		A. N. R. Robinson (1926–2014)	17 March 1997	18 March 2003	6 years, 1 day	Independent	Panday Manning
4		George Maxwell Richards (1931–)	18 March 2003	18 March 2013	10 years	Independent	Manning Persad-Bissessar
5		Anthony Carmona (1953–)	18 March 2013	Incumbent	2 years, 283 days (as of 26 December 2015)	Independent	Persad-Bissessar Keith Rowley

Living former heads of state

Name	Term/Reign	Office	Date of birth
Elizabeth II	1962–1976	Queen of Trinidad and Tobago	21 April 1926
George Maxwell Richards	2003–2013	President of Triniad and Tobago	1 December 1931
Michael J. Williams	1987	Acting President	16 October 1929

External links

• World Statesmen – Trinidad and Tobago
• Rulers.org – Trinidad and Tobago