Secretaries of State with Responsibility for the Colonies

In 1768, a new position was created to deal with the increasing acrimony and difficulties being faced in the American colonies; Secretary of State for the Colonies. The position was terminated in 1782 with the loss of the American colonies and responsibility for the colonies went to the Home Secretary. This changed in 1794 with the advent of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. To reflect the worldwide threat to the Empire posed by Revolutionary France, the colonies became the responsibility of the Secretary of State for War. This was formalised in 1801 with a new title of The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The two departments were not to be separated until 1854 as the Crimean War broke out. The Secretary of State for the Colonies remained in being until 1966. There were two main orgnisational exceptions. The first was to be 'Protectorates' which were initially under the authority of the Foreign Office until the first decade of the Twentieth Century. The second exception was to be the Dominions - which were separated out of the Colonial Office in 1925 into their own Dominions Office with thier own Secretary of State.
1966 to 1968 saw the creation of the Commonwealth Office with the merger of the Colonial Office with the Commonwealth Relations Office. This shortlived Office was then subsumed back into the Foreign Office as the newly renamed Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1968. This office is still technically responsible for the remaining Overseas Dependencies.

Picture	Title	Name (and Titles)	Party	Dates
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Wills Hill The Earl of Hillsborough (subsequently Marquess of Downshire)	Whig	27 February 1768 - 27 August 1772
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	William Legge The Earl of Dartmouth	Tory	27 August 1772 - 10 November 1775
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Lord George Germain	Tory	10 November 1775 - February 1782
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Welbore Ellis	Whig	February 1782 - 8 March 1782
	Home Secretary	William Petty The Earl of Shelburne Marquess of Lansdowne	Whig	27 March 1782 - 10 July 1782
	Home Secretary	Thomas Townshend Viscount Sydney	Whig	10 July 1782 - 2 April 1783
	Home Secretary	Frederick North Lord North Earl of Guilford	Tory	2 April 1783 - 19 December 1783
	Home Secretary	George Nugent-Temple Grenville Marquess of Buckingham Earl Temple	Whig	19 December 1783 - 23 December 1783
	Home Secretary	Thomas Townshend Viscount Sydney	Whig	23 December 1783 - 5 June 1789
	Home Secretary	William Wyndham Grenville Lord Grenville	Tory	5 June 1789 - 8 June 1791
	Home Secretary	Henry Dundas Viscount Melville	Tory	8 June 1791 - 11 July 1794
	Home Secretary	William Henry Cavendish Bentinck Duke of Portland	Tory	11 July 1794 - 30 July 1801
	Home Secretary	Henry Dundas Viscount Melville	Tory	11 July 1794 - 17 March 1801
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Robert Hobart Lord Hobart Earl of Buckinghamshire	Tory	17 March 1801 - 12 May 1804
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	John Jeffreys Pratt Marquess of Camden Earl Camden	Tory	14 May 1804 - 10 July 1805
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Robert Stewart Viscount Castlereagh Marquess of Londonderry	Tory	10 July 1805 - 5 February 1806
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	William Windham	Whig	5 February 1806- -25 March 1807
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Robert Stewart Viscount Castlereagh Marquess of Londonderry	Tory	25 March 1807 - 1 November 1809
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Robert Banks Jenkinson Earl of Liverpool	Tory	1 November 1809 - 11 June 1812
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Henry Bathurst Earl Bathurst	Tory	11 June 1812 - 30 April 1827
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Frederick John Robinson Viscount Goderich	Tory	30 April 1827 - 3 September 1827
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	William Huskisson	Tory	3 September 1827 - 30 May 1828
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Sir George Murray	Tory	30 May 1828 - 22 November 1830
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Frederick John Robinson Viscount Goderich	Whig	22 November 1830 - 3 April 1833
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley Earl of Derby	Whig	3 April 1833 - 5 June 1834
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Thomas Spring Rice Baron Monteagle of Brandon	Whig	5 June 1834 - 14 November 1834
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington	Tory	17 November 1834 - 9 December 1834
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	George Hamilton-Gordon Earl of Aberdeen	Conservative	20 December 1834 - 8 April 1835
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Charles Grant Lord Glenelg	Whig	18 April 1835 - 20 February 1839
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Constantine Henry Phipps Marquess of Normanby	Whig	20 February 1839 - 30 August 1839
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	John Russell Lord John Russell Earl Russell	Whig	30 August 1839 - 30 August 1841
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley Earl of Derby	Conservative	3 September 1841 - 23 December 1845
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	William Ewart Gladstone	Conservative	23 December 1845 - 27 June 1846
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Henry George Grey Earl Grey	Whig	6 July 1846 - 21 February 1852
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	John Somerset Pakington Baron Hampton	Conservative	27 February 1852 - 17 December 1852
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne	Peelite / Coalition	28 December 1852 - 10 June 1854
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Sir George Grey Baronet	Whig	12 June 1854 - 8 February 1855
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Sidney Herbert Baron Herbert of Lea	Whig	8 February 1855 - 23 February 1855
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	John Russell Lord John Russell Earl Russell	Whig	23 February 1855 - 21 July 1855
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Sir William Molesworth Baronet	Whig	21 July 1855 - 21 November 1855
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Henry Labouchere Baron Taunton	Whig	21 November 1855 - 21 February 1858
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley Earl of Derby	Conservative	26 February 1858 - 5 June 1858
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer Lytton Baron Lytton Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton	Conservative	5 June 1858 - 11 June 1859
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne	Liberal	18 June 1859 7 April 1864
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Edward Cardwell Viscount Cardwell	Liberal	7 April 1864 - 26 June 1866
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert The Earl of Carnarvon	Conservative	6 July 1866 - 8 March 1867
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville The Duke of Buckingham and Chandos	Conservative	8 March 1867 - 1 December 1868
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Granville George Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville	Liberal	9 December 1868 - 6 July 1870
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	John Wodehouse The Earl of Kimberley	Liberal	6 July 1870 - 17 February 1874
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert The Earl of Carnarvon	Conservative	21 February 1874 - 4 February 1878
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Sir Michael Hicks Beach	Conservative	4 February 1878 - 21 April 1880
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	John Wodehouse The Earl of Kimberley	Liberal	21 April 1880 - 16 December 1882
	Secretary of State for War and the Colonies	Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley Earl of Derby	Liberal	16 December 1882 - 9 June 1885
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Frederick Stanley 16th Earl of Derby	Conservative	24 June 1885 - 28 January 1886
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Granville George Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville	Liberal	6 February 1886 - 20 July 1886
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Edward Stanhope	Conservative	3 August 1886 - 14 January 1887
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Henry Thurstan Holland The Lord Knutsford	Conservative	14 January 1887 - 11 August 1892
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	George Frederick Samuel Robinson The Marquess of Ripon	Liberal	18 August 1892 - 21 June 1895
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Joseph Chamberlain	Liberal Unionist / Conservative	29 June 1895 - 16 September 1903
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Alfred Lyttelton	Liberal Unionist / Conservative	11 October 1903 - 4 December 1905
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Victor Alexander Bruce The Earl of Elgin	Liberal	10 December 1905 - 12 April 1908
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes The Earl of Crewe	Liberal	12 April 1908 - 3 November 1910
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Lewis Vernon Harcourt Viscount Harcourt	Liberal	3 November 1910 - 25 May 1915
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Andrew Bonar Law	Conservative / Coalition	25 May 1915 - 10 December 1916
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Walter Long Viscount Long	Conservative / Coalition	10 December 1916 - 10 January 1919
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Alfred Milner The Viscount Milner	Liberal / Coalition	10 January 1919 - 13 February 1921
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Winston Churchill	Liberal / Coalition	13 February 1921 - 19 October 1922
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Victor Cavendish The Duke of Devonshire	Conservative	24 October 1922 - 22 January 1924
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	James Henry Thomas	Labour	22 January 1924 - 3 November 1924
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Leo Amery	Conservative	6 November 1924 - 4 June 1929
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Sidney James Webb Lord Passfield	Labour	7 June 1929 - 24 August 1931
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	James Henry Thomas	Labour / Nationalist Coalition	James Henry Thomas
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister Earl of Swinton	Conservative / Nationalist Coalition	5 November 1931 - 7 June 1935
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Malcolm MacDonald	Labour / Nationalist Coalition	7 June 1935 - 22 November 1935
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	James Henry Thomas	Labour / Nationalist Coalition	22 November 1935 - 22 May 1936
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	William Ormsby-Gore Baron Harlech	Conservative / Nationalist Coalition	28 May 1936 - 16 May 1938
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Malcolm MacDonald	Labour / Nationalist Coalition	16 May 1938 - 12 May 1940
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	George Ambrose Lloyd Lord Lloyd	Conservative / Coalition	12 May 1940 - 8 February 1941
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Walter Edward Guinness Lord Moyne	Conservative / Coalition	8 February 1941 - 22 February 1942
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil Viscount Cranborne	Conservative / Coalition	22 February 1942 - 22 November 1942
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Oliver Stanley	Conservative / Coalition	22 November 1942 - 26 July 1945
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	George Hall Viscount Hall	Labour	3 August 1945 - 4 October 1946
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Arthur Creech Jones	Labour	4 October 1946 - 28 February 1950
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Jim Griffiths	Labour	28 February 1950 - 26 October 1951
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Oliver Lyttelton Viscount Chandos	Conservative	28 October 1951 - 28 July 1954
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Alan Lennox-Boyd Viscount Boyd of Merton	Conservative	28 July 1954 - 14 October 1959
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Iain Macleod	Conservative	14 October 1959 - 9 October 1961
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Reginald Maudling	Conservative	9 October 1961 - 13 July 1962
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Duncan Sandys Baron Duncan-Sandys	Conservative	13 July 1962 - 16 October 1964
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Anthony Greenwood Baron Greenwood of Rossendale	Labour	18 October 1964 - 23 December 1965
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Frank Pakenham Earl of Longford	Labour	23 December 1965 - 6 April 1966
	Secretary of State for the Colonies	Frederick Lee Baron Lee of Newton	Labour	6 April 1966 - 1 August 1966