List of colonial governors of Spanish Sahara

Governor of Spanish Sahara
Gobernador del Sahara Español
Coat of arms of Spanish Sahara
Longest serving
Emilio Bonelli
3 November 1884 – bf. 1902
Reports toHead of State of Spain
SeatVilla Cisneros (1884–1940)
El Aaiún (1940–1976)
Formation3 November 1884
First holderEmilio Bonelli
Final holderFederico Gómez de Salazar y Nieto
Abolished6 February 1976
Map of Spanish Sahara.
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The colonial governors of Spanish Sahara were the colonial administrators responsible for the territory of Spanish Sahara, an area equivalent to modern-day Western Sahara. The list covers the period from November 1884 to February 1976, when Spain announced it had transferred sovereignty to Morocco and terminated its administration of the territory.[1]

List

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Tenure Portrait Incumbent Notes
Spanish suzerainty
3 November 1884 to 10 July 1885 Emilio Bonelli,
Commandant
Royal Commissioner on the West Coast of Africa
10 July 1885 to 6 April 1887 Emilio Bonelli,
Royal Commissioner		 Arrives in Río de Oro on 26 August 1885
Political and Military Subgovernors of Río de Oro
(subordinated to the captains-general of the Canary Islands)
6 April 1887 to bf. 1902 Emilio Bonelli,
Subgovernor
1902 to 1 December 1903 Ángel Villalobos,
Subgovernor
1 December 1903 to 1913 Francisco Bens Argandoña [es],
Subgovernor
Delegates of the High Commissioner in the Southern Zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco
(subordinated to Spanish high commissioners in Morocco)
1913 to 7 November 1925 Francisco Bens Argandoña [es],
Delegate		 Occupation of Cape Juby and La Güera
7 November 1925 to 19 June 1932 Guillermo de la Peña Cusi [es],
Delegate
19 June 1932 to 30 August 1933 Eduardo Cañizares Navarro [es],
Delegate
30 August 1933 to 1 July 1934 José González Deleito,
Delegate
1 July 1934 to 29 August 1934 Benigno Martínez Portillo,
Delegate
Government delegates in the Sahara
(subordinated to Spanish high commissioners in Morocco)
29 August 1934 to 4 May 1936 Benigno Martínez Portillo,
Government Delegate
4 May 1936 to 7 August 1936 Carlos Pedemonte Sabín [es],
Government Delegate		 Spanish coup of July 1936; start of the Spanish Civil War
7 August 1936 to 12 March 1937 Rafael Gallego Sainz [es],
Government Delegate
12 March 1937 to 17 May 1940 Antonio de Oro Pulido,
Government Delegate		 Founded the city of El Aaiún in 1938[2]
Politico-Military Governor of Ifni and the Sahara and Delegate of the High Commissioner in the Southern Zone of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco
(subordinated to Spanish high commissioners in Morocco)
17 May 1940 to 24 July 1946 José Bermejo López,
Governor
Governors of the Government of Spanish West Africa
24 July 1946 to 17 August 1949 José Bermejo López,
Governor
17 August 1949 to 29 March 1952 Francisco Rosaleny Burguet,
Governor
29 March 1952 to 26 February 1954 Venancio Tutor Gil,
Governor
26 February 1954 to 23 May 1957 Ramón Pardo de Santayana y Suárez,
Governor		 Apostolic Prefecture of Spanish Sahara and Ifni established on 5 July 1954, with Félix Erviti Barcelona OMI as the first apostolic prefect
23 May 1957 to 10 January 1958 Mariano Gómez-Zamalloa y Quirce,
Governor		 Served at the start of the Ifni War
Governors-general of Spanish Sahara
10 January 1958 to 22 July 1958 José Héctor Vázquez,
Governor-General		 Served at the end of the Ifni War
27 July 1958 to 6 October 1961 Mariano Alonso Alonso,
Governor-General
13 October 1961 to 21 February 1964 Pedro Latorre Alcubierre,
Governor-General
6 March 1964 to 5 November 1965 Joaquín Agulla y Jiménez-Coronado,
Governor-General
5 November 1965 to 26 November 1965 Adolfo Artalejo Campos,
Governor-General
5 December 1965 to 2 February 1967 Ángel Enríquez Larrondo,
Governor-General
18 February 1967 to 4 March 1971 José María Pérez de Lema Tejero [es],
Governor-General		 Served at the time of the Zemla Intifada
4 March 1971 to 6 June 1974 Fernando de Santiago y Díaz de Mendívil,
Governor-General
6 June 1974 to 6 February 1976 Federico Gómez de Salazar y Nieto,
Governor-General		 Served at the time of the Green March
14 February 1976 Spain announces it has transferred sovereignty to Morocco
26 February 1976 Spain terminates its administration[1]
27 February 1976 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic proclaimed by the Polisario Front[3]
14 April 1976 Spanish Sahara is partitioned and annexed by Morocco (claiming Southern Provinces) and Mauritania (claiming Tiris al-Gharbiyya)
11 August 1979 Mauritanian part of the territory annexed by Morocco

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Henry Giniger (27 February 1976). "SPAIN ENDS RULE OF WEST SAHARA". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ^ Francisco López Barrios (23 January 2005). "El Lawrence de Arabia Español" (in Spanish). El Mundo. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Algerian‐Aided Sahara Front Proclaims Republic". The New York Times. 28 February 1976. Retrieved 27 June 2021.