Historical Appointments
Second Settlement 1825 - 1855
Commandants
| Captain R. Turton | 1825 - 1826 |
| Captain V. Donaldson | 1826 - 1827 |
| Captain T. Wright | 1827 - 1828 |
| Captain R. Hunt | 1828 - 1829 |
| Captain J. Wakefield | 1829 - |
| Lieutenant-Colonel J. Morisset | 1829 - 1834 |
| Major J. Anderson | 1834 - 1939 |
| Major T. Bunbury | 1839 |
| Major T. Ryan | 1839 - 1840 |
| Captain A. Maconochie KH RN | 1840 - 1844 |
| Major J. Childs RM | 1844 - 1846 |
| Mr J. Price | 1846 - 1853 |
| Captain R. Deering | 1853 - 1854 |
| Captain H. Day | 1854 - 1855 |
| Storekeeper T.S. Stewart (caretaker) | 1855 - 1856 |
Chief Magistrates 1856 - 1896 (Elected)
Third Settlement
When the Pitcairn Islanders landed on Norfolk Island in 1856 they continued the custom of electing their magistrate who was commissioned by the Governor of New South Wales (also Governor of Norfolk Island).
| Frederick Young | 1856 - 1957 |
| Isaac Christian | 1858 |
| Frederick Young | 1859 |
| Thomas Buffett | 1860 - 1861 |
| Arthur Quintal | 1862 - 1865 |
| William Quintal | 1866 |
| John Buffett | 1867 - 1870 |
| David Buffett | 1871 |
| William Quintal | 1872 - 1873 |
| Fletcher Nobbs | 1874 - 1875 |
| Francis Nobbs | 1876 - 1880 |
| John Buffett | 1881 - 1882 |
| Francis Nobbs | 1883 - 1884 |
| Arthur Quintal | 1885 |
| Stephen Christian | 1886 - 1887 |
| Seymour Buffett | 1888 |
| Stephen Christian | 1889 - 1890 |
| Byron Adams | 1891 - 1892 |
| Stephen Christian | 1893 |
| Francis Nobbs | 1894 |
| Byron Adams | 1895 - 1896 |
Norfolk Island Administrators - 1913 to Present
Administrators under the Norfolk Island Act 1913
On commencement of the Norfolk Island Act 1913 on 1 July 1914 Norfolk Island was placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia as a Commonwealth Territory. The appointed Administrator also carried out the position of Chief Magistrate until 1935.
| Michael Vincent Murphy JP | 1913 - 1914 |
Appointed by the Governor of NSW and continued in office under the transfer of authority to the Commonwealth of Australia.
| Dr Alexander Stoney Patton (Deputy Chief Magistrate) | 1914 |
| Michael Vincent Murphy JP | 1914 - 1919 |
| Dr Alexander Stoney Patton (Acting Administrator) | 1919 - October 1920 |
From 1920 Administrators were appointed by the Governor-General of Australia and continued to undertake the duties of Chief Magistrate.
| Lieutenant General John William Parnell CMG OBE | 1920 - 1924 |
| Colonel Edwin Thomas Leane CBE VD | 1924 - 1925 |
| Dr Alexander Stoney Patton (Acting Administrator) | 1925 |
| Colonel Edwin Thomas Leane CBE VD | 1925 - 1926 |
| Michael Vincent Murphy JP (Acting Administrator) | 1926 |
| Major General Victor Conradsdorf Morissett Sellheim CB CMG | 1927 - 1928 Died in office 25/1/28 |
| Henry Stephenson Edgar JP (Acting Administrator) | 1928 |
| Mr Justice Charles Edward Herbert | 1928 - 1929 Died in office 21/1/29 |
| Colonel Alfred Joshua Bennett CMG DSO VD | 1929 - 1932 |
| Captain Charles Robert Pinney MC | 1932 - 1934 |
| Henry Stephenson Edgar JP (Deputy Administrator) | 1934 |
| Captain Charles Robert Pinney MC | 1934 - 1936 |
In 1935 the Norfolk Island Act 1913 was repealed and a separate position of Chief Magistrate was created.
| James Reginald Halligan (Deputy Administrator) | 1936 - 1937 |
| Captain Charles Robert Pinney MC | 1937 |
| Major-General Sir Charles Rosenthal KCB CMG DSO VD | 1937 - 1945 |
| The Honourable Alex Wilson | 1946 - 1952 |
| Charles Ivens Buffett MBE (Deputy Administrator) | 1952 - 1953 |
| Brigadier Colin Hugh Boyd Norman DSO MC | 1953 - 1958 |
| Charles Ivens Buffett MBE (Deputy Administrator) | 1958 |
| Reginald Sylvester Leydin OBE | 1958 - 1961 |
| Patrick Leonard Ryan | 1961 |
| Reginald Sylvester Leydin OBE | 1961 |
| Frederick William McConaghy (Acting Administrator) | 1961 |
| Reginald Sylvester Leydin OBE | 1961 - 1962 |
| Major General Robert Hurley Wordsworth CB CBE | 1962 - 1964 |
| James Francis Donovan (Acting Administrator) | 1964 |
| The Honourable Roger Bede Nott | 1964 - 1966 |
| Reginald Marsh | 1966 - 1968 |
| John Geoffrey Cowap (Deputy Administrator) | 1968 |
| Air Commodore Robert Nixon Dalkin DFC | 1968 - 1970 |
| Gilbert Hitch (Deputy Administrator) | 1970 |
| Air Commodore Robert Nixon Dalkin DFC | 1970 - 1972 |
| Air Commodore Edward Thomas Pickerd OBE DFC | 1972 - 1975 |
| Charles Ivens Buffett MBE (Deputy Administrator) | 1975 - 1976 |
| Air Commodore Edward Thomas Pickerd OBE DFC (Acting Administrator) | 1976 |
| Desmond Vincent O'Leary OBE VRD | 1976 - 1979 |
Administrators under the Norfolk Island Act 1979
Under the Norfolk Island Act 1979 the Norfolk Island Council (an advisory body) was abolished and the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was established with powers subject to the Act and with the assent of the Administrator or the Governor-General as the case may be to make laws for the peace order and good government of Norfolk Island.
| William Peter Coleman | 1979 - 1981 |
| Thomas Ferguson Paterson (Acting Administrator) | 1981 |
| Air Vice-Marshal Raymond Edward Trebilco AO DFC | 1982 - 1985 |
| Commodore John Alexander Matthew CVO MBE RANEM | 1985 - 1988 |
| Herbert Bruce McDonald AM | 1989 - 1992 |
| Alan Gardner Kerr AM | 1992 - 1997 |
| The Hon Anthony John Messner AM | 1997 - 2003 |
| The Hon Grant Ernest John Tambling | 2003 - 2007 |
| Owen Edward John Walsh (Acting Administrator | October 2007 - |
Deputy Administrators under the Norfolk Island Act 1979
The Norfolk Island Act makes provision for a Deputy Administrator who performs the functions of the Administrator when there is a vacancy or the Administrator is absent from the Territory or unable to perform his or her duties. It has been usual practice for the Official Secretary as the most senior staff member to also be appointed by the Governor-General as Deputy Administrator.
| Peter Ilyk | 1979 - 1980 |
| Ian Ewan Hutchison | 1980 - 1982 |
| John Francis Nicholson | 1982 - 1985 |
| Peter Michael Ilyk | 1985 - 1987 |
| William McFadyen Campbell | 1987 - 1989 |
| Peter John Jeffery | 1989 - 1991 |
| Jonathan Donald Stanhope | 1991 - 1993 |
| Ralph Alexander Condon | 1993 - 1998 |
| Owen Edward John Walsh | 1999 - 2003 |
| Michael Leslie Stephens | 2003 - 2006 |
| Owen Edward John Walsh | 2006 - 2007 |
| John Angley | October 2007 - |