List of rulers of the Pitcairn Islands

Mayor of the Pitcairn Islands
Coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands
Incumbent Shawn Christian since 1 January 2014
Style	Mayor
Member of	Island Council
Seat	Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands
Appointer	Direct Elections
Term length	3 years
Formation	23 January 1790 (Leader) 7 December 1999 (Mayor)
First holder	Fletcher Christian (Leader) Steve Christian (Mayor)
Deputy	Brenda Christian

The Pitcairn Islands, a small group of islands in the southern Pacific, are currently 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)

Term	Incumbent	Notes
23 January 1790 to 3 October 1793	Fletcher Christian, Leader
3 October 1793 to 25 December 1800	Edward Young, Leader
25 December 1800 to 5 March 1829	John Adams, Leader
5 March 1829 to October 1832	vacant
October 1832 to 1838	Joshua Hill, President
1838 to 1839	Edward Quintal, Magistrate
1840 to 1841	Arthur Quintal I, Magistrate
1842 to 1842	Fletcher Christian II, Magistrate
1843 to 1843	Matthew McCoy, Magistrate	1st Term
1844 to 1844	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	1st Term
1845 to 1846	Arthur Quintal II, Magistrate	1st Term
1847 to 1847	Charles Christian II, Magistrate
1848 to 1848	George Adams, Magistrate
1849 to 1849	Simon Young, Magistrate
1850 to 1850	Arthur Quintal II, Magistrate	2nd Term
1851 to 1851	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	2nd Term
1852 to 1852	Abraham Blatchly Quintal, Magistrate
1853 to 1853	Matthew McCoy, Magistrate	2nd Term
1854 to 1854	Arthur Quintal II, Magistrate	3rd Term
1855 to 3 May 1856	George Martin Frederick Young, Magistrate
1856 to 1864	Vacant due to relocation to Norfolk Island
1864 to 1864	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	3rd Term
1865 to 1866	Moses Young, Magistrate	1st Term
1867 to 1867	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	4th Term
1868 to 1868	Robert Pitcairn Buffett, Magistrate
1869 to 1869	Moses Young, Magistrate	2nd Term
1870 to 1872	James Russell McCoy, Magistrate	1st Term
1873 to 1874	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	5th Term
1875 to 1875	Moses Young, Magistrate	3rd Term
1876 to 1877	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	6th Term
1878 to 1879	James Russell McCoy, Magistrate	2nd Term
1880 to 1880	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	7th Term
1881 to 1881	Moses Young, Magistrate	4th Term
1882 to 1882	Thursday October Christian II, Magistrate	8th Term
1883 to 1883	James Russell McCoy, Magistrate	3rd Term
1884 to 1885	Benjamin Stanley Young, Magistrate	1st Term
1886 to 1889	James Russell McCoy, Magistrate	4th Term
1890 to 1891	Charles Carleton Vieder Young, Magistrate
1892 to 1892	Benjamin Stanley Young, Magistrate	2nd Term
1893 to 1896	James Russell McCoy, President of the Council	5th Term
1897 to 1897	William Alfred Young, President of the Council	1st Term
1897 to 1904	James Russell McCoy, President of the Council	6th Term
1904 to 1904	William Alfred Young, President of the Council	2nd Term
1904 to 1906	James Russell McCoy, Magistrate	7th Term
1907 to 1907	Arthur Herbert Young, Magistrate
1908 to 1908	William Alfred Young, Magistrate	3rd Term
1909 to 1909	Matthew Edmond McCoy, Magistrate
1910 to 1919	Gerard Bromley Robert Christian, Magistrate
1920 to 1920	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	1st Term
1921 to 1921	Frederick Martin Christian, Magistrate	1st Term
1922 to 1922	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	2nd Term
1923 to 1924	Edgar Allen Christian, Magistrate	1st Term
1925 to 1925	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	3rd Term
1926 to 1929	Edgar Allen Christian, Magistrate	2nd Term
1930 to 1931	Arthur Herbert Young, Magistrate
1932 to 1932	Edgar Allen Christian, Magistrate	3rd Term
1933 to 1934	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	4th Term
1935 to 1939	Edgar Allen Christian, Magistrate	4th Term
1940 to 1940	Andrew Clarence David Young, Magistrate
1941 to 1941	Frederick Martin Christian, Magistrate	2nd Term
1942 to 1942	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	5th Term
1943 to 1943	Frederick Martin Christian, Magistrate	3rd Term
1944 to 1944	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	6th Term
1945 to 1948	Norris Henry Young, Magistrate
1949 to 1949	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	7th Term
1950 to 1951	Warren Clive Christian, Magistrate	1st Term
1952 to 1954	John Lorenzo Christian, Magistrate	1st Term
1955 to 1957	Charles Richard Parkin Christian, Magistrate	8th Term
1958 to 1960	Warren Clive Christian, Magistrate	2nd Term
1961 to 1966	John Lorenzo Christian, Magistrate	2nd Term
1967 to December 1975	Pervis Ferris Young, Magistrate
December 1975 to December 1984	Ivan Christian, Magistrate
December 1984 to 1 January 1991	Brian Young, Magistrate
1 January 1991 to 7 December 1999	Jay Warren, Magistrate	1st Term
7 December 1999 to 8 November 2004	Steve Christian, Mayor
8 November 2004 to 15 December 2004	Brenda Christian, acting Mayor
1 January 2005 to 31 December 2007	Jay Warren, Mayor	2nd Term
1 January 2008 to 31 December 2013	Mike Warren, Mayor
1 January 2014 to present	Shawn Christian, Mayor

Colonial Governors (1898–present)

See separate articles:

• Governors of Fiji (1898–1970)
• British High Commissioners to New Zealand (1970–present)

See also

• Governor of the Pitcairn Islands
• History of the Pitcairn Islands